Original subtitles

- Everyone is going to have to accept a wage reduction.

- You taking us out on strike for a month?

- It won't last that long.

If every worker in Britain comes out, we'll win in a week.

(grunting) (metal clanging)

(steam hissing)

- Everyone out!

Return to your machines! - Just ignore him!

(crowd applauding)

(glass smashing)

- Tommy! (screaming)

- Help! - So it belongs to me!

- Agh! (metal clanging)

(shouting)

(baby crying)

(somber music)

- Ssh, ssh, ssh, ssh.

(baby sucking)

(bell tolling)

- Let's go. (exciting music)

(door clanking)

- There you are, you see.

Back to normal today.

Come on.

(heavy breathing)

(people chattering)

- If you're willing to work for three quarters

of last week's wage, if you don't want the right

to a say in who rules you, walk in.

- I don't need your permission.

- But when we win, will you insist on your wage cut?

Will you refuse your vote?

Cross this line, you'll be a knobstick for ever.

No-one will speak to you again.

- Hey, Blacklegs.

- She must be talking to you.

- I don't believe it. - Yeah, aye.

- You're a blackleg - Scab!

Scab!

- I appreciate your loyalty, John.

- Have Bate arrested and it'll be over in no time, sir.

- It suits me to let the machines lie idle for a time.

The market's flat, the warehouse is full.

My mother's at death's door.

(suspenseful music)

(gasping)

- Help!

Fetch the doctor, help!

Oh, why are you out of bed, Mrs Greg?

What are you doing in here?

- Peter needs, the truth. (heavy breathing)

1814.

(somber music)

(baby grumbling)

- Hey, eat up, Tommy.

I know I'm not the best cook but look

on the bright side it's only a small portion.

- You can't afford to keep us.

We should go back to the workhouse.

- Lucy and your sister will filch us food

from the 'prentice house.

Hey, Billy's dad'll help.

- We need to go.

(baby moaning)

(baby crying)

- I know what you're thinking.

When you start earning again, you can have a say

in how we divide our fodder.

Until then, you're not leaving this table

until you eat everything in front of you.

- Where she gone? (somber music)

- Ever thought you might like a child of your own, James?

- No.

- Well, neither of us knew our dads

and yet here we are doing this

with no personal experience to draw upon.

And look at them!

They think it's Christmas,

and I was expecting you to make me punish them.

- Relativity, George.

- Ah, the family they never had.

- I meant, better the child in our care is fed,

the more punished the child in the care

of the turnout will feel.

- Oh.

(exciting music)

(door clicking)

- Hands up or I'll shoot! (rattling)

- It's me.

I followed Esther Price here.

(clanking)

- You in there, come on out!

Surrender yourself or I'll shoot you dead as a common thief.

(door creaking)

- If anything's missing, we could still arrest her.

- There doesn't appear to be.

- At least she got away empty-handed.

- There you go, Tommy.

Back where it belongs.

A bit rusty, but a spot of oil will fix it.

- 140 delegates.

I'm there for one mill.

The Mossley man was representing 12.

The Ashton delegate spoke for 30,000 people.

It's a parliament.

A working class parliament.

How does that feel, Tommy?

- Can I keep it?

- It's yours.

Half a million people are out.

From Dundee to Merthyr.

- What about strike pay?

- Five bob for a married man.

Three bob for a single man.

A union man pays in a penny a week.

He's entitled to strike pay.

Anyone who hasn't paid--

- I'd have paid.

I tried to pay.

- We have to go back tomorrow, Tommy,

now you've got your hand back.

- If it's any consolation, there's that many men out,

the strike fund won't stretch to more than a week.

- Let's hope this strike doesn't.

(baby crying)

(cockerel crowing)

- I know, I know, Billy, I know.

I don't have anything for you yet,

but in a couple of hours, eh?

Heh?

I know, I know.

- What does it say?

- Can't you guess?

- Go back to work, Price, your baby's hungry.

- Go to hell, knobstick.

- Is it knobstick?!

Oi!

(shouting) (laughing)

(baby grouching)

- I'm going out to trap something.

- Do you know how?

- Grandad's been teaching me.

He used to be the best poacher in three counties,

according to him.

- Hey, be careful.

Oh, I was walking around to put him to sleep,

I wasn't-- I know.

Give him here?

- I'll bring him over in a couple of hours.

- Give him here.

(baby crying)

- Hey, I've got a spud you can have.

- I don't want it.

- Well, you're eating for three.

Take it as this week's wages.

