After watching the 2014 film Selma (directed by Ava DuVernay) and the film Iron Jawed Angels, (directed by Katja von Garnier), post a detailed comment (short essay) below comparing aspects of the two films. Be sure to focus on aspects of women, gender, and privacy as much as you can. Earn 0-3 points added to your midterm exam.
One big difference between the films is how they portray race. Iron Jawed Angels mostly focuses on white women’s suffrage, with just a quick mention of Ida B. Wells being forced to march at the back. It doesn’t really dive into how Black women were often left out of the movement. Selma, on the other hand, does a much better job of showing different perspectives, making sure Black women like Annie Lee Cooper are at the center of the fight.
Gender roles come up a lot in both films. Iron Jawed Angels really emphasizes the struggle of women trying to balance activism with traditional expectations. Lucy Burns wants to be a mother but also refuses to give up her education and the fight for suffrage. Senator Leighton’s wife is torn between standing up for what she believes in and worrying about embarrassing her husband. Selma also shows Coretta Scott King not just as MLK’s wife but as a strong activist dealing with personal and political challenges, including her husband’s infidelity.
The way violence is portrayed is another major contrast. Iron Jawed Angels has scenes of force-feeding and police brutality, but Selma is way more intense. It shows brutal murders, beatings, and the Birmingham church bombing that killed four little girls. Jimmie Lee Jackson’s murder is heartbreaking and really highlights how young Black men were also targets. The film also shows the politics and interest convergence of Johnson’s decision to work with MLK. This was partly about controlling what he saw as “bloodthirsty militants” like Malcolm X, which shows the strategic side of Johnson’s choice. These realities are important to include.
Both films also show how hard it was to get politicians to listen. Woodrow Wilson ignored the suffragists, while Johnson didn’t want to prioritize voting rights until it became politically necessary. Selma does a great job showing how MLK had to push and strategize, and how the movement relied on many people, including white allies who were also killed for marching. The film shows a broader coalition.
When it comes to history, Selma feels more real. It sticks closer to historical events and avoids unnecessary drama. Iron Jawed Angels definitely plays up the dramatics, especially the side romance plot that feels kind of out of place and takes away from the movement’s focus. Perhaps the modern music and stylized choices makes it entertaining but also less historically immersive.
Overall, Iron Jawed Angels was still inspiring but showed a very limited take on the suffrage movement by focusing solely on white women and adding extra drama that isn’t always needed. Selma feels more complete, showing multiple perspectives, the harsh realities of racism, and the political struggles of the time. Both are worth watching, but, for me, Selma tells a more powerful, inclusive, and historically rich story.
In both Selma and Iron Jawed Angels, they both dealt with civil rights movements. Selma focused more on the black American struggle, while Iron Jawed Angels concentrated on the white suffragist movement. Selma, at face value, focuses on MLK and the process of getting the right to vote. It also really dives into topics of intersectionality. For instance, I think one of the first scenes with Annie Lee Cooper was very powerful and honestly did so much more in so little time that it surpassed Iron Jawed Angels. She goes to register to vote and is constantly quizzed and tested on her ability to recall judges and the Constitution. In that small scene, so much is said. The man testing her doesn’t just think Lee Cooper is beneath him due to her race but also because she’s a woman to break out of her confined roles. Selma, I think, demonstrates these powerful personal moments that all these women faced, and that’s without mthat’sioning Corretta’s strugCorretta’she film shows that her privacy is constantly violated as the FBI fabricated an affair MLK had. Or how she had to deal with pressure from Malcolm X on the civil rights movement. The movie does a great job of highlighting these important prominent women in the civil rights movement without having to exaggerate over and functionalize a movement.
In comparison, Iron Jawed Angels also focuses on the struggles of the suffragists. But to add onto that, they ignore certain women black women and almost villainize them. They are seen as an obstacle that because they also want to vote, they are going to hurt white women’s chances at obtaining the right to vote. This film also takes a less realistic approach; it creates fictional characters in fake romance to make these suffragists more appealing to an audience. But in doing so, I think many of their intelligence efforts and battles are undermined. For instance, when they are locked up in prison. This exemplifies the violation of women’s privacy, women’s Paul going on a hunger strike and then being punished for it. However, To Get These Women Out of Prison utilizes a fictional character who appeals to her husband to get them out. The film undermines women’s struggle women’s turn its fee. It is like the film minimizing the accomplishments of women. In my opinion, the way the Iron Jawed Angels women and the gender they chose to make women more mainly made them feel like men and didn’t respect women’s struggle. But overall, both were informative about civil rights movements in the US.
Watching and learning about these two films really was very inspirational in how activism works in two different settings. To me, the actions of the individuals portrayed, was full of hardships, and dire needs, but against all odds, they continued to fight for what they belive in. The intervention of the government at all steps was also very interesting to see and it leads to discussions regarding the the dependability of them in a modern sense just was was difficult for MLK to work with LBJ. Furthermore I also noticed how many problems arise from within the organization and how conflict always breeds more conflict, resulting in their own people fighting against one another.
On the other hand, i feel like differences arise between the two films when we consider which groups of people the organization’s are fighting for. Selma presents a film that focus’s on the fight for minorities and the disenfranchised who cannot vote based on the color of their skin. Jawed Angels had a focus on white woman and the acts of the 19th amendment. While both fights are important, the depiction of how each movie portrays itself is essential for the type of sociopolitical environment they were in.
