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IMDbPro

The Chain

  • 1984
  • 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
472
YOUR RATING
The Chain (1984)
Comedy

Comedy featuring interweaving stories of seven households caught up in a property chain on moving day, each one dependent on the other.Comedy featuring interweaving stories of seven households caught up in a property chain on moving day, each one dependent on the other.Comedy featuring interweaving stories of seven households caught up in a property chain on moving day, each one dependent on the other.

  • Director
    • Jack Gold
  • Writer
    • Jack Rosenthal
  • Stars
    • Denis Lawson
    • Rita Wolf
    • Phyllis Logan
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.9/10
    472
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Jack Gold
    • Writer
      • Jack Rosenthal
    • Stars
      • Denis Lawson
      • Rita Wolf
      • Phyllis Logan
    • 16User reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 nominations total

    Photos4

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    Top cast40

    Edit
    Denis Lawson
    Denis Lawson
    • Keith
    Rita Wolf
    Rita Wolf
    • Carrie
    Phyllis Logan
    Phyllis Logan
    • Alison
    David Troughton
    David Troughton
    • Dudley
    Jade Magri
    • Tasha
    Maurice Denham
    Maurice Denham
    • Grandpa
    Nigel Hawthorne
    Nigel Hawthorne
    • Mr. Thorn
    Anna Massey
    Anna Massey
    • Betty
    Billie Whitelaw
    Billie Whitelaw
    • Mrs. Andreos
    Judy Parfitt
    Judy Parfitt
    • Deidre
    John Rowe
    John Rowe
    • Alex
    Matthew Blakstad
    • Mark
    Charlotte Long
    • Rosemary
    Leo McKern
    Leo McKern
    • Thomas
    Herbert Norville
    • Des
    Carmen Munroe
    • Des's Mum
    Ron Pember
    • Stan
    Warren Mitchell
    Warren Mitchell
    • Bamber
    • Director
      • Jack Gold
    • Writer
      • Jack Rosenthal
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews16

    6.9472
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    10

    Featured reviews

    9Tom-284

    A great, grossly underrated British film

    The sort of film that reminds us that a nice story and a great cast still make a great film.

    The film centres around a group of Londoners who run across the social spectrum who are all moving home on the same day, some of whom are being ably assisted by a gang of removal-men fronted by Warren Mitchell.

    Among others, notable appearances from Nigel Hawthorne, playing a socially obsessed miser, Leo Mckern as a plutocrat who's decided to go back to his roots, and of course Mitchell himself who is clearly the wisest person in the whole film.

    The pace is excellent and the characters well realised - and for anyone who loves seeing London on film it's a treat too.

    It's a charming and very humanitarian film that you'll enjoy immensely if you allow it to.
    10gray4

    A brilliant TV drama, with superb actors

    This is TV drama at its best. The plot is tightly constructed, involving seven linked house moves. Jack Rosenthal's writing is exceptional, blending comedy and pathos in just the right proportions, and the very realistic London settings are an integral part of the drama.

    The script is delivered to perfection by a team of top-quality actors, led by Warren Mitchell and Bernard Hill as the linking furniture removers. The introduction suggests an overall 'seven deadly sins' theme, and on reflection that can be picked out. But the stories intertwine and grip the viewer so effectively that broader messages are of little consequence. The recent revival of Rosenthal plays on BBC's arts channel is a reminder of the high quality of TV drama in the 1970s and 1980s, now sadly diminished. And the overall IMDB rating is a complete mystery, given the votes actually cast for The Chain.
    9originalveghead

    All human life

    You may be mistaken for thinking this film has a religious heart. OK, it is a story of the seven deadly sins, but that's where the religion ends. In fact it is the story of humanity, expressed by describing a day in the life of a removals team. The chain of house-movers encompass all of the virtues and sins of the world. Not only do we see the upward transitions from affordable house to newly affordable homes, we see the fundamental impact a house-move has on the movers. We also see how similar the different classes, cultures and sexes are when faced with one of the most significant upheavals a human can endure: moving home.

    Brilliant actors, brilliant screenplay, brilliant concept.

    A superb movie that will have you belly-laughing.
    8didi-5

    the philosophising removal man about London

    'The Chain' is an excellent film from the pen of Jack Rosenthal (who later reworked it into the TV series 'Moving Story'), starring Warren Mitchell as Bamber, a student of philosophy and pronouncer of wisdom to those about to move home. On his shift are a rag bag of working types including the ever reliable Bernard Hill.

    The premise of the film is simple - we watch several people moving up in the world and follow the chain of progress through the eyes of the removal men (Last Removals, as good a name as any). So as we watch the moves from Hackney to Tufnell Park to Wilesden to Hammersmith to Hampstead to Holland Park to Knightsbridge, seeing how the different families inside the flats and houses deal with life, we see both a range of people and ways of life, and a travelogue of 80s London.

    Bamber of course is the wisest of all - encountering a pompous couple doing everything on the cheap (Nigel Hawthorne and Anna Massey), a young couple just starting their future (Denis Lawson and Rita Wolf), and a widowed lady longing for her Mediterranean home (Billie Whitelaw), amongst others. Not one seems as settled as he is.

    Great writing and razor sharp characters give 'The Chain' the edge over similar dramas, and although it may now feel a bit of a period piece, it is still an excellent film - and a good companion to Rosenthal's feature length drama for TV about taxi drivers, 'The Knowledge'.
    6malcolmgsw

    An unjustly forgotten film

    This film was written by one of the greatest TV writers of the 20th century,Jack Rosenthal.However it seems to be almost completely forgotten,the last review being dated 2009.I had forgotten about it till I saw it recently on London Live.Difficult to understand why.It is a numerous look at the stresses and strains of moving house.It has a first rate cast with lots of well known faces.The best known being Warren Mitchell in charge of the removers.Though why he had to wear that dreadful wig is a mystery.Probably the funniest character is that played by Nigel Hawthorne as a link in the chain who pays for his desire to do things on the cheap.Maybe the fact that this film has been forgotten is due to the fact that this film came out in the year when cinema attendances hit rock bottom.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Screenwriter Jack Rosenthal used the same character name, "Bamber", for the head removal man in this movie and in the television series Moving Story (1994). In both cases, the character was a know-it-all who incessantly impressed, and bored, his colleagues with his prodigious knowledge, hence the nickname "Bamber", a reference to Bamber Gascoigne, the Question Master on University Challenge (1962).
    • Goofs
      Des's mum hands a cup of tea to Thomas. When seen from behind, he has the cup and saucer resting on his thigh, When viewed from his front, he has the cup at chest height.
    • Quotes

      [repeated line]

      Bamber: Moving house is very upsetting. It's a big upsetment - people get upset.

    • Connections
      Spin-off Moving Story (1994)
    • Soundtracks
      Karma Chameleon
      Composed by Boy George (as O'Dowd), Roy Hay, Jon Moss, Mikey Craig,

      Phil Pickett

      Performed by Billie Whitelaw

      Used by kind permission of Virgin Music (Publishers) Limited and Warner Bros. Music

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    FAQ15

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 24, 1985 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Ein Umzug kommt selten allein
    • Filming locations
      • 94 Huddleston Road, Tufnell Park, London, England, UK(Tufnell Park flat)
    • Production companies
      • Quintet Films
      • County Bank
      • Film Four International
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • £1,125,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 40m(100 min)
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.66 : 1

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