- What am I, a knobstick?

It's not work, Esther, it's solidarity.

(door clattering)

- Excuse me, sir.

I have something here from a man who can't come today.

It's a letter of condolence, he said.

For one of Mrs Greg's nephews.

He asked me to make sure it was delivered

before Mrs Greg's funeral.

(ominous music)

- Of course. - Thank you.

(bell tolling)

(congregation chattering)

- Hmm, my mother had just two sisters.

They had at least a dozen children between them.

My father was one of ten.

There could be a hundred nephews.

I don't recall a Vernon in the family, do you?

- No.

Perhaps it was delivered to the wrong church?

- Deal with this, Windell.

- Some mistake.

- People are starving

and we're spending money on paint?

- The people responsible for this are responsible

for their own hunger.

(gun firing)

(dog barking)

Poachers, probably.

Lord Stamford's brought in extra gamekeepers.

- How's it come to this?

- Was that gunshot?

- Why? - Was it?

- Why, where's Will?

- Hmm. - Where is he?

- Was that a gun?

- Has Will gone poaching for you?

Answer me!

Has he gone poaching?

- But he went that way.

- Are you sure? - Yeah.

- I'll kill ya!

If that's Will, I'll kill ya!

- Stop!

What direction did it come from?

Think! - What's happening?

- Is that Will? (people chattering)

- I think it's Joshua Bibby.

(woman screaming)

- Now will you go back to work?

- Please take a seat, ladies.

- We want to offer our condolences.

- Thank-you.

- Your mother was a good woman.

She always tried to do the right thing.

- The Friendly Society was her idea.

- A farthing set aside out of every shilling earned

to pay for sickness and funerals.

- And Joshua Bibby paid into it for 11 years.

- 10 years, 41 weeks, four days.

- We're here on his widow's behalf.

- Because your husband's away again,

passing more resolutions?

- She wants what she's owed,

so she can give him a Christian burial.

- At the time of his demise,

Joshua Bibby was not employed by us.

He was on strike.

Nor was he sick, he was engaged in a felony.

- It's his money.

Greg and Sons were just looking after it.

- And gaining interest.

- You're right.

Windell, see that Mrs Bibby gets what she needs.

- Thank you.

- A personal favor, although I'm surprised your husband

doesn't object to the undertaker working.

- Oh, he'll be given a license by the strike committee.

- You can't be serious?

- Same as the grain mills.

People need burying, people need bread, so.

- And the strike committee have sanctioned the apprentices

to come in to do essential maintenance.

Daniel wants to make sure the machinery isn't damaged

while it's lying idle. - Thank you.

(huffing)

- Stopping work is one thing,

but when they decide what work gets done,

who does it and when, that's that's revolution!

What are we, Windell?

French?

(women chattering) (shoes clomping)

I don't want you in today.

It's not convenient.

- But Daniel Bate says there's maintenance work needs doing.

- I want you in tomorrow.

Anybody who isn't here will be dismissed

and evicted from the village.

Is that clear? - Evicted?

- Now, go and spread the word.

- Can he kick us out of our homes?

- He owns near enough the whole village,

apart from this place.

- He'd need an army to evict everyone.

- The Dragoons and Grenadier Guards are only down the road.

(baby nuzzling)

- Maybe it's time to give up.

- We've come too far now.

- If you start something, you finish it.

No matter how long it takes.

(bell tolling)

(somber music)

- If we surrender now Joshua Bibby died for nothing.

Do you think his widow and sons want us to give up?

- [Man] No.

- There isn't a family in all of England

want the charter more than they do.

Because when we get it, and Parliament is controlled

by the working class, never again will

an aristocrat's lackey or a man in uniform get away

with murdering a poor man

for the crime of trying to feed his family.

- Aye. - Yeah.

- Right. - So, those of you

who think we should stay out and keep fighting,

raise you hand.

- Yeah. - Yes!

- Yeah. - Yay!

- What happened to the secret ballot?

- Oh, do you really want to give everyone a stone each?

(chattering) (laughing)

- We're going in.

Because my son died too fighting

for an Englishman's right to be free.

- Knobstick! - Knobstick!

- Knobstick. - Yeah, knobstick!

- Yeah, you blacklegs. - Shame on you.

- If he wants a war, he's got one.

- Mill starts again on Monday.

And you're coming to work with us.

- John, no-one speaks to us as it is.

- They'll be gone soon and we'll still be here.

They're the past.

We're the future.

- I won't do it.

