The miniseries with Cate Blanchett and many other extraordinary actresses tells a piece of American history linked to the feminist movements. Here are the details
On October 8, one of the most promising TV series of the year will be released in Italy on the TIM VISION platform. It is entitled Mrs America and stars the famous actress and producer Cate Blanchett, president of the international jury at the latest edition of the Venice Film Festival.
The content recounts a topical moment in world politics, which has had repercussions all over the world: the one in which the Equal Rights Amendment (Era) was proposed, i.e. a constitutional provision ratifying equality between men and women. After the first proposal in 1923, it was approved by Congress in 1971 but never ratified. The TV series tells exactly how the request was born, what were the obstacles and social movements involved. The TV mini-series produced by Fx for Hulu features women who fought on opposing fronts, in particular the determined and fierce Phyllis Schlafly.
Mrs America: the plot
Mrs America was written by Dahvi Waller, author of other successful series, including Mad Men and Desperate Housewives. It photographs the various facets of the feminist movement. On the one hand we find Phyllis Schlafly (Cate Blanchett) who embodies the American conservative woman, mother, wife and with ambitions to enter Congress, on the other the activists.
She is apparently cold and icy, but she too has her breakdowns and crises, which run through her and are played brilliantly by Blanchett. We are in front of a TV series full of food for thought and deep meanings, so do not stop at appearances.
Everything revolves around the proposal of the Equal Rights Amendment (Era) and the debate that forms around it. Mrs America turns out to be a seemingly anti-feminist series but in reality it tells how far it has come and how far there is still to go.
Cast of Mrs America
The cast is made up of important figures from the small and big screen. Alongside the protagonist Phyllis Schlafly, played by Blanchett, we find other activists who really lived: Gloria Steinem (played by Rose Byrne), Shirley Chisholm (Uzo Aduba), Bella Abzug (Margo Martindale), Jill Ruckelshaus (Elizabeth Banks), Alice Macray (Sarah Paulson) and many others.
Each episode is dedicated to the perspective of one of the leading women of activism: each character has its own personality, its beliefs, doubts and contradictions. This is how we manage to portray the feminist world with all its nuances.
Another feature of the series is that most of the narrative comes from real episodes, studies and historical documents, only a small part is the result of imagination. There are therefore also unknown stories that have contributed to making history. Mrs America has all the ingredients to surprise, interest, excite and make the audience think: an important theme, a strong writing, a great cast and a setting studied in detail.
As mentioned, the first two episodes are broadcast from October 8, the following will be released every Thursday: all on TIM VISION.