Housewife, 49

Victoria Wood is a famous British comic actress who has surely shown that she also has a superior for drama - both writing and acting - in this excellent made for television film based upon a real person. During World War II in England, housewife, Nella Last's experiences were recorded by the Mass-Observation organization founded in 1937 to record the daily experiences of British citizens for social research.

The film starts with Nella as being almost complete frustrated with her role as housewife. She is a middle-aged woman who has devoted her entire self to the care of her husband and their two sons. The war has just started, and her sons are leaving to serve in duties other than combat.

Nella's only connection with anything creative is her younger son. He is the one who encourages his mother to go beyond the confines of the house in order to seek fulfillment. Nella begins to blossom when she volunteers for the Women's Voluntary Service and starts to submit her observances of daily occurrences to Mass-Observation.

Over the objections of her husband - a joiner - Nella volunteers for the WVS. There she must face the insults of the women in charge for she is merely the wife of a laborer whereas they are wives of members of higher classes. With spunk and wit, Nella forges ahead and becomes an invaluable member of the organization.

At home, Nella receives almost no support from her husband - a man not able to express emotion. Because of this weakness, he appears to be somewhat of a villain, but there are a few touching scenes in the screenplay where the viewer is able to see past his hard surface to a man who genuinely loves his wife.

Nella's son, Cliff, may be the most complex character in the film. Clifford Last who eventually entered battle was wounded and after the war, moved to Australia where he became a well-known sculptor.

This is a fine film that gives insight into the lives of women of Nella's generation and invites the viewer into an "everyday family" that is certainly far from that.

Nella Last's story deserved to be told even if in adapted guise long since. My greatest praise goes to Victoria Wood. As a comedian I always understood and was revived by her humour, wit and writing. But as a "so called serious actress" I was totally blown away by her performance in this. Far more so than in the delightful "Pat and Margaret". Stephanie Cole is up to her standard of excellency on this one, too and then some. The period art direction is almost flwaless. For a non-Britain it actually feels flawless...

Also: I simply adore the NOT-Hollywoodesque-nonsense ending.

Definitely 10 out of 10 for this one

Although I am not a fan of Victoria Wood as comedienne (I just never understood her comedy and therefore never found her funny) I was intrigued by the concept of this drama so I watched it.

I am glad I did, as it was a very well written drama that looks into life in the perspective of a mother Nella Last who sees her life change around her, more often than not in the way peoples attitudes are and also throughout the war realises she doesn't know those close to her including her family as well as she thinks she does, this in turn makes her look at her own lifestyle and realises she must change in some aspects too.

Although I may not be a fan of Victoria Wood in her primary guise, (as a comedienne), as an actress she has proved in this drama she is a first-rate actress and considering she wrote this drama, a decent writer too.

On the whole a nice heart-warming wartime family drama.

This was a real treat last night on TV, and I hope they repeat it soon for all those who missed it. Victoria Wood proves again what a wonderful actress and writer she is. The great Stephanie Cole is formidable as the WVS boss, and David Threlfall is superbly restrained as Nella's emotionally repressed husband. Nella's wartime experiences mirror those of many ordinary housewives I am sure. An emotional roller-coaster! It was a joy to watch; sometimes we laughed out loud, especially at the jolly neighbours, and sometimes we had tears in our eyes. The costumes and props all looked very authentic; as Victoria herself remarked, it was hardly a glamorous role! I'm looking forward to a DVD....

Victoria Wood plays a straight role as a downtrodden middle aged mother and housewife.

In the bittersweet Housewife, 49. Nella Last has recovered from one breakdown and seems to be heading for another one. She is alone, her husband and his sister are not sympathetic to her plight. Her husband is domineering and rather introverted himself.

Nella feels stigmatised by her social superiors in Barrow in Furness.

When the war starts Nella is nervous and uncertain. Afraid to go out in the dark alone. She reluctantly takes part in the woman's voluntary service, by the end of the war Nella is the backbone of her community. Someone people could rely on.

The drama is based on Nella's wartime diaries written for the Mass-Observation project set up in 1937 to record the lives of ordinary people.

It is wonderfully made but it also wants to feel too much like a Victoria Wood drama and too many characters are one dimensional. No one else seems to develop much.

It needed to be spiky for dramatic impact. Nella at last confronts her husband for his behaviour but we are only see Nella toying with the idea whether she should leave her husband. Her husband's sister is let off scot free for her rude behaviour.

Even the scenes with her older son Arthur. I am not sure how much more he could had telegraphed he was gay but it seems to have gone over his parent's head.

Housewife, 49 tries too hard to be a pleasant drama when it could had been more with the actors in it.