''The Reckoning'' is a 1969 British

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

released by

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

directed by

Jack Gold Jacob M. "Jack" Gold (28 June 1930 – 9 August 2015) was a British film and television director. He was part of the Kitchen sink realism, British realist tradition which followed the Free Cinema movement. Career Jacob M. Gold was born in ...

and starring

Nicol Williamson Thomas Nicol Williamson (14 September 1936 – 16 December 2011) was a Scottish actor, once described by playwright John Osborne as "the greatest actor since Marlon Brando". He was also described by Samuel Beckett as "touched by genius" and view ...

Ann Bell Ann Forrest Bell (born 29 April 1938) is a British actress, best known for playing war internee Marion Jefferson in the BBC Second World War drama series '' Tenko'' (1981–84). She was born in Wallasey, Cheshire, the daughter of John Forrest B ...

, Rachel Roberts and

Zena Walker Zena Cecilia Walker (7 March 1934 – 24 August 2003) was an English actress in film, theatre and television. Biography Walker was born in the Selly Oak district of Birmingham, the daughter of George Walker, a grocer, and his wife Elizabeth Lo ...

. It was based on the 1967 novel ''The Harp that Once'' by Patrick Hall and features music by

Malcolm Arnold Sir Malcolm Henry Arnold (21 October 1921 – 23 September 2006) was an English composer. His works feature music in many genres, including a cycle of nine symphonies, numerous concertos, concert works, chamber music, choral music and music ...

. The film was shot at

Shepperton Studios Shepperton Studios is a film studio located in Shepperton, Surrey, England, with a history dating back to 1931. It is now part of the Pinewood Studios Group. During its early existence, the studio was branded as Sound City (not to be confused w ...

and on location around

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

. The film's sets were designed by the

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...

Ray Simm Ray Simm was a British art director. He was nominated three times for the BAFTA Award for Best Production Design for ''The Slipper and the Rose'', ''The Wrong Box'' and '' Darling'', for which he won. Selected filmography * ''The Faithful City' ...

. Produced during 1969, the film was released on the 8 January the following year.

Plot

Michael "Mick" Marler has risen through the ranks at a large British company. Despite his polish, Mick comes from a working-class background, and has worked hard to fit into the world in which he and his social-climbing wife Rosemary live. His marriage consists of animalistic lovemaking between traded insults and long silences. One morning, while Mick is trying to save his boss, Hazlitt, from mistakes and sagging sales, he convinces him to persuade the company to make computers, something they had rejected. After Hazlitt agrees, Rosemary calls to say that Mick's father, John Joe, is dying. Mick wants to leave, but is coerced by Hazlitt into completing a report. Mick remains a tough, but sentimental, Irish Liverpudlian and drives his Jaguar to his childhood neighbourhood. On entering his father's bedroom, he is shattered to discover that John Joe has died and further disturbed to find dark bruises on his father's face and body. After questioning his mother, his sister, the priest and Dr. Carolan, the family physician, Mick visits the Irish social hall to speak with Cocky Burke, his father's best friend. Cocky says that John Joe, a popular amateur balladeer, had a heart attack after English "

Teddy boy The Teddy Boys or Teds were a mainly British youth subculture of the mid 1950s to mid 1960s who were interested in rock and roll and R&B music, wearing clothes partly inspired by the styles worn by dandies in the Edwardian period, which Savil ...

s" started a fight because he was singing an

Irish rebel song In the music of Ireland, Irish rebel songs refer to folk songs which are primarily about the various rebellions against English (and later British) Crown rule. Songs about prior rebellions are a popular topic of choice among musicians which supp ...

, then punched and kicked him. Mick asks Cocky to tell the police, but Cocky, who distrusts the authorities, tells Mick to avenge his father. Angered by Rosemary's reluctance to attend the funeral, Mick returns to the hall but is spirited away by Joyce, Dr. Carolan's nurse, when police break up a fight. Joyce is unsatisfied by her husband. They go to Mick's old house and make love. In the morning, Joyce has gone but left her address. Returning to London, Mick and Hazlitt have a successful board meeting, after which Mick goes home and propositions Rosemary. When she instead tells him she is giving a planned party, he angrily goes drinking. Hours later, Mick stumbles back home, where he makes a scene and punches Sir Miles Bishton, one of his directors. Everyone, including Rosemary, leaves after Mick rants about doing dirty work for English gentlemen. The next day, Hazlitt suspends him and predicts his dismissal when company head Moyle returns from a trip. At home, Rosemary resists Mick's advances, packs and leaves. Hearing that the magistrate has ruled John Joe's death accidental, Mick again drives to Liverpool. Instead of his mother's, Mick checks into an obscure hotel, then borrows a local company car, parking it near his hotel. Leaving his Jaguar at the hotel entrance, he tells the manager he has a headache and plans to sleep. The manager gives Mick an analgesic and says his car is safe. After dark, Mick sneaks out to the smaller car and drives to the hall. Soon Jones, the "Teddy" identified as John Joe's attacker, arrives, prompting Mick to savagely beat him with a pipe, despite his pleas for mercy. When Mick checks out in the morning, the manager says that the police asked where he was last night, but she assured them he had been in his room. Mick drives toward Joyce's address but seeing her with children, drives away. Saying goodbye, his mother tells him the police had been there and softly says "You're a bad lad." Bidding farewell affectionately, Mick says that he always was. Driving home, Mick thinks of Hilda, Hazlitt's secretary, who likes him. He visits, seduces her and cajoles her into revealing damaging information about Hazlitt. When Moyle summons Mick, Mick appears reluctant to criticise Hazlitt, but then says that Hazlitt had persistently stolen ideas from underlings and blamed them for his errors. Remembering that men Hazlitt has dismissed have been successful elsewhere, Moyle says he is replacing him with Mick. Moyle assumes that Mick will want to keep Hilda, but Mick says she is untrustworthy. During a celebratory drink, Moyle sympathises about Rosemary leaving: when Mick says she will not return, Moyle assures him she will. Subsequently, as a reconciled Mick and Rosemary are on a motorway, he recklessly speeds past a barrier and narrowly misses hitting an oncoming truck. Exhilarated, Mick says, "If I can get away with that, I can get away with anything."

