Iron Jawed Angels [WS]

Director: Katja von Garnier Katja von Garnier

Overview

"Katja von Garnier's historical drama about women's suffrage, Iron Jawed Angels, arrives on DVD with a transfer that preserves the original broadcast aspect ratio of 1.85:1. An English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital 5.1, English and Spanish soundtracks have been recorded in Dolby Digital Surround, and a French soundtrack is available in Dolby Digital Stereo. Subtitles are accessible in all three of those languages as well. Supplemental materials include a commentary track recorded by the director. This is a fine disc from HBO Video."

Product Details

Release Date:	09/07/2004
UPC:	0026359212222
Original Release:	2004
Rating:	NR
Source:	Hbo Home Video
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, Dolby Digital Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:04:00
Sales rank:	50,820

Special Features

Closed Caption; Director commentary track

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Hilary Swank	Alice Paul
Frances O'Connor	Lucy Burns
Anjelica Huston	Carrie Chapman Catt
Patrick Dempsey	Ben Weissman
Molly Parker	Emily Leighton
Julia Ormond	Inez
Joseph Adams	Sen. Leighton
Laura Fraser	Doris Stevens
Trevor Gagnon	Frances
Heather McCorkindale	Katherine
Brooke Smith	Mabel Vernon,Anna Howard Shaw
Kristina Vensko	Jenny Leighton
Margo Martindale	Harriot Blatch
Vera Farmiga	Ruza Wenclawska
Adilah Barnes	Ida Wells-Barnett
Carrie Snodgress	Mrs. Paul
Bob Gunton	President Woodrow Wilson
Reinhold Heil	Composer
Johnny Klimek	Composer

Technical Credits

Jennifer Friedes

Raymond Singer

Eugenia Bostwick-Singer

Sally Robinson

Katja von Garnier	Director
Paula Weinstein	Producer,Executive Producer
Len Amato	Producer,Executive Producer
Lydia Dean Pilcher	Producer,Executive Producer
Robin Forman	Producer
Jennifer Friedes	Screenwriter
Robin Forman	Executive Producer
Raymond Singer	Screenwriter
Eugenia Bostwick-Singer	Screenwriter
Laura McCorkindale	Executive Producer
Sally Robinson	Screenwriter
Janet Hirshenson	Casting
Jane Jenkins	Casting
Liz Marx	Casting
Ed Novick	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

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.