Blue Black Permanent

The only feature film to be directed by Margaret Tait, made when she was in her seventies, is this memory piece that looks at the lives of three generations of Scottish women. It's a demanding, non-narrative picture as much concerned with buildings, props and landscapes as it is with people. Indeed, with the exception of the superb Gerda Stevenson, the rest of the cast act in a blank, one-dimensional fashion. Tait obviusly had no real experience of working with actors and her dialogue is largely banal. It is the look of the film that matters and even that is largely banal, too. Tait photographs everyday objects with an almost fetishistic glee. It might have been a better film had she dispensed with dialogue altogether. Apart from the odd art-house screening at the time of its (very limited) release it hasn't been much seen and has now built up something of an (undeserved) cult reputation.