“Selma” and “Iron Jawed Angels” are both poignant films that depict critical movements in American history, focusing on the civil rights movement and women’s suffrage, respectively. While “Selma” centers on the 1965 marches led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to secure voting rights for African Americans, “Iron Jawed Angels” highlights the early 20th-century struggle of suffragists like Alice Paul for the 19th Amendment. Both films emphasize themes of equality, justice, and the power of grassroots activism, showcasing the strategic planning and personal sacrifices involved in these pivotal movements. “Selma” employs a traditional narrative style with a focus on historical accuracy and dramatic reenactments, whereas “Iron Jawed Angels” incorporates modern stylistic elements, such as contemporary music, to connect with viewers. Despite their different approaches, both films effectively portray the resilience of individuals fighting systemic oppression and underscore the ongoing struggle for civil rights and gender equality.
Both Selma (2014) and Iron Jawed Angels (2004) depict pivotal struggles for civil rights, but they also highlight the intersection of gender, power, and privacy in different ways. Selma focuses on the 1965 voting rights movement led by Martin Luther King Jr., where women played crucial yet often underrecognized roles. Figures like Coretta Scott King and Diane Nash demonstrate the sacrifices and resilience of women in the movement, yet their contributions are often overshadowed by male leadership. The film also touches on privacy through the FBI’s surveillance of Dr. King and the way it affected his family, particularly Coretta.
Iron Jawed Angels, on the other hand, centers entirely on women’s fight for suffrage in the early 20th century, emphasizing the gendered power dynamics that shaped the movement. The film vividly portrays how women like Alice Paul and Lucy Burns endured public ridicule, government surveillance, and even imprisonment for demanding the right to vote. Unlike Selma, which explores racial and political struggles with gender as a secondary theme, Iron Jawed Angels explicitly confronts gender discrimination, highlighting how women’s voices were dismissed even within progressive circles.
Both films reveal how privacy was weaponized against activists—whether through FBI intimidation in Selma or forced psychiatric evaluations in Iron Jawed Angels. They show that while racial and gender-based struggles are distinct, they often share tactics of oppression, and women, despite playing vital roles in these movements, frequently had to fight additional battles for recognition and respect.
I will confess that going into “Selma,” I was already expecting to appreciate it more than “Iron-Jawed Angels.” I had just seen another one of Ava DuVernay’s films, “Origin” in theaters and was touched by her explorations of racial divisions, class divides, and the interconnectedness of systems of oppression. “Origin” was one of the most powerful films I had ever seen, and so I was excited to watch “Selma” for the first time, with the hopes that it would be similarly expertly executed. And Ava DuVernay did not disappoint. What I found most powerful about “Origin” was its acknowledgement of concepts of intersectionality. “Selma” is similarly effective in this way. In the film, Martin Luther King Jr. is fighting for the rights of African Americans to vote freely, but the film powerfully touches on the experiences of women at the time as well. The movement is not portrayed as a male-only movement, but rather women’s experiences are constantly and consistently paid significant attention, pointing to the notion that though women had secured the right to vote, the reality was quite different for Black women than it was for white women. Further, “Selma” pays tribute to the grassroots organizing efforts of women within the Civil Rights Movement, such as Amelia Boynton Robinson and Diane Nash. These women played integral roles in organizing and mobilizing communities for the Selma marches, demonstrating their leadership and determination in the face of systemic oppression and violence. Their stories function in the film as testaments to the contributions of women at all levels of the movement, from local activism to national advocacy. Black women receive acknowledgement and credit for their important contributions to the movement in the movie “Selma.” I’ve quickly become a fan of Ava DuVernay and find that each of her projects is so well-researched and well-crafted that they end up functioning not only as powerful films, but important cultural documents.
On the other hand, by focusing primarily on the experiences of white suffragists, “Iron Jawed Angels” overlooks the intersectional dimensions of the suffrage movement and fails to acknowledge the diverse experiences and struggles within the fight for women’s rights. This omission results in a neglect of the significant contributions and agency of Black women in shaping the course of social change. Throughout the events of the film, Black women find themselves largely sidelined. In a particular scene, Paul suggests to Ida B. Wells that Black women should march at the rear of their planned parade. Paul’s rationale is rooted in the fear that Southern Democrats might withdraw their support if Black women were prominently featured at the forefront. In comparing the two films, “Selma” offers a more inclusive and intersectional perspective, centering the experiences of Black individuals and communities within the context of the Civil Rights Movement. Conversely, “Iron Jawed Angels” provides a narrower focus on the women’s suffrage movement, emphasizing the experiences of white suffragists and their struggles for political enfranchisement. Overall, both films shed light on important moments in American history and the ongoing struggles for equality and justice, but they do so through different lenses and with varying degrees of inclusivity.
The film Selma is about the Voting Rights Suffrage led by Martin Luther King Jr..The film starts with MLK receiving the Nobel Peace Prize yet, still having to fight for equal rights. This film is particularly focusing on the march from Selma to Montgomery. This walk is specifically for African American voting rights however, something to remember is that this included Black women’s right to vote.
