A Day in the Death of Joe Egg

19721972
RR
1h 46m

6.7/10

A couple uses extremely black comedy to survive taking care of a daughter who is nearly completely brain-dead. They take turns doing the daughter's voice and stare into the eyes of death and... Read allA couple uses extremely black comedy to survive taking care of a daughter who is nearly completely brain-dead. They take turns doing the daughter's voice and stare into the eyes of death and emotional trauma with a humor that hides their pain.A couple uses extremely black comedy to survive taking care of a daughter who is nearly completely brain-dead. They take turns doing the daughter's voice and stare into the eyes of death and emotional trauma with a humor that hides their pain.

6.7/10

519

Top credits

See production, box office & company info

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Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award
- 3 nominations total

Videos1

Trailer 3:08

A Day in the Death of Joe Egg

Alan Bates in A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (1972)

Peter Bowles in A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (1972)

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Taglines
- The award-winning play is now on the screen
Genres
- Comedy
- Drama
Certificate
- R
Parents guide

Trivia
Janet Suzman (Sheila) said of this movie at the time, "We had to learn the simple business of how to cope with a child. How to open its mouth and feed it, how to lift it, how to bathe it. We had a medical advisor on the film, a woman doctor who has been very successful in that field, and she told us whenever we went wrong. (Sir) Alan (Bates (Bri)) and I were both dreading going to the hospital, because we didn't know what to expect. But when you get over that selfish reaction, you begin to appreciate what is being done. You ruffle a little head and you are rewarded with a mindless smile of such joy. It is almost an affirmation of faith, if you want to think in those terms. All the arguments for mercy killings go overboard because in the end, it's a choice between life and death. This is a living human being. It's your child, and you love it."

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!

Connections
Remade as A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (2002)

Top review

8/10

Not a bundle of fun, but very funny nevertheless

This is a challenging film but with wonderful performances from both Alan Bates and Janet Suzman plus the stunningly heartfelt and comedic writing of Peter Nichols and solid direction of Peter Medak, not quite as challenging as doing justice to it in a just a few words. Glowingly received as a stage play in the 60s, the film never had the same success and has, indeed, been little seen since its delayed release in 1972. At the centre is the near lifeless, severely mentally disabled, eleven year-old, affectionately referred to by the parents as 'Joe Egg'. Central to the events but also peripheral in the sense that this is more about the seeming imminent collapse of a marriage as the couple, understandably, have to spend more time caring and not contemplating euthanasia than on their own life together. Instead a fantasy world of characters and events is created, shades of 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf', that at least gives the viewer the spectrum of humour through which to take on some of the issues raised and reduce the impact of the potentially terrifying reality being presented and the limited options seemingly available. Not a bundle of fun, but very funny nevertheless.

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