"Suffragette" (movie critique)

SUFFRAGETTE
movie poster

A friend drove The Travelling Toe to that art movie theater east of Fort Worth...OK Dallas, to see the amazing movie "Suffragette"

The movie is of course about the suffragette movement that took place in England just prior to WWI.  The movie is based on actual events but the central figure, Maud Watts was a factional character.  Maude was played by the astonishing Carey Mulligan. She certainly deserves a Oscar nomination for her performance.

Carey Mulligan
Maud Watts
(fictional character) 

Maude is a young wife and mother who works in deplorable conditions as a laundress. She lives a hard life but cares deeply for her young son.  Accidentally, Maude is drawn almost unwillingly into the suffragette movement by a friend and co-worker.  She tries to resist being part of the group but the inequality overwhelms her and she becomes active in the cause.  She is arrested and when released, her husband prevents her from seeing her son.  As a woman she has no rights to her own child.  Eventually the husband has the young boy adopted by another couple and Maude can not stop it as at that time in history, children belonged only to the father.  As the women continue to protest and demonstrate, the police try to shut it down. The British government pressures the press not to print stories about the suffragettes.  

Meryl Streep
Emmeline Pankhurst
(real person)

Helena Bonham Carter
Edith Ellyn
(fictional character)

There are a couple of pretty tough scenes in the movie, one when the women are viciously beaten by police, in jail they are force feed, and attacked even by their own husbands. The women decide to make one big statement at the Epson Derby which  King George V will be attending.  Due to various events only 2 women make it to the race, Maude and a young lady named Emily Davidson.  Emily turns to Maude and makes a small statement and then steps onto the track and is trampled to death. (and yes that is a real event)

Emily on the Epsom race track
(actual picture)

This movie really touched the Travelling Toe's heart in so many ways.  Yes women can now vote but we are still not equal in so many ways.  But The Travelling Toe will not jump on the soap box as this is just a movie critique.  But will state that we as modern women owe so much to these brave fearless women of the suffragette movement.


There are several internet sites about the Suffragette Movement, here are just a couple of them: 


Suffragette Movement (Mrs Pankhurst)

Suffragette Movement