Review: A Day In The Death Of Joe Egg
Blu-ray & DVD: A Day In The Death Of Joe Egg (1972)
Based on the play by Peter Nichols (who also wrote the screenplay for the movie) A Day In The Death Of Joe Egg tells the story of Bri (Alan Bates) and Sheila (Janet Suzman) who are parents to a severely disabled daughter. Their coping mechanism for dealing with the day to day activities involved with caring for their daughter, is the constant use of black comedy to lighten the mood of what otherwise may well drag them down.
With 2 lead actors of Alan Bates and Janet Suzman, sublime performances are assured. Long monologues are delivered with the confidence of people who know the complexities and emotions of their character inside out, and the very often surreal flashbacks and imaginary flights of fancy are given just that bit more gravitas by the poise and delivery of them both.
Being based on a play, the narrative progresses mainly through the dialogue rather than any huge visual set pieces. Having said that, one scene involving running along the beach and also a brilliantly shot vision of a flashback by Bri to how the situation they find themselves in now could shockingly have been resolved many years ago, is kinetic, breathtaking and extremely emotional.
The duty of care to their daughter is taking its toll on the relationship between Bri and Sheila, yet we see how the use of black comedy gets them through most of what life throws at them. A very relatable relationship, as no life runs smoothly and there are always hurdles to overcome.
The early 1970’s decor and way of life is captured perfectly by director Peter Medak, who only needs to leave the camera focused and still on his lead actors to elicit a fantastic performance, as seen in a long monologue to camera by Janet Suzman as she goes through various emotions while telling the viewer the story of her situation.
What I’ve listed as a positive, ultimately turns into a slight negative too. The over reliance on monologues and lines delivered directly to camera just re-enforces Joe Egg’s stage play roots and how it fits in better within that environment. While Alan Bates is his usual superb best, I did occasionally find myself comparing his character to Harry H. Corbett in Steptoe and Son…which in reality, is no bad thing really.
A Day In The Death Of Joe Egg rewards the patient viewer with a climax that changes in tone and had me skipping back to watch it again immediately, but may well be too slow paced for other viewers.
It is of course accompanied by the always insightful and entertaining special features from Powerhouse Films on their Indicator Series of releases.
INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION SPECIAL FEATURES:
• High Definition remaster
• Original mono audio
• Audio commentary with director Peter Medak and film historian Sam Dunn
• Remembering the Day: Janet Suzman on ‘Joe Egg’ (2017, 18 mins): a new interview with the acclaimed actor
• From Stage to Screen: Peter Nichols on ‘Joe Egg’ (2017, 20 mins): a new interview with the celebrated playwright
• Original theatrical trailer
• New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Marcus Hearn, Peter Nichols on the making of the film, and a look at the original Citizens Theatre stage production
• World premiere on Blu-ray
• Limited Dual Format Edition of 3,000 copies
A Day In The Death Of Joe Egg will be released on 28th August, 2017 and you can buy it by clicking HERE. ALL money raised by purchasing from Amazon via our website is given back to our listeners and followers in upcoming competition prizes. The more people buy, the bigger our prizes!
Review by Dave (host of 60 Minutes With) from a disc kindly supplied by Powerhouse Films.
