Free Showing of Iron Jawed Angels

Press Citizen, September 21, 2010:

On Aug. 26, 1920 -- more than 144 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence and 133 years after the ratification of the U.S. Constitution -- women were recognized as full citizens of the United States when the ratification of the 19th Amendment granted them the right to vote.

Before the passing of that amendment, there could not have been such a group as the "League of Women Voters" -- for the simple reason that there were no female voters. As the lyrics from the old School House Rock song say, "Oh, we were suffering until suffrage, / Not a woman here could vote, no matter what age, / Then the 19th Amendment struck down that restrictive rule."

Throughout this year, there have been many events celebrating the 90th anniversary of that civil rights milestone. And at 7:30 p.m. today in The Englert Theatre, area residents have the opportunity to get a small taste of what life was like in the decades leading up to that historic step forward. During a free screening of the 2004 HBO film "Iron Jawed Angels," area residents have the opportunity to learn about all the hard work, determination, organization and acts of civil disobedience that it took for women to break into the "good ol' boys" club of the American electorate.

"We're hoping to give women and men of all ages an opportunity to see what it took to pass the 19th Amendment," said Dayna Ballantyne, director of the Iowa Women's Foundation. "We want them to get in touch with our history. To reconnect with the grass-roots effort that it took to make this change reality."

And a free screening of "Iron Jawed Angels" seems a particularly compelling way for making this history come to life. "It's the story of Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, two little-known heroines," Ballantyne said. "They were engaged in what at the time would have been considered extreme behavior -- picking in public in front of the White House and holding demonstrations in the street. They did what they needed to do to attract the media attention necessary to get a majority of votes to pass the amendment."

Directed by Katja von Garnier, "Iron Jawed Angels" stars Hilary Swank as Paul, Frances O'Connor as Burns and Angelica Huston as Iowa's own Carrie Chapman Catt -- a role that earned Huston an Emmy award for outstanding supporting actress in a movie or miniseries.

Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper called the film "an important history lesson told in a fresh, and blazing fashion." And Jack Garner of Gannett News Service called it "a special television event -- and perhaps just the incentive we all need, women and men alike, to appreciate and use our right to vote in this election year."

The film also shows the tensions within the suffragist movement as more established leaders, such as Catt, disagreed with the growing radicalism of Paul, Burns and others. Paul and Burns eventually had to leave the National American Woman Suffrage Association and start their own National Woman's Party, but their efforts eventually paid off.

After watching the film for the first time, Ballantyne said she was inspired to get out and vote in every election she is eligible to participate in. "I can never take this opportunity for granted again," Ballantyne said about her right to vote. "After all, there were generations of women who put their lives on the line for us to have this opportunity."

After months of negotiations with HBO, the Iowa Women's Foundation has secured the rights for unlimited screenings for the next year. And Ballantyne said tonight's screening is just the first of what she and others hope to be a series of screenings across the state.

Ballantyne already has begun scheduling screenings in Des Moines, Sioux City and Dubuque. And she said she is interested in working with any group in any city that would like to learn more about this under-studied period of history.
 

Return to News & Events

Add Comment