Women with iron will

Author: Malaya

TWO-Time Academy Award winners Hilary Swank and Angelica Huston head an all-star casting this historical drama chronicling the struggle of American women to win the right to vote.

"Iron Jawed Angels" recounts for a contemporary audience a key chapter in US history: in this case, the struggle of suffragists who fought for the passage of the 19th Amendment. Focusing on the two defiant women, Alice Paul (Hilary Swank) and Lucy Burns (Frances OConnor), the film shows how these activists broke from the mainstream womens rights movement and created a more radical wing, daring to push the boundaries of political protest to secure womens voting rights in 1920. Breathing life into the relationships between Paul, Burns and others, the movie makes the women feel like complete characters instead of one-dimensional figures from a distant past.

Although the protagonists have different personalities and backgrounds Alice is a Quaker and Lucy an Irish Brooklynite they are united in their fierce devotion to womens suffrage. In a country dominated by chauvinism, this is no easy fight, as the women and their volunteers clash with older, conservative activists, particularly Carrie Chapman Catt (Angelica Huston). They also battle public opinion in a tumultuous time of war, not to mention the most powerful men in the country, including President Woodrow Wilson (Bob Gunton). Along the way, sacrifices are made: Alice gives up a chance for love, and colleague Inez Mulholland (Julia Ormond) gives up her life.

The women are thrown in jail, with an ensuing hunger strike making headline news. The womens resistance to being force-fed earns them the nickname "The Iron Jawed Angels." However, it is truly their will that is made of iron, and their courage inspires a nation and changes it forever.

"Iron Jawed Angels" won for Angelica Huston a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television. This HBO Original Movie was also nominated for Golden Globe for Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television and for Best Performance by an Actress in a mini-series or a Motion Picture Made for Television (Hillary Swank), as well as received 5 Emmy nominations for Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special, Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie, Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or Movie and Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special.

An inspiring tale about the hardships and motivations of womens rights and path to emancipation, "Iron Jawed Angels" premieres exclusively on HBO this September 6 at 8 p.m.

Source: Malaya