Iron Jawed Angels

UPC: 026359212222

Studio: HBO Home Video

MPAA Rating: NR   Contains:null

Summary: German filmmaker Katja von Garnier directs the HBO original movie Iron Jawed Angels, inspired by a pivotal chapter in American history. Hilary Swank plays Alice Paul, an American feminist who risked her life to fight for women's citizenship and the right to vote. She founded the separatist National Woman's Party and wrote the first equal rights amendment to be presented before Congress. Together with social reformer Lucy Burns (Frances O'Connor), Paul struggled against conservative forces in order to pass the 19th amendment to the Constitution of the United States. One of their first actions was a parade on President Woodrow Wilson's (Bob Gunton) inauguration day. The suffragettes also encountered opposition from the old guard of the National American Women's Suffrage Association, Carrie Chapman Catt (Anjelica Huston). The activists get arrested and go on a well-publicized hunger strike, where their refusal to eat earns them the title of "the iron-jawed angels." Iron Jawed Angels was screened at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004 before its television premiere on HBO. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

Category: Drama

Awards: Film Presented – Sundance Film Festival

Features: ccDirector commentary track

Iron Jawed Angels

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 09/07/2004

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, DDS Dolby Digital Surround, DDS2.0 Dolby Digital w/ 4 channels

Runtime: 124 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,Spanish,French

Subtitles: English,French,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 --
1. Heads or Tails [6:02]
2. Building Support [1:13]
3. Strong Alliances [4:50]
4. Woman on a Horse [1:35]
5. Men Plan, God Laughs [4:22]
6. Break With the NAWSA [3:02]
7. Driving Lesson [2:58]
8. A Dark Cloud [5:59]
9. Nowhere at All [1:57]
10. Sentinels [4:59]
11. Sacrifice [4:45]
12. Political Prisoners [1:57]
13. Fanning the Flames [5:21]
14. Hunger Strikers [2:41]
15. Acts of Contrition [4:38]
16. Presidential Support [1:31]
17. The Vote [3:22]
18. Conclusion/End Credits [5:32]

Skyler Miller

For Americans, the right to vote is so taken for granted that it's hard to believe it was unavailable to the country's women until 1920, and not until after quite a fight. Chronicling this overlooked but major chapter in the history of U.S. civil rights, Iron Jawed Angels is an accomplished biopic that covers a lot of ground without sacrificing the personal details of its characters. The film is refreshing in the way it relegates male characters to the background and puts its full focus on an array of heroic women. Hilary Swank gives an assured and inspiring performance as Alice Paul, the leader of the National Woman's Party, a radical organization that sought nothing less than full voting rights for women. The fine cast is rounded out by Frances O'Connor's understated Lucy Burns, Molly Parker as a senator's wife who defies her husband to become active in the movement, the ever-luminous Julia Ormond, and Anjelica Huston in a fun, scene-stealing role. Patrick Dempsey serves as what might have been a token "love interest" in a lesser film, but here he symbolizes the choice Alice must make between the cause and her personal life. The film's use of contemporary songs and cinematography is a potentially bold stylistic choice that doesn't always work. The intent is clearly to make past events more relevant to a modern audience, and while this strategy succeeds to a certain extent, it also serves to occasionally distance the viewer from the story. Nonetheless, the film excels at depicting the real sacrifices of the women involved, especially in the harrowing prison scenes, as well as in showing the development of nonviolent protest techniques that were later used successfully in other political movements. Iron Jawed Angels vibrantly brings to life a neglected period of America's civil rights struggle without making it seem like a history lesson. ~ Skyler Miller, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Trevor Gagnon  Actor 
Raymond Singer  Screenwriter 
Lydia Dean Pilcher  Executive Producer 
Paula Weinstein  Executive Producer 
Sally Robinson  Screenwriter 
Reinhold Heil  Composer (Music Score) 
Johnny Klimek  Composer (Music Score) 
Katja von Garnier  Director 
Eugenia Bostwick-Singer  Screenwriter 
Len Amato  Executive Producer 
Jennifer Friedes  Screenwriter 
Robin Forman  Executive Producer 
Laura McCorkindale  Executive Producer 
Hilary Swank  Actor 
Frances O'Connor  Actor 
Julia Ormond  Actor 
Anjelica Huston  Actor 
Molly Parker  Actor 
Patrick Dempsey  Actor 
Laura Fraser  Actor 
Brooke Smith  Actor 
Vera Farmiga  Actor 
Lois Smith  Actor 
Margo Martindale  Actor 
Joseph Adams  Actor 
Adilah Barnes  Actor 
Carrie Snodgress  Actor 
Bob Gunton  Actor 

Country: USA