Carey Mulligan on Suffragette.

Film In one of their experiments, the Kermode & Mayo show filmed this week's interview with Carey and uploaded it to the celestial cinema. Although the bulk is about Far From The Madding Crowd (and from the clip the photography looks ravishingly painterly) towards the end there are a few minutes dedicated to Suffragette.

Females are strong as hell.

Film Here's the trailer for Suffragette which foregrounds Carey Mulligan and Anne-Marie Duff whilst giving Meryl the final line. "Never give up the fight." Yes indeed. Although the film isn't out until the day before my birthday, the release of the trailer now is to coincide with the election, as indicated by the closing hashtag #votingmatters. Yes, yes it does. But the slug line's also a perfect piece of marketing "Recruiting 2015", because as the recent Amanda Vickery documentary demonstrated (and the political party manifestos), the fight goes on.

Radicalized?

Film Pathe International's website has been updated with an official publicity shot for Suffragette ...



And a new synopsis:

"SUFFRAGETTE is a thrilling drama that tracks the story of the foot soldiers of the early feminist movement, women who were forced underground to pursue a dangerous game of cat and mouse with an increasingly brutal State. These women were not primarily from the genteel educated classes, they were working women who had seen peaceful protest achieve nothing. Radicalized and turning to violence as the only route to change, they were willing to lose everything in their fight for equality - their jobs, their homes, their children and their lives. MAUD was one such foot soldier. The story of her fight for dignity is as gripping and visceral as any thriller, it is also heart-breaking and inspirational."

There's a reason why I stopped reading the synopses for films. Genuinely not sure "radicalized" is the right word to use in this context.  But the photo makes me all the more excited to see the film itself.

Painshill Suffra.

Film To local news and a report that Painshill Park in Surrey is being utilised as a setting on Suffragette:

"Mike Gove, chief executive officer of Painshill Park, said: “We were delighted to chosen as one of the settings for the filming of the Suffragette movie. With 158 acres of diverse landscape garden, Painshill is a fantastic film location which can be used for both modern and period productions.”

It's worth clicking this for the final paragraph which makes the thing sound like a Bourne film.

Suffragette hits Parliament.

Film Principle photography on Suffragette continues on apace. There's been plenty of pap shots on a certain website but because I'd never link to that website, plus you know stuff, I haven't bothered to mention their many shots of Carey Mulligan in a hat holding a cup of coffee.

 The BBC have covered the film's historic appearance at the Parliament, the first commercial filming at the Palace of Westminster ever. The news piece has an old school Film programme vibe:

The Houses of Parliament are for the first time being used as a set for a commercial film, as shooting for Suffragette takes place.

Carey Mulligan and Helena Bonham Carter have been joined by hundreds of extras playing protesters in the forthcoming movie.

Scenes were shot in the central lobby and a committee room, after MPs agreed it was a good way to contribute to the cost of running Parliament.

Tim Muffett reports.

The negotiations for this were presumably fascinating. Did Parliament want to see the script? Would they had done it for a television piece?

Ruthin Gaol.

Film Filming of Suffragette continues, with the second unit rolling into Denbighshire:

"Camera crews descended on Ruthin Gaol on Monday, where dozens of extras were dressed as wardens and prisoners.

The site was used to replicate HM Holloway Prison in London where 27 women were locked up after a demonstration in Downing Street during their fight for equal voting rights in the early 20th century. [...]

Senior archivist at Ruthin Gaol, Jane Brunning, said it was a coup for the town to be a part of what could potentially be a blockbuster.

“The second unit for the film was shot on Monday from 5.50am until 5.10pm after the crew set up on Sunday,” she said.

“We had 10 extras dressed as warders, prisoners and a doctor filming on the walkways in F Block. We were a small part of what should be quite a prestigious production.”

This video ghost tour gives a decent idea of the interior, as well as being incredibly creepy.

Suffragette crewed.

Film The IMDb page for Suffragette has now been fully uploaded (assuming it's accurate). Really, really excellent crew. Here are a couple of highlights.

The cinematographer is Eduard Grau, whose work includes the still awaiting release here Arthur Newman starring Emily Blunt, The Awakening and A Single Man.