The film Iron Jawed Angels is particularly about white women’s right to vote. We notice that the fight is for white women’s right to vote as most if not all the characters are white. The film has peaceful to more drastic protests occurring and many parties saying that women should not have the right. Eventually they were given the right to vote in 1920 after many protests and fights. The National Women’s Party was the leading party and this was for white women.
Comparing the film in relation to gender, both films were having women fighting for the right to vote. In Iron Jawed Angels it completely focused on white women and their fight. And then Selma was both African American men and women fighting for the right to vote. If you look at the film more closely, I can argue that the violence was quicker when it came into relation for African Americans in Selma during the march. While in Iron Jawed Angels there was a build up to it. Even when you look at the picture you posted on the wordpress, it really shows the disparities of how white people are treated compared to black people when it comes rto fighting for rights. Now focusing on the women aspect, you can tell that obviously, the fight in Iron Jawed Angels was for white women to vote not black. Race played a huge part still during the time period. Historically, the right to vote for women was a separate march for women of color and white women.
I think during this class it is always reinforced, unfortunately, women of color do not matter. Every right white women fought for excluded women of color historically. I remember during a lecture at the start of the semester you said that this class really does focus on white women because a black women’s rights are mixed with African Americans rights. I hope this makes sense but, white women fighting for rights were to be against what their male counterparts said. And when people of color fought then it was together regardless of gender, it was against the white people in charge. If we were to take the class and split it with black women and white, there would be such a huge difference in timeline. Not only that, I think half of these events would just be directly related to 358 rather than 356 if we were to say the criteria is just women. If the event is just for women’s rights because people of color had to fight together.
Selma focuses on the voting rights movement led by Martin Luther King Jr., and Iron Jawed Angels centers around the women’s suffrage movement. I was intrigued by the women portrayed in both films in their pursuit of equality and justice, but also questioned about the true meaning of equality.
Both films underscore how women’s movements for equality have historically been forced to intersect and compromise with male-led movements out of necessity. In Selma, the friction between the civil rights activists wanting to appease racist Southern Democrats and women like Ida B. Wells refusing to be relegated to the back of the march highlighted the complex intersections of race and gender these movements navigated. Iron Jawed Angels also confronted this by initially depicting a suffrage movement largely led by and focused on securing the vote for privileged white women. One thing to note from this is how it showed the racism and classism embedded within the movement, while working class women and women of color were sidelined priorities. While the movement aimed for gender equality, there was a HUGE lack of intersectionality in addressing how race created further layers of oppression for many women. This dissonance within the women’s rights movements- fighting for equality while simultaneously upholding other systems of discrimination is very irony.
After watching both Iron Jawed Angels and Selma the films are similar in that they show two groups of people fighting for the right to vote. They both went to the President for this right that their white male land owning counterparts had. MLK at least got a sit down with the President, where the women had to communicate with him through different means. After Alice Paul was thrown in jail and starved herself … the women finally got the right to vote. Then Oprah got tackled at a MLK rally. The women got the right to vote and MLK got shot and also put in prison for fighting for what he believed in, which was freedom and a voice.
The films Iron Jawed Angels and Selma provide brief journeys through suffrage movements in the United States. In Iron Jawed Angels viewers can see the campaigning for women’s suffrage through the lens of activists Alice Paul and Lucy Burns. The film Selma pertains to the Montgomery voting rights marches occurring in 1965 which called for voting rights for Black Americans. There are two key similarities between the films, the first being women’s involvement, and the second, being the role of media coverage in gaining leverage.
In Iron Jawed Angels women are critical to the advancement of movement. We see how Alice Paul and Lucy Burns initially worked with the National American Woman’s Suffrage Association (NAWSA) to advance their cause. However, conflict over how funds are used, and what proper methods of protesting they should deploy, caused Paul and Burns to create a new organization known as the National Women’s Party (NWP). Throughout all of this Black women are largely excluded, there is a specific scene in which Paul states to Ida B. Wells that Black women should be at the back of their scheduled parade. Paul’s justification being that seeing Black women at the forefront may cause a loss of support from Southern Democrats. Selma provides a different perspective on how pivotal Black women were for suffrage. In Selma, we see the role of activists and figures such as Mahalia Jackson, Annie Lee Cooper, and Diane Nash. I specifically recall Annie Lee Cooper’s significance as we saw at the beginning of the film that she was directed to perform a variety of governmental memorization/literacy tests to be granted the right to vote. I have previously read a book on the role of Black women in the Montgomery Bus Boycotts, and this movie provides support detailing the importance of Black women in Civil Rights movements. Besides being on the frontlines, Black women were also pivotal in providing nutrition, a clean place to sleep, and overtaking familial responsibilities.
Both films also showcase how important media coverage is. In Iron Jawed Angels we see how President Wilson was not in favor of women’s suffrage, since there were other more substantial and important issues on the docket that needed to be addressed. Selma provides a similar picture when MLK went to discuss voting rights with President Johnson, he provided a similar sentiment to Wilson, that the United States needed to focus on more important issues at this time. In Iron Jawed Angels, we see how activists leveraged the media coverage they received from their protesting. As more and more coverage surrounded their hunger strikes and eventual forced feeding public support increased. Which in turn called for lawmakers to address the issue placing pressure on President Wilson and Congress members. In Selma, we see how media coverage garnered public attention to the enormous amount of violence faced by Black Americans as they tried to gain an equal right to vote. With facilitation by the media, MLK’s speeches were amplified and guided the call for a unified minister coalition. Media coverage of the extreme violence similarly placed pressure on President Johnson.
