Monty Python's Four Yorkshiremen have nothing on this! That this was released at the start of the war to boost morale seems bizarre. Superbly made - yes, engaging - yes but it's also one of the most miserable films I've ever seen.
This is not light entertainment - you don't want to watch this after a bad day at work. But if you want an absolutely gritty and authentic, albeit intense depiction of working class life in England in the early thirties then this is a must. It's as far removed from Hollywood or even Gainsborough escapism as imaginable. The weird logic in releasing this just as the horror of the war was beginning was that at least things are better than they were a few years ago. You'd never have got anything as critical of society as this being released in Nazi Germany, or even the USA at this time.
The title, Love On The Dole might suggest that this is a typical 1930s depression movie with a sweet young couple managing to find happiness against the backdrop of adversity: it's definitely not. As you'll realise if you make it through to the end, love in this context is trying to do what's right for those you love even if that's sacrificing your own chance of happiness. It's not a happy film but it does have a really positive message about the goodness of humanity. This isn't about a young couple in love, that type of love is a luxury that can't be afforded. Love and marriage and for many, even happiness is just something that exists at the pictures.
Although it's not easy viewing, it is compelling and gives a first-person, genuine insight into life in Manchester as the English Depression which began after the First World War became even worse as the effects of America's economic collapse hit our shores. Some of you might think that a few of the accents are more 'generic northern' than 1930s Manchester but the current Manc accent hadn't evolved by then so did sound a little more like West Yorkshire. Deborah Kerr in addition to doing a pretty passable Lancashire accent also gives an outstanding performance - you'd never guess this was her first major role.
If you like those 'kitchen sink dramas' which portrayed the social realism of the 1960s, see how it was done in the 30s.
