Seacoal (1985)

A visually powerful drama exploring the raw capitalism of seacoaling, rooted in a documentary engagement with the community of seacoalers on Lynemouth Beach in Northumberland.

Stars:

Rosie Laidlaw, Brian Laidlaw, Alison Laidlaw

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rosie Laidlaw	...	Herself - The Laidlaw Family
Brian Laidlaw	...	Himself - The Laidlaw Family
Alison Laidlaw	...	Herself - The Laidlaw Family
Helen Laidlaw	...	Herself - The Laidlaw Family
Rocker Laidlaw	...	Himself - The Laidlaw Family
Nini Laidlaw	...	Herself - The Laidlaw Family
Trevor Critchlow	...	Himself - Critch
Val Waciak	...	Himself - Val
Gordon Tait	...	Himself - Taity
John Cook	...	Himself - Cookie
Stan Robinson	...	Himself - Stan
Amber Styles	...	Betty
Ray Stubbs	...	Ray
Corrina Stubbs	...	Corrina
Sammy Johnson	...	Ronnie

Storyline

Betty and her daughter Corinna are introduced to the harsh seacoaling way of life by Ray, an ex-seacoaler returning from a job with ICI. His offer of a caravan on a cliff top and promises of the Klondyke that awaits them at least seem preferable to the violent marriage she has left behind. The film sets Betty's struggle for survival against the wider struggles of the seacoaling community, surviving on the fringes of capitalism. Despite the exploitation by a local entrepreneur, run-ins with dole snoops and School Board men and the ever encroaching regulations of a hostile council, their lives retain a kind of anarchic romance, which is reflected in the film's lyrical style. The inspiration for Seacoal undoubtedly came from the staggering visual location in which it is filmed; the industrial landscape of power station and pit framing the blackened beach of Lynemouth where, for generations, local people and travellers have made their living from collecting waste coal washed ashore. ...

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Plot Keywords:

north east | independent film

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Company Credits

Production Co:

Amber, ACTT Workshop Declaration, Channel 4 Television Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Men and women collect coal from the sea on the bleak North East Coast.

Seacoal is an important record of a disappearing way of life. It takes documentary material and gives it a dramatic core.What is so good is that it takes you to where you have not been before. at the films centre is the simple humanist story of a woman forced to face her prejudice about the travelling community. She arrives after a drunken night out to discover that her boyfriend has bought into the local Klondike. The film reveals her, Betty's,journey of discovery and realisation as she is forced to engage with the women she originally claimed were "living like animals". The sub text is the analysis of capitalism where dog eats dog and winner takes all. It is set in the time of the miners strike of 1984 and the irony is clear to see. Not that the film is heavy handed, in fact the opposite is true, and the interface between actors and none actors is almost seamless.