Both films were centered on the inability to vote or the disruption of one’s right to vote on the basis of marginalized identities, with Selma focusing on African Americans and Iron Jawed Angels focusing on white women.
One thing both films depicted was the lack of acknowledgment of black women in social justice movements despite all of their efforts in contributions. I noticed within the film that in various scenes where meetings were taking place such as with the SNCC and King, there was only one female in the room, Diane Nash. Yet, in the scenes depicting the various protests, marchers, sit-ins, and gatherings there were tons of women in the crowd. It becomes evident that despite women making up such integral parts of protests and demonstrations they were never in the room where discussions and decisions about these movements were taking place. When Corretta decided to attend her own meeting with Malcolm X while Dr.King was in Jail, she was reprimanded by her husband and accused of being “enamored” with Malcolm for suggesting a collaboration with him. Although women were not outright excluded from organizations that were directing these movements and protests, it seems they were rarely considered despite their support being necessary to the success of these campaigns. They were disregarded or an afterthought to the male leaders. I believe the importance of women to these causes was symbolized through the scene where Dr. King calls Mahalia Jackson in the middle of the night and asks for inspiration. It shows how women provide inspiration, and motivation, and are often relied upon by men in order to continue forth with their efforts. Whereas in Iron Jawed Angel, black women were directly told they were to be excluded from the protests and organizations as it would take away support needed from other white politicians. Despite the work of black female activists, they were denied the ability to participate in central movements and protests at the time due to racism.
Furthermore, both films highlighted the importance of voting and what it meant for marginalized communities. Dr.King makes a speech where he states “I do not have command of my own life. I cannot determine my own destiny for it is determined for me by people who would rather see me suffer than succeed…no more..that means protest, that means march, that means disturb the peace, that means jail….give us the vote.” Although in this scene he is discussing the right to vote for African Americans, I couldn’t help but to think what this speech meant for black women. Black women were not just dealing with the implications of racism. At this time (and still today) they were dealing with the consequences of a patriarchal and misogynistic society. They could not have their own credit cards, secure their own bodily autonomy, or access equal opportunities for employment. In the film Iron Jawed Angels, from what I remember they consistently highlighted the importance of voting because it was a right everyone should have under the constitution and it was not fair that because of gender they were denied such a right. However, they were not always highlighting what the right to vote could grant them. What rights they could secure for themselves if they could vote? I think Selma allows viewers to consider more about the importance of voting and the opportunities it can grant people who have been previously limited and oppressed.
Lastly, another shared aspect of both films is the use of violence against women who protest. It seems women are viewed as innocent and fragile until it is a woman who refuses to conform to the system in place. This was a shared experience across both films as we watched women in Iron Jawed Angels be threatened and abused during their protests and after their arrests. We saw women deal with violence in Selma through the assault of Annie Lee Cooper as she attempted to defend an innocent young man from police brutality.
Overall, I enjoyed Selma much more as it seemed more focused on historical accuracy and empowerment versus Iron Jawed Angels which seemed very focused on cinematic aesthetics versus historical depictions. But perhaps I am just a fan of how modern movies are filmed.
Selma and Iron Jawed Angels are two powerful films that shed light on different periods of the American civil rights movement. “Selma” focuses on the historic 1965 voting rights marches led by Martin Luther King Jr. in Alabama, highlighting the struggle for African Americans’ right to vote. The film captures the atmosphere of tension, violence, and resilience during that time, emphasizing King’s leadership and the unity of the movement. On the other hand, Iron Jawed Angels portray the suffragette movement of the early 20th century, specifically focusing on Alice Paul and Lucy Burns as they fight for women’s right to vote. This film showcases the determination, sacrifices, and bravery of the suffragettes in their fight against societal norms and political resistance. While both films explore the themes of civil rights and social justice, they do so in different historical contexts, highlighting the unique challenges and triumphs of each movement.
