Mike Leigh's ladies
Julie Burchill might not be a fan ("Today, men are weak, confused but basically decent; old women are battleaxes, and young women get raped, or bulimic," she said back in 1993) but, given that a female character at the centre of any commercial movie is still a rarity, we've got a huge soft spot for Mike Leigh. To mark the release of Happy-Go-Lucky, and a brand new 10-film box set, we look back at the director's finest ladies.
Abigail's Party (1977) - Beverly / Alison Steadman
Mike Leigh might hate the infamous TV version of Abigail's Party, but you can't watch a sitcom these days without seeing the ghost of Alison Steadman's Beverly, from Ab Fab's Eddie to Nighty Night's Jill.
High Hopes (1988) - Shirley / Ruth Sheen
Marxist Shirley - seen here for all of a nanosecond in the only clip we could find on YouTube - is the antithesis of her gaudy Thatcherite in-laws, and she's funny with it. Look out for Ruth Sheen as Vera's similarly abortion-inclined mate in Vera Drake.
Life Is Sweet (1990) - Natalie / Claire Skinner
Though Life Is Sweet's main focus is on Jane Horrocks as the Smiths-loving young bulimic, it's boyish twin Natalie who provides the genuine warmth here: she's the dour voice of reason who stops it descending into an all-out bleak-fest.
Secrets & Lies (1996) - Cynthia Rose Purley / Brenda Blethyn
Brenda Blethyn won a Bafta and was nominated for an Oscar for her "sweedart"-popularising turn as factory worker Cynthia Purley. She's both intensely irritating and unbearably empathetic, and Blethyn's performance would melt a heart of lead.
Vera Drake (2004) - Vera Drake / Imelda Staunton
Whatever your thoughts on the way Leigh handles the Big Abortion Debate (me: it's just a funnel for the class issue), Imelda Staunton's impressive Blethyn-esque performance - again, frustratingly unlovable and eminently warm - was robbed of its Oscar by Hillary Swank in Million Dollar Baby.
"D'ya wanna dance 'Tone?.."
...or words to that effect, as uttered by the dreadful Beverly in the brilliant Abigails Party. Every now and then I can't resist suddenly adopting that Beverly voice...
Shame Mike Leigh seems to cringe nowadays about this classic TV play - although I believe it's more to with the production values, than the writing. But I think the lack of sophisticated technology only served to add to the atmosphere with many 70's productions. I would like to see more programmes made where the drama is allowed to breathe, and the production is underdone for a change. Anyway, hats off to this fine writer & I look forward to seeing Happy-Go-lucky.
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Oh my God I can't wait. When does it come out in the States? And it's a *happy* one ... Great article, what what. High Hopes is the best.
I've gone off him...
I watched "Naked" again last week and it very poor. Most of Leigh's films seem to written in poor cliche eg poor people good rich people bad. In Naked the Yuppie is so one dimesional he should have a sign round his neck saying "clunky metaphor". And why do all his leading female characters have horrible nasal whiny voices like of which you never hear in London? What's wrong with a plot or story? Good luck to him as he seems to make movies regularly but I'll be giving them a miss from now on.
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