Hard Labour

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O g @RT76089177 Oct 4 Looks thoroughly moth-eaten but there's enough humour, pathos and historical sociology for a 3* rating. See more 09/27/2012 A visit to a screeching place where little happens. Dismal, in a pleasant way. See more walter m @Harlequin68 01/25/2012 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. See more 09/01/2011 A visit to a screeching place where little happens. Dismal, in a pleasant way. See more 04/27/2010 Great show, but wasn't the elderly woman played by Liz Smith? See more 10/04/2008 Excellent film. Grim - yeah of course! Great performances. Liz Smith is a national treasure. See more Read all reviews

Hard Labour

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