"I fell in the family way when I was 18 and I got married to a right bastard". Ken Loach's debut feature tells the story of Joy, a young mother (Carol White) whose chauvinistic thug of a husband is thrown into prison. She takes up with one of his friends, lovable, kind-hearted burglar Terence Stamp, but he too ends up in jail.
It's intriguing to compare Poor Cow with Cathy Come Home, which Loach made for TV with the same actress at around the same time. Both are about mums trying to make a go of their lives in adverse circumstances. Cathy Come Home, shot in black and white, is an altogether tougher film. Poor Cow, with its Donovan music, gaudy colour photography, star names, and incongruously bawdy humour, seems lightweight by comparison. Certain sequences--Joy making love in the hay or posing half-naked for lecherous amateur photographers--must surely make Loach grimace now. There are some powerful moments--Joy desperately looking for her son who has wandered off, unattended, onto a building site, or trying to escape from her abusive husband--which anticipate such later Loach films as Ladybird, Ladybird or Raining Stones. The scenes between Joy and Stamp are played with real tenderness and humour. Don't be surprised if you think you've seen them before--some of the footage of Stamp was used in Steven Soderbergh's recent thriller, The Limey. --Geoffrey Macnab
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
A rough diamond of a film! "Poor Cow" is my favourite Ken Loach film. In fact, it is my favourite film of all time. I only discovered it 2 years ago and it has a very personal connection for me. I have since read the novel that inspired it and can state that it is a very honest and faithful dramatisation of Nell Dunn's text. It is a film about a side of London life to which many will be oblivious, and, of course, many will not. Carol White is superb as Joy, whose first name is not as ironic as it may seem. Her life may well be a... more info
A wonderful gem of a film! As a Ken Loach fan I've seen quite a few films that he's made. However,I overlooked this film for years. I simply adored this film. My heart was moved by the central character played by Carol White and her journey through life with disappointing relationships with men, her struggles to bring up her child on her own and with money. It was interesting to see so many actors in their younger days appearing in this film such as Billy Murray