Made in Dagenham - Rita's Speech

Here are a few notes on the first scene we studied: Rita's Speech - Places and Forms of Power

Made In Dagenham (directed by Nigel Cole, 2010)

it is based on a true story – it is set in Britain in the 60's – it's about a group of women, factory workers who go on strike to demand equal pay - they are considered as unskilled workers although the work they do (they are sewing machinists) requires great skills, they are paid less than men and are discriminated against.

The film ties  in well with the notion of power:

The women who go on strike challenge the power and authority of male-dominated groups and institutions: the trade union, the government, and the heads of Ford Industry.           They are led by a brave and bold woman: Rita O'Grady who is a worker in a Ford car-making factory 

Rita's Speech

In the first scene we watched, Rita is making a speech in front of her union delegates, who are all men:

Monty, their leader is patronizing and disdainful: he considers that women are asking for too much, too soon, he doesn't take them seriously , Then it is Rita’s turn to make a speech; it is interesting to note that the other male delegates are willing to listen to her, they are more open-minded than Monty, they encourage her to speak up. At first, Rita is very nervous, she is not used to making speeches. She urges the union delegates to back up the women's demands because it's a matter of principle, she insists that they all belong to the working class that men and men and women must fight together for what is right and as she says “equal pay for women is right”. The men in the audience listen to her carefully and respectfully and seem to be on her side (except Monty and the older men)

so in this scene, there is a shift in power: a new, younger generation is taking over; the old generation has been defeated; women are beginning to assert themselves, they are gaining power

They challenge the form of power embodied by the older generation of male trade unionists