A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (1972)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Peter Medak

Writers:

Peter Nichols (play)
Peter Nichols (screenplay)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

A couple uses extremely black comedy to survive taking care of a daughter who is nearly completely brain dead...

Plot Keywords:

Based On Play | Independent Film

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Alan Bates	...	Bri
Janet Suzman	...	Sheila
Peter Bowles	...	Freddie
Sheila Gish	...	Pam
Joan Hickson	...	Grace
Elizabeth Robillard	...	Jo
Murray Melvin	...	Doctor
Fanny Carby	...	Nun
Constance Chapman	...	Moonrocket Lady
Elizabeth Tyrrell	...	Midwife

Runtime:

USA:106 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | USA:R

Filming Locations:

1 Freeland Place, Hotwells, Bristol, England, UK

Company:

Domino

Trivia:

Filmed in 1970 but not given a cinema release until 1972, probably due to studio concerns about the controversial subject-matter of using black humor to deal with a mentally handicapped child.

Quotes:

Bri: When the kitten was born, Sheila wanted to call him Dick but I drew the line there. Well, I mean standing on the front steps late at night shouting "Dick! Dick!", I might have got killed in the rush!

lost masterpiece

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.