Review: The National Health
Blu-ray & DVD: The National Health (1973)
The National Health intertwines the real life happenings on a male NHS ward where resources are low and death is not uncommon, with a fantasy soap opera world (entitled ‘Nurse Norton’s Affair’) in the same building, which has plush surroundings and everyone is miraculously cured, all wrapped up in a media friendly veneer of false smiles and eternal hope.
Arguably even more relevant now as it was upon its release over 40 years ago, especially with the recent Brexit (un)promise of £350M being pumped into the NHS, The National Health shows a struggling public health service that, despite the best intentions of its hard working and well meaning staff, struggles to cope on available funds while a constant stream of people are admitted onto the wards. Even alluding to the fact that bed space is more valuable than lives, especially when there are budgets to keep to and targets to meet. At the same time, ‘Nurse Norton’s Affair’ shows a utopian vision of the same ward; walls and floors so clean and shiny that you could eat your hospital meal off them, and staff bright and breezy as they effortlessly cure all in front of them, with their only worries being the tangled web of internal relationships that are always at the core of every soap opera.
Jim Dale is the spine of both stories as the porter ‘Barnet’ in the real world, and as Dr Neil Boyd in the fantasy world. Initial thoughts of him in the likes of ‘Carry On Doctor‘ are soon pushed to one side as he imbues each of them with their own individual personas. Barnet takes care of the recently deceased, while also being at the beck and call of all the staff, constantly running errands while also being the main focus of cheer for the men on the ward whose comradery is often dented by sudden deaths and lack of facilities. All one man wants is the use of a toilet with a decent chain on it, but is forced to sit on a plastic bedpan, and even then loses more of his dignity as the screens are removed for use elsewhere due to lack of resources.
The National Health is a black comedy where ‘black’ is often at the forefront over the comedy. There are laughs to be had, but these are usually followed by poignant moments in which characters reflect upon the situation they are in, which is not the case in the soap opera world where there is no real gravitas and everything is superficial.
As with my earlier review on A Day In The Death Of Joe Egg, this is also based on a play by Peter Nichols, but in this adaptation director Jack Gold does a much better job of freeing it from its stage roots and giving it more of a cinematic feel. Despite being set in a hospital ward, it doesn’t feel as claustrophobic as Joe Egg, and is all the better for the lack of long monologues, despite how well they were delivered.
The National Health has a great cast and is a thought provoking look at a British institution that, much like the staff behind its walls, is often pushed to breaking point, yet still continues to soldier on. Put aside any thoughts of ‘Carry On Doctor’ and enjoy a well crafted and enjoyable look at 2 sides of what it’s like to be in hospital.
INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION SPECIAL FEATURES:
• High Definition remaster
• Original mono audio
• New audio commentary with actor Jim Dale and journalist Nick Pinkerton
• Back to Health (2017, 24 mins): a new interview with author and playwright Peter Nichols
• Original theatrical trailer
• Image gallery: on-set and promotional photography
• New English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• Limited edition exclusive 32-page booklet with a new essay by Laura Mayne, archival interviews, historical articles, and an overview of contemporary critical responses
• World premiere on Blu-ray
• UK DVD premiere
• Limited Dual Format Edition of 3,000 copies
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Review by Dave (host of 60 Minutes With) from a disc kindly supplied by Powerhouse Films.