4. Cate Blanchett As Emmeline Pankhurst
With a more serious tone comes a biopic of Emmeline Pankhurst - political activist and leader of the suffragette movement. Pankhurst can be accredited to influencing how modern society is today in regards to gender equality and the roles of women within it. As such, it would require a modern actor with a similar strength and presence to get the best from the role. Somebody like Cate Blanchett. The film itself could span Pankhurst's adult life from marriage to barrister Richard Pankhurst (Timothy Spall, perhaps?) through her frequent stints in prison and the subsequent hunger strikes, ultimately settling on the inner-relationship between Pankhurst and her daughters. The relationship with her second-eldest, Sylvia would be of particular interest and an exploration of their conflict in beliefs about women's liberation would be an ideal way of framing the various perspectives that one could see at the time. The kind of approach this story should come from a director such as Ken Loach, who's inherent social commentary in films such as The Wind That Shakes The Barley and Looking For Eric share many qualities and themes that would also be dealt with in a Pankhurst biopic.