Anglo-Amalgamated
Directed by John Schlesinger
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)
Schlesinger's first film is a matter-of-fact look at first love between a young working class couple in England. They live in row houses, take crowded buses to work, eat in a noisy cafeteria... all in the shadow of smoky industrial chimneys and an ever-present fog. The romance that develops is in direct contrast to their surroundings: shy young lovers with a naive innocence. However, they cannot escape their environment. Take the first date at the movies: they won't even hold hands but the seats around them are filled with couples making out. Vic (Alan Bates) eventually succumbs to the prodding of his juvenile friends and tries to seduce Ingrid (June Ritchie). She initially resists, but when she senses he is losing interest she changes her mind. She becomes pregnant and they get married, living in her house with her mother. The lack of privacy drives them apart and an accident results in a miscarriage. Vic becomes a drunkard and walks out. The once innocent couple now reflects their shabby surroundings. It is only when they strike out on their own to search for an apartment, a dreary, run-down apartment, that they have any hope of finding happiness.
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