Don't Be Silly is a stunning portrayal of the growing menace and escalating violence of a husband, Michael, toward his wife, Pamela. The path to violence is subtly signposted in scenes depicting Michael's arrogant belittling of Pamela and his selfish, sexist, condescending dismissal of her feelings and aspirations, leaving her progressively downtrodden. Bitter invective leads on to rough handling and the scene is set for a step-by-step descent to savage inhumanity. The scope of the treatment is deepened further by characters' remarks on domestic violence, relating how this was commonly seen in the 1970s as variously a sign of virility, the fault of the injured party and an expression of commitment to the relationship. The harmful effect on the development of the couple's two children is also adroitly developed. The two leading actors play their parts so realistically that anyone who has experience of domestic violence is likely to be emotionally triggered by watching this play and so I advise anyone in this situation to do so with caution.
2 Reviews
Don't Be Silly
Prismark101 January 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Nowadays domestic violence is a subject that would be tackled in soap operas.
Rachel Billington's Don't Be Silly looks like a cosy middle class drama at the start, it soon becomes unnerving.
The scenes of Pamela Redman (Susan Fleetwood) being rushed to hospital signifies that something serious will happen to her.
The aftermath of a dinner party that leads to an argument. A dirty weekend in Brighton sees Pamela gushing blood and black eyes.
Her husband Michael is under pressure and lashes out at his wife at the smallest provocation. The violence getting more intense as his pent up fury erupts fully by the end.
This was an era where domestic violence was almost normalised. Pamela tells her mother about it but the mother does nothing. Her friends know that Michael has been hitting her, they tell Pamela to talk to him.
There was no BBC Action Line in those days.
By the end, Michael is in denial, blaming his wife for the harm that has happened to her. In the hospital as battered Pamela blames herself.
This is a bleak drama and back in 1979, this would had been startling.
Rachel Billington's Don't Be Silly looks like a cosy middle class drama at the start, it soon becomes unnerving.
The scenes of Pamela Redman (Susan Fleetwood) being rushed to hospital signifies that something serious will happen to her.
The aftermath of a dinner party that leads to an argument. A dirty weekend in Brighton sees Pamela gushing blood and black eyes.
Her husband Michael is under pressure and lashes out at his wife at the smallest provocation. The violence getting more intense as his pent up fury erupts fully by the end.
This was an era where domestic violence was almost normalised. Pamela tells her mother about it but the mother does nothing. Her friends know that Michael has been hitting her, they tell Pamela to talk to him.
There was no BBC Action Line in those days.
By the end, Michael is in denial, blaming his wife for the harm that has happened to her. In the hospital as battered Pamela blames herself.
This is a bleak drama and back in 1979, this would had been startling.
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