Ainda Resta uma Esperança

alongside Saturday Night & Sunday Morning and a Taste of Honey this is a great companion piece. Alan Bates is superb as a draughtsman in a busy factory and June Ritchie brings a tender portrayal as the object of Vics(Bates) desire. Thora Hird as the mother in law from hell is quite frightening and her scene with Vic Brown being sick behind her sofa is a classic. you filthy pig you filthy disgusting pig

You can feel her loathing. Some great support from Jack Smethhurst and the always excellent James Bolam. The scene that I favour is where Vic is getting bored with his situation and tries to get sympathy from his sister, his sister suddenly turns on him and tells him to get his life sorted, made bed lie on it etc. An absolutely fantastic slice of early 1960,s life.

I can watch this touching film over and over.

The black and white enhances the dramatic landscapes and atmosphere.

My favourite scene is the railway station where Vic hits rock bottom.

I also like the shelter scene as Vic pushes his luck and the picture pans back to the carved inscriptions.

It makes me wish I had been born in those times, with community spirit, dance halls and pubs with conversation for entertainment, football terraces and steam trains.

It is also interesting to spot so many young actors who found later fame such as "Nora Batty", James Bolam, Leonardo rossiter etc.

This is a wonderful exploration of a young man's misgivings about being attached. It explores issues of manhood and love with great sincerity and sensitivity. Alan Bates is at his best here and the whole cast hits the mark under a careful eye. I think it is optimistic in its depiction, but most of all honest. The language is impeccable. How can you go wrong with lines such as "I am your husband if you did but know it"? Whistle Down the Wind is another with Bates in top form. Worth a look.

There's a frustrated young man, name of Vic, from a pool of young ladies he's picked, Ingrid Rothwell's her name, with a blonde flowing mane, she's the lass with whom he wants to tick. Ingrid's just as fond of this lad, now he's making advances she's glad, but he runs hot and cold, wants to do more than hold, so she lets him explore and un-clads. No surprise as nature takes its course, with a marriage hastily brought forth, which Vic starts to abhor, lives with Mother-in-Law, and his compass no longer points north.

Great dialogue, great performances, in a perpetually told tale of the ages, where the outcomes invariably reflect the times when the drama takes place, and leave you grateful for the times you live in today - I think it's called progress.

This film reflects on how social and economic pressures impact on sexuality and relationships. Class, politics, working life, changing attitudes about gender and marriage, and even scarcity of cheap housing are all referred to or explored. Against the wider social backdrop the character of Ingrid's mother represents repression and rigidity to a large degree, although even she is shown with some saving graces. All the characters here are cast in shades of grey, all internally conflicted, all in a cauldron of social pressures. The film ends with the maturing of the main characters, and also with a note of hope. An excellent script, excellently directed and acted, and a brilliant evocation of another era.