Housewife, 49 (Acorn Media DVD)

 

Picture: C     Sound: C+     Extras: C-     Telefilm: B-

 

 

Among the many untold stories of WWII are of women who worked or were squeezed by the war in bad ways, often still trapped in their life situation, like poverty, depression, unhappiness or dysfunctional marriages.  Nella Last was one of the few women who actually decided to write about her life experiences and the result is writer/actress Victoria Wood playing her by adapting her works in the British TV movie Housewife, 49 (2006).

 

Very convincing, the telefilm is about how Nella has an unhappy marriage with her ignorant, sometimes heartless husband and happy family otherwise, including her son.  The worst happens when he has to go fight the Axis Powers, leaving her to her miserable husband.  She decides to try to do other things to get away from him, make herself useful to the war effort, be happier if possible and find herself in a new light.  She faces more ignorance, including stuck up women, the caste system of the country and other disappointments, but hangs in there and tries to find her individuality.  All in all, this is one of the better telefilms we have seen from either side of the Atlantic and is definitely worth a look.

 

The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image is softer than a new production should be and not just because of stylizing.  Is it an HD downtrade problem or something else to do with the master?  Either way, it is harder to watch no matter how interesting the program is.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo has no real surrounds, but is nicely recorded for what it is.  Extras include a paper pullout inside the DVD case about Britain’s Mass Observation Project, while the DVD has text of cast filmographies and interview with Wood herself.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo