Suffragette Page #3

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VIOLET:

And?

They sidestep passing BICYCLES.

VIOLET (CONT’D)

I’ve been doing laundry work ever

since I was thirteen. Maggie's only

twelve and she's in here already.

It’s as tough for us women as it’s

ever been. We’ve got to do whatever

we can. However we can.

MAUD:

(hushed)

What like smashing windows? It’s

not respectable.

VIOLET:

(hushed)

Strangle what’s respectable. You

want me to respect the law, then

make the law respectable.

INT. FRONT ROOM. MAUD’S HOUSE. BETHNAL GREEN. 1912. EVENING.

On MAUD, watching SONNY counting coins from his wage packet

on the table as she sews. GEORGE, nose pressed close to the

table, watches SONNY stacking the coins into a pile.

SONNY:

So Georgie, Georgie! This is six.

You ready? You watching?

He balances a small stack of them on his bent elbow. Then at

once, he flicks his arm with a SLAP! Catching them flat in

his hands, entertaining GEORGE.

SONNY (CONT’D)

You got yours?

MAUD hesitates, and nods reaching into her pocket, pulling

out a second wage packet and pushing it across the table. He

rips it open, counting out the wages, a small stack of coins,

half the size of SONNY’s pay.

MAUD:

You see Mrs Haughton today? Wants

some of the women to go to

Parliament. She thinks we should be

paid more.

SONNY:

On her high horse again.

MAUD wavers, shakes her head, GEORGE in her arms.

SONNY (CONT’D)

Say goodnight to the King, George.

GEORGE raises a hand in salute COUGHING as he does so.

GEORGE:

Good night, Sir.

On MAUD, watching GEORGE and SONNY saluting to the painting

of King George V on the wall.

SONNY:

Good boy.

EXT. ELLYN PHARMACY. BETHNAL GREEN. 1912. DAY.

CLOSE ON GEORGE, trying to keep pace with MAUD as they cross

a busy street.

Come on.

MAUD:

She takes his hand and they enter ELLYN PHARMACY.

INT. BACK ROOM. ELLYN PHARMACY. BETHNAL GREEN. 1912. DAY.

MRS EDITH ELLYN [40’s], neat and earnest, listens to GEORGE’S

heart with a stethoscope.

EDITH:

Big breath in please. Good boy. And

out.

CLOSE on MAUD, her eyes grazing over the endless shelves of

medicines and mixtures, halting on a photograph of MRS

PANKHURST on the wall.

EDITH (CONT’D)

And now another big one please. And

out. Good boy. Ah yes. Here comes

the eleven o’clock just passing

through the tunnel. Good - it’s on

time.

GEORGE giggles, enjoying the experience. EDITH rises.

EDITH (CONT’D)

(To Maud)

He’s alright.

MAUD:

You a suffragette, Mrs Ellyn?

EDITH:

Yes. But I consider myself more of

a soldier, Mrs Watts.

MAUD:

These women’s testimonies make a

difference?

EDITH wavers, carefully putting away her stethoscope in its

box. She nods, following MAUD’s gaze over the many books.

EDITH:

Maybe but as Mrs Pankhurst says,

it’s deeds, not words, that will

get us the vote.

MAUD nods, ushering GEORGE ahead of her, following EDITH into-

INT. ELLYN PHARMACY. BETHNAL GREEN. 1912. DAY.

...the shop, where MR HUGH ELLYN [mid/late 40s] weighing some

powder on scales.

EDITH:

(to Hugh)

Make up a combination.

EDITH holds out a jar of barley sugars-

EDITH (CONT’D)

Now George, do you like barley

sugar?

GEORGE nods-

The JANGLE of the SHOP BELL, MAUD’s attention distracted by

MISS WITHERS, the nanny seen earlier, parking her pram inside-

MISS WITHERS:

Afternoon. Are the others here yet?

MISS WITHERS wavers on seeing MAUD with EDITH. EDITH

deflects, handing MAUD the bottle of medicine.

EDITH:

No, not yet, but you can go

through.

(to Maud)

Plenty of steam with a couple of

drops in the water, twice daily.

Keep him warm.

MAUD nods and reaches for her purse.

EDITH (CONT’D)

No, no. No charge. Goodbye.

MAUD:

Thank you.

(nods to HUGH)

Thank you Mr Ellyn.

Mrs Watts.

HUGH:

On CAROLINE looking on, ELLYN and SON just visible rippled

across the shop glass.

EXT. ELLYN PHARMACY. BETHNAL GREEN. 1912. DAY.

MAUD leaning in to button GEORGE’s coat.

MAUD:

Come on, let’s get you wrapped up.

CLICK- the image freezes as a surveillance camera catches

them leaving the pharmacy.

CLICK - another photo, as MAUD registers another women

arriving for the meeting.

INT. DARKROOM. POLICE STATION. BETHNAL GREEN. 1912. DAY.

In the red light of a dark-room, the image emerging on a

sheet of photographic paper and hung, still dripping, on a

line alongside PHOTOGRAPHS OF OTHER WOMEN.

INT. MEETING ROOM. POLICE STATION. BETHNAL GREEN. 1912. DAY.

CLOSE ON INSPECTOR ARTHUR STEED [50s], a man with quiet

authority, entering at the side of SUPERINTENDENT JAMES

BURRILL [late 50s], a small gathering of POLICE OFFICERS and

a couple of MINISTERS and OFFICIALS including MR BENEDICT

HAUGHTON [late 30s/early 40s].

BENEDICT:

Superintendent Burrill.

BENEDICT shakes hands with BURRILL -

BURRILL:

Mr Haughton. Thank you for coming

here. This is-

BENEDICT already in, reaching his hand out to shake STEED’s.

BENEDICT:

Inspector Steed. Benedict Haughton,

Home Office. I am reliably informed

(looking to BURRILL)

...that you have considerable

experience of counter surveillance

within the Special Branch-

STEED, the calm centre of the room.

(nods)

STEED:

I’ve gathered intelligence on

various anarchists, sir, including

Fenian agitators in Liverpool and

Manchester. I can show you.

STEED moves to the table and nods to DETECTIVE MALCOLM WALSOP

[40s] who passes the camera to BENEDICT. He reaches for a

second, passing this to another OFFICIAL on his left.

STEED (CONT’D)

(to BENEDICT)

Employment of these cameras would

be the first of its kind in this

country. They’re considerably more

advanced than anything we’ve used

before.

BENEDICT picks up a camera, examines it.

STEED (CONT’D)

Compact enough to be used without a

tripod, it means we can operate

them covertly on the streets.

CLOSE on BENEDICT’S eye, peering through the viewfinder.

INT. DARKROOM. POLICE STATION. BETHNAL GREEN. 1912. DAY.

A CONSTABLE stands in front of a bench, developing a batch of

photographs. STEED looks over his shoulder, WALSOP and two

other OFFICERS by his side.

A washing line of surveillance photographs hanging above

them, including HUGH and EDITH.

STEED:

Right. Let’s start with Mrs Edith

Ellyn. Chief commandant. She’s

clever. Been arrested nine times,

incarcerated four. She’s educated,

without scruples. Makes her

particularly dangerous. It’s worth

noting her husband, Mr Hugh Ellyn,

pharmacist. He’s been incarcerated

twice for abetting his wife’s

activities. Fully paid up member of

the Men’s League.

A PHOTOGRAPH OF VIOLET is pegged on the line, other

PHOTOGRAPHS of MISS WITHERS and MISS SAMSON visible.

STEED (CONT’D)

(tapping photograph)

This is an old hand. Mrs Violet

Miller. She moves around a lot.

Been arrested a number of times,

incarcerated twice. Spits out

children. Husband’s a violent

drunk. She agitates, gets her hands

dirty. They’ll be using her zeal to

recruit-

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