Iron Jawed Angels

This weekend we decided to get all civic-minded, so we got HBO's Iron Jawed Angels. This movie is all about the women's suffrage movement in the 1910s. It stars Hilary Swank as Alice Paul and Frances O'Connor as Lucy Burns. These women were strong independent women when strong, independent women were considered hysterical or mentally ill.

It is amazing to see what these women went through to get a constitutional amendment passed. You see, they didn't want it to be an issue left to the states, they wanted more than that. And to get a constitutional amedment passed, they had to turn away from the old guard women in the suffrage movement and start their own political party. This means they not only went against established social norms and the men in power, but also against their own leadership.

Soon after splitting off, they begin to picket the White House. They decide to keep up this picket line even after the US enters WWI. They are picketing a war time president, which is "akin to treason." (Oh how things have changed.) They are soon arrested for obstructing traffic and over 200 women are thrown into prison. There they are tortured and even forcefed after they begin a hunger strike. We get to watch eight years of these womens' lives and it is really great to watch.

The really interesting thing is that this movie doesn't play like an historical drama, but like a modern film. The soundtrack is made up of modern pop songs and the women act with modern sensibilities (probably even more than they really did). However, this really worked to the film's advantage because it helps viewers to truly relate to the women in the movement. These aren't historical characters, they are just like us (or, like the female version of us, right Mrs Titan?).

This was a great film to watch right before the election and it should make us all proud that we now have universal suffrage, and even women in serious contention for the top offices. If you're a woman, you owe it to yourself to check this one out, and if you're a man, you definitely need to watch this to appreciate this country.