- You'll do as you're told while you're under my roof.

- Fine.

I'll go, then. - No, no, you won't!

I'll not lose anther one.

- If you go now, you'll be walking

out of this family for good.

We'll not feed you.

- I'll feed him. - You won't!

You'll do as I say.

I'm the master of this house.

(door clicking)

- We've been thrown out of the apprentice house.

- What do you want?

(wagon rattling)

(exciting music) (horse neighing)

(shouting)

- Knobsticks.

(dog barking)

- Billy.

Billy.

Billy, wake up.

Billy, please.

(baby sighing) (sighing)

He used to cry all the time.

- He's saving energy.

Be grateful.

- Do you think we should give in?

- No, it's too late.

They won't take us back now.

We have to win.

(bell tolling)

(exciting music)

- Come on lads, - time to go.

- Right. (wood clanking)

(chattering)

- You look like you've been press-ganged from Bridewells.

- Women and children, step aside.

- If they're the kind of men who hit women,

let them show themselves.

Stand, girls, don't let them pass!

- Arm in arm with savages!

- It's you with the clubs.

- A gang of thieves.

Do you think we'll stand by and watch you steal our jobs?

- Let us pass or we break through.

- No. - Never!

- We'll trudge. - Argh!

(shouting) (screaming)

- Shall I fetch Dr Holland?

- He's the manufactory physician.

They're not our workers any more.

- Hey, how could you let them do that?

- They might be in but you won't get

those machines working.

- You know he's gone too far now, don't you?

(glass shattering) (cheering)

- Blackleg! - Work for glaziers.

It's an ill wind, as they say.

- Oh you got off lightly. - I bit one.

I'll probably die of poisoning!

- The snake has to bite you.

- You might be dead when John Howlett gets home.

- I'm not scared of him.

(suspenseful music)

- Go and get washed.

- Scab. - Scab.

- Get out.

- If he goes, we all go.

I mean it.

I will go if you force me to.

- It'll be over by the end of the week.

Back to how it was.

- It'll never be how it was.

This can't be fixed like a window.

- If the poor were in Parliament, they'd sell their votes

to the highest bidder.

MPs have to be rich, independent, educated men,

else no-one would respect them.

(door knocking)

- I know he's in Manchester.

May I come in?

I have an offer to make.

Are the children in bed?

- Yes.

So you can keep your voice down.

- How's Angela?

- Hungry.

Same as everybody else.

- Your husband's a clever man.

There's no need to go hungry.

- What did you want, William?

- When my brother offered him a half share

in the loom patent do you know how much money he tore up?

- Is there anything you care more about than money?

- If you were my family, I'd care about you

more than he does.

- Yeah, well, history says otherwise.

- That man and his madness are destroying you!

I hate to see it.

You deserve better.

I want to compensate you

for the patent money he squandered.

- Daniel would never agree to that.

- That's why you must leave him.

Save your children from this suffering.

I'll arrange transport, anywhere.

Lancaster, with your sister, if you wish.

I'll send you an annual allowance

to pay for Angela's upbringing.

All I ask is that you leave the man

who spends more time worrying about every damn pauper

in the country than he does about his own family!

- The first time Daniel and I walked out together,

he told me men could fly.

I laughed at him, it's true.

A man has flown across the English Channel in a balloon.

And Daniel said, "Imagine if someone had told Samuel Greg

"when he was a boy that by the time he was an old man,

people would fly.

"He'd have thought them mad."

And then he put his hand on my belly and he said,

"If we can overcome gravity, do you really think we won't

"overcome poverty by the time your baby is

Samuel Greg's age?"

The first time you and I walked out together,

do you remember what we talked about?

You.

There's the door.

Don't come back, ever.

- You're making a huge mistake.

- No, you were the huge mistake.

- Angela won't reach my father's age.

Look at you!

Look!

This is so unnecessary.

He's skilled, and you, you used to be beautiful.

- I've never felt more beautiful in my life.

(door clicking)

- Come on, Billy.

Eh, I know it's only water, but it's better than nothing.

Eh? - Look at this lot,

sat around all day making the place look ugly.

- Go away, Patience.

- This is the Master's niece.

We're off to the pond to feed the ducks.

- Ah, it's too late.

We ate them. (girl crying)

- She's joking, she's joking.

They wouldn't dare.

They haven't eaten in days.

I only wish we could share some of our bread.

Mind you, they say your mummy's famous for her charity work.

If the beggars ask nicely enough,

I could toss 'em a few crumbs.

