Iron Jawed Angels

Iron-Jawed Angels: Movie Analysis1

After watching “Iron Jawed Angels” I gained a strong sense of reality when witnessing what women had to do to achieve their independence and gain a place in a male dominated society. Up until the late 19th century, women were perceived as homemakers and were allowed only domestic duties in society but with the emerging industrial and political system women could now use their domestic skill to propel their voice in American government and society. “Dress up prejudice and call it politics” is a profound quote in the move Iron Jawed Angels, which depicts the struggle of women’s suffrage movement and its culmination in the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the constitution. The battle for suffrage was indeed a long and difficult process spearheaded by ingenious and talented women in a variety of ways, such as spreading pamphlets, public demonstration, public parade, petition to the president. All in all, women’s suffrage movement could not be encompassed by a single movie. However, the movie Iron Jawed Angles does not show us the marrow part of this movement.
The strongest sense of reality that I gained after watching Iron Jawed Angles is the ability of women   to make an impact on other women. It is this contagious feeling among women suffragists that hold them together through various difficulties. For example, Alice Paul’s public demonstration for women’s voting right eventually even gained the support in the passage of Nineteenth Amendment. When one of the suffragist fell down because of extreme fatigue, when public parade and demonstration is physically disturbed by males, when suffragists are being force-fed in the prison, none of the suffragists budged on their stands, instead, they are held together even stronger by this contagious feeling among them.
The film is a documentary and drama which uses live action and music to deliver the sympathetic and distressful mood the film creates. An example of the... [continues]

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