In Celebration

In Celebration
In Celebration
	Ely A. Landau
Starring	Alan Bates; Bill Owen; Brian Cox; James Bolam; Constance Chapman
Cinematography	Dick Bush
Edited by	Michael Ellis
Music by	Christopher Gunning
Distributed by	American Film Theatre
Release date	March 17, 1975 (US)
Running time	131 minutes
Countries	United Kingdom, United States
Language	English

In Celebration is a 1975 British

theatrically with tickets sold in advance.^[1]

Synopsis

The film takes place in the Derbyshire mining town of Langwith. The Shaws' three sons have returned home to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. Mr. Shaw has been a coal miner for 49 years, and has only one year left until retirement. Mrs Shaw is the daughter of a pig breeder, meaning she came from a higher social class.

The parents urged their sons to abandon their father's trade in pursuit of professional careers, but the results have not been entirely positive. Andrew, the eldest, became a solicitor but has abandoned it to pursue painting. Colin, who was a Communist party member for a year, is now a prosperous but unfulfilled industrial relations manager for a car manufacturer, dealing with negotiations with the unions. The youngest brother, Steven, is a teacher, married with four children, and has abandoned a book he had been writing for several years.

The family go to an expensive restaurant, although the action is almost entirely in the couple's living room. A friendly neighbour is present for some of the scenes.

The film examines the tensions which develop over the course of one evening as the family reunite. The family recall unpleasant incidents, including a premarital pregnancy, physical abuse, child neglect, the death of the couple's first son, the mother's suicide attempt and the "turning out" (sending him to live with another family for a period of time when another sibling was born) of another son.TV Guide review</ref>