The movie Selma centers on the Civil Rights Movement and specifically the struggle for voting rights in the South, while Iron Jawed Angels tells the story of the women’s suffrage movement in the early 20th century. A similarity between the two I would say is both films show how women struggled and created movements that were fighting for greater equality and civil rights. Both films address issues related to gender and gender inequality, albeit in different ways. In Iron Jawed Angels, the suffragists confront gender norms and expectations as they assert their right to participate in the political process. They challenge the idea that women are inherently inferior to men and show that women are capable of engaging in political activism and leadership. Selma also touches on gender issues, particularly in the role of women in the Civil Rights Movement. The film depicts the challenges faced by women in the movement and the ways in which they were marginalized or relegated to supporting roles. However, the film does not delve as deeply into gender issues as Iron Jawed Angels does.The differences would be that they faced different obstacles and employed different tactics in their struggles.In the movie Selma it is a more serious film, reflecting the violence and oppression faced by Civil Rights activists in the South. In the movie Iron Jawed Angels it has a more soft type of tone to it showing the resilience and determination of the suffragists even in the face of difficulties they encountered. . Selma focuses heavily on the role of Martin Luther King Jr. as a leader of the Civil Rights Movement, while Iron Jawed Angels centers on the leadership of National Woman’s Party in the women’s suffrage movement. Both films highlight the importance of strong leadership and grassroots activism in achieving social change, but they do so in different ways and with different figures at the forefront, but both films focus on social justice movements in the United States, the differences
Selma, directed by Ava DuVernay, and Iron Jawed Angels, directed by Katja von Garnier, are two films that depict different aspects of the women’s suffrage movement in the United States. While both films focus on the fight for equal rights, they differ in terms of their main characters, the period in which the story is set, and the strategies used by the activists. Iron Jawed Angels occur in the early 1900s, while Selma is set in the 1960s. Both films highlight the fight for voting rights, but the activists’ methods in each era differed. In Iron Jawed Angels, Alice Paul and her fellow suffragists used unconventional tactics, such as picketing and hunger strikes, to bring attention to their cause. Conversely, in Selma, the Civil Rights Movement relied on more traditional methods, such as peaceful protests and civil disobedience, to challenge the discriminatory policies that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote. Another notable difference between the two films is the representation of the main characters. Iron Jawed Angels focus on the story of Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, two white suffragists who fought for the right to vote for women. On the other hand, Selma depicts African Americans’ struggle for voting rights, with Martin Luther King Jr. and other prominent Black leaders as the central figures.
Despite these differences, both films share a common theme of social justice and the fight for equality. They also highlight the importance of perseverance and dedication in adversity. In Iron Jawed Angels, Alice Paul and her fellow suffragists refused to give up until they achieved their goal of securing voting rights for women. Similarly, in Selma, African American activists remained committed to their cause despite violent opposition and resistance from government officials.
In conclusion, Selma and Iron Jawed Angels are two films that tell important stories about the fight for equality in the United States. While the movie differs in terms of its main characters, periods, and strategies used by the activists, they both highlight the importance of perseverance and dedication in pursuing social justice. Both films are potent reminders of the ongoing struggle for equal rights and the importance of fighting for what is right, even in adversity.
After watching Selma, I feel like I have to adjust the review that I gave for Iron Jawed Angels. Despite previously commenting that I found Iron Jawed Angels to be a relatively entertaining and “good” form of media in order to get a quick summary on aspects of the women’s rights movement due to its introduction to key figures (like Alice Paul), I can’t help but reconsider after watching Selma. Iron Jawed Angels showed a dramatized narrative that focused primarily on white women (with a brief mention of Ida B Wells), and a majority of the film was wasted on building the story of a romantic relationship that never actually happened. I don’t mean to undervalue the film entirely, as I did initially find it to be a nice watch, but after being so impressed with Selma I can’t help but feel like Iron Jawed Angels did a poor job at accurately portraying the reality of the movement (besides the end when they showed the hunger strikes that led to the eventual social uproar and final call to action). I feel like Iron Jawed Angels was definitely aiming for some audience appeal with the romance aspect, while Selma focused much more heavily on the holistic and lasting impacts of protesting and the losses endured along the way.
A major similarity between the two films was the depiction of differing views within each movement, and how that inevitably affected the integrity and strength of the movement as a whole. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. advocated for a peaceful approach, while leaders like Malcolm X believed that taking up arms against the government was the only way to actively seek change. In Iron Jawed Angels, we see the conflict between NAWSA and the NWP, where one is defined as radical for seeking more drastic forms of change, despite both sharing the hope of advancing the representation and rights of women. I think that in Selma, there isn’t very much to cover when it comes to women’s rights, as the only female figures besides Coretta that were shown were portrayed as background characters within the protests. When considering privacy, both Alice Paul and Dr. King faced the government listening in and trying to intervene in order to control the protests and shut them down. In both cases, this persistent push against the protests led to increased violence and brutality against the protestors (in King’s case: due to racism; in Paul’s case, sexism against the white woman). Another similarity that I appreciated is that both films focused on the importance of media coverage and how this advanced both causes due to public outcry. Media was definitely one of the most important factors when it came to finally gaining voting rights, as it provided an outlet to broadcast the government’s wrongdoings. This coverage led to the 1/3rd Caucasian turnout for King’s march, and similarly forced people to consider the extent to which female protestors were willing to go when they went on a hunger strike in jail.
All in all, both films were good in their own respective ways, but Selma did a much better job in regards to historical accuracy (in my opinion). When considering the depiction of women and the fight for gender-based equal rights, Iron Jawed Angels is definitely more appropriately aligned with that theme. Selma brings up women’s rights as a small aspect of a larger goal, and does not singularly define the issue on its own. However, we do see brief mentions of women like Annie Lee Cooper, but even then, these figures were not clearly recognized by name until the end of the film.
Iron Jawed Angels and Selma both depict their respective movements at the height of their fight for the right to vote, but they each approach the ideas of gender, women, and privacy in their own distinct ways, or sometimes their lack thereof.
