A day after London audiences saw the world premiere of Made in Dagenham in Leicester Square, Sudbury audiences saw the film at a Cinefest gala Tuesday at SilverCity Cinema.

Dagenham is England's Detroit, and at its peak, Ford Motors employed 40,000 people. In February 2002, full production was discontinued due to overcapacity in Europe and costs of upgrading the 60-year-old site,  Today the site employs 4,000 people in engine, stamping and transport operations.

Back in 1968, 187 women who worked at Ford Dagenham waged a battle for better wages and ended up fighting a successful battle for equal pay for equal work in Britian. This film should be of great interest to Sudbury audiences given the city's labour and economic history.

The film was directed by Nigel Cole, whose previous movies include Calendar Girls.

The movie manages to tell a good story, deliver a message for today's workers, and entertain at the same time. Bravo.

Rating: five bags of popcorn.

 

Comments from Lionel Rudd

A bit of total trivia for you....  1963 to 1964 I worked for Ford in Dagenham.  I was brought up in the adjacent town of Romford.  I worked in the foundry - 2,000 of us making engine and gear box castings...... Then it was the most modern foundry in Europe.  I also worked in a pub in Dagenham - the Beacon.......  I used to compete for the Essex Beagles athletic Club - the club that the great Jim Peters belonged to - he was the marathoner who collapsed in the 1954 Vancouver Marathon.  Key in Jim Peters on your computer.  Jim was an optometrist as well as a leading Freemason - he was past master of the Athlone Masonic Lodge of UK - a lodge dedicated to athletes.
 
My Aunt lived in Dagenham and my mother was brought up there....  Dagenham was a model city, designed in 1925 it has 4 lane highways, mixed design government housing, a college schools, churches and of course pubs.....and libraries....
 
I could write a book about Dagenham -and Fords.....  It does not surprise me that women had a problem - to some extent they still do in England.  I served for a spell in the Essex Police....  Women got 2/3 the pay of men - it was thought that women didn't need as much money and after all they could always get married.......don't laugh - it's serious.  On the London buses women did not drive but worked as conductors collecting fares - they were called clippies.....