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IMDbPro

Heart of the Country

  • TV Mini Series
  • 1987
  • 1h
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
83
YOUR RATING
Heart of the Country (1987)
Drama

Natalie is a devoted wife and mother of two, who is abandoned by her husband and left with months of unpaid taxes, mortgage, school fees and grocery bills. She finds that in order to survive... Read allNatalie is a devoted wife and mother of two, who is abandoned by her husband and left with months of unpaid taxes, mortgage, school fees and grocery bills. She finds that in order to survive in her new circumstances she must either live off the state, or live off men.Natalie is a devoted wife and mother of two, who is abandoned by her husband and left with months of unpaid taxes, mortgage, school fees and grocery bills. She finds that in order to survive in her new circumstances she must either live off the state, or live off men.

  • Stars
    • Susan Penhaligon
    • Sophie Cook
    • Christian Bale
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.1/10
    83
    YOUR RATING
    • Stars
      • Susan Penhaligon
      • Sophie Cook
      • Christian Bale
    • 1User review
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Episodes4

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    TopTop-rated1 Season1987

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    Top cast

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    Susan Penhaligon
    Susan Penhaligon
    • Natalie Harris
    Sophie Cook
    • Alice Harris
    Christian Bale
    Christian Bale
    • Ben Harris
    Ilona Pike
    • Sonia's Girl
    Jacqueline Tong
    Jacqueline Tong
    • Sonia
    Hannah Langley
    • Sonia's Girl
    David Buck
    David Buck
    • Angus Patrick
    Sophia Dembowicz
    • Sonia's Girl
    Derek Waring
    • Arthur Wandle
    Rosalind Bennett
    Rosalind Bennett
    • Flora
    Stevan Rimkus
    • Bernard
    Matthew Scurfield
    Matthew Scurfield
    • Peter
    Ann Firbank
    Ann Firbank
    • Jane Wandle
    Mary Miller
    Mary Miller
    • Sally Rains
    Matyelok Gibbs
    • Pauline
    Elizabeth Edmonds
    Elizabeth Edmonds
    • Ros
    Edward Evans
    Edward Evans
    • Gerrard
    Janet Key
    Janet Key
    • Jean Patrick
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Crazy credits
      The closing credits for the four episodes were divided into headings such as "In Eddon Gurney" and "In Wells" to denote where those characters were living. For the final episode, the last two categories were "In Care" (denoting that Social Services had removed children from their parents and sent them to live with foster parents) and "Insane" (denoting that a character had suffered severe mental problems).

    User reviews1

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    Good performance from a young Bale in family drama
    I saw this mini series on TV back in '87, and it was really good. Christian Bale was excellent as the spoiled brat. It came prior to Empire of the Sun.

    This is a hard story about an upper middle class woman whose husband one day walks out on her, without any warning at all. The poor house wife is left with the house, two spoiled kids and absolutely no money and no car. Before her husband left with his mistress, he had emptied all bank accounts. Her children, even though they hate their father for leaving them, turn their anger on their mother, blaming her for not being able to keep her husband. There is one scene where Bale asks his mother for a new school bag, since he has played with his old one until it broke. His mother tells him to use a plastic bag from the super market to carry his school books, because she simply can't afford to buy him a new one. He then explodes in a spoiled-child-rant about how useless she is, who can't understand how embarrassing it will be for him to turn up at school without a proper bag. He basically blames the whole situation on her.

    I'd really like to watch it again now that my perspective has changed from the child's point of view to the middle class mother's point of view, but it seems to be as good as impossible to get hold of it.
    helpful•6
    1
    • balehead74
    • Mar 25, 2010

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • February 25, 1987 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Сердце страны
    • Production company
      • British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour
    • Color
      • Color

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