DISTANT VOICES, STILL LIVES (1988)

In something of a warmup for his largely autobiographical magnum opus, THE LONG DAY CLOSES/’92, this actually was the second in writer/director Terence Davies personal trilogy.  (The first, conveniently titled TRILOGY/’83.*)  It makes for a lot of self-contemplation, and LONG DAY not without its longueurs.  So, while that’s undoubtedly richest of the three, this more modest look back at Davies’ working-class Liverpudlian family (1940s to ‘50s) may be the better entry point; a memory piece that floats back & forth in time, linked by almost constant diegetic a capella song from its principles as emotional ‘event’ days (births, marriages, funerals, illness) chart the years.  (The music pop tunes of the day, many from Hollywood, hymns, even Negro spirituals until a classical finale sneaks in for the walk-off with, of all people, Peter Pears & Benjamin Britten on the soundtrack.)  Dad’s the focus of the longer first part, and what a terrifying piece of work Pete Postlethwaite makes of him.  Occasionally showing an affectionate side to his wife, daughters & son, but easily triggered to violent eruptions that come over him like an epileptic fit.  The terrors mostly accepted, even missed once he’s left the scene.  Just how common was this behavior in those tight row houses?  Even with doors closed, there was no where to hide.  Tacitly approved by friends, kin, neighbors & clergy?  Davies shoots the good and the bad in the calmest of manner, rarely moving at anything other than adagio in staging or camera work.  And my goodness, how Davies sweats the details, not only in physical production (in spite of being made on a dime), but in nailing attitude, dress, even how people stood or stooped, and sat uncomfortably close in tight quarters, while keeping to his favored formal compositions, slow tracks & pans.  Nothing happens/everything happens/life slips by.  Sui generis filmmaking; precious, but you have to come to it.  Davies trusts us to, and is rewarded.

ATTENTION MUST BE PAID:  Apparently, there was a long break between shoots (money issues?), and somehow, the men took advantage to pack on an extra twenty pounds and age about ten years.

SCREWY THOUGHT OF THE DAY:  Looking for a quick course on the use of grain and real 35mm film stock?  Then BFI has restored this with you in mind.  (Note: It may be less visible if you have one of those pricey monitors that over-processes the picture till everything looks like high definition Live Football coverage.)

DOUBLE-BILL/LINK:  As if from another world, a ‘well-made play’ of British working-class family life, this time between the two World Wars in Noël Coward/David Lean’s THIS HAPPY BREED/’44.  https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2022/06/this-happy-breed-1944.html  OR:  *After LONG DAY, Davies made only six features (plus one documentary) in 30 years.  They have their champions, but only THE HOUSE OF MIRTH/’00 equals his early work.