Housewife, 49

Last updated

Housewife, 49
Housewife, 49.jpg
DVD cover
Genre Drama
Created byVictoria Wood
Written by Victoria Wood
Nella Last
Directed by Gavin Millar
StarringVictoria Wood
David Threlfall
Christopher Harper
Ben Crompton
Lorraine Ashbourne
Sally Bankes
Stephanie Cole
Marcia Warren
Sylvestra Le Touzel
Wendy Nottingham
Jane Lowe
Dorothy Atkinson
Sian Brooke
Laura Power
Jason Watkins
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
Production
Production locations Barrow-in-Furness, England
Original release
Network ITV
Release10 December 2006 (2006-12-10)

Housewife, 49 is a 2006 television film based on the wartime diaries of Nella Last. [1] [2] Written by and starring English actress and comedian Victoria Wood, it follows the experiences of an ordinary housewife and mother in the northern English town of Barrow-in-Furness, Lancashire, during the Second World War. [3] It was first broadcast in the UK by ITV on 10 December 2006. [4]

Contents

Plot

The Mass-Observation project was set up in 1937 [5] [6] [7] by Charles Madge, a poet and journalist and Tom Harrisson, an anthropologist to 'record the voice of ordinary people'. They recruited volunteer 'observers' to report to them and in 1939 invited people to send them an account of their lives. Nella Last was one of 500 people who took up this offer. [8]

Her diaries sent weekly are headed "Housewife, 49", her age when she first began the correspondence. [9] Her diaries sent to Mass-Observation, often written in pencil, provide the narrative of the play as it unfolds her life. Edited versions of her diary have been published:

Nella Last's War edited by Richard Broad and Suzy Fleming appeared first in 1981 and has been more recently re-published by Profile Books in 2007. Housewife, 49 is based on this book which covers the years 1939 to 1945.

Nella Last's Peace, which appeared in 2009, includes diary entries from her immediate post-war years. A third volume, Nella Last in the 1950s: Further diaries of Housewife, 49, which includes material not published in Nella Last's War, was published in 2010.

In some scenes, the staff of Mass-Observation are seen reacting to, and sometimes visibly moved by, her letters. During the course of the programme, Last moves from being an introverted, isolated, and depressed individual in a difficult marriage, to become an outgoing character who, through her voluntary work during wartime, becomes a backbone of the local community. At the end of the programme it is explained that Nella continued to write to Mass-Observation until her death in 1968. The original diary, together with hundreds of other diaries and Mass-Observation's other papers, are now held within the Mass-Observation Archive, housed by the University of Sussex at The Keep, Brighton.

It also documents the lead character's changing relationships with those around her; standing up to her domineering husband (David Threlfall), developing a close but sometimes strained friendship with Mrs Waite (Stephanie Cole) the head of the local Women's Voluntary Service, and her changing relationships with her eldest son Arthur (Ben Crompton), and her younger son Cliff (Christopher Harper) who is altered by his experiences of combat. [10] It is also implied that Cliff, who in real life became a sculptor in Australia, [11] was gay; although Nella either does not realise or refuses to acknowledge it.

Cast

Reception

Critical

The Guardian thought it revealed Victoria Wood "to be both a far better writer than we had ever guessed and a far better actor as well." [13]

Awards

The film won two British Academy Television Awards in 2007: "Best Single Drama", and "Best Actress" for Victoria Wood for her portrayal of Nella Last. [14] It also won Best Single Drama at the Royal Television Society Programme Awards and received a nominations for Costume Design - Drama at the Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards. [15]

Home media

Housewife, 49 was released on DVD in the US on 11 March 2008.

In other media

Theatre

In September 2013, Victoria Wood chose the small Old Laundry theatre in Bowness-on-Windermere as the venue for the premiere of the stage version of Housewife 49. [2]

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Wood</span> British comedian (1953–2016)

Victoria Wood was an English comedian, actress, lyricist, singer, composer, pianist, screenwriter, producer and director. Wood wrote and starred in dozens of sketches, plays, musicals, films and sitcoms over several decades and her live comedy act was interspersed with her own compositions which she performed at the piano. Much of her humour was grounded in everyday life and included references to activities, attitudes and products that are considered to exemplify Britain. She was noted for her skills in observational comedy and in satirising aspects of social class.

<i>Mrs Brown</i> 1997 British feature film about Queen Victoria and John Brown

Mrs Brown is a 1997 British drama film starring Judi Dench, Billy Connolly, Geoffrey Palmer, Antony Sher, and Gerard Butler in his film debut. It was written by Jeremy Brock and directed by John Madden. The film was produced by the BBC and Ecosse Films with the intention of being shown on BBC One and on WGBH's Masterpiece Theatre. However, it was acquired by Miramax and released to unexpected success, going on to earn over $13 million worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julie Walters</span> English actress (b. 1950)

Dame Julia Mary Walters, known professionally as Julie Walters, is an English actress. She is the recipient of four British Academy Television Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, two International Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and a Laurence Olivier Award.

<i>Diary of a Mad Housewife</i> 1970 film by Frank Perry

Diary of a Mad Housewife is a 1970 American comedy-drama film about a frustrated wife portrayed by Carrie Snodgress. Snodgress was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won a Golden Globe award in the same category. The film was adapted by Eleanor Perry from the 1967 novel by Sue Kaufman and directed by Perry's then-husband Frank Perry. The film co-stars Richard Benjamin and Frank Langella.

