DESCRIPTION
Adapted from the celebrated novel of the same name by Walter Greenwood, Love on the Dole was one of the most controversial British films of its time, having been banned from production by the British Board of Film Censors and labelled a ‘very sordid story in very sordid surroundings’. It was eventually made in 1941 at a time when the Second World War had radically altered the country's social conditions and attitudes.
During the Depression in 1930s Salford in the North of England, young Harry Hardcastle (Geoffrey Hibbert, In Which We Serve) and his sister, Sally (Deborah Kerr, The Chalk Garden, The Innocents), fall victim to poverty and unemployment, and are forced to make difficult decisions to survive.
Making its US debut on Blu-ray, Love on the Dole is complemented by a selection of contexualising archival extras, including the feature-length 1947 documentary A City Speaks, which is co-scripted by Greenwood.
INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES
- High Definition remaster
- Original mono audio
- Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Neil Sinyard, archival articles, new writing on A City Speaks and the short films, and film credit
- The BEHP Interview with Barbara K Emary (1988): archival audio recording, made as part of the British Entertainment History Project, featuring Love on the Dole screenwriter and regular collaborator with John Baxter in conversation with Bob Allen and Bob Dunbar
- Island People (1940): documentary short, co-directed by Paul Rotha and Philip Leacock, taking a look at pre-war life in Britain from a French perspective
- A Call for Arms! (1940): short film, produced and directed by Brian Desmond Hurst, focusing on a pair of chorus girls who join the war effort
- Our Film (1942): short film, directed by Harold French and produced by a filmmaking co-operative, about the benefits of national unity during wartime
- A City Speaks (1947): feature-length documentary, produced and directed by Rotha, surveying the development of post-war Manchester, England. Co-written by Love on the Doleauthor Walter Greenwood
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- US premiere on Blu-ray
- Limited edition of 3,000 copies
A darkly comic satire on male fragility, Chris Cooke’s One for the Road is one of the great, unsung British films of the twenty-first century. Made in Nottingham using early digital cameras – utilising a beer-soaked, cigarette-stained palette – it avoids the clichés associated with British cinema and embraces the do-anything nature of its chosen format to become its own, distinct work. The film also showcases a fine ensemble of acting talent in not only Bennett, but also Rupert Procter, Greg Chisholm, Mark Devenport, Micaiah Dring and Johann Myers
INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES
New restoration from a 2K scan of an original preservation print by Powerhouse Films
Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Thirza Wakefield, archival interviews, an overview of contemporary critical responses, new writing on the short films, and film credits
Authentic cinema presentation of this digital video-originated production
Original 5.1 surround sound and 2.0 stereo audio tracks
Audio commentary with writer-director Chris Cooke, producer Kate Ogborn and co-producer Helen Solomon (2003)
Audio commentary with actors Greg Chisholm, Mark Devenport and Rupert Procter (2003)
Brand new retrospective documentary featuring interviews with Cooke, actors Chisholm, Devenport, Procter and Johann Myers, composer Steve Blackman, and camera operator Steven Sheil (2022)
Video diaries with Chris Cooke and Steven Sheil (2003)
Original theatrical trailer
Website ‘virals’ (2003): promotional videos featuring improvised, in-character footage of Devenport and Procter
Image gallery: promotional and publicity material
Map of the Scars (1998): short film written and directed by Chris Cooke, starring Andrew Tiernan
Map of the Scars audio commentary with Cooke (2003)
Shifting Units (2001): short film written and directed by Cooke, about an alcoholic salesman, that served as the inspiration for One for the Road
Why I Hate Parties (But Pretend to Love Them) (2003): short film co-written and directed by Devenport, with photography by Cooke, and featuring cast members from One for the Road
Gary the Rapper vs Stefan Blix (2014): short film co-written and directed by Devenport, with photography by Cooke, starring One for the Road composer Steve Blackman
Whiskers and Jane (2017): short film written by Devenport and Blackman, directed by Devenport, and starring Procter
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
World premiere on Blu-ray
Limited edition of 4,000 copies for the UK and US
