Mike Leigh At The Bbc (DVD)

Hard Labour: Mike Leigh's first TV drama for the BBC in 1973. Shot entirely on location in Leigh's native Salford, Hard Labour depicts the grinding daily routine of stoical domestic cleaner Mrs Thornley and her cantankerous family. The Permissive Society: The title is ironic - a popular expression in mid-70's sexually liberated Britain, but a far cry from the gentle, innocent warmth of this short play, shot entirely in a television studio. Funny and moving, a tentative, awkward first date in a Lancashire high rise flat is interrupted by the young man's elder sister, returning prematurely after being stood up. Nuts In May: Follow Keith and Candice-Marie, a rather self-righteous vegetarian couple, in their exhausting attempt to enjoy an idyllic camping holiday in Dorset. Their rigid notions of peace and quiet are somewhat challenged by other campers, with a more relaxed approach to life, the resulting conflict posing the questions, who are really the good guys? The Kiss Of Death: David Threlfall gives a brilliant performance as Trevor, an off-beat undertaker's assistant, with a dry sense of humour and a healthy resistance to conformity. He and his best friend Ronnie are confronted by, and finally escape, the clutches of two predatory and fiercely conventional young women, Sandra and Linda. Filmed on location in Oldham. Who's Who?: A film about toffs and snobs. Richard Kane stars as Alan, an obsequious autograph hunter, who works as a clerk for a City stockbroker, and whose wife breeds pedigree chinchilla cats. Through Alan's eyes we look at the lives of his upper class employers and the younger Sloane Ranger set at his firm. Abigail's Party: Immediately after its smash-hit run at The Hampstead Theatre, London, this 1977 stage-play was wheeled by Mike Leigh into an electronic TV studio - like The Permissive Society, it isn't a film. A suburban evening of hilarious disaster, gross embarrassment and untimely death is presided over by the monstrous Beverly, for which performance Alison Steadman won two best actress awards. Grown-Ups: A young working-class couple, Dick and Mandy, move into a council house, to find their old teacher living next door with his wife. Their new life is plagued by endless visits from Mandy's lonely elder sister Gloria, a situation that finally erupts into a major catastrophe involving the neighbours. Home Sweet Home: The tragic-comic tale of a lonely postman, the social workers who chivvy him about his estranged teenage daughter, and his secret affairs with the wives of his fellow postmen. Four Days In July: A wonderfully engaging and bitterly humorous take on "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland. Set (and shot) in Belfast in July 1984, around the annual 12th July Loyalist Parades, the film examines the communities on both sides of the divide. Through the depiction of a Catholic couple and a Protestant couple, each on the brink of the birth of their first child, Mike Leigh explores the daily lives of the divided community. Five-Minute Films: This collection also includes a rare treat, five short films written and directed by Mike Leigh - Afternoon, Birth of the Goalie, Old Chums, A Light Snack and Probation. Originally filmed in 1975, these five films, lasting five minutes each, were intended to be the first in an ongoing series but weren't actually broadcast until 1982 during a season of Leigh's work on BBC.

Director Commentaries
Documentary, "All About Abigail's Party", plus "Welcome", "Party Nibbles", "Intro" & "Goodbye"
"The Conversation": Will Self interviews Mike Leigh
"The Long Goodbye": Bel Mooney interviews Mike Leigh
"Arena: Making Plays": the life and work of Mike Leigh
Audio commentary by Mike Leigh available on Nuts in May,The Kiss of Death, Grown-Ups, Four Days in July