While the fight for the right to vote for women was the obvious highlight of Iron Jawed Angels, Selma approaches women from a different perspective: their power from within. Selma rarely had women at the helm of the Civil Rights Movement, with the only notable women being Diane Nash and Coretta Scott King, with some seemingly nameless women appearing consistently as background characters despite the credits clearly naming them as influential members of the Selma March and Civil Rights Movement as a whole. While the film was trying to make us recognize women as key figures, they did a terrible job of introducing the audience to them as individuals and giving them some agency in discussions apart from cooking and distributing flyers. The exception, of course, Coretta herself, who almost makes up for the lack of women by personalizing how much hidden power they hold. As the film progresses, some minor strains in her marriage with MLK are exposed, with the FBI listening in and preparing to exploit this with as harsh an accusation as possible. We see this in action: they send a tape of Martin possibly cheating on her, as well as a recording of an unnamed figure threatening King to call off the movement or he’ll be knocked off. Here, the FBI is taking advantage of who they think holds the most influence in MLK’s life: his wife. If they can make her fall, Martin will follow, destabilizing the entire movement. While not showing much authority on the “battlefield”, the women at home are still the ones that maintain the most power and authority over the household and are – in the opinion of the FBI – the key to the entire movement. Now, Iron Jawed Angels had so such plot line; the film wasn’t concerned with how real background characters held subtle but important influences over the movement. Even when they tried to so such a thing, the characters they depicted were fictitious, reducing the influence the film could’ve had. With that being said, Selma also has a bit of a leg-up on Angels on the subject of privacy, even if they hit the audience over the head with it.
The right to privacy may be relatively new, but Selma still depicts how the government went beyond what most would deem rational. As the symbols and logs made clear, the FBI was listening to each conversation, encounter, and “moment alone” that the members of the Civil Rights Movement had, resulting in the aforementioned recording sent to Coretta, as well as thousands of hours of other conversations that will remain locked away for another four years. While not the kind of Constitutional privacy that this class will be dealing with, it is certainly more than what Iron Jawed Angels had to deal with: while they had little agency in prison, with a general lack of privacy, that was a common expectation when being incarcerated: having the government wiretapping one’s life is not. While King and his colleagues acknowledged and accepted this state of being while in prison, it is still an invasion of privacy that must be accounted for.
Overall, while Iron Jawed Angels did have more to do with women and made greater note of the diverse array of people within the organization (if only briefly), Selma made for the more enjoyable experience with subtle character choices and powers while not holding back on the lack of privacy that our main characters had to endure on a daily basis.
The two films “Selma” and “Iron Jawed Angels” depict the actors involved in different movements seeking different rights. I want to start by discussing Selma. In that movie, we see Annie Lee Cooper be denied the ability to vote, which I drew as a parallel with Iron Jawed Angels, both subjects were denied the right to vote. As a result, Martin Luther King Jr. attempts to procure legislation from President Johnson to prevent any roadblocks in the black citizens’ right to vote. For lack of better terms, Johnson essentially brushed off the request claiming to have more important things to worry about, this reminds me of the way that the suffragettes’ requests were ignored by Woodrow Wilson. Something I appreciated about both films is that they portrayed interpersonal aspects of each movement and depicted how the actors involved interacted with one another and how that culminated into the events we hear about today. Both movies also depict altercations with police with both Alice Paul and King being imprisoned as a result of their work in each respective movie.
I also can’t help but note the way that each leader faced differences in approaches to their movements. For example, in Selma, Malcolm X talked with Coretta about his different views in how to approach the movement and how King’s is less violent than his; in this case, both are significant actors in the civil rights movement but have different opinions on how the movement should be enacted and its methodology. In a similar situation, Alice Paul butts heads with other members of NAWSA about differences in approach, and is consequently kicked out along with Burns and forms the NWP. However, the difference between King’s situation and Paul’s situation is that King still had the support of Malcolm X and there wasn’t significant and deep conflicts within the group. In contrast, the NAWSA was very critical of Paul and the NWP’s methodology and didn’t support NWP’s protests against Wilson and the picketing they participate in outside the white house. This lack of support and cohesiveness caused dysfunction within the suffrage movement, whereas the differences in opinion with King and X didn’t cause serious rift and the movement still progressed as a united front. In Iron Jawed Angels, Paul is more eager for action than Carrie Chapman Catt who seeks to be friends with actors in power, whereas Paul takes a more aggressive stance against those same people in power. In this way, a division of those with a more passive approach and those with a more aggressive or militant approach is seen, and this can be related to King and Malcolm’s different approaches.
A great disparity between the two movies is the role that women play in the movement. In Selma, the women were shown in scenes that showed them as victims. For example, Annie Lee Cooper was denied the ability to vote, and there were 4 girls killed in the church bombing, and Coretta is the supportive and worried wife, this image only changes when she speaks with Malcolm X and the conversation demonstrates strategizing. The real discussions and actions are carried out by men and in the example I gave with Coretta, her active role was adjacent with a man. This is in contrast with Iron Jawed Angels in which all the activism, strategizing, and lobbying was all carried out by women. Another point I took notice of was the way that the media was involved in both movements and how it swayed public opinion and positively or negatively impacted the movement’s support. In Selma, King is aware of the weight that the media holds and stays mindful of it when executing moves. A scene from the movie shows marchers being assaulted by troopers and being broadcasted on television which consequently impacts the way that people view those involved in the movement and their treatment. In Iron Jawed Angels, the media’s attention to the brutal conditions they faced in prison was instrumental in their release and consequently increased sympathy with Paul and Burns and the other women of NWP. Though it was a traumatic incident, it did help sway public opinion and made those in power have to bend a little to their will. For this reason, media plays an important role in a social movement regardless of its subject, and was instrumental in both Selma and Iron Jawed Angels in getting support from the public and urging those in power to give into demands.
