"Play for Today" Hard Labour (1973)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Mike Leigh

Writer:

Mike Leigh (deviser)

TV Series:

"Play for Today" (1970)

Original Air Date:

12 March 1973 (Season 3, Episode 20)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

A quiet and put-upon house cleaner breaks her silence.

Plot Keywords:

Male Female Relationship

Cast

Liz Smith	...	Mrs. Thornley
Clifford Kershaw	...	Jim Thornley
Polly Hemingway	...	Ann
Bernard Hill	...	Edward
Alison Steadman	...	Veronica
Vanessa Harris	...	Mrs. Stone
Cyril Varley	...	Mr. Stone
Linda Beckett	...	Julie
Ben Kingsley	...	Naseem
Alan Erasmus	...	Barry
Rowena Parr	...	June
June Whitaker	...	Mrs. Rigby
Paula Tilbrook	...	Mrs. Thornley's friend
Keith Washington	...	Mr. Shaw
Louis Raynes	...	Tallyman
Alan Gerrard	...	Greengrocer
Diana Flacks	...	Mrs. Rubens
Patrick Durkin	...	Frank
Ian East	...	Dick
Dennis Barry	...	Old Man
Sonny Farrar	...	Publican
Surya Kumari	...	Sikh Lady
Irene Gawre	...	Sister (as Irene Gawne)
Hal Jeayes	...	Priest

Directed by
Mike Leigh

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Mike Leigh		deviser

Produced by
Tony Garnett	....	producer

Cinematography by
Tony Pierce-Roberts		(photography)

Film Editing by
Christopher Rowlands

Production Design by
Paul Munting

Costume Design by
Sally Nieper

Sound Department
Richard Manton	....	sound (as Dick Manton)
Dave Baumber	....	dubbing mixer (uncredited)

Other crew
Roy Baker	....	production team
Roger Bamford	....	production team
Irene East	....	production team
Spike Hughes	....	production team

Production Companies

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Runtime:

70 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Shockingly bleak brilliance from Mike Leigh

A classic BBC Play For Today from the days when televsion still provided a forum for this sort of comment, one that directly screamed at its audience in defiance. Hard Labour is chiefly noticeable for an excellent cast and several superbly staged scenes. Clifford Kershaw turns in a very different performance to his usual lonely old man role. Two of the finest scenes are the love scene and the clocking on at work. The "Love scene" is really anything but, as Jim returns drunk and unbearably loudly undresses while his wife sleeps. Then he forcefully has sex with her. Leigh's brilliance comes in keeping the camera away from the events, lingering almost asleep on the pillow so we feel powerless to stop the horrible events. Another fine scene is where Jim arrives to his nightshift and talks to his supervisor, a scene that goes through numerous subtle psychological changes. Also of note is Louis Raynes fine turn as the tallyman and one of the plays more klikeable characters in the form of Ben Kingsley. One excellent feature of this play is that it could be set anytime in the last 100 years. It is 1973 but for a long time early on could be almost Victorian so horrendous are the lifestyles. Producer Tony Garnett commented in the Radio Times before broadcast "If you are not shocked by this play, you have already been brainwashed." Bring back Play For Today!!