Cast

as Michael Marler * Rachel Roberts as Joyce Eglington *

as Rosemary Marler *

as Hilda Greening * Paul Rogers as John Hazlitt *

Tom Kempinski Thomas Michael John Kempinski (born 24 March 1938) is an English playwright and actor best known for his 1980 play ''Duet for One'', which was a major success in London and New York City, and much revived since. Kempinski also wrote the screenp ...

as Brunzy * Kenneth Hendel as Davidson *

Douglas Wilmer Douglas Wilmer (8 January 1920 – 31 March 2016) was an English actor, best known for playing Sherlock Holmes in the 1965 TV series ''Sherlock Holmes''. Early life Wilmer was born in Brentford, Middlesex, and received his education at King' ...

as Moyle *

Barbara Ewing Barbara Ewing (born 14 January 1939) is a New Zealand actor, playwright and novelist based in the UK. In the 1980s Ewing played the character Agnes Fairchild in British comedy series ''Brass.'' Ewing's novel ''The Petticoat Men'' was shortlisted ...

as Joan *

Gwen Nelson Gwendoline Alexandra Nelson (30 June 1901 – 15 October 1990) was an English actress who was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Court Theatre Company. Born in Muswell Hill, London, she originally intended to be a singer ...

as Michael's Mother *

Christine Hargreaves Christine Hargreaves (22 March 1939 – 12 August 1984) was an English actress who was known for portraying the role of Christine Hardman on the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' from 1960 to 1963. After attending the Royal Academy of Dra ...

as Kath * Ernest C. Jennings as Dad John Joe *

Godfrey Quigley Godfrey Quigley (4 May 1923 – 7 September 1994) was an Irish film, television and stage actor. He appeared in Stanley Kubrick's films ''A Clockwork Orange'' and ''Barry Lyndon''. Biography Quigley was born in Jerusalem, Mandatory Palestine, ...

as Dr. Carolan * Desmond Perry as Father Madden *

J. G. Devlin James Gerard Devlin (8 October 1907 – 17 October 1991) was a Northern Irish actor who made his stage debut in 1931, and had long association with the Ulster Group Theatre. In a career spanning nearly sixty years, he played parts in TV pro ...

as Cocky Burke *

Joe Gladwin Joseph Gladwin (22 January 1906 – 11 March 1987) was an English actor, best known for his roles as Fred Jackson in Coronation Street, Stan Hardman in Nearest and Dearest, and Wally Batty in the world's longest-running sitcom, ''Last of the ...

as Drunk *

Peter Sallis Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

as Keresley *

Jackie Pallo Jackie "Mr TV" Pallo (born Jack Ernest Gutteridge; 12 January 1926 – 11 February 2006) was an English professional wrestler, a star of British televised wrestling in its 1960s and 1970s heyday, when the sport had a regular 40-minute slot be ...

as Wrestler * Tony Charles as Wrestler *

Christian Rodska Christian Rodska (born Christian Rodskjaer; 5 September 1945) is an English actor who has appeared in many television and radio series and narrated a number of audiobooks, including Sir Winston Churchill's Nobel Prize winning ''The Second World W ...

as Jones

Production

Filming locations included

Seacombe Seacombe () is a district of the town of Wallasey, on the Wirral Peninsula, England. Administratively, Seacombe is a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside. Before local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974, it was part o ...

Wallasey Wallasey () is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England; until 1974, it was part of the historic county of Cheshire. It is situated at the mouth of the River Mersey, at the north-eastern corner of the Wirral Pe ...

Birkenhead Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liver ...

and the dockland Four Bridges, Liverpool and London. A collection of location stills and corresponding contemporary photographs is hosted at reelstreets.com.

References

Bibliography

* Goble, Alan. ''The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film''. Walter de Gruyter, 1999. * Jackson, Paul R.W. ''The Life and Music of Sir Malcolm Arnold: The Brilliant and the Dark''. Routledge, 2019. {{DEFAULTSORT:Reckoning (1970) 1970 drama films 1970 films British drama films British films about revenge Columbia Pictures films Films about businesspeople Films based on British novels Films directed by Jack Gold Films scored by Malcolm Arnold Films set in Liverpool Films set in London Films shot at Shepperton Studios Films shot in London 1970s English-language films 1970s British films