iTunes Exclusive Episode Suffragette
Rob, Chad, and Don review director Sarah Gavron's Suffragette, a film about women fighting for voting rights and equal pay in early 20th century England, starring Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, Ben Whishaw, and Meryl Streep. The hosts praise the cinematography and production design but find the pacing slow, particularly in the first half, and note that the film centers on a fictional character rather than real historical figures.
About this episode
Key takeaways
- Cinematography, set design, and production design are standout elements; the hosts compare the visual look favorably to Gangs of New York
- The film has a slow pace in the first half and final 20 minutes move quickly, with heavy subject matter depicting violence against women
- Meryl Streep appears only briefly despite prominent billing; Carey Mulligan carries the film as the lead character
- The dialogue features thick turn-of-century London accents that may be difficult to understand for some viewers
- The film ends with text showing which countries granted women voting rights, revealing some nations still have not
Q&A
How long is Suffragette?
106 minutes (one hour 46 minutes)
Is there anything parents should know about content?
There is brief nudity and some violence depicted, but the hosts felt it could be shown unedited in history classes
Who plays the lead character Maud Watts?
Carey Mulligan
Is this director Sarah Gavron's first film?
No, this is her second feature film; her first was Brick Lane with screenwriter Abby Morgan
Read Transcript
The following is a sooner orgator production. If you are hearing my voice, it means the following conditions have been met. At least once in your life you have listened to the clubhouse podcast live on you stream every Sunday night, 7 Eastern Fort Pacific.
Your one-stop shop for all-thing sports and entertainment. But it also means you subscribe on iTunes because it's time for another Atunes Exclusive. We hit a milestone with this one.
This is iTunes Exclusive number 150, a hundred and fifty times we've been able to do these. Welcome. My name is Rob.
I am the executive producer of the clubhouse podcast and I'm a big fan of history. But I'm not alone for this particular episode. Joining me across the desk is my co-host, my normal co-host, and a man that is also a fan of history.
He is Chad. Welcome sir. Indeed I am.
Always helped out watching Jeopardy. But you know what? It helps you.
That's what I'm saying. Beautiful thing. Also joining me across the desk is the official fact checker of this show and a man that's he learns a little bit more every day.
You may know him as fun. Don go but his mom and even don't want to call him Don ford welcome sir. I just learned 2 plus 2 is 22.
Well you know what? That's public school education. Yes sir.
I'm also a product of that. From Montana. Whenever we do one of these episodes it's usually to review something and this particular episode is no different.
We are here today to review the latest film from director Sarah Gavron who doesn't have a lot. This is only her second feature she's ever directed after Brick Lane that she did with screenwriter Abby Morgan. It is called Suffragette.
Terry Mulligan. Ben Wishah Helena Bonham Carter and Marie Duff. Meryl Streep names you might know.
Here's what you need to know. This takes place at just past turn of the 20th century England and it is basically the story of women fighting for rights for equal pay and being able to vote. And the lengths that they will go to in order to achieve these goals.
Before we begin we got to think we have to think Candace we have to think Julie at Merak everybody at Focus features for vittness to this thing. Yes thank you guys so much they're so good as a normal people. So always put on a great presentation for us.
Our friend Scott was there as well helping out. We are always so thankful for our venders that they have a lot to do with these things. So thanks again Julie and Candace for inviting us this thing.
Kind of rocking an interactive vibe there. They were that's some cool things going on for that screening. This photo booth thing.
Oh yeah. 106 minutes so an hour 46 is your runtime on this. Chad let's start with you the story itself.
Would you think not a pretty story I mean it's but that's not necessarily not an a criticism it's it's it's not an indictment on the storytellers that's the word for the purpose say but it it looks at this at this struggle for equality through a relatively unflinching unblinking eye I mean warts and all you see just how bad things were for women at the turn of the century the turn of the 20th century and people kind of want to forget that we went through that period of our life and some countries are still going through that period as we saw and this is really isn't a spoiler but at the end of the film they show you the years that countries were given women were given these rights and there's a couple at the end that expected this year and there's not a lot of this year left yeah there's still waiting done yeah on on the plot I have to make this which I put my rate and view at the klobspocass.com that's our website the film seemed to drag for me like the cargo in 20 miles per hour and a 35 mile power zone I just thought the storyline and plot just did not was not fast enough for me now I understand what they were doing I understand what they're trying to get across and at that point they really did I just thought it was too slow moving because they gave you a lot of information up front they gave you a lot of information at the end of the movie but in where they write you know historical things this happened here in this app right there which we're not being spoiler free on we're just giving you a way our being spoiler I mean that there's we're not seeing what's on the exact yeah so for the prior be aware that