Manchester University Press
10 ‘Life’s too short’
Abstract
This chapter illustrates how Mike Leigh returned to more recognisable territory for his film, All or Nothing. The opening shot of All or Nothing almost looked like a parody of his style and mood—except that no parody could so succinctly convey the humanity and sense of mortality that pervade both, the opening, and the film as a whole. The film proved to be Leigh's most resonant assertion yet that human emotions and experiences are too intricate to be expressed through traditionally constructed dialogue and narratives; that real lives are too messy, too complicated to be squeezed into conventional dramatic parameters. This chapter also draws attention to the fact that the film made this emphatic assertion precisely by means of a meticulously constructed narrative, involving characters who so clearly reflect the tragedies and triumphs of everyday life, testified to a writer and director at something like the height of his powers.
Abstract
This chapter illustrates how Mike Leigh returned to more recognisable territory for his film, All or Nothing. The opening shot of All or Nothing almost looked like a parody of his style and mood—except that no parody could so succinctly convey the humanity and sense of mortality that pervade both, the opening, and the film as a whole. The film proved to be Leigh's most resonant assertion yet that human emotions and experiences are too intricate to be expressed through traditionally constructed dialogue and narratives; that real lives are too messy, too complicated to be squeezed into conventional dramatic parameters. This chapter also draws attention to the fact that the film made this emphatic assertion precisely by means of a meticulously constructed narrative, involving characters who so clearly reflect the tragedies and triumphs of everyday life, testified to a writer and director at something like the height of his powers.
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- List of plates ix
- Series editors’ foreword xi
- Acknowledgements xii
- Introduction 1
- 1 ‘Really wants to direct’ 11
- 2 ‘A kind of language’ 18
- 3 ‘A long time in the womb’ 33
- 4 ‘A different world’ 56
- 5 ‘So long as you’re happy’ 75
- 6 ‘The future is now’ 90
- 7 ‘Welcome to the family’ 114
- 8 ‘All these memories’ 135
- 9 ‘Laughter – tears – curtain’ 147
- 10 ‘Life’s too short’ 162
- 11 ‘Out of the kindness of her heart’ 179
- Conclusion 196
- Filmography 198
- Select bibliography 209
- Index 213
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- List of plates ix
- Series editors’ foreword xi
- Acknowledgements xii
- Introduction 1
- 1 ‘Really wants to direct’ 11
- 2 ‘A kind of language’ 18
- 3 ‘A long time in the womb’ 33
- 4 ‘A different world’ 56
- 5 ‘So long as you’re happy’ 75
- 6 ‘The future is now’ 90
- 7 ‘Welcome to the family’ 114
- 8 ‘All these memories’ 135
- 9 ‘Laughter – tears – curtain’ 147
- 10 ‘Life’s too short’ 162
- 11 ‘Out of the kindness of her heart’ 179
- Conclusion 196
- Filmography 198
- Select bibliography 209
- Index 213
