A Day in the Death of Joe Egg

This British film starring the talented Alan Bates and Janet Suzman, a titular British actress is not funny; not in the least. I tried to find the humor in the film that it was supposed to have, but it somehow eluded me. Instead, what I saw was a relentlessly depressing film about the parents of a vegetative daughter. Two primary elements of the film were extremely depressing; one was the state of the daughter, and the other was the ongoing romance between the mother and father, who, despite this horrible fate, still found solace in each other's arms. However, that does not qualify as black comedy to me. It only qualifies as a double tragedy. Not only will the child eventually die without gaining consciousness, but the love between Bates and Suzman is also doomed to a premature death. How can anyone find a situation like that funny? Not me.

This film is both shocking and daring. It is also very human and in the face of a seemingly impossible domestic scenario, how a very ordinary married couple cope with their cerebral palsy afflicted daughter. Or not cope. And how friends and an archetypal in-law all giving their best intentions on just what is best.

The sexual fantasies often seem out-of-place, though whilst not crude, maybe are intended to shock. But as Sheila, the mother is utterly devoted to the unfortunate 'Joe Egg' with the never-ending ritual of her care, Brian finds all channels of marital coupling closed to him.

It is not a particularly enjoyable film. Nor a worthy one, in that it neither champions any cause, nor knocks any, either. Maybe we expect ourselves to be upset or feel awkward about little Josephine, the child.

But with astonishing performances from Alan Bates and Janet Suzman as the parents, who also play many of the key supporting parts too, we are distracted by their strange fantasies and antics as they themselves become the troubled and bizarre characters, not the subject and cause of their anxieties. The child remains a passive bystander witnessing (or not) the unravelling pantomime around her. Balancing the bizarre is the everyday reality of life so that it doesn't all get too ridiculous.

As it was made almost 40 years ago, it does seem astonishingly brave to even have been thought suitable for a film, back then, though it was based on Peter Nicol's own stage play. Hence there is a large element of admiration whilst viewing and an acceptance almost, in its sheer audacity that there will be parts which won't sit easily with everyone. Thankfully there are no swelling of strings, either orchestrally or of the heart as sentimentality would totally undermine the whole film - we are witnesses rather than being asked to make a judgement or opinion. Though not a great film, it displays both directorial flair and imagination. And very British, though at the start of the 70's we didn't generally make good films. This one is and one that is certainly memorable - and for one on such a contentious issue, memorable to the good where it so easily could all have been a horrible mistake.

Screenwriter Peter Nichols, adapting his play, deals with the timeless subject of how humans--as married people and parents--deal with the difficulties of raising a handicapped child. Alan Bates and Janet Suzman are marvelous as the joshing twosome in Bristol who appear to be on the same page when it comes to spastic daughter Jo, who can't walk or talk in her semi-vegetative state. But, as Nichols takes us back into the couple's past, we see that husband Bates never held out much hope that Jo would get any better, while his spouse--realistic and yet optimistic--clings to the belief that one day there will be signs of life (and that it is her duty to keep this belief alive). Although marvelously literate and well-acted, the film rarely escapes its stage origins; director Peter Medak is occasionally nimble, but he doesn't do a warm-up on this scenario for our benefit, and the downbeat nature of the film's theme coupled with the gloomy look can be wearing. Cinematographer Ken Hodges does capture some great, moody scenes (especially Bates' flight-of-fancy on the beach when first discovering his baby daughter might be seriously troubled). However, the second-act conversation with visiting friends discussing the merits of putting the child into a nursing home isn't as pointed as it should be (and as it needs to be, since it mirrors the dialogue in the final scenes). The heady climax really needs to be seen twice, as the tone suddenly shifts into extremely personal drama--and one is caught unprepared for its impact. Certainly worthwhile for patient viewers willing to let this story unfold. It's a thought-provoking piece wherein tough decisions have to be made, but I only wish we were more emotionally invested in the main characters. The leads do superlative work, yet the flashbacks, monologues and hearty ribbing don't reveal as much as one might hope. **1/2 from ****

This is a challenging film but with wonderful performances from both Alan Bates and Janet Suzman plus the stunningly heartfelt and comedic writing of Peter Nichols and solid direction of Peter Medak, not quite as challenging as doing justice to it in a just a few words. Glowingly received as a stage play in the 60s, the film never had the same success and has, indeed, been little seen since its delayed release in 1972. At the centre is the near lifeless, severely mentally disabled, eleven year-old, affectionately referred to by the parents as 'Joe Egg'. Central to the events but also peripheral in the sense that this is more about the seeming imminent collapse of a marriage as the couple, understandably, have to spend more time caring and not contemplating euthanasia than on their own life together. Instead a fantasy world of characters and events is created, shades of 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf', that at least gives the viewer the spectrum of humour through which to take on some of the issues raised and reduce the impact of the potentially terrifying reality being presented and the limited options seemingly available. Not a bundle of fun, but very funny nevertheless.

Another masterpiece that needs a DVD release but some libraries have the VHS and well worth seeking out. Just a brilliant play about many things, foremost being euthanasia, "respectability", religion, and fundamental human relationships. The script effectively uses intelligent humor not only to cope with an issue like a severely disabled child, but to bind the parents in their love for "Jo" and each other. As the couple, Alan Bates and Janet Suzman are perfectly matched both in acting virtuosity and in bringing their deep, intelligent characters to life.

I've recently seen Bates' brilliant performance in "Butley" which was released as a film a couple years after "Joe Egg" and he plays a teacher in both, cynical, intellectual, and funny, although Butley is much darker than his character of Bry here. If you throw in such great performances in "The Go-Between", "Women in Love", "Whistle Down the Wind", "The Caretaker" and "Georgy Girl," not to mention the more obvious "King of Hearts" and "Zorba the Greek", and I'd say that Alan Bates had a career comparable to Peter O'Toole, Albert Finney, and the other great British actors of his era.

Director Peter Medak also had one of my all-time favorites "The Ruling Class" released the same year (1972) as "Joe Egg", which comprises a career year in anybody's book. He's had kind of a spotty filmography("The Krays" was another highlight), but these two gems will mark him as a great director.