Poor Cow (1967)

A young woman lives a life filled with bad choices, she has a child with an abusive thief at a young age who quickly ends up in prison. One day, her son goes missing and she briefly comes to grips with what is most important to her.

Director:

Ken Loach (as Kenneth Loach)

Writers:

Nell Dunn (screenplay), Ken Loach (screenplay) (as Kenneth Loach)

Stars:

Terence Stamp, Carol White, John Bindon

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Carol White	...	Joy
John Bindon	...	Tom
Queenie Watts	...	Aunt Emm
Kate Williams	...	Beryl
Laurie Asprey
James Beckett	...	Tom's mate
Ray Barron	...	Customer in Pub
Hilda Barry	...	Customer in Pub
Ken Campbell	...	Mr. Jacks (as Kenneth Campbell)
Ronald Clarke	...	(as Ron Clarke)
Ellis Dale	...	Solicitor
Gladys Dawson	...	Bet
Terry Duggan	...	2nd Prisoner
Winnie Holman	...	Woman in Park
Rose Hiller	...	Customer in Hairdresser's

Storyline

A young woman lives a life filled with bad choices. She marries and has a child with an abusive thief at a young age who quickly ends up in prison. Left alone she takes up with his mate (another thief) who seems to give her some happiness but who also ends up in the nick. She then takes up with a series of seedy types who offer nothing but momentary pleasure. Her son goes missing and she briefly comes to grips with what is most important to her.

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Plot Keywords:

sexual favor | british new wave | female protagonist | domestic violence | working class | 

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Taglines:

A love story about a girl, the man she is living for, and the man she is living with.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Terence Stamp, the film was mostly improvised and first takes were always used. Two cameras filmed simultaneously to capture the spontaneity of the performances.

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Goofs

The apostrophe is missing from the caption "At Aunt Emms.".

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Quotes

Joy: Yeah, don't forget to get me some nice sovereigns, gold ones.
Dave: Oh, I'll try love. You know, not always made to order.

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Alternate Versions

The BBFC website states that the original version had some sex references that were cut before its release in the 1960s. http://www.bbfc.co.uk/education-resources/student-guide/bbfc-history/1960s

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Connections

Referenced in At the Movies: Superstar/Random Hearts/Boys Don't Cry/The Limey/Romance (1999)

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Soundtracks

Residential Area
(uncredited)
Written by Daniel Robinson and Michael Taylor

User Reviews

The Limey is a follow-up to this film.

It is worth noting that The Limey (1999) is a follow up to Poor Cow. The writer of the later film has stated that the similarities between these two films is incidental. However, Steven Soderbergh (the director of The Limey) has said that he specifically intended for his movie to be a sequel to Poor Cow. If you liked Poor Cow you might also want to see The Limey.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 January 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

Poor Cow

Filming Locations:

Wales, UK

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$15,709

Company Credits

Production Co:

Vic Films Productions, Fenchurch, The National Film Finance Corp.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1