My Childhood (1972)
Genre: Drama
Duration: 47 minuten
Country:
United Kingdom
Directed by: Bill Douglas
Starst: Stephen Archibald, Hughie Restorick and Jean Taylor Smith
IMDb score:
7,3 (1.500)
Releasedate: 5 June 1972
This movie is not available on US streaming services.
My Childhood plot
My childhood takes place in 1945. Eight-year-old Jamie lives with his brother Tommy, who is four years older than his grandmother, in a mining village near Edinburgh. His great friend is Helmuth, a German prisoner of war who, together with his fellow sufferers, carries out farm work for farmers in the area. The boys don't know who their parents are, but Tommy accepts a man who gives him a canary for his birthday as his father. Grandma sends the man away and tries to kill the bird. Tommy saves the cage with the critter and hides them in the basement. Jamie follows a man with a dog, whom Tommy says is his father. However, the relationship between the man and Jamie does not develop in such a way that it can replace his friendship with Helmuth.
Actors and actresses
Jamie
Tommy
Grandmother
Helmuth
Tommy's Father
Jamie's Father
Father's Mother
Jamie's Mother
Nurse
Bus Conductress
Reviews & comments
Spetie
-
- 38871 messages
- 8252 votes
My Childhood is the first part of a trilogy about the memories of director Bill Douglas's youth.
It is a childhood that apparently was not easy. It was a poor time, he no longer had any parents and lived with his brother and demented grandmother. Although the black and white photography and camera work are very beautiful, it is safe to say that this is a very depressing film. There are very few cheerful moments in it and the ones that are there are often short-lived.
I thought the most beautiful parts were the moments with the German soldier Helmuth. Jamie sees him as the father he never had. On the other hand, Jamie is also a cheerful distraction for Helmuth. Jamie tries to teach him English during their meetings, while Helmuth tries to teach him German. These are beautiful moments, but they are only temporary. In addition, it all feels very sincere. Sincere feelings, without becoming sentimental.
All in all, a great film that keeps you interested for almost the entire running time.
4.0*
Translated from Dutch · View original
Movsin
-
- 8286 messages
- 8442 votes
Loose memories of an unhappy, loveless and neglected youth.
In my opinion, it is correct that the memory of his early childhood does not form a continuous story, but is rather a grouping of facts that have been remembered as striking, and that is how this first part of the biography comes across. So no smoothly connected story, but short significant scenes.
An outsider in British cinema actually. Unlike the social conditions that were shown, for example, by the Angry Young Men imitators (Tony Richardson...) in the 1960s, although here, in addition to the beautiful scenes focused on simplicity, there is also a lot of attention for social deprivation, the poor housing in the sad mining town. Of course, the idea of dividing a biography into 3 parts, the last 6 years after the first, is also very special.
"My Childhood" and what follows is a beautiful, compelling and very unusual piece of film work.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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