Family Life (1971 British film)

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Family Life
Anglo-EMI
  • Kestrel Films
    • Distributed by
    • MGM-EMI
    Release dates
    • 2 December 1971 (1971-12-02) (UK)
    • 5 October 1972 (1972-10-05) (USA)
    Running time
    		108 minutes
    CountryUnited Kingdom
    LanguageEnglish
    Budget£180,000[1]
    Box office$1,827,374SEK ($291,648USD)

    Family Life (US: Wednesday's Child)

    drama film directed by Ken Loach and starring Sandy Ratcliff, Malcolm Tierney and Grace Cave.[3][4] The screenplay was by David Mercer. It is a remake of In Two Minds, an episode of the BBC's Wednesday Play series first transmitted by the BBC in March 1967, which was also written by Mercer and directed by Loach.[5]

    Plot

    A young woman, Janice, is living with her conservative, working-class parents, who become concerned at her rebellious behaviour, and are shocked when she becomes pregnant. At a time when pregnancy when unmarried was widely considered shameful, they insist she has an abortion, but this has terrible emotional and mental effects on her. They constantly berate her for her behaviour, even when they visit her in hospital.

    Cast

    Production

    Development and writing

    Tony Garnett became interested in the work of psychiatrist R. D. Laing as a member of his family suffered from mental illness. He arranged for David Mercer to write a screenplay.[6] It resulted in the play Two Minds which Garnett said was inspired by the story of Julie, a case in Laing's 1960 book The Divided Self. "I regretted later it might be seen as scapegoating the mother," wrote Garnett.[7] Garnett wanted Roy Battersby to direct but he was unavailable so he went with Ken Loach.

    The production was a success but Garnett said the fate and experience of his family member with the psychiatric profession "kept nagging away at me" so he decided to turn it into a film. Mercer was reluctant as "he rightly felt he had done the subject" but he was eventually persuaded. Garnett says Loach "didn't see the point but was easier to persuade. Directors always want to work in cinema."[8]

    "It's the only subject where I've insisted we had two bites at the cherry, for my own personal reasons," said Garnett. "It was so important to me, to do with a woman in my life and a painful time. Although it wasn't necessarily a sensible thing to do, it was almost an obsession in me to try to understand what had gone on."[9]

    Garnett claimed Mercer's "screenplay was barely adequate. It was lazy, perhaps because his heart wasn't in it. I wanted to do more work on it with him. He was reluctant. I probably should have called it a day then. With David on strike, but naturally reluctant to allow me to rewrite it, we had an insecure basis for a film. It was probably my fault for pressing him into it." However the producer says the movie was rescued by Loach who "gave a sense that we were witnessing life rather than actors doing their thing."[10]

    Financing

    Half the budget was provided by the

    Anglo-EMI, who had previously financed successful films from Ken Loach (Poor Cow) and Garnett (The Body).[11][12] Garnett wrote in his memoirs that when he pitched the project to Cohen, the executive summarised the story as "So, a mad girl goes into a mental hospital and goes madder. An unhappy ending. No laughs, no sex." He then said "You and Ken, you know, we could make a lot of money with you. If you weren't such a bunch of bloody communists."[13] Although Garnett and Loach wanted to use an unknown in the lead, Cohen gave the money. (Loach thought the film only got financed because the lead was a 19 year old girl.)[14]

    Casting

    Casting mixed professionals with amateurs. The mother was played by a suburban housewife and the psychiatrist by a real psychiatrist. Changes from the original included introducing a psychiatrist character and a boyfriend for the lead.[9]

    Filming

    There were clashes during filming as Mercer wanted his script filmed to the letter while Loach encouraged improvisation.[15]

    Aftermath

    During editing, Loach was involved in a car accident that injured him and resulted in the death of his mother in law and five-year-old son.[16]

    Release

    The film was screened at the New York Film Festival on 3 October 1972.[17]

    Reception

    Box office

    Garnett said the film "did little business, as Nat had predicted, although long afterwards he had the grace to admit it was released and marketed badly. I don't think anyone knew how to sell it or even knew what it was really about." The film was very successful in France, however, where Laing's teachings were popular.[10] Loach's biographer says the film was a commercial failure and prevented him making a feature for several years.[18]

    Critical reception

    The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "With its relentless cinéma-vérité style, its lack of conventionally dramatic incident, and its all too recognisable characters, Ken Loach's Family Life is so harrowing in its immediate impact and so transparently inspired by the most passionate humanitarian concern that it seems positively unfeeling to cavil at some of its more specious arguments. Yet on reflection it becomes clear that, unless the film is to be classified as one of those 'women's weepies' which its techniques appear to be opposing, the tears one copiously sheds at its conclusion must go beyond a cathartic self-indulgence."[19]

    The Evening Standard called it "extraordinary".[20]

    Pauline Kael wrote "There are a few striking performances in the simulations of documentary footage. If you're not convinced by the Laing thesis, though, you may get very impatient."[21]

    Variety called it "disturbing and provocative."[22]

    Filmink called it "a masterpiece, a remarkable, emotionally devastating work that’s gutsier than anything Bryan Forbes made at EMI."[23]

    Awards

    Won

    Nominated

    • BAFTA Awards
      1973:
      • UN Award – Best Film

    References

    1. ^ Walker, Alexander (1974). Hollywood, England. London & New York City: Harrap/Stein and Day. p. 381.
    2. ISBN 9780810863781
      .
    3. ^ "Family Life". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
    4. ^ "Family Life (1971)". BFI. Archived from the original on 10 March 2017.
    5. ^ Kemp, Philip (2003–14). "Family Life (1971)". BFI Screenonline. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
    6. ^ Garnett p 167-169
    7. ^ Garnett p 171
    8. ^ Garnett p 173
    9. ^ a b Hayward p 122
    10. ^ a b Garnett p 175
    11. ^ Barnett, Anthony; McGrath, John; Mathews, John; Wollen, Peter (1976). "Interview with Tony Garnett and Ken Loach: Family Life in the making". Jump Cut (10–11): 43–45. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
    12. ISBN 9780748640782
      .
    13. ^ Garnett p 173-174
    14. ^ Hacker, Jonathan. Take ten : contemporary British film directors. p. 284. This gives the buddget as £190,000
    15. ^ Hayward p 123
    16. ^ Hayward p 128-130
    17. ^ Greenspun, Roger (4 October 1972). "Film Fete: Woes of Womanas 'Wednesday's Child'". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
    18. ^ Hayward p 127
    19. ^ "Family Life". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 39 (456): 31. 1 January 1972. ProQuest 1305829699 – via ProQuest.
    20. ^ "Unhappy families". Evening Standard. 13 January 1972. p. 21.
    21. ISBN 9780805006193
      .
    22. ^ Variety Reviews 1971-74. 1983. p. 168.
    23. ^ Vagg, Stephen (24 January 2025). "Forgotten British Moguls – Nat Cohen Part Four: Cohen vs Bryan Forbes (1969-71)". Filmink. Retrieved 24 January 2025.

    Notes

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