Overall, both movies are powerful depictions of the inner workings of the suffrage and civil rights movements. Viewers are shown firsthand the political differences and ideologies that make up a movement. The different factors that go into keeping a movement alive are also depicted in both movies, which I believe were essential in understanding what shaped the movement. I also found it to be beneficial that both Selma and Iron Jawed Angels depicted the collective effort rather than focusing on a single actor and making it into a biopic. This kind of portrayal increases the information that a viewer receives about a movement and its contexts and why certain actors behaved the way they did. Though these two movies depicted different movements, they had very similar aspects that showed how the dimensions of social change can align with one another and also divide.
The films Iron Jawed Angels and Selma are both centered around the social justice movements and the right to vote for different groups that were being denied suffrage. Selma tells the story of Martin Luther King Jr. and his experiences leading the voting rights movement for African American citizens in the 1960s; while, Iron Jawed Angels features Alice Paul as the leader of the women’s suffrage movement around the 1920s. Dr. King is depicted as a calm yet strong leader with strategic decisive control over his movement through the scenes of his many speeches and strategy meetings with his entourage. Alice Paul, contrarily, is suggested to be a more stubborn and radical leader who also spontaneously thinks of the movement’s next actions. The Presidents in both films seem to support this idea as President Johnson seemed to seriously respect Dr. King and wanted to work with him while also being concerned with his plans, so much so that he resorts to wire-tapping and considering assassination through the FBI. In contrast, President Wilson seemed to brush the women off as he met them in person and could also be seen through his flippant tone when he spoke about them behind their backs. Alice’s movement also is seen to have less soul as the women in the film seem to connect less then the men in Selma. The depiction of the leaders could be attributed to the poor qualities associated with women in powerful positions; additionally, Alice’s strategic conflict with the other women could also be seen as disrespecting elders or just petty drama, which further takes away from the audience’s perception of respecting her as a leader due to the subtle prejudices against women. Dr. King is also seen as more sympathetic in his film towards the people he is fighting alongside but perhaps this is achieved so that Alice Paul could be taken seriously as she and the other women would make this their ultimate cause since they would sacrifice freedom and their lives, as they went on a hunger strike in prison. Both protagonists in their respective films also have romantic interests, but in Selma, Codette is disrespected as she advocated in favor of Malcolm X and relegated to the role of devoted wife until later in the film where her character is humanized and recognized for the silent support she has been providing. Contrarily, Alice Paul’s male love interest seemed to do more to help her goals as he had a job with a newspaper but this demonstrates that women were neglected in the movement for Black voting rights in the 1960s. The other women in Selma are only there to follow the ideas of the men and are featured to capitalize on the audience’s sympathy like the mother of the boy who died and the woman whose photo was taken as she was beaten during the first actions of Dr. King’s group in Selma, as they knelt before the courthouse. Selma had encouraged all citizens to join the Black activists as they marched to Montgomery, while Alice Paul had rejected the support of Ida B. Wells and Black women activists, which is due to the inherent racism at the time that prevailed as white women were desperate for their suffrage, so much so that they would step on other women to succeed. Alice Paul faced harder decisions to make whether to allow Black women to join them and isolate southern support or fight for Black women at a later date once they secured the vote for white women but Dr. King’s decision to allow others to accompany them was an easy decision because, as another character mentioned, the police of Selma likely didn’t act violently the second time they attempted to march due to the fact that one-third of the marchers were white. The intersectionality between race and gender is also important to note through Selma because the Black women were much more likely to be seen being beaten and having violence turned on them than the white women in Iron Jawed Angels. The young Black girls got killed in the explosion and police in many scenes are shown beating Black women and men enthusiastically but the police in Iron Jawed Angels had simply restrained and carried the women into the police carriages when they were arrested for protesting outside the White House. The difference in their treatment is likely due to the prevailing opinion that Black women are not delicate like White women and instead are masculinized and demonized because they do not conform to the feminine traits associated with womanhood, which accentuates the reasons that support the understanding of intersectionality. Iron Jawed Angels was less successful in its attempts to prove that the women were facing immense discrimination when compared to Selma because it only showed how the Senator’s wife, Emily, was ignored and demeaned while the Black people in Selma, Alabama were facing violent attacks, murder, and sinister plots to prevent voting–which was featured in the film. The discrimination in Selma had female victims with the young girls in the church, the introduction scene of the woman being denied voting rights, and women being attacked during non-violent protests. In doing this, the movement gains sympathy but also suggests that the women are simply marauders to further the men’s leadership and alteration of legislation. Furthermore, both directors were female, which allows for more representation within the entertainment industry. It seems to be more important in the case of Iron Jawed Angels because women should tell their own story but the director of Selma was a Black woman, Ava DuVernay. Overall, I really liked both of the movies but I think the masterful cinematography and soundtrack in Selma made it a more compelling film to watch.
