Brilliant interpretation of the book of the same name by Ronald Blythe. Amateur local residents ( including Ronald Blythe ) give a lovely gentle performance that gives a moving interpretation of just how hard life was for farm labourers .
Deserves a wider audience
This film of Ronald Blythe's book about the labouring poor in a Suffolk village uses an amateur cast drawn from the area. It is spare and poetic, and totally unsentimental, using one actor to portray three generations of a family. The transitions between the time periods are many and virtually seamless, and the authenticity of setting unrivalled. In many ways this film was ahead of its time in both techneque and the way it was financed. Peter Hall's career in film was much less iillustrious than in the theatre but this work alone justifies his involvement in the former industry.