Made in Dagenham (2010)

Directed by: Nigel Cole | 113 minutes | biography, drama, comedy, history | Actors: Sally Hawkins, Andrea Riseborough, Jaime Winstone, Lorraine Stanley, Nicola Duffett, Geraldine James, Bob Hoskins, Matthew Aubrey, Daniel Mays, Roger Lloyd-Pack, Phil Cornwell, Karen Seacombe, Thomas Arnold, Sian Scott, Robbie Kay, Miranda Richardson

‘Made in Dagenham’ is based on real events from 1968. The Ford factory in Dagenham is a huge factory, Ford has 55,000 employees there. The men produce cars in a modern factory hall. There are 187 female workers behind the sewing machine who sew the upholstery of the seats together. Their working conditions are bad: a drafty and leaking old factory that is sweltering hot in summer. Discrimination also in pay: men are paid more in the factory for comparable work. If the women are qualified as ‘uneducated’ after a protest, a labor dispute arises. They are going on strike against the unequal wages of men and women.

A 24-hour strike ensues, backed by their union leader at the factory. The men in the factory like it when the women also take action and encourage them. It therefore seems to be a nice one-off action that, the management expects, will soon blow over. However, Albert, their sincere local trade unionist, urges the women to go ahead and fight for equal pay between men and women. Rita, until then an ordinary housewife with no special political ambitions, is outraged by a threatening letter from the management. The fire flares up, a strike then stops all sewing machines for longer.

An amusing battle follows that sympathetically shows how such conflicts are sometimes handled behind the scenes. The high-ranking union bosses in London who negotiate with the top of Ford have their own interests and prefer to negotiate a deal behind the scenes. However, the genie is out of the bottle. They didn’t count on the burgeoning fire in Rita and her colleagues. If there are no more seats in stock, the entire car production line will eventually come to a standstill. The men then begin to stir. “Over and out with that nonsense, after all, we are the breadwinner, so stop the strike.” He also begins to take revenge that the men have no or less income, the refrigerators that have not been paid for are removed, family quarrels ensue. The men are now starting to turn against the women. Rita increasingly turns out to be a spokeswoman of stature who manages to make it to the press. Behind the scenes, heavy political pressure is exerted on the British government from the top of Ford America, Ford threatens to close the factory and lay off 55,000 men if necessary. The women do not give way and go to demonstrate in London, where they are invited by Barbara Castles, Minister of Employment (who is secretly sympathetic to their struggle). The behind-the-scenes game is played hard and sometimes mean, but the women have good publicity and know how to play the general public in an amusing way. How should this end?

History now, but ‘Made in Dagenham’ is fun to watch. The casting is excellent across the entire width of the cast. Sally Hawkins plays a perfect role as Rita O’Grady, strike leader against all odds. The extensive cast is clearly enjoying it. A strong male role is played by Bob Hoskins, the union representatives of ‘his girls’, who tramples on the great union interests of industrial peace by tamping and clapping in backrooms. Not to be missed is Miranda Richardson’s excellent portrayal of Barbara Castles, then Labor Minister of Labor, who (initially behind the scenes) played an important role in realizing the fight for equal pay for men and women. Unlike in the generally more melancholy and often fiercely realistically tone-deep socially critical films by directors such as Mike Leigh and Ken Loach, ‘Made in Dagenham’ emphasizes a light-hearted approach. A humorous account of a historic battle is the result. It is sometimes a bit too thick on top, the clichés are sometimes a bit bold. However, that should not take away the fun from a film with a strong choice of location, excellent dialogues and a nice soundtrack in which fighting women and pop songs from the sixties naturally play an important role. There is plenty to laugh about in this relaxing, mainly ‘feel good’ film in which the image of the time is superbly portrayed.