greenegg I knew when I saw the woman's naked back scrawled with Votes For Women in what appeared to be red lipstick that this would be yet another stinker from HBO. We know this network is capable of good efforts, such as Band of Brothers, but more often than not, they produce anachronistic potboilers masquerading as history. While some of these characters lived, others were created to suit the mawkish tendencies of the producer, writer and director. I could find no evidence of the Leightons in the history sources I consulted. I didn't do an exhaustive search, but their story also felt contrived. Suffragettes in general were single-minded, serious women, not pouty little twits who mooned about on swings with leaves swirling all over them while hip-hop blasted. What was up with that hideous soundtrack? I taught college for years, and my students often amazed me with their capacity to appreciate stories from other eras. Hip-hop has no place in a historical film. No wonder American students suffer from brain atrophy. If you never challenge people, then they cannot learn and grow. When I watched the brilliant Shoulder to Shoulder (the British tale of their suffrage movement) during the 70s, I never expected to hear Led Zeppelin or the Who in the soundtrack. I wouldn't have wanted to. Period music is necessary to create mood and tone. Likewise, those disgusting costumes, which were just plain wrong. The sets looked anachronistic, as well, no less as soundstagey as all get out. Whenever the characters went outside to stand in the cold, no condensation emerged with their breaths. I can't abide cheap, phony productions, and that is what we too often get in these American pieces. Many of the songs were rather lascivious, as were the gratuitous scenes of the homely Swank (she is a decent actress, but she is hardly attractive) masturbating in the bathtub, complete with too many shots of her over-collagened lips. Ben Weissman, the so-called cartoonist/love interest, was a fictional creation. This sort of fictionalized love story in the midst of a biopic seems nothing short of insulting to the viewers, as well as to the historical women who suffered greatly for their cause. With just a few exceptions, women were only just emerging as public femme-fatales at this point, but many of these songs had a slutty tone. In addition to these flaws, the film definitely dragged in many places. Watch Shoulder to Shoulder instead. American suffragettes deserve better treatment than this aimless mess.

Ric Simmons I viewed this film at the Sundance Film Festival and was quite impressed, especially after listening to Katja von Garnier, the director. HBO Films purchased the film just before it debuted at Sundance. The film was released to the public in 2004 on HBO. Only those who went to Sundance or subscribe to HBO actually had a chance to see this incredible and historically-based work of art. Hilary Swank was great as usual, with Francis O'Connor and Agelica Houston rounding out a very talented and well-selected cast. And you could not help but dislike the political environment lead by Bob Gunton as President Woodrow Wilson - not one of America's greatest moments.From a man's perspective, every woman and man who thinks voting is not an obligation to our democratic process needs to see this film. HBO Films has done a disservice to the American public by pigeon-holing this work on only HBO networks. Every red-blooded U.S. citizen should see this film. In fact, it should be required viewing in every U.S. high-school. If you can get your hands on this film or know when it is playing, I challenge you to see how many Americans you can share it with. As seen in this film, many suffered in many ways, so all Americans would have the right to vote.

brat975 I just showed this movie in my American History class,and I can see it made a huge impact on my students. People do not always like to talk about the unpleasant things in our past, and I like to show both sides of an issue. I had them do a reflection after viewing certain scenes(the parade, the jail, and an overall feeling to name a few) I was amazed at the responses, even from the "tough" boys. They were moved and shocked as was I. True enough, there is a Hollywood spin, but it is also a powerful film. I can not say enough positive things about this film. The film depicts women and the struggle for the vote. One of the reasons I showed the movie was my history book had a one liner when buried in the end of the WWI chapter when the amendment was passed, so I figured I would address the issue.

skcummings I teach at a community college, so I some in contact with many young women. Most of them are without ANY understanding of the difficulties of women in the past. Their own gender- associated difficulties seem to exist either in a historical vacuum or are not recognized as gender-based at all. This movie, with its smart editing and brilliant soundtrack, goes a long way toward helping young women of the 21st century reconnect with those to made their freedoms possible.And I dare any woman of voting age not to feel ashamed if she does not register and vote in every election, local and national, from now until she's loaded into the hearse.