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      Hard Labour

      1973 1 hr. 15 min. Drama List
      Reviews 68% 100+ Ratings Audience Score A hardworking maid (Liz Smith) deals with a demanding husband (Clifford Kershaw), her unsympathetic children and a cynical priest. Read More Read Less

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      Hard Labour

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      Audience Reviews

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      Audience Member A visit to a screeching place where little happens. Dismal, in a pleasant way. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review walter m There are a couple of possible meanings that can be extrapolated for this movie's title after watching it.(A third, England's Labour Party, is missing from the conversation.) The first is obvious enough with the unceasing work of Jim Thornley(Clifford Kershaw) and his wife(Liz Smith), a middle-aged Catholic couple. So much so, that even as the end credits roll, Mrs. Thornley is still cleaning windows and presumably will be long after the viewer has stopped watching and moved on to other things. While she cleans during the day, he works nights as a custodian, giving them little down time together. This material is not as depressing as it sounds, with one amusing scene involving a nun. Overall, the movie could be said to be less than favorable towards the Church in the lack of support it provides its parishioners. The other possible meaning is domestic, as it involves Mrs. Thornley's two epic pregnancies from a time with less advanced medical technology, which she relates to her curious grown daughter, Ann(Polly Hemingway). This is part of the realm of the household where amongst her own paid work, Mrs. Thornley is expected without being paid to wait on her husband in a house where the only privacy to be had is on the toilet. Outside of this home, the movie is far ahead of its time in its sympathetic portrayal of immigrants, one of whom is played by a young Ben Kingsley. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member A visit to a screeching place where little happens. Dismal, in a pleasant way. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Great show, but wasn't the elderly woman played by Liz Smith? Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Audience Member Excellent film. Grim - yeah of course! Great performances. Liz Smith is a national treasure. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Liz Smith's staring role with Mike Leigh and a warm up for Alison Steadman before Abigail's party, this film touches raw nerves about how hideously grim some people's lives are. Liz plays the role brilliantly, the final scence really sums up the point of the film in that nobody really is that bothered. Brilliance. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Critics Reviews

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      Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Bleak slice of life family drama. Rated: B Oct 16, 2006 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis A hardworking maid (Liz Smith) deals with a demanding husband (Clifford Kershaw), her unsympathetic children and a cynical priest.
      Director
      Mike Leigh
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Oct 14, 2016
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