Dulcima (1971)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Frank Nesbitt

Writers:

H.E. Bates (story)
Frank Nesbitt (writer)

Release Date:

December 1971 (UK)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A farmer who has the reputation of drinking most of his money away, lives on farm which is in a poor state of repair...

Plot Keywords:

Farmer | Gamekeeper | Farm | Miser | Rural Life

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Carol White	...	Dulcima Gaskain
John Mills	...	Mr. Parker
Stuart Wilson	...	Forest Warden
Bernard Lee	...	Mr. Gaskain
Sheila Raynor	...	Mrs. Gaskain
Dudley Foster	...	Symes
Cyril Cross	...	Harris
Neil Wilson	...	Auctioneer
Peter Reeves	...	Auctioneer's Assistant
George Hilsdon	...	Blake
Kristin Hatfield	...	Dress Shop Assistant

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:A | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Avening, Gloucestershire, England, UK

Company:

EMI Films

A truly under rated British comedy film.

This wonderful film captures a time gone by when county life in rural England had hardly changed since the Second World War. John Mills, plays Mr Parker, a drunken farmer, living on his own in total squalor. His farm though, is stuffed full of his money. It's hidden in every conceivable place, under the floorboards, inside the toilet cistern and even in the lining of his Trilby hat. Dulcima, a twenty something year old, played by Carol White, lives on an adjacent farm and is down trodden by her brute of a father, played by Bernard Lee. She is expected to do everything in the house while he sits happily on his backside complaining about her all the time. Longing to escape this drudgery, she dreams of meeting and falling in love with a handsome stranger, who will sweep her of her feet and take her away from it all.

By chance one day, Mr Parker is returning home in his beat up old Land Rover from a trip to the pub. Drunk as a lord, he clips the baby's pram that Dulcima had just been pushing. Intent on giving him a good piece of her mind she strides up to the farm to confront him. Unfortunately she finds he's crashed out in a drunken stupor on the floor. Seeing the state he's in and the farm, she decides to straighten both out and immediately begins by cleaning the kitchen, much to the bewilderment of Mr Parker when he finally sobers up. The relationship between them, then begins to grow, with very amusing consequences as she tries to get him to part with some of his money while he tries to get her to bed.

John Mills made, at roughly the same time 'The Family Way' which was a huge success. It also stared his daughter Hayley Mills along with Hywel Bennett. Another very fine film of John's in indeed.

Carol White made two excellent hard hitting social films for TV in the late 60's, 'Poor Cow' and 'Cathy Come Home', both available on DVD, showing what a superb young actress she was at the time. Sadly she died in 1991 from a liver disease.

Dulcima is a very delightful film that to my knowledge has only been screened once on British TV. I have a fading copy on Betamax, but would love to have a crisp clean copy of it on DVD. I live in hope!

I'd just like to add here that since I posted this review Frank Nesbitt the Director contacted me thanking me for my comments regarding his film and also kindly sent me a DVD copy of 'Dulcima' for which I will be forever grateful.