- We'd rather starve.

(somber music)

- Erm, please, Patience.

If you can spare some for my baby, I'd be really grateful.

(baby moaning)

- Seeing as you asked nicely and it's a bit stale.

Help yourself.

- Thank you. - You're welcome.

Come on.

- Should've just took it.

Should've took it off her by force.

- There, that's nice. (hooves clomping)

- That'll be my cart now.

Here. (children chattering)

Probably have to walk home,

but I'll be back by midnight.

As long as someone can shut McDouall up.

- Yeah. (door clattering)

(suspenseful music)

- Daniel Bate? - Get out of my house.

- Are you Daniel Bate? - No, he isn't.

Get out! - I have an order

for your arrest on charges of sedition and riotous assembly.

You're coming with us.

- No, you're not taking him, leave him alone!

- You have to let me go, love! - He's done nothing wrong!

Look after the kids.

Daniel!

No!

No! - Where are you taking him?

- Let him go! - No.

- Stay out of it! - We need to stop them!

- They're taking him!

He's been arrested for sedition, can he hang for that?

- Susannah, I'll be back soon!

- Are you watching this?

Aye, the same uniform your son wore!

- The same ones that killed my father.

- Is this what he died for?

Is it?

- No! (stones clattering)

(crowd cheering) - Stop!

- No! - Let's sway, 'em!

- Don't give them an excuse!

They think if they arrest one man, this'll end.

There's a meeting today in Manchester.

Elect someone to go in my place.

Stay strong!

Be resolute!

Keep fighting, our cause is just!

- At last, law and order.

- What do we do now?

- Elect someone to go to Manchester.

Tell them what happened.

- Who'd be our best spokesman?

- No, I can't do it.

- Yes, you can!

Give 'im here.

Give him to me.

Oh.

(baby grumbling)

Billy?

Billy?

Billy?

Billy!

(door banging)

(suspenseful music)

- What do you want?

- There's a baby ill.

I need to get to Wilmslow to fetch Dr Holland.

Will you drive me?

- Go away.

I don't believe you.

- There's a child dying!

- Do you think I'm a fool?

You can't afford a doctor.

- What kind of man are you?

- I'm not a Hackney service.

- I'll drive myself!

I'm sorry.

But there really is a dying child.

(door clicking)

- I didn't knock in case I woke them.

Hey, if it's any consolation he isn't alone.

Hundreds have been arrested.

But there's going to be a session at the New Bailey.

Is Billy not here with you?

- I'm so sorry, Esther. - Why?

- I couldn't make him take anything.

And he, he went, peacefully.

I swear to you, Billy got no less than our Tony.

And women feed more than one baby all the time.

You make what they need.

I know Tony's bigger and stronger

but I was feeding him solids too.

Esther, I'm sorry.

- I want to see him.

- Will took him home.

- What, his own home? (baby crying)

They've accepted him now that he's dead?

- I don't know.

- Go feed your boy.

It's not your fault.

- I'm sorry.

(somber music)

(door knocking)

- Esther, would it be better to remember him as he was?

- I need to see him.

- I'll come in with you.

- I'm sorry for your loss.

- I'm sorry for yours.

- It should never have come to this.

- No, it shouldn't.

- You had a choice. - Shut up, John.

- If it's anyone's fault, it's yours.

- She's a mother.

She didn't know her own child was starving?

- I knew.

Where is he?

(whimpering) (crying)

(crowd chattering)

- Hey, hey! - Come on here!

(shouting)

- I've been watching you.

You're the brains behind the business.

- I just deal with the books.

- No, Master William was born to it.

But you earned it, worked your way up.

And I think you knew the size of

that wage cut was too much to bear.

- What do you want?

- Esther's baby died tonight.

Daniel Bate's been arrested.

His wife's coming to see Master William tomorrow to talk.

Can you persuade him to compromise?

- All I can do is advise.

- Well, advise him that people are angry.

And if he keeps hitting us while we're down,

he'll only make things worse.

Do you understand that?

- I do.

- Can you make him understand it?

- I'll try.

(door clicking)

- She wants some time alone.

- I shouldn't have said that.

She knows what she's done.

- What?

What has she done?

- Will, in hard times, three quarters

of a wage is better than nothing.

If she'd had the common sense to accept that.

- If I stood up to you, I could have stopped this!

- No, no, you couldn't, Will.

- This is her fault.

- Like Job's death was your fault?

- I encouraged him to join the army.

- Because there was no work!

