Abigail's Party : Caricatured seventies grotesques, or accurate portrayals?
- Thread starter William of Walworth
- Start date
I'd disagree that all, or even most of, Mike Leigh's female characters are victims. In Happy Go Lucky for instance, the main character may be a bit irritating at times, but she is in no way a victim, as is shown by the way she deals really proactively and assertively with the difficult situation with the driving instructor. His character exmplifies how a lot of Leigh's films have male characters who are very weak and are victims of their own anger or inadequacies, regardless of class - another classic example of this is Keith's character in Nuts in May. He is definitely portrayed as a pompous, overbearing prat but in such a way that you can still feel some sympathy with him when everything goes tits up. He isn't completley demonized.
The two main characters in High Hopes, to my mind, are also portrayed sympathetically and from what I can remember the ending suggests clearly that they can escape or break out of any victimhood they may have felt in the film. High Hopes and Naked, in my interpretation, are both partly about how Thatcherism/the Eighties brutalized and dehumanized life for a lot of people across social classes but the characters aren't portrayed as passive victims trapped within their situations. Alison Steadman's character in Life is Sweet, is the strongest character in the film and again has to hold family together while the other male characters flail about pursuing different dreams - Andy with the van, Patsy with the (terrible) restaurant - its her strength that holds things together despite the male characters' weaknesses.
The two main characters in High Hopes, to my mind, are also portrayed sympathetically and from what I can remember the ending suggests clearly that they can escape or break out of any victimhood they may have felt in the film. High Hopes and Naked, in my interpretation, are both partly about how Thatcherism/the Eighties brutalized and dehumanized life for a lot of people across social classes but the characters aren't portrayed as passive victims trapped within their situations. Alison Steadman's character in Life is Sweet, is the strongest character in the film and again has to hold family together while the other male characters flail about pursuing different dreams - Andy with the van, Patsy with the (terrible) restaurant - its her strength that holds things together despite the male characters' weaknesses.
oryx
Sitting on the bok of the day
My main memory of Abigail's Party is of the woman with the too-tight choker with the horrible little heart on it, which keeps bobbing up and down against her Adam's apple when she speaks.
I'm not sure I could watch it again for that reason. <cringes at memory>
I was a kid in the seventies, and my parents even had dinner parties
but I don't remember anyone or anything like the characters in the film! I'd say that's because it's satire and doesn't attempt to be seriously socially realistic.
I'm not sure I could watch it again for that reason. <cringes at memory>
I was a kid in the seventies, and my parents even had dinner parties
but I don't remember anyone or anything like the characters in the film! I'd say that's because it's satire and doesn't attempt to be seriously socially realistic.
ska invita
back on the other side
agree with - overall I find him patronising. Loved him when i was a teenager - but then i was a smug-arse sneering teen. I think his legacy is more to do with how he works with actors and gets films made.
That said I love Nuts in May - which is pretty explicit in its sneeriness - i.e. its character comedy. the secret to comedy like this is for it to be affectionate (little britain a good example), and I think Nuts in May is on the right side of the line
Hollis
bloody furious
Barring the odd dud movie, I like most of his stuff - especially Life is Sweet and 'Secrets and Lies' (?).. I remember thinking about this last time around it came up.. I think he shows alot of warmth towards his characters - they're human, they fuck up but they pull through - esp. Life is Sweet springs to mind.
Orang Utan
Maybe I like the misery
i don't think there's anything especially wrong with presenting grotesque characters for laughs - nuts in may does it very well and is his best film.
This thread is definitely persuading me to check some of the films out again.
OK, but what about El Jefe's point about his failure (in Abigail's Party and several other works) to include any sympathetic characters?
kyser_soze
Hawking's Angry Eyebrow
Yeah, looking down on them pretending to be m/c, not proper m/c tho. It's an ongoing and persistent theme.
London_Calling
Pleasant and unpatronising
Class generally, of course,is a great theme for him, the intricacies, subtleties, mapping the sub-classes and absurdities, etc. He's got a lot to work with in this society.
i watched it when it first came out & then again the other night. I was shocked by the level of male violence which I had completely forgotten, also the only woman with a job was Ange the nurse - and the smoking of course seemed strange - it has dated I think but still works because his work is all about character -
Orang Utan
Maybe I like the misery
they are all sympathetic characters imo.
Orang Utan
Maybe I like the misery
Including in Abigail's Party?
Expand please ...
you can see exactly why everyone behaves the way they do - everyone just trying to get along in their own little ways, but mostly getting it completely wrong cos their expectations in life are so completely unrealistic or absurd. it's these character flaws that may be grotesque but they are very human.
Spion
I hear ya
Ahem! It was actually 'I want to see the zoo she said, I want to see the zoo"
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