Mass-Observation is a United Kingdom social research project; originally the name of an organisation which ran from 1937 to the mid-1960s, and was revived in 1981 at the University of Sussex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Celia Imrie</span> British actress

Celia Diana Savile Imrie is an English actress and author. She is best known for her film roles, including the Bridget Jones film series, Calendar Girls (2003), Nanny McPhee (2005), The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011), The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015), The English dub of The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales... (2017), Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018), Malevolent (2018) and for the FX TV series Better Things (2016-2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephanie Cole</span> English stage, television, radio and film actress (born 1941)

Patricia Stephanie Cole is an English stage, television, radio and film actress, known for high-profile roles in shows such as Tenko (1981–1985), Open All Hours (1982–1985), A Bit of a Do (1989), Waiting for God (1990–1994), Keeping Mum (1997–1998), Doc Martin (2004–2009), Cabin Pressure (2008–2014), Still Open All Hours (2013–2019), Man Down (2014–2017) and as Sylvia Goodwin in ITV soap opera Coronation Street (2011–2013).

Anne Reid is a British stage, film and television actress, known for her roles as Valerie Barlow in the soap opera Coronation Street (1961–1971); Jean in the sitcom dinnerladies (1998–2000); and her role as Celia Dawson in Last Tango in Halifax (2012–2020) for which she was nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Best Actress. She won the London Film Critics' Circle Award for British Actress of the Year and received a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in the film The Mother (2003).

<i>The Chronicles of Narnia</i> (TV series) British childrens television series (1988–1990)

The Chronicles of Narnia is a British BBC-produced television series that was aired from 13 November 1988 to 23 December 1990 and is based on four books of C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia series. The first series aired was The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in 1988, the second series aired was Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in 1989 and the third series aired was The Silver Chair in 1990. This television series was produced by Paul Stone, with the teleplay by Alan Seymour. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was directed by Marilyn Fox, while Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and The Silver Chair were directed by Alex Kirby.

Gavin Millar was a Scottish film director, critic and television presenter.

David John Threlfall is an English stage, film and television actor and director. He is best known for playing Frank Gallagher in Channel 4's series Shameless. He has also directed several episodes of the show. In April 2014, he portrayed comedian Tommy Cooper in a television film entitled Tommy Cooper: Not Like That, Like This. In 2014, he starred alongside Jude Law in the thriller Black Sea. In 2022, he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Play for his performance in the Martin McDonagh play Hangmen.

Felicity Jane Montagu is an English actress. She is best known for playing Lynn Benfield, the long-suffering assistant of Alan Partridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nella Last</span> British diarist (1889–1968)

Nella Last was an English housewife who lived in Barrow-in-Furness, Lancashire, England. She wrote a diary for the Mass Observation Archive from 1939 until 1966 making it one of the most substantial diaries held by Mass Observation. Her diary, consisting of around 12 million words, two million of which were written during World War II, is one of the longest in the English language.

The 2007 British Academy Television Awards were held on Sunday 20 May at the London Palladium Theatre in London. They were broadcast live on BBC One in the UK. The nominations were announced on 11 April 2007.

<i>Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV</i> British television comedy sketch series (1985–1987)

Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV is a British comedy sketch series written by and starring comedian Victoria Wood, with appearances from Julie Walters, Celia Imrie, Duncan Preston, Susie Blake and Patricia Routledge. The show was televised on BBC Two between 1985 and 1987 and included sketches that became famous in the United Kingdom.

Geoffrey Harold Posner is a British television producer and director. Posner has directed and produced some of Britain's most successful comedy shows since the early 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piers Wenger</span> British television executive

Piers Wenger is a British television executive who serves as controller of BBC drama commissioning.

Jason Peter Watkins is an English stage, film and television actor. He played the lead role in the two-part drama The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies, for which he won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor. He has also played William Herrick in Being Human, Gavin Strong in Trollied, Simon Harwood in W1A, Gordon Shakespeare in the film series Nativity, British Prime Minister Harold Wilson in Season 3 of The Crown and Detective Sergeant Dodds in McDonald & Dodds.

Christopher William Harper is an actor and director who played Nathan Curtis in ITV soap Coronation Street in a high profile teenage grooming and exploitation storyline.

References

  1. ↑ "Housewife, 49 (2006)". BFI. Archived from the original on 4 May 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Victoria Wood's Housewife, 49 gets stage premiere". BBC. 3 September 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  3. ↑ "Housewife, 49". Radio Times.
  4. ↑ "Housewife's war diary makes debut". 10 December 2006 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
  5. ↑ "Home". www.massobs.org.uk.
  6. ↑ "Adam Matthew Digital | Products". www.amdigital.co.uk.
  7. ↑ "Mass Observation Online | Reviews in History". reviews.history.ac.uk.
  8. ↑ Nella Last's War, p. vi.
  9. ↑ Nella Last's War, p. ii.
  10. ↑ Nella Last's War, p. 276.
  11. ↑ Nella Last's War, p. 301.
  12. ↑ "Sally Bankes". IMDb.
  13. ↑ "You review: Housewife, 49". The Guardian. 11 December 2006.
  14. ↑ "BAFTA Awards Search | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org.
  15. ↑ "CRAFT & DESIGN AWARDS 2007". Royal Television Society . 24 January 2011. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.