Thursday Film Picks: Strong Women

 

It’s Women’s History Month and  I decided to choose 3 movies about strong women. I could choose a lot more but I’m choosing  3 films that came into my head right away and here they are…

1. PAT AND MIKE-1952

This stars the great pairing ( on and off screen) of Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy and was Hepburn’s favourite film with Tracy. She plays Pat, a woman who can play, just about, any sport and excel and surpass most men, not just women. The one problem is her jerk fiancée  who makes her doubt herself and screw up. Enter Mike and his co-hort who are a bit seedy but see something in Pat and hope to make some dough. They actually underestimate who they have in Pat but Mike realizes how important she is, in more ways than one. My favourite scene is when she takes on and bests the hoodlums who come to rough up Mike..it’s hilarious. This film has some real life  sports legends including the great Babe Didrikson who excelled in anything she put her mind to. Just so you know Katherine Hepburn’s mom was part of the suffragette movement and a young Kate was privy to all the issues of equality during that time.

2. NORMA RAE-1979

Sally Field was known as the Flying Nun, Burt Reynolds’ girlfriend and Sybil ( an excellent TV movie about a multiple personality which garnered Field critical raves). Nobody expected cute, button-nosed Field to carry a film about a woman who tries to rally the employees to bring basic rights to their workplace. Field delivered a great performance, winning an Oscar as Norma Rae who fights her employers and persevering despite personal costs. It’s well acted, well written and worth a watch.

3. SUFFRAGETTE-2015

Obviously, this is about this movement in the early part of the 20th century in England where many women fought for equality and their right to vote. Many were arrested, beaten, and spat upon, even by other women, all for their right to vote. This film stars Carey Mulligan as a, at first, reluctant woman who attends these rallies and soon becomes enthralled with all it stands for much to the detriment of her husband. She loses her job, her home and child because she is fighting for what she believes in. Helena Bonham Carter co-stars and is always great. It brings in some real life episodes like Emily Davison who ended up walking in front of the King's horse, in full gallop during a horse race and dying from her wounds. To this day it is speculated whether she meant to commit suicide or if she thought she could avoid being hit by the horse while she  tried to protest. This film could be better but it is still quite well done and well acted.

What films can you think of?