Having won acclaim and awards recognition with Lone Scherfig’s “An Education” last year, Sony Pictures Classics is obviously hoping to repeat the trick with the purchase of “Made in Dagenham,” which the studio announced today. Bolstered by a fine cast, including Sally Hawkins, Rosamund Pike, Miranda Richardson and Andrea Riseborough, the film is described as “a rousing, inspirational, entertaining and often hilarious dramatization inspired by the true story of the 1968 strike at the Ford Dagenham car plant, where female workers walked out in support of equal pay. The actions of these women — the Erin Brockovich’s of 1960s Essex — had an impact not only around the U.K. but the world, leaving a lasting legacy that had a permanent impact on women’s role in society.”
In the past, British underdog tales such as “The Full Monty” and “Billy Elliott” have made waves with their tales of against-the-odds triumph, and “Made in Dagenham” looks set to fit squarely in that mould. The cast — which includes Bob Hoskins, Daniel Mays and “The West Wing’s” Richard Schiff, who is making a habit of appearing in British comedies after his recent turn in “The Infidel,” joining the aforementioned quartet of actresses — is too good to be ignored, but films like this are always dangerously perched on a knife-edge. Will it turn out to be genuinely uplifting and lovable fare, or will it join the ranks of the many forgotten “feelgood” movies that opted for cheap sentiment and manipulative plotting in their determination to stir some emotions? The fact that the film’s titled has already been switched from the original “We Want Sex” indicates the possibility of a product being watered-down for a mainstream audience.
Still, the optimists among us hope this picture will live up to its talent. Director Nigel Cole (“Saving Grace” and “Calendar Girls”) is a safe pair of hands and Stephen Woolley is on board as a producer (a longtime Neil Jordan partner who has produced “Interview With The Vampire,” “The Butcher Boy,” “Breakfast on Pluto” and more). If all goes well, “Made in Dagenham” could be a breakout hit, and although no U.K. or U.S. release dates have been announced yet, you can likely expect Sony to position it somewhere close to the end of the year with one eye on next year’s Oscars if it bends the right towards quality over treacly feel-goodery. — Philip Concannon
