Set in Liverpool in the years 1955 and 1956, The Long Day Closes tells the story of the happy childhood of the 11 year old Bud - a joyous time of long summer days and trips to the cinema, music forever on the radio, and the boundless love of his mother, older sister and brothers -his contentment clouded only by his struggle to adapt to life at a new school.
Film Crew
- : Terence Davies
- : Olivia Stewart
- : Colin MacCabe
- : Ben Gibson
- : Gus Maclean
- : Terence Davies
- : Michael Coulter
- : Monica Howe
- : William Diver
- : Alex Mackie
- : Bob Last
- : Robert Lockhart
- : Karen Wakefield
Technical Information
- Couleur
- English
Images
Videos
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Terence Davies's follow up to Distant Voices, Still Lives extends his autobiographical memoirs into the 1950s.Growing up in the wreckage of post-war Liverpool should be a grim experience for sensitive eleven-year-old Bud (McCormack). He lives in rain-drenched, lice-ridden impoverishment with his mother (Yates) and hordes of siblings. The secondary school he's just started attending is a breeding ground for bigots and bullies and Bud's the punch-bag. Yet Davies' film is an ode to childhood bliss. It evokes the confused thrill of sexual awakening, the addictive buzz of a favourite pop tune, the warmth of a doting mother's embrace, the happiness of a family sing-song. And, most effectively, the wide-eyed wonder inspired by cinema itself as Bud bunks off church to worship Hollywood's idols at his local picture house.Davies has been criticised in some quarters for his refusal to grant easy access to his films. The Long Day Closes has no narrative structure, dramatic development or characterisation in the traditional sense. But then neither does memory. Instead we are treated to an impressionistic patchwork of glimpsed images, snatched tunes, surreal daydreams and fragmented dialogue. They constitute the director's own, very personal memories, but the recollections are so lovingly created, with such cinematic grace and emotional honesty, that you empathise with every grin and grimace.VerdictDavies' greatest achievement in cinema to date.
Film 4
