Esther Waters

Another little triumph for the marvellous 'Talking Pictures TV', this was a complete revelation. One of the most effectively set and shot costume dramas and a tour de force of a performance from a young Dirk Bogarde (his first starring role) and ably supported by Kathleen Ryan. The racing scenes are absolutely first-rate - as the authority, Michael Church, says above) with Derby Day as well evoked as I've ever seen it. Even a nod to Frith's 'Derby Day'. Made me want to read the novel. What a treat on a Saturday afternoon!

Esther Waters is a turgid costume melodrama that is only brightened by the presence of Dirk Bogarde and Cyril Cusack.

Set in in 1875, it is fallen woman story. Esther (Kathleen Ryan) is employed as a maid in a country house and falls for the smoothie footman William Latch (Dirk Bogarde).

Latch is interested in his employer's horses and gambling. Not knowing that Esther is pregnant he abandons her and runs off with the daughter of their employer.

Esther a strong willed religious woman is now alone. She decides to raise her baby son and moves from a workhouse to other jobs as a maid. At times walking out because of her employer's attitudes.

Esther is a forthright woman that will not stand for any nonsense. She gets an offer of marriage from a preacher Fred (Cyril Cusack) but some years later William returns to her life.

Now William wants to be with her and her son. He has money from being a bookmaker and also has a pub which Esther decides to run.

Adapted from a novel, it comes across as a tawdry soap opera. Bogarde is a cad but he is also genuinely fond of her. Esther decides to be flexible about her religious beliefs as she decides to run a pub but will not allow gambling to take place.

Esther rises above her circumstances but it is a heavy handed film and Ryan is not suited in the title role. It should had been more lurid but probably held back by the censorship laws of the time.

I waited up until 2:00 am to see this film back in 1964. Very well done and I was surprised with all the attention paid to "Upstairs;Downstairs" that this film has not made it to video.

The period detail is outstanding and Dirk Borgarde gives a very good performance as does Kathleen Ryan. I have read that Dirk's younger brother played his "son" in this film. By all means, if you have a chance to view this, do so.

This is quite a decent Victorian melodrama that sees naive housemaid "Esther" (Kathleen Ryan) fall for the mischievous charms of "Latch" (Dirk Bogarde). Left high and dry - with their baby - after he absconds with another woman, she must struggle to hold down a job and make ends meet at a time when there was no such thing as maternity leave. It is just when she seems to be making some progress that her nemesis turns up again - by now a quite successful pub owner and gambler with underlying health problems - and when he realises that they had a child together, he wants to try to help - and their drama intensifies. There are some lovey scenes set around the famous Epsom Derby horse race and when both actors are on screen at the same time, there is a distinct and quite engaging chemistry between Ryan and Bogarde. Sadly, though, the screenplay isn't up to much and though the support from the likes of Cyril Cusack and the rather matter-of-fact Nuna Davey as the matron tries it's best, the drama itself is actually quite weak and predictable. Keep an eye out for the zip on her frock - a woman well ahead of her times!

If you like racing, this movie is for you (though I could have done without it, as that dragged on too long) and if Victorian melodrama's your thing, then you've come to the right place as well.

Kathleen Ryan does a good job in the title role, a young woman, working as a servant, who finds herself "in the family way", after being seduced by footman William Latch (Dirk Bogarde), who then elopes with a young woman of means. Esther faces tough times, harsh attitudes, almost loses her baby boy to unscrupulous black marketers, and an eventual reunion with William (who didn't know about their son), whom she prefers to the local preacher (Cyril Cusack) who's willing to marry her and help raise her son.

Life changes for the better, but not for long. But one thing stays the same: her deep and abiding love for her child.

It's a good movie and doesn't get either too maudlin or too sentimental.