Film Review: Reviewed By Alexia Skinitis; 4 out of 5

There seems to be a fail-safe formula for creating successful British films: take some plucky working-class Brits, mix with a situation that tests their mettle, sprinkle in some gritty social history, and, hey presto, you have a sure-fire hit on your hands. Just like The Full Monty, Billy Elliot and Calendar Girls (also directed by Nigel Cole) before it, Made in Dagenham follows that recipe to a T, and is entertaining and touching in equal measure. Set in 1968, it focuses on the struggle of the women machinists at Dagenham's Ford factory to convince management that they deserved the same pay as their "skilled" male colleagues, a breakthrough moment of the 1960s that gave momentum to the campaign for equal pay for women. Cole's film is paced for smiles, not political punches, but the performances and production values are superb. Sally Hawkins is wonderful as the strike's energetic yet reluctant leader, while Miranda Richardson steals every scene as cabinet minister Barbara Castle. With Bob Hoskins and John Sessions (as Harold Wilson) also co-starring, expect Bafta if not Oscar nominations aplenty.

Plot Summary

Comedy drama based on a true story, starring Sally Hawkins, Bob Hoskins and Miranda Richardson. In 1968, workers at the Ford auto plant in Dagenham - one of the biggest employers in the UK - go on strike, demanding equal rights for female staff. The unassuming Rita O'Grady finds herself at the centre of a movement that is destined to change the lives of women for years to come.