Oh boy, as if the internet doesn't already
clash enough with feminism...
You're watching Beyond The Trailer's review of Suffragette...
Everybody knows the term "hot button topic",
but these days feminism seems to be a "nuclear
button topic". HBO's John Oliver recently
spotlighted the harassment of women journalists,
and just plain women, on the internet today
- and one shudders to think how that contingent
will react to Suffragette. I've included a
link to Oliver's segment in the video description,
and if you're tempted to say he's exaggerating
consider this: At the beginning of this very
month, ESPN's Jessica Mendoza made history
as the first woman to cover an MLB playoff
game on the network. But she was greeted by
misogynistic tweets from Atlanta radio host
Mike Bell who called her "Tits McGee" and
complained that ESPN hadn't found a more qualified
correspondent. But while Mendoza is an Olympic
softball player who's won the gold, all Bell
can muster on his resume is "Falcons season
ticket holder". And sadly, with this happening
again and again - Trump vs Kelly anyone? - it's
not that hard to imagine that these same men's
ancestors felt women shouldn't even vote.
So just like movies about race relations,
Suffragette's timing seems perfect. This UK
film focuses specifically on that nation's
Suffragette movement, perhaps most famously
depicted up until now in the film Mary Poppins.
And while Mrs Banks cheerily sang reference
to civil unrest, it was definitely a far cry
from the stark reality portrayed in this film.
Besides an all-star cast of Carey Mulligan,
Helena Bonham Carter and the one and only
Meryl Streep, Suffragette also impressively
boasts an almost entirely all-female team
behind the camera as well - at a time when
the US government has actually just decided
to investigate discrimination against women
behind the camera in Hollywood. Seriously!
At the request of the ACLU! Sarah Gravon directs,
The Iron Lady and Shame's Abi Morgan writes,
while Saving Mr Banks' Alison Owen and Jane
Eyre's Faye Ward produce. Most of this team
made the 2007 film Brick Lane, which depicted
London's growing immigrant population and
racial tensions post 9/11. It didn't get a
lot of attention though, and admittedly this
creative team might be high on estrogen but
its low on star power. But women in the film
industry have to start somewhere right? Is
this kind of on the nose, feminist fare the
ideal starting point, which will afford this
talent the same launching pad as Ava DuVernay
with Selma? Will Sarah Gavron be offered Captain
Marvel?! Will she turn it down?! Will Captain
Marvel actually ever be made?! By the way,
Captain Marvel itself is currently set to
be released on International Women's Day in
2019. Will that help it, and will Suffragette
be able to find an audience? Because there's
been a lot of talk about how 2015 looks a
lot like 1965, yet 2015 also looks a lot like 1903....
