Our Mother's House (1967)

When their deeply religious mother dies, the seven Hook children bury her in the garden and continue life as normal. Then their absent father, Charlie, reappears...

Director:

Jack Clayton

Writers:

Jeremy Brooks (screenplay by), Haya Harareet (screenplay by)

Stars:

Dirk Bogarde, Margaret Leclere, Pamela Franklin

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dirk Bogarde	...	Charlie Hook
Margaret Leclere	...	Elsa (as Margaret Brooks)
Pamela Franklin	...	Diana
Louis Sheldon Williams	...	Hubert
John Gugolka	...	Dunstan
Mark Lester	...	Jiminee
Phoebe Nicholls	...	Gerty (as Sarah Nicholls)
Gustav Henry	...	Willy
Parnum Wallace	...	Louis
Yootha Joyce	...	Mrs. Quayle
Claire Davidson	...	Miss Bailey
Anthony Nicholls	...	Mr. Halbert
Annette Carell	...	Mother
Gerald Sim	...	Bank Clerk
Edina Ronay	...	Doreen

Storyline

When their deeply religious mother dies, the seven Hook children bury her in the garden and continue life as normal. Then their absent father, Charlie, reappears...

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Plot Keywords:

cutting hair | orphaned | screaming girl | bird in a cage | brother sister relationship | 

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Taglines:

We know a secret -- We won't tell. For if we tell, We'll go to hell.

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Regarded as a disappointment by many critics, this film was very little-seen in the 1960s, and has only very occasionally appeared on British television in more than fifty years since. However, the Italian director Luchino Visconti was a great admirer of it.

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Goofs

In the subsequent shots after the mother dies at the beginning, the position of her head changes three times and her mouth changes from closed to partially open.

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Quotes

Charlie Hook: When your mother died, I mean, what happened about the funeral?
Hubert: There wasn't one. We buried her in the garden.

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Connections

Referenced in Life Itself (2014)

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Soundtracks

Mother Will Always Be Here
Written and Performed by Georges Delerue Et Son Orchestre

User Reviews

Another excellent film by Jack Clayton

Seven children continue in "Our Mother's House" after she dies in this 1967 film starring Dirk Bogarde, Pamela Franklin, and Mark Lester, and directed by Jack Clayton. A very ill, religious woman, the mother of seven, dies suddenly at home. Her children, afraid of being separated, bury her in the garden and continue to live as if nothing had happened, forging her monthly annuity check. One day, their long-absent father (Bogarde) reappears.

Based on a novel by Julian Gloag, Haya Harareet (Heston's Ben Hur co-star) and Jeremy Brooks fashioned an excellent screenplay, beautifully directed by Jack Clayton, a true master (The Innocents, The Pumpkin Eater). With a dark, spooky atmosphere inside a big old house, he creates the world in which the children live, one where they care for one another, pray, and communicate nightly with their mother. When Charlie Hook, their father arrives, that all changes, and the world comes rushing in. At first, Charlie is what is needed - his presence means they're safe from the outside world, but gradually, even his supporters among the children begin to see that he's a danger.

Clayton manages to bring in an incestuous undertone without overtly showing any incest - in the days when directors needed to adhere to certain codes, they called upon their imaginations. It made film more subtle and definitely more interesting to watch.

The acting is superb. Bogarde is in top form as the at first lovable Charlie, who, as he does in "The Servant," gradually becomes more sinister. Pamela Franklin is marvelous as Diana, one of the older children; all of the children are excellent - Clayton was no stranger to directing children, and his deft hand is shown here.

Perhaps not a well-known film in the U.S., "Our Mother's House" will make a lasting impression.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 September 1967 (UK)

Also Known As:

Our Mother's House

Filming Locations:

Chichester Road, Croydon, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Filmways, Heron Film Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer British Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1