Film Review: 'Made in Dagenham' Captures 'EastEnders' Ethos
By Tim Wilson
MADE IN DAGENHAM is a must-see for all of us Easties who like a bit of EASTENDERS in our British movies.
This one is particularly enjoyable because not only is it infused with that particular brand of East End community spirit and strength we adore but one of the principal actresses in it, Nicola Duffett, actually was an EASTENDERS stalwart. For two years between 1993-1995 Ms. Duffett played the good-hearted, straightforward Debbie Tyler, who did the right thing in marrying good-hearted, straightforward Nigel Bates (Paul Bradley) but then ultimately did the wrong thing by making that shopping excursion Up West where she was struck down by a car and killed.
In MADE IN DAGENHAM no such fate awaits her character, thank goodness. In this film she plays Eileen, a friend and work colleague of the leading character Rita O'Grady (Sally Hawkins), who, in 1968, led her group of 167 sewing machinists at the Ford assembly plant in Dagenham on a protest strike which led to a significant advance against sexual descrimination and resulting in The Equal Pay Act of 1970.
Originally titled WE WANT SEX (you'll have to see the movie to find out why it might have been called this) MADE IN DAGENHAM is a lovely example of why we all find the virtues of EASTENDERS so appealing. The sense of humour, the aforementioned indomitable spirit and strength on display in Walford is certainly represented here. Rita is someone you root for without reservation because her decency and intelligence shine through unfailingly. I remember when Ms. Hawkins played the lead in Mike Leigh's film HAPPY GO LUCKY how divided the audience seemed to be concerning her quirky performance. I can see why some found her to be irritating as both an actress and character but I felt that she simply embodied that role to the extent that Leigh was successful in what he was trying to put across. In MADE IN DAGENHAM, she's playing a toned-down version of that character and she's immensely likeable and touching, as a result.
The excellent supporting cast includes JEWEL IN THE CROWN's Geraldine James, Miranda Richardson (in a wickedly funny turn as Secretary of State Barbara Castle), the gorgeous Rosamund Pike and, as Rita's baffled but supportive husband, Daniel Mays, who appeared on EASTENDERS for two episodes in 2000 as poor Kevin, a jilted suitor of Kat Slater's when the Slater clan first moved to Albert Square.
As for Nicola Duffett she probably only has about six or seven lines of dialogue total in this but she can be seen throughout the film, standing loyally alongside Rita and the others both literally and figuratively. She gets what's known in the screen trade as "quality camera time" and you always find yourself watching her and her reactions to the turn of events in MADE IN DAGENHAM. She's a delight to watch, and so is this movie. I highly recommend this as an East End feel good flick. And the period details in it (it's set in 1968) are a
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