‘Suffragette’ Movie Trailer Reveals Violent Beginnings Of British Feminist Movement; Watch Top 3 Moments

Feminist history is about to get the big screen treatment. Starring Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, and Meryl Streep, the new movie “Suffragette” will follow the events in England in 1912 as feminists upped the ante, even resorting to violence, in their struggle for the right to vote.

The trailer was released to coincide with the news of the film’s world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival. Director Sarah Gavron is a previous alum of the festival and looks to be headed for awards season with considerable support from an all-star cast that also includes the talents of Ben Winshaw and Brendan Gleeson. The festival runs from Oct. 7-18.

Here’s three moments to watch out for in the new trailer for “Suffragette”:

1. Setting Up The Fight With Women From All Classes
Streep is shown in regal Edwardian Era clothing while a sizeable portion of the trailer is dedicated to showing the harrowing conditions that Mulligan’s character must contend with. While the well-to-do feminists were often at the forefront of the movement, the trailer does not neglect the working class women who played pivitol roles in the movement.

2. Fighting Fire With Fire
As the trailer shows, this isn’t the generation of peaceful feminist protest. Looking to speed up the bureaucratic process, the feminist warriors in “Suffragettes” resort to throwing bricks, blowing up mailboxes and using firepower to disrupt life and get people’s attention. Perhaps it’s not as iconic as bra burning today, but the tactics worked.

3. Streep's Character
Mulligan plays the character Maud, which is probably a stand-in for the unnamed women forgotten to the history books. But Streep plays a very real historical figure, Emmeline Pankhurst, one of the women largely credited with achieving the suffrage dream in 1928 when Parliament gave women over 21 the right to vote. She passed away just weeks before the law was ratified.

After last year’s groundbreaking “Belle,” it’s strange to go back to an all-white England cities of yore. Considering its fall release, it would be no surprise to find “Suffragette” marketed for Oscar consideration or pitched as this year’s “Selma.” If so, could this be an early indication of a sequel to #OscarsSoWhite?

According to Indiewire, “Suffragette” will premiere in theaters Oct. 23.

What do you think of the trailer? Sound off in the comments below.