Drama based on the novel by Stan Barstow which tells of a young draughtsman who is forced into marriage after making his girlfriend pregnant. Living with her dragon-like mother soon makes him realise that his marriage is just a fragile relationship based purely on sex. Read more
| Starring | Alan Bates, June Ritchie, Thora Hird, James Bolam |
|---|---|
| Director | John Schlesinger |
| Genres | Drama |
loading...
Drama based on the novel by Stan Barstow which tells of a young draughtsman who is forced into marriage after making his girlfriend pregnant. Living with her dragon-like mother soon makes him realise that his marriage is just a fragile relationship based purely on sex.
| Starring | Alan Bates, June Ritchie, Thora Hird, James Bolam |
|---|---|
| Director | John Schlesinger |
| Studio | OPTIMUM HOME ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 52 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Subtitles | DVD: None |
| Released | DVD: 25 Jun 2001 Production year: 1962 |
| Format | DVD |
Unlike the majority of other grim up North dramas that found critical favour during the social realist or kitchen sink phase of British film-making, John Schlesinger's debut feature is about making the most of life rather than carping on about the colour of the grass on the other side of the fence. Crisply adapted by Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall from Stan Barstow's novel, the film is like a scrapbook of typical human experience, with Schlesinger's eye for detail and his persuasive storytelling style creating characters who could have lived next door to you. Alan Bates and June Ritchie are excellent, but Thora Hird is exceptional.
Blunt melodrama with strong kinship to Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, strikingly directed and photographed amid urban grime and suburban conformity.
This film should appeal to a wide age range of both sexes. The young will probably be amazed at how people lived only 40 years ago, while those who are older might look back with some longing at a much less congested and non-technological age. Given the differences and the changes that have occurred in sexual permissiveness, the issues that men and women face today in forming relationships are just as confusing and difficult as then. The filming is crisp and the acting superb. Look out for the scene where Alan Bates runs and skips down slippery cobbled roads and steps and ask yourself if a Director would take the same risks today with the main male lead in a film.
This film should appeal to a wide age range of both sexes. The young will probably be amazed at how people lived only 40 years ago, while those who are older might look back with some longing at a much less congested and non-technological age. Given the differences and the changes that have occurred in sexual permissiveness, the issues that men and women face today in forming relationships are just as confusing and difficult as then. The filming is crisp and the acting superb. Look out for the scene where Alan Bates runs and skips down slippery cobbled roads and steps and ask yourself if a Director would take the same risks today with the main male lead in a film.