A feminist infiltration of a beauty pageant from several angles tops the new DVD releases for the week of Nov. 3.
“Misbehaviour”: Sally Alexander (Keira Knightley), a “mature” University College London student and a mother, clashes with young feminist Jo Robinson (Jessie Buckley). But when Sally quickly discovers her seat at the academic table is more of a high chair (her words), she joins forces with Jo and the brand-new women’s liberation movement. Exhausted and angry with patriarchal standards equating physical attractiveness with a woman’s worth (not to mention self-worth), their target is the 1970 Miss World Competition, hosted by comedian Bob Hope (Greg Kinnear). Meanwhile, we meet some of the pageant’s competitors, including the fed-up and favored-to-win Marjorie Johansson aka Miss Sweden (Clara Rosager), aspiring broadcaster Jennfier Hosten aka Miss Grenada (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), and an overwhelmed Pearl Jansen aka Miss Africa South (Loreece Harrison), the first Black South African contestant.
Directed by Philippa Lowthorpe and written by Gaby Shiappe and Rebecca Frayn, the film masterfully explores the dynamics of the dawn of the women’s liberation movement in the UK, showing the intersections of class and race without pandering. Jessie Buckley’s Jo brings the fire, while Mbatha-Raw’s reserved Miss Grenada carries the tremendous weight of not only the patriarchy but white supremacy. Bonus: Leslie Manville is an absolute delight as Hope’s wife, Dolores, teeming with resentment of his womanizing and eventually reveling in the women’s liberation efforts during the show.
From witnessing the power of women organizing and Hosten making history, and the ultimate reactions to Hope’s pageant bit about preferring “feeling women” to honoring “women’s feelings,” it’s a cathartic watch.
