Grown-Ups
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''Grown-Ups'' is a 1980 British
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
television film devised and directed by
Mike Leigh Mike Leigh (born 20 February 1943) is an English film and theatre director, screenwriter and playwright. He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and further at the Camberwell School of Art, the Central School of Art and Design ...
. It stars
Lesley Manville Lesley Ann Manville (born 12 March 1956) is an English actress known for her frequent collaborations with Mike Leigh, appearing in the films ''Grown-Ups'' (1980), '' High Hopes'' (1988), '' Secrets & Lies'' (1996), ''Topsy-Turvy'' (1999), '' A ...
, Philip Davis,
Brenda Blethyn Brenda Blethyn (''née'' Bottle; 20 February 1946) is an English actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress, and two Academy Award nominations. Blethyn ...
,
Janine Duvitski Janine Duvitski (born Christine Janine Drzewicki; 28 June 1952) is a British actress, known for her roles in the BBC television sitcom series '' Waiting for God'', ''One Foot in the Grave'' and ''Benidorm''. Duvitski first came to national atte ...
,
Lindsay Duncan Lindsay Vere Duncan (born 7 November 1950) is a Scottish actress. On stage, she has won two Olivier Awards (for ''Les Liaisons Dangereuses'' and ''Private Lives'') and a Tony Award (for ''Private Lives''). She has starred in several plays by H ...
and
Sam Kelly Roger Michael Kelly (19 December 1943 – 14 June 2014), known by the stage name Sam Kelly, was an English actor who appeared in film, television, radio and theatre. He is best known for his roles as Captain Hans Geering in '' 'Allo 'Allo ...
. It was edited by Robin Sales and produced by
Louis Marks Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis (d ...
for the BBC, and originally shown on BBC 2 on 28 November 1980.


Plot

Dick and Mandy ( Philip Davis and
Lesley Manville Lesley Ann Manville (born 12 March 1956) is an English actress known for her frequent collaborations with Mike Leigh, appearing in the films ''Grown-Ups'' (1980), '' High Hopes'' (1988), '' Secrets & Lies'' (1996), ''Topsy-Turvy'' (1999), '' A ...
), friends at school, sweethearts, and now newlyweds, are moving into their first home. Their new council-owned house turns out to be next door to their Religious Knowledge teacher at school, Ralph Butcher (
Sam Kelly Roger Michael Kelly (19 December 1943 – 14 June 2014), known by the stage name Sam Kelly, was an English actor who appeared in film, television, radio and theatre. He is best known for his roles as Captain Hans Geering in '' 'Allo 'Allo ...
). He is married to fellow teacher Christine (
Lindsay Duncan Lindsay Vere Duncan (born 7 November 1950) is a Scottish actress. On stage, she has won two Olivier Awards (for ''Les Liaisons Dangereuses'' and ''Private Lives'') and a Tony Award (for ''Private Lives''). She has starred in several plays by H ...
), 'earnest, in specs and angora cardigans.' They have a somewhat joyless marriage. Dick and Mandy are locked in disagreement over whether to have children. They are visited by another friend from school, Sharon (
Janine Duvitski Janine Duvitski (born Christine Janine Drzewicki; 28 June 1952) is a British actress, known for her roles in the BBC television sitcom series '' Waiting for God'', ''One Foot in the Grave'' and ''Benidorm''. Duvitski first came to national atte ...
), and also, consistently throughout their settling-in period, by Mandy's older sister, the fussing Gloria (
Brenda Blethyn Brenda Blethyn (''née'' Bottle; 20 February 1946) is an English actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress, and two Academy Award nominations. Blethyn ...
), who seeks escape from being stuck at home with her tyrannical mother. Dick becomes frustrated with Gloria's frequent visits, and things come to a head when Gloria comes round whilst Sharon and Mandy are out shopping. Dick is trying to watch Grandstand and when Mandy returns he loses his temper. He throws Gloria out and she seeks refuge next door at the Butchers' house. She locks herself in the toilet. Dick and Mandy come round to the house, and Dick threatens Gloria with violence unless she unlocks the door and leaves the Butchers' house. Eventually Christine talks her out of the toilet, assuring Gloria that Dick has gone. She is helped down the stairs, and Dick is waiting for her. He grabs her and tries to get her out of the house but is stopped by Ralph. Eventually a furious Dick leaves the house, followed by a hysterical Mandy after getting a slap across the face from Christine. Ralph and Christine calm Gloria down with a cup of tea and also let her have a nap on their sofa. Christine goes next door to speak to Mandy and Dick to calm things down and arrange for them to take Gloria back to her Mum's. Mandy and Sharon go back to the Butchers' to take her home. They get a taxi and argue on the way. That evening, Dick and Mandy decide to try for a baby after all, whilst at the Butchers' house, Christine angrily tells Ralph she also wants to have a sex life and a family. Her pleas seemingly fall on deaf ears with Ralph, who carries on reading. Some months later (around Christmas) Dick, Mandy and Gloria have reconciled. Mandy is heavily pregnant and Gloria comes round to listen to the baby, who is kicking frequently. Gloria now has a boyfriend, it seems. Gloria leaves to go to a party, and Dick jokes that he doubts whether the boyfriend will turn up to it.


