I used to imagine suffragettes in elegant gowns and big hats, wearing sashes and holding signs that said, “Votes for women.” Seeing “Suffragette” shattered these preconceptions and revealed the true cost of being a suffragette.
My preconceptions did not include bombs, destruction of property, violent arrests and force feedings, a reality for many suffragettes in England from 1912 to 1928.
“I did have literally a paragraph in my book in school about the suffragette movement,” said Carey Mulligan, the film’s star. Mulligan, during a conference call, also said that the militant suffragette, commonly associated with the Women's Social and Political Union, has been largely ignored in the understanding of English history and women’s suffrage.
“We wanted to show their courage, their conviction," she said. "This was largely a group of women who had everything to lose.”
While Director Sarah Gavton certainly did not shy away from portraying the suffering many working class women endured for women’s suffrage, an equally notable aspect of the film occurs beyond the fourth wall. Not only does the film’s cast feature a group of powerful women, including Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, and Meryl Streep, but the writer, Abi Morgan, and the producers, Alison Owen and Faye Ward are also all women.
“As a group of women we felt very excited to be the ones who were finally going to get to tell this story,” Mulligan said.
“And honestly, I don’t think it would have been made by a man.”
Controversy surrounded the film during initial publicity efforts. A promotional photo shoot featured some cast members wearing T-shirts that said, “I’d rather be a rebel than a slave.”
This is a quote by Emmeline Pankhurst, the founder of the Women's Social and Political Movement and Streep’s character in the film, which addressed the extreme efforts suffragettes were forced to take.
However, the photos still caused people to voice concerns of whitewashing the suffrage movement.
Mulligan explained that the film explores part of the suffrage movement.
“I think you’re seeing a very, very specific storyline within the suffragette movement,” Mulligan said. “The great thing is there are so many other stories to tell.”
The specificity of the storyline did not taint the film’s relevance in today’s society.
“Access to education, women’s representation in parliament, sexual violence, and treatment in the workplace,” Mulligan said.
“A lot of the issues discussed in the film are hugely relevant now.”
The film will be released in Raleigh-Durham today, Friday, Nov. 6.
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