311. Maiden; movie review
MAIDEN
Cert 12A
95 mins
BBFC advice: Contains infrequent strong language, references to sexism
From a "tin full of tarts" to breaking the back of sexism in sport - the story of Tracy Edwards and the all-female crew of Maiden has ebbs and flows which match the most treacherous of the high seas.
Intriguingly, I was less surprised by their stunning achievement amid the toughest of challenges in the bleakest of conditions than of how they found themselves on their yacht, Maiden in the first place.
I had imagined that these were privileged young women who were having a bit of fun on the back of the bank of a rich mum and dad.
Not a bit of it - Edwards' father died of a heart attack when she was just ten.
She was described as a horror in her teens during which she was expelled from school and failed to turn up for her O' Levels.
One of her crewmates was her best friend from school who, like others on board, had a taste for adventure and said 'why not?'.
Meanwhile, as Alex Holmes's film tells - the most experienced navigator on the boat was sacked by Edwards three days before they set off.
As for the boat itself - Maiden and her project were as far off target as Donald Crowhurst's ill-fated vessel two decades earlier.
Here, however, there were two major differences. Edwards had a brilliant team on board and she had the willpower which the tragic Crowhurst did not.
Maiden touches on Edwards early life before getting stuck into her fulfilling a passion to skipper an all-female crew in the Whitebread Round The World Race.
The crew contribute to a fascinating documentary, pulling no punches over the deflation and elation of the journey which last from September to May.
There are also slightly shame-faced contributions of those who were so confident they couldn't do it, they said so in very forthright language.
It is a wonderful tale of derring-do but with a slant which prompted a tear on its rousing conclusion.
But most of all it was a pivot in history. At the beginning and even during Maiden's voyage, the young women were interviewed as if they were a cross between eye candy and housewives.
By its end, they had engineered a sea-change in many more ways than one.
That is why Maiden is one of the most inspirational films of the year.
Reasons to avoid: So many images of pitching seas I began to feel queasy
Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 9/10
Did you know? After her sailing career, Tracy Edwards worked for the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre as Project Manager for their International Youth Advisory Congress.
The final word. Tracy Edwards: "He gave me one of the best pieces of advice that any other human being’s ever given me, he said, “You’ve got to stop being a bystander in your own life, Tracy. You’ve got to take part,” and I thought, “Blimey, okay.” Parade
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