Production

Leigh was determined, following the erratic uncontrolled elements he felt had marred his previous television film, ''Who's Who'', to make a precise and utterly controlled film. Quoted in
Michael Coveney Michael Coveney (born 24 July 1948) is a British theatre critic. Education and career Coveney was born in London and educated at St Ignatius’ College, Stamford Hill, and Worcester College, Oxford. After graduation, he worked as a script re ...
's 1996 biography he said ; "And that's what we got I think. It was also the first time I worked with far and away the best lighting cameraman I'd had up to that time,
Remi Adefarasin Remi Adefarasin, BSC, is an English cinematographer. He is educated in Photography & Filmmaking at Harrow Technical College. He started his career as a camera trainee at BBC-TV's Ealing Studios. His work on ''Elizabeth'' (1998) won him awards ...
." Another key friendship was forged with Simon Channing-Williams who worked as first assistant director on the film. Having considered
Harlow Harlow is a large town and local government district located in the west of Essex, England. Founded as a new town, it is situated on the border with Hertfordshire and London, Harlow occupies a large area of land on the south bank of the upp ...
for the film's location, he decided finally to shoot in
Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...
, a choice strengthened when he discovered that
Brenda Blethyn Brenda Blethyn (''née'' Bottle; 20 February 1946) is an English actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress, and two Academy Award nominations. Blethyn ...
, whom he had cast in a role 'that was to be one of his most inspired creations', came from nearby
Ramsgate Ramsgate is a seaside resort, seaside town in the district of Thanet District, Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century. In 2001 it had a population of about 40,000. In 2011, according to t ...
. He also needed two adjacent houses, one semi-detached and privately owned, one a
council house A council house is a form of British public housing built by local authorities. A council estate is a building complex containing a number of council houses and other amenities like schools and shops. Construction took place mainly from 1919 ...
. Two such houses were found (at Nunnery Road/Oxford Road, just to the south the city centre) and most of the film - (though the opening sequence follows a removal van around Canterbury in the shadow of
Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England. It forms part of a World Heritage Site. It is the cathedral of the Archbishop of Canterbury, currently Justin Welby, leader of the ...
) - stays in and around that location.


Screening

The
London Film Festival The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival founded in 1957 and held in the United Kingdom, running for two weeks in October with co-operation from the British Film Institute. It screens more than 300 films, documentaries and shor ...
had recently changed its rule about not admitting television films to the annual showcase, and ''Grown-Ups'' was the first television film to be included. After the screening, Maurice Hatton, a fellow film-maker, and one with a lower-middle-class Jewish background in
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, asked Leigh if the film was autobiographical. Leigh had said no. In Michael Coveney's biography however, Leigh admitted that Hatton was right. Gloria was incorporating memories of Leigh's Auntie Janey, widowed by the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, who used to pop round to visit the Leigh family in Cavendish Road (in Broughton) at unexpected moments, peering through the window in her thick spectacles. And the shouting and the commotion was the sort of domestic babble he had grown up with. Leigh: "So yes, there is something autobiographical about ''Grown-Ups'', and not just the screaming on the stairs. The whole atmosphere of people coming round, coming into a house. I now see that, after the
RSC RSC may refer to: Arts * Royal Shakespeare Company, a British theatre company * Reduced Shakespeare Company, a touring American acting troupe * Richmondshire Subscription Concerts, a music society in Richmond, North Yorkshire, England * Rock Ste ...
abortion,
eigh had cancelled his 1978 piece for the company after ten weeks of rehearsal This is a list of tetragraphs in the Latin script. These are most common in Irish orthography. For Cyrillic tetragraphs, see tetragraph#Cyrillic ลง. Arrernte Tetragraphs in Arrernte language#Orthography, Arrernte transcribe single consonants, ...
I was plugging back into a world I knew about, things that directly concerned me: hell in the suburbs."Coveney, p.150


References


External links

*
''Grown-Ups'' at BFI Screenonline

''Grown-Ups'' at YouTube , full version
{{Mike Leigh British television films Films directed by Mike Leigh 1980 television films 1980 films 1980s English-language films