In England, in 1968, the Ford Motor Company employed over 50,000 men at its giant car factory in Dagenham, Essex, on the Eastern border of London by the River Thames. They also employed a few hundred women, many of them sewing machinists in the upholstery department, but paid less than the men for equivalent work skills. When management reclassified the women as "unskilled", they went on strike, and despite enormous financial, domestic and political pressure, including from their own trade union, they held out until they won their cause. The action also led to the passing of the Equal Pay Act, to help right the disparity between men and women's wages.This is a very British, or rather English film, but so well made on a modest budget that wider audiences should be able to enjoy it. It manages to capture the flavour of the late 1960s through careful location shots, and the cast is superb, led by Sally Hawkins, very ably supported by well established actresses Geraldine James and Miranda Richardson, the latter contributing a star turn as Labour cabinet Minister Barbara Castle. On the male side, Bob Hoskins is perfectly cast (for a change) as a Trade Union Shop Steward, the reliable Kenneth Cranham plays the same, while John Sessions enjoys himself as the oleaginous Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Daniel Mays plays a long-suffering husband, and fans of the TV series "The Walking Dead" may just recognise Rick Grimes, actually Andrew Lincoln, as the dismissive school teacher at the start of the trailer. Despite being undoubtedly a "feminist" film, it owes its existence to an idea by producer Stephen Woolley, and it was written, directed and edited by men, all very sympathetically. I wholeheartedly recommend the film, which both entertains and tells a true story of perseverance.

Made in Dagenham is a movie about the true story of women working in the Ford Dagenham car plant that went on strike to fight for pay equality. This movie brilliantly captures the pay inequality crisis. It brings awareness to the cause and provides eye opening information that can encourage people of all ages to fight for what's right. Equal pay was a problem long ago and is still a very big problem today. This movie was very inspiring, specifically for the female sex, but for the male sex too. I thought this movie really brought a reality to the wage gap how it affects a person's life. The fact that this movie is based on a true story makes it all the more empowering. I encourage all women to watch this and to see what they are capable of. The parts of this movie that I felt were especially honest were the parts that acknowledged the troubles that the main character, Rita O'Grady, and her family went through. I thought that these scenes really made the movie because it shows the reality that life is not always pots of gold under the rainbow, but that everyone goes through hard times no matter how strong they seem on the outside. In addition, Made in Dagenham showed how families and loved ones can come through and support one another in the end. To conclude, Made in Dagenham did a wonderful job of expressing how many women around the world feel about the wage gap and the extreme actions that had to be taken in 1968 to make things right. Although pay inequality is still a major issue today, it is being acknowledged in many ways throughout the world, whether it's through foundations, companies, or movies like this one, it is still being fought for and as long as people keep working hard, someday the gap can be closed.

Made in Dagenham is one of those films producers think will be great just because it is based on real facts. Still, you need to tell the story the right way and direct it properly.The movie vacillates between not-so-funny comedy and emotionless drama. The script is flat, lacks depth and dynamism, some elements could have been better used like Lisa (the manager's wife). The general mood surrounding the factory is weirdly edulcorated, and doesn't seem to fit with the fight that is being presented to us.Ultimately, Made in Dagenham is long, boring and fails to arouse real interest despite a few good scenes.

An excellent film focused on women at a Ford manufacturing plant outside London in the late '60's and their quest for first fair, then equal pay.The story is very well told and all the factory women do wonderful jobs portraying the travails of their situation. Sally Hawkins portrays wonderfully the woman who, somewhat reluctantly became the leader of the women and Bob Hoskins is perfect as the mid level union functionary subtly driving the process.Richard Schiff is wonderful as the evil face of Ford sent to London to quell the strike and Rosamund Pike does a brilliant turn as the long suffering wife of the plant manager who supports and nudges the process along in the union direction.Miranda Richardson, normally a star in films like this, has a terrible script to work with; as do her two bumbling staff members. The semi-comical performances of these three are at odds with the rest of the film. This unfortunate scripting keeps the film from a four star rating.Still, a film well worth seeing; especially later in the film as personal relationships, and changes to them as a result of the strike, are delved into.