Barney Piling previously edited Carey Mulligan in An Education and Never Let Me Go. Also The Grand Budapest Hotel, Quartet, One Day and Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day as well as loads of work with Kudos on television including episodes of Spooks, Hustle, Life on Mars and the first two episodes of Outcasts and back in the day As, If on E4.

The Art Director is Jonathan Houlding who was a draughtsman on Love Actually, but I won't hold that against him.

The IMDb is worth glancing through in general because you can see how a crew is knitted together with the same films keep coming up in the various departments and many of the same names on the various shoots, presumably because producers are aware of their skill and are keen to bring them on to the next project.

Piling is arguably the most interesting hire; he's not worked with any of the producers or the director before but crewed on what are arguably Mulligan's previous two key British works.

Suffragette begins shooting.

Film What looks like the official solicitation for Suffragette has been uploaded to industry PR website Show Films First, including a shot of Carey Mulligan looking bitterly cold sat at a picnic table in a park:

"Pathé is delighted to announce that SUFFRAGETTE started principal photography on 24th February 2014.

"Carey Mulligan stars alongside Helena Bonham-Carter, Brendan Gleeson, Anne-Marie Duff, Ben Whishaw and Meryl Streep.

"Suffragette is directed by Sarah Gavron (Brick Lane), based on a script by Abi Morgan (Brick Lane, Shame, The Iron Lady), and produced by Ruby Film’s Faye Ward and Alison Owen (Brick Lane, Jane Eyre, Saving Mr Banks). Executive Producers are Pathé’s Cameron McCracken and Film4’s Tessa Ross. Chris Collins is the lead executive for the BFI Film Fund."

In other words, contrary to reports, Streep isn't "starring" in this. There's some interesting industry stuff at the bottom:

"The film is produced by Ruby Film for Pathé, Film4 and the BFI in association with Redgill Productions and with the participation of Canal+ and Cine-Cinema.

"Pathé will distribute the film in the UK and France and is handling International Sales.""

Surprised not to see BBC Films in there since Pathe have tended to partner with them lately and this seems more like one of their projects. I suppose it depends what they're prioritising at present. Canal+ must be the continental distributors. Ruby Films's recent successes include Saving Mr Banks, Jane Eyre and Tamara Drewe.

Commons Filming.

Film Suffragette is set to making film history:

"Permission has been granted for a major film to be shot inside the Houses of Parliament for the first time.

"Parts of Suffragette, which is expected to star Meryl Streep as the women's votes campaigner Emmeline Pankhurst, are to be filmed in the building.

"The Administration Select Committee has granted permission.

"Its chairman Sir Alan Haselhurst said he had been persuaded by the film's subject matter and the need to raise money for the upkeep of Parliament."

Other Houses of Parliament are available.

"What horse?"

Film Suffragettes and Meryl Streep's participation is the subject of Pass Notes in today's The Guardian:

Will she give the famous "Freedom or Death" speech Pankhurst delivered in Connecticut in 1913? Will we see her force fed during her hunger strikes, or the way her work transformed the lives of workhouse women and orphan children? Probably not. It's described as a cameo role.

Whishaw.

Film I'd been thinking about adopting a film for the blog, charting its life from announcement through to production and release and I think I've found it. After earlier news of the Romola, Carey, Abi trifecta, Screen Daily brings more casting news for Suffragette:

"... something something ... Ben Whishaw ..."

It's a The Hour reunion. I don't suppose Morgan, Garai and Whishaw could shoot a secret webisode to close out the series on the quiet?  Something as short as this charming Spaced sequel would do....

Mulligan. Morgan. Garai.

Film If course the headline on all the rewrites of this Screen Daily article and indeed this Screen Daily article say, "Meryl Streep to play Suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst" but it's in the small print of the Empire Magazine version that the really interesting production and casting elements are. With my kean senses the rest of the article reads like this:

"... Carey Mulligan ... something something something ... writer Abi Morgan .... something something something else .... Romola Garai .... "

Mulligan. Morgan. Garai. That's quite some singularity of my interests.  Hopefully this won't be a repeat of the Your Highness debacle.  I wonder what director Sarah Gavron's been up to since Brick Lane (which was also co-written by Abi Morgan).