- No son of mine will ever be an idler.

So I persuaded him to enlist.

I wanted him to serve,

to follow in your brother's footsteps.

He was a good boy.

He always tried to please his father.

- I know I blamed you.

I was wrong.

It wasn't your fault. - It was!

I can accept that burden because I'm proud of him

and the choices he made.

Just like Abe can be proud of his boy.

David, your father, died for his country.

And Job followed his example.

What did your son die for?

- So he's my son now? - Why did he die

when his mother knew he was starving?

- [Will] I'm more to blame than she is!

- No, you're not, stop it! - I should have put food

on their table!

You should have let me! - She chose not to work!

- [Rebecca] Can we all stop blaming each other?

- Someone's to blame! - Why?

Why does there always have to be a scapegoat?

(banging) - Because--

- John's right about one thing.

I am proud of your father, Will.

- He was a hero, same as Job.

- I wanted him to be a shoemaker!

I was teaching him.

When trade was slow, when we were hungry,

I taught him how to hunt wild rabbits on the common.

Then things changed, and those rabbits belonged to someone

and hunting them became poaching.

When he was only 14, he got caught for the second time,

which in the eyes of the law made him an incorrigible rogue.

So he had a choice, seven years transportation

or take the King's shilling.

Australia or the army.

What kind of a choice was that, John?

- A poor man's choice.

Same as Job's.

Weren't his fault we were poor.

And it ain't any one person's fault

that Esther's baby has died.

- I'm sorry.

But it's just not true.

We're responsible for our own actions!

(groaning)

(somber music)

- All I've got left to lose is my life,

and I'm ready for that.

But if you cancel the wage cuts

and take us back at the old rates,

we'll forget about the Charter.

- But when we say all, we mean it.

Every striker, including Daniel.

- The law must take its course.

I have no power to intervene.

A ship to Botany Bay awaits, I'm afraid.

- And a ship to Dominica awaits the man

who assaulted Mr Howlett.

- You'll have to get rid of Howlett.

No-one will work with him.

- They'll have to.

But as a sign of good faith, I'll allow Mr Gardener to stay.

- Is that wise, Master?

He drew a gun on me last night.

- And how did he get a gun?

- He took mine.

- You pointed it at his face while he was pleading

with you to get the doctor and save my son.

- All of us, or none of us.

- Mr Windell will apologize to Mr Gardener.

I'll instruct Howlett to make his peace with him.

I can't free your husband any more

than I can grant the Charter.

But to make up for it, I'll take you back.

- He's canceled the wage cuts and taken us all back.

- It's a good deal.

No-one could have done better.

A wage you can live on is more important right now.

- You'll have to wait for the vote.

- I was Angie's age at Peterloo.

Up on my dad's shoulders when they charged.

My earliest memory is a man on a horse slicing

through a crowd with a sabre.

First battle in the fight for democracy.

I thought this would be the last.

I know sometimes I put our family second to...

- What?

The family of man?

- You do understand, don't you?

- Our son is alive.

And Esther's isn't.

Do you understand that?

- Will you wait for me?

- I never regretted the day you stopped that cart.

I never will.

I'll be back before before we get the vote.

They're saying seven years,

but the Tolpuddle men were back in three.

Can you manage on your own till then?

- I won't be on my own.

I'll be in the mill, with the girls.

- Time's up. (keys clattering)

- I love you.

- I love you too.

- [Guard] Aye, aye, all right, that's enough.

- Goodbye. - Come on, come on, time's up!

(somber music)

- I am the resurrection and the life.

He that believeth in me, though he were dead,

and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.

- (gasping) Oh, come on, everyone, let's go to work.

♪ The time shall come when man shall hold ♪

♪ His brother more dear than sordid gold ♪

- Here they come, Master!

♪ The negro's stain his freeborn mind ♪

♪ Shall sever no more from humankind ♪

♪ Toil, brothers, toil ♪

- You're all late!

♪ Toil, O brothers, toil ♪

- It'll cost you a quarter of a day!

♪ 'Til the work is done and the Charter won ♪

♪ Toil, O brothers, toil ♪

(machines clanking) (light music)

- I'm sorry. - What for?

- The gun.

This is James Scottson.

Daniel Bate's replacement.

This gentleman is-- - Babatunde.

Babatunde Adisa Oguniru.

- Peter Gardener.

Watch him.

- Where have you been?

- Privy. - Without permission?

You owe me an explanation, Price.

- Yeah, and you owe us a quarter of your wages, knobstick.