CHANGE OF A LIFETIME is an interesting working class drama written and directed by Bernard Miles, who also takes a starring role. It tells the simple story of the workers at a plough firm who decide that they can do a better job than the management and decide to take over the business, belatedly discovering the pitfalls along the way.
This sort of film takes such a premise and uses it to shine a light on attitudes and practices of the day. It doesn't sound like the most exciting film ever but it turns out to be especially interesting thanks to the wealth of character talent involved in the production. Miles gives a stand-out turn but other performers are just as effective, particularly Basil Radford in a non-comedic role. And the list of familiar faces is endless: Geoffrey Keen, Patrick Troughton, Sam Kydd, Hattie Jacques, Niall MacGinnis, Kenneth More, and Eric Pohlmann all feature before they became well-known household names.
This is the type of film that educates as well as entertains, and it holds the interest from beginning to end, capturing a snapshot of long-forgotten life over half a century ago. Another commendable thing about it is that it never takes the easy route and paints the characters as good or bad, instead refusing to take sides and presenting the case from the viewpoint of both parties. It's undeservedly obscure, in my opinion.
This sort of film takes such a premise and uses it to shine a light on attitudes and practices of the day. It doesn't sound like the most exciting film ever but it turns out to be especially interesting thanks to the wealth of character talent involved in the production. Miles gives a stand-out turn but other performers are just as effective, particularly Basil Radford in a non-comedic role. And the list of familiar faces is endless: Geoffrey Keen, Patrick Troughton, Sam Kydd, Hattie Jacques, Niall MacGinnis, Kenneth More, and Eric Pohlmann all feature before they became well-known household names.
This is the type of film that educates as well as entertains, and it holds the interest from beginning to end, capturing a snapshot of long-forgotten life over half a century ago. Another commendable thing about it is that it never takes the easy route and paints the characters as good or bad, instead refusing to take sides and presenting the case from the viewpoint of both parties. It's undeservedly obscure, in my opinion.