there is going to be some and I'll agree with you yeah the the past year the you know the pacing here is very slow especially in the first half of the film for me what you kind of expect of a film like this but it was exceptionally yes I understand where they cut the film off at the end but I would have liked to see more of what happened after the event that's I can understand it just I can just just put some words up there this happened here this happened there I would like to see more of that in results that is arguably my biggest criticism of this film was that we spent so much time and I'm trying to remain as spoiler free as possible which we appreciate we spend so much time seeing how horrible things were for women at the turn of the century and with this with this character that carry Mulligan blazing particular you're thinking burden you know it's a civilized country well I mean but but for for any for for any country that it would be said in it's it's nothing but gut kick after gut kick after gut kick and there's there's no I don't feel like there was any real light at the end of the tunnel which granted I know that's probably how they felt at the time and maybe that's the message that the filmmakers are trying to convey but give me something to where I don't walk out of the theater and want to kick a cat I mean in this there's some tough scenes to watch I mean a lot when you watch it like the cops hit the women and with the Billy club recently yeah immediately it's like you would never see that today no would be you know especially in Britain but it did happen back then and they weren't afraid to show it oh not at all which I thought was it something interesting that we talk about Helen and Bottom Carter in this film she is actually the great granddaughter of H. H. Asquith who served as the prime minister of the UK for 1908 to 1916 and was a staunch opponent of the really wow coming from our friends at the internet movie database thank you so much IMDB and one thing I'm positive I want to say though the scenery the set in the look of the film that was so historic yeah that was going to be one thing for me that if there's anything that really stood out for me in this film it's the cinematography the set design the production design yeah there were moments where the camera would open up the shot and I could feel my jaw drop like I was like wow this looks amazing and what it really took me back to and this is a compliment trust me I kept going back to Gangs of New York that yeah how gorgeous that looked yeah it's historically correct absolutely and I was really blown away in that particular aspect of the film from a story standpoint like I said the first I have a little slow for me the last 20 minutes moves quickly it was it did for me like it was just like whoa whoa whoa yeah and maybe it's just because the rest of it was so slow that the rest of that part of it seemed fast but the weird thing for me here and was performance and I guess maybe this was written this way on purpose but there there wasn't anybody that I can tell you right now was a standout performance from because it's really as much as it is the story of Mod Watts played by Carrie Moigan it wasn't ensemble piece at the same time right I thought I thought Moogan's did good but after one empire on this on the poster it shows Merrill Streep and promoted through the trailers and everything with her in it she has her own one she yeah she's only in that film but what five ten minutes total if you get it for a bathroom break you might not see her exactly but but but I will say this in in defense of that but I'm sworn in the empire that and then where if you want to see a lot of real street you're not going to have I hear where you're coming from but what what I want to say in defense of that is did you need her in this film no no not at all and that's why I was kind of okay with it now granted this being set in Britain and then talking about the king and knowing she played Margaret Thatcher in the Iron Lady was a little weird for me but I just I thought that she was she played the role she needed to play and exactly the right amount she needed to play it and there was nobody given the fact that we're in the fourth quarter of the year you got everybody going you know wanting to get there for your considerations deal done the crew is really if there's any awards to be done here it's going to be to who we talked about before handling the the set design and all that but my my thing is I just consider that kind of false advertisement to the empire you know but but movies do that all the time down just warning them I just want to get the point across because I care about the empire I know I appreciate that but I mean I but don't be wrong the rest of the acting I I did like what the job that Morgan did what Duff did what Carter did oh no I'm not saying that was bad it just wasn't like it didn't like it didn't like I didn't like I struck that this person deserves the best actress not right and there's one scene where I thought Moigan really kind of brought it and it's the scene where she's explaining herself to the inspector to bring in Gleason to Brendan Gleason's character but nothing that Brendan I I just lost it I just lost where he was but there was no he's inspector Arthur Steadis who he plays but thought he didn't credible I thought he was he didn't but I have a standout if he's always good that's my thing but Brendan Gleason is always good there was nobody in this that that just hit me like a freight train and made me go yes did them statues now that being said carry Morgan has already won the actress of the year for this from the Hollywood film awards really yes what did carry Morgan okay I I think of a shout out it might mind this gonna go to Gleason when it comes to the acting in this film it goes to him but I know like you say it's like Paul G.
