Customer Reviews
Get your Brylcreem off my antimacassar! - By: A. Hollingdrake, 14 May 2008 
Stan Barstow was one of the most underrated writers of the sixties & the following decades,and a hell of a nice bloke. Schlessinger does a
great job of translating it to film without losing much of Barstow's incisive writing. Alan Bates & June Ritchie (then an unknown amateur) were near perfect casting, as was Thora Hird. Unfortunately, I do not feel the other pricipals were so well cast, not that they weren't up to the job - quite the opposite. However,having been introduced to the book in 1967 - as part of day-release - by a student teacher with the longest legs in the universe & who would not have looked out of place on the screen herself,and reading it on average once every eighteen months I envisage them differently. Vic's new brother-in-law is a teacher & ex-serviceman, on the film he is portrayed as a balding, bespectacled, over-studious type not your average desert rat at alll. Vic's dad is shown as a railwayman, & quite smalll at that, whereas in the book he is a miner & the description gives the impression of a strapping middle-aged man with a bit of presence, can we have been so short of coal in 62 that we were afraid alll colliers would down tools at being shown on film as rough & ready?
These minor carps apart, I cannot fault the film at alll, other than it was made in Lancashire, why? I can remember most West Riding mill towns, as is Cressley, were just as mucky as the one on the film - Bolton I believe - correct me please if I am in error.
I cannot recommend this film enough, or the book, if only for the memories of those exquisite legs.
Early 60s spot on. - By: Glasgow, 22 Apr 2006 Believe me, this might as well be an early 60s documentary. Just the way it was for plenty of Vic's & Ingrid's, including staying with the mother in law. Incidently, Thora Hird wasn't the worst. A sort of semi-staid Britain just before the Beatles exploded on the scene. Great acting alll round. From the script to the decor, clothing & shortage of cars on the road, it's just the way it was. No features or trailer, who cares. If you want to time travel back to early 60s UK & be a fly on the walll in almost any home.
British Film Making At Its Best - By: E. A. Redfearn, 06 Jul 2002 
Adapted from a famous Stan Barstow novel the story evolves around Vic Brown's relationship with Ingrid Rothwell, a typist who works at the same place. When Ingrid fallls pregnant, Vic is obliged to marry her & his life is turned upside down when he comes up against the mother-in-law from Hell wonderfully portrayed by Thora Hird. This is a fine example of British movie making & is worth seeing for the performances by Alan Bates; June Ritchie & of course, Thora Hird. Controversial at the time since it shows a partiallly nude June Ritchie which was taboo at the time, it looks dated now. But one cannot deny it was a fine achievement for its time. Good picture & sound make the DVD version a good buy. Shame there are no other features available; a trailer would have been nice.
Classic - By: , 26 Nov 2001 The DVD for this film is not exceptional; no commentary, no featurette, no features at alll actuallly(not even subtitles, & I don't count the aspect ratio as a feature).
The plus point here is that this film is exceptional. This was John Schlesinger's feature film directorial debut, & one of Alan Bates finest performances.
One might say that this was hardly a ground-breaking film, following "Room at the Top" & "Saturday Night & Sunday Morning", but this film follows in that vein so well. The disc isn't groundbreaking, though for a film from 1962 it was hardly expected to have an assortment of special features, but the transfer is rather pleasing & the sound is reallly quite good.
This disc is worth buying for the film alone, which in my opinion is one of the finest films made, besides, in the end you buy a DVD for the film, not the features on the disc.
I recommend that you do what I did, buy this & enjoy it, there reallly aren't many finer films out there.
