Family Life (1971 British film)
| Company type | Film |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film industry |
| Founded | 1971 |
| Founder | Ken Loach |
| Products | Drama film |
| Parent | EMI Films |
Family Life (known in the US as Wednesday's Child) is a 1971 British drama directed by Ken Loach, featuring performances by Sandy Ratcliff, Malcolm Tierney, and Grace Cave. The screenplay, penned by David Mercer, serves as a remake of the 1967 BBC Wednesday Play episode In Two Minds, which Mercer also wrote and Loach directed.
Plot
Janice, a young woman raised in a traditional working-class household, encounters severe familial conflict when her parents respond harshly to her defiance and unplanned pregnancy. Under intense pressure to terminate the pregnancy—an act stigmatized during that era—the abortion profoundly affects her psychological well-being. Throughout her hospitalization, her parents persist in expressing disapproval and criticism.
Development and writing
Tony Garnett developed an interest in psychiatrist R. D. Laing's theories following a mental health struggle within his family. He commissioned David Mercer to create a screenplay that became the play Two Minds, drawing inspiration from a case study in Laing's 1960 publication The Divided Self. Garnett initially sought Roy Battersby as director but ultimately selected Ken Loach when Battersby was unavailable.
Although the original production achieved success, Garnett's personal experiences compelled him to adapt the story into film form. Mercer was initially reluctant, believing he had thoroughly explored the material, but consented after persuasion. Garnett observed that Loach was more receptive due to his cinematic interests.
Garnett described the project as an obsession rooted in personal history, emphasizing his desire to revisit the themes for deeper insight. Nevertheless, he criticized Mercer's screenplay as "barely adequate," perceiving it lacked full dedication. With Mercer unwilling to make revisions and engaged in strike action, the project faced difficulties until Loach introduced a naturalistic approach that conveyed an authentic sense of witnessing real life rather than staged performances.
Financing
Funding for the film was equally provided by the National Film Finance Corporation, which supported the script development, and Nat Cohen alongside Anglo-EMI, who had previously backed successful ventures from Ken Loach (Poor Cow) and Garnett (The Body). Garnett recalled Cohen's candid summary: "a mad girl goes into a mental hospital and goes madder," highlighting Cohen's doubts about its commercial prospects but willingness to invest despite differing political views.
While Garnett and Loach preferred casting an unknown actress for the lead role, Cohen agreed to finance partly because the lead was a 19-year-old performer. The total budget stood at roughly £190,000.
Casting
The production blended trained actors with non-professionals, including a suburban housewife portraying the mother and an actual psychiatrist playing the psychiatrist role. Significant alterations from the original script involved introducing a psychiatrist character and adding a boyfriend for Janice.
Filming
During shooting, creative tensions arose; Mercer demanded strict fidelity to his script, whereas Loach advocated for improvisational freedom.
Aftermath
While working on the editing phase, Loach was involved in a vehicular accident that caused injuries to himself and tragically claimed the lives of his mother-in-law and his five-year-old son.
Release
The film made its debut at the New York Film Festival on 3 October 1972.
Box office
Producer Garnett remarked that the movie "performed poorly commercially," attributing this outcome to ineffective promotion and ambiguous marketing. Nevertheless, it achieved notable popularity in France, where Laing's concepts found a receptive audience. According to Loach's biographer, the film's lack of commercial success contributed to a delay of several years before Loach could undertake another feature film.
Critical reception
The Monthly Film Bulletin commended the film's cinéma-vérité approach and its compassionate perspective, though it acknowledged that certain points were open to debate. The Evening Standard labeled it "extraordinary." Pauline Kael praised the compelling acting but noted that viewers doubtful of Laing's argument might experience frustration. Variety described the film as "disturbing and provocative." Filmink regarded it as "a masterpiece," emphasizing its emotional impact and greater daring compared to other EMI productions of the era.
Won
- 1972 Berlin International Film Festival:
- French Syndicate of Cinema Critics 1974:
- Critics Award – Best Foreign Film: Ken Loach (UK)
- Sydney Film Festival 2003:
- Audience Award – Best Feature-Length Fiction Film: Ken Loach
Nominated
- BAFTA Awards 1973:
- UN Award – Best Film