A story about kids too
old to be children, too immature to be adult. Raised in a big city [London]
slum, orphaned when their [widowed] 38-year-old Mother dies, they fought
desperately to stay together as a family. They are unruly, undisciplined, and
defiant of well-intentioned authority when it seeks to split them up for their
own good. There are no villains’ in this story. Only victims of a society we
ourselves have created. As a film it is
tough, rough and raw. It is also warm and deeply moving. It has laughter as
well as tears, heartbreak as well as hope. It is more than a great Motion
Picture experience. It is a great human document – one you will never forget![1]
Is this a fair description of David Hemmings second
directorial outing? Yes - I think it is. The 14 (1973) known as The Wild Little Bunch on its release in
the USA, is certainly a heart rendering story about the 14 orphans of the
title. Similar in tone to the social problem films of the 1950’s and 60’s, films
like The
Pool of London (1953), Violent
Playground (1958), Victim (1961)
and A Place
to Go (1963) and one that brings to mind Jack Clayton’s Our
Mothers House (1967). The children range from the 17 year old Reg,
played by Jack Wild, right down to wee baby Marie. They all live in a house in a street that’s due
for slum clearance; in fact some dwellings have already been demolished! The
family are just about making ends meet when their mother (EastEnders regular June Brown) falls ill and dies in hospital
leaving the children completely alone. Welfare
places a Mrs Booth (another EastEnders
star Anna Wing who played Lou Beale from 1985-1988 who sadly died last year.)
in the house to look after the children, a placement that goes tits-up in a rather
hilarious fashion. The story continues with the children attempting to look
after themselves with the help of Reg’s girlfriend Reena (Cheryl Hall best
known as Wolfie’s girlfriend in the TV sitcom Citizen Smith) who moves in along with her own two young
babies. But Welfare, who one must be
honest are not painted in too bad a light by Roland Starke’s screenplay, are
not happy with these arrangements and begin to split the family up - much to
their displeasure.
....a result - Christmas dinner. |
"I've got my eye on you son" |
This entertaining but moving story was entered in the 23rd
Berlin International Film Festival where it won the Silver Bear. Set in East
London and made at Pinewood Studios by Avianca Productions London WC2 The 14 is purported to be based on a
true story about the struggle of a family of Birmingham orphans to stay
together, in spite of what the authority’s put in their way, who eventually are
relocated as a family on a farm in Cornwall. Maybe a tiny bit emotional at
times but never melodramatic which is probable due to the cracking cast of
non-actors that play the children and manage to enhance the anarchic reality of
the story. Made available on DVD for the
first time from Network and well worth a look.
Thanks a lot for this posting! But, how do you know that the mother was 38? And how do you get the christmas dinner photo? Sorry, I'm a nerd on this movie :)
ReplyDeleteI would have liked a second film …what happened next
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