Grace Castillo Rojo Moreno4:36 AM Mar 4
Comparing Selma and Iron-Jawed Angels is very interesting because they both have a similar perspective regarding women but I have to say that Selma was more interesting for me because it talked about the rights of everyone and not specifically of a gender. On the other hand, I do think that demonstrating on Iron-Jawed Angels how Wells did not want to be segregated anymore demonstrates the force of women and how they wanted to end the discrimination against them. On the other hand, it also demonstrates the privilege of white women. Although women were discriminated by men, white women were privileged when it comes to compare them with black women. As we can see in Iron-Jawed Angels, Alice only fought for white women, especially when it come to the parade and Wells was asked to tell black women to march in the back. Furthermore, Selma was about Martin Luther King and how he fought for voting rights, not only for a specific gender but for a whole race. Both movies demonstrate the effectiveness of the marches and how important is to fight for our rights. In my opinion creating movies like this that talks about social issues as important as this ones, spread awareness about these different topics.
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Mayra Villa
Mayra Villa9:52 PM Mar 1
After watching Selma and Iron-Jawed Angels, both films dealt with the battle of obtaining voting rights in the United States, but for different groups of people. Iron-Jawed Angels focused on Alice Paul’s life and her involvement in the women’s suffrage movement, pushing for a constitutional amendment that allows women the right to vote. However, the film portrays how the movement was led and dominated by white, middle-class women who intentionally excluded Black women, poor white women, and other women of color which is something that definitely happened. To add on, it softly glosses over the interactions Paul had with activist Ida B. Wells to make it seem like there was only a small amount of tension between the two. An example is when Wells joins one of the marches led by the white suffragists where she could be seen although Paul initially told her she couldn’t, yet Paul notices and faintly smiles at her. In reality, Wells would’ve been confronted by the white suffragists, probably experience overt racist comments, so the film did fail to show the reality between white women and Black women and the intentional exclusion to make it seem like the white suffragists were innocent. On the other hand, Selma shows a much more realistic approach with Dr. King’s battle in the Civil Rights Movement, endlessly having to deal with racist white instigators, who were everyday people, patrol officers, and elected officials and their violence. However, Dr. King was much more inclusive in the movement and would include all Black women, men, and children in his speeches, and he would also encourage other racial groups to join the movement for voting rights which was seen in the famous Selma to Montgomery march. Paul thought that by allowing Black women to join the marches anywhere but the back, it would end up in chaos as an excuse to simply not allow her be included with the rest of the white suffragists, so that was definitely a major difference between the two.
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Mayra Villa
Mayra Villa
Both films did portray how the US government intervened in these movements, mainly because they viewed the leaders as dangerous and a threat. White suffragists in Iron-Jawed Angels and Black people (along with white people who supported the movement) from the film Selma experienced various forms of violence, whether it would be from the police, racists white people (Selma), or sexist men (Iron Jawed Angels), and it would be allowed from elected officials who found the movements unnecessary. Their privacy would be invaded, and they’d be thrown into jail even though they wouldn’t be the ones instigating violence. However, both movements turned out to be successful throughout the constant drawbacks and criticism.
9:58 PM Mar 1 (edited 10:03 PM Mar 1)•Delete
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Kevin Lyles
Osikenoya Usman-Aliu
Osikenoya Usman-Aliu9:22 PM Mar 1
I preferably enjoyed watching Selma than Iron-Jawed Angels although both films share the same kind of end goal but they are notebly different. In Alice Paul showed that white women were the only race that mattered in the Women’s suffarage. African Women were not thought about when it came to the Women’s suffarge march. In Selma, Martin Luther King Jr. wanted equal rights for black people and that included ALL people whether it be male or female. It was a joint effort for everyboyd not just one specfic group.
The similarties as stated before both Alica and Martin faced conflict on their way to victory. They did not have support from everybody some felt that there were more important things to worry about than equal rights. Both faced trials and trublilations as both were jailed and receievd harsh treatment to end their movement. Both never gave up.
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Rama Izar
Rama IzarFeb 28, 2021
Iron-Jawed Angels and Selma share some similarities when it comes to looking at the movies in the context of this course (women, gender, and privacy). In both films, both Alice Paul and Martin Luther King Jr. (and their followers) are spied on by the government. This shows how their work (which was considered radical) was so disapproved of and how higher institutions really wanted to stop them. They both had to go against so many people that told them that voting rights for women/African Americans respectively was an unattainable goal. Another similarity I found was that both Alice Paul and Martin Luther King Jr. faced opposition from within. Many people who would benefit from their goals being achieved (i.e. women, Black people) thought that they should be prioritizing other things and in Paul’s case, some women didn’t even think Paul should be doing anything at all. This obviously made their missions harder since not only did they have to convince the government/president, but they also had to convince parts of their own respective populations. Additionally, another similarity is that both Alice Paul and Martin Luther King Jr. are arrested and put under abusive treatment to try to silence them.
While I see some similarities, I definitely think that there are a lot more differences. Unlike Alice Paul, Martin Luther King Jr. fought for the voting rights of ALL Black people, including women. He included everybody in his speeches and encouraged all types of people to join in on the marches. Alice Paul, on the other hand, only fought for the voting rights of white women because she thought that helping Black women would get in the way of reaching her goal (she considered that to be way too radical). I think this is a huge reason why I enjoyed Selma much more than Iron-Jawed Angels; it’s obviously more historically accurate, but it just gives a more well-rounded depiction of the social/political climate at the time.