and you know what you're gonna get right everybody out again but I still regardless of how good he is I still think that he did the best job of everybody and he deserves acknowledgement on it no you know that right I mean I'm saying you don't that wasn't supposed to happen okay you know that's what I was supposed to do right there okay thank you and for me it's more about cinematographer Edward Grow production designer Alice Normington art directors Jonathan Holding and and Choi Ho Man set decoration Barbara Hermann skilled in costume design Jane Petrie these are the people for me that were the standouts who do you think made deserve an Oscar not or two because absolutely won't surprise me do I think this is gonna get an nomination for best picture I don't but that's not a criticism of the film I enjoyed the film I thought the film was very good it just for me it didn't have that it factor that would push it over the top like some of the other films that we've seen recently yeah again fourth quarter everybody wants there for your considerations to happen exactly well it's just my my my my my my take on it was that it was it was a very important film that that needed to be made it was a so it was a story that needed to be told agreed my own my biggest beef with it though was that they centered on a character that doesn't exist and I think there there were so many other people that were involved in that struggle that did exist that would have made them more and there were people in the film that that did exist and I really wish they would have focused on them more rather than this one peripheral character fictional character where just bad thing after bad thing continuously because a male Streep's character her her great granddaughter and her great great granddaughter actually have scammyo roles in the film I mean she her character did exist but not all of them did right but I will say one person that was from an acting standpoint ahead of the curve that I put them on is Helen a bottom Carter I am not the world's biggest Helen like bottom Carter fan she's serviceable she's good I just don't put her on the pedestal that a lot of people in the industry do here I thought she was very good she was above the curve that I put her at but what I nominated her for an Oscar I wouldn't know and I don't I don't it was a weird feeling for me because on one hand I was like this is kind of what they're going for but on the other hand I was like maybe they're really not and maybe they're just trying to put together and put on the screen a good story which again a good story a little slow but I think you have a lot of ground work to make everybody understand the struggles that these women went through. One thing that I think maybe even worth pointing out to a certain segment of the audience is that we had comments going on behind us of people that couldn't quite make out the dialogue because this takes place in turn of the century London and their accents are quite thick yeah it was your wife of British descent able to understand yeah yeah I mean and so was I because again I live with a British woman you have for the better part of six years now and five years now there may be people that have that same problem that can't quite make out what people are there there are certain they're laying that is there were moments that it got a little muddy for me but I it didn't take away from what I was trying to watch I could gather what was going on given the situation but you know you also you have this is kind of you have to pay attention you know don't don't read Facebook while you're watching this movie you know don't live tweet the movie just watch the movie and enjoy it for what it is which let's be honest they shouldn't be doing that any well in a movie theater but I'm talking about if people end up watching this on a home home video of some form anything else before we get to the final analysis before we end again we got to think Ash Julie and Candace focused and Ash didn't because they're all yeah but yeah of course focus features for bonus to this thing thanks again guys all right the way we do the final analysis on this show we don't give you thumbs up thumbs down we don't give you letter grades we don't give you ranked one to ten we don't give you stars our audience whom we affectionately refer to as the empire is better than that we're gonna ask two questions or at least I am first question is would you see this film again if the answer is no then we're done here if the answer is yes my second question will be how far are you willing to go to watch this again would you pay full price would you go to a twilight matinee early weekend morning would you wait until it's in second run to the dollar theater would you venture out of your house to run it from red box would you stream it on Netflix would you wait for it on cable done let's start with you would you see this film again yes how far you will need to go uh i'm between the red box and the dollar theater because if you want to see the theater only paid dollar for it but if not if you still interested at that point red box would still be good chat would you see this film again I don't think so it's just it was you seem like you're just on that side of note yeah it's not like you're putting your foot down emphatically yeah but is it is it more i've seen it i wouldn't see it again right it's it's it's not the kind of film that you enjoy it's the kind of film that you survive would you recommend it to somebody who hadn't seen i would recommend this to be shown in history classes and in such you know it's it's it's an important story to be told and i don't know if this story has ever been told this brutally you know this and i don't know that you would even have to edit anything out of it they say that there's brief nudity but i don't think that there was anything the scene that they have to be talking about wasn't that bad no yeah i mean it's there's some violence don't get me wrong but i don't think there's any violence that would make me want to edit any part of this if it was shown in a school yeah if if they have and i know that there are schools that have shown similar list unedited in schools if they had no problem with this that point then they should have no problem with this i i would watch it again but i think i would wait for it on cable as a second viewing i would recommend it's like hp or something like that yeah but for a first viewing i would say get it from get it from red box you know something that you said last night when we were walking out was don't make that your last stop of the night yeah don't yeah don't don't make that the the pinnacle of your evening because you're gonna want some some decompressed time after it but i mean it's it's it's good it's not great yeah it's very very serious it's very very deep prepare yourself for that it's very well i wouldn't say avoided it all but but if you're a fan of cinematography and stuff like that yeah yeah the looks and the historical yeah anything else where we get to the blood no i think we're going to present visit our website www dot the club house podcast dot com find out everything you need to know and some stuff you don't please like our Facebook page look up the clubhouse podcast on facebook but the word podcast on the end or it's something completely different follow us on twitter at clubhouse show follow me on twitter if you'd like i am a yes that rob urban that is spelled er v i n i'm at chat in pg six nine i'm at font don go and you can email me at dawn at the clubhouse podcast dot com email dawn if you would like us to come do a live remote show it's your location we love doing live remote shows and hang it out with the you can email me if you'd like questions comments concerns tell me to go pound sand i am rob at the clubhouse podcast dot com i am chat at the clubhouse podcast dot com charlotte parker who was with us last night and she she enjoyed it to a certain extent she is on Pinterest and we are morally obligated to say that jules wallmic to she enjoyed this she was kind of in the same boat with me fair enough our normal live shows are every Sunday night seven eastern for pacific your one stop shop for all things sports and entertainment or just keep subscribing on iTunes and you get everything all 150 of the exclusives we've done for those of you that have been with us that long thank you so much until next time for dawn for Chad for the Empire i'm rob clubhouse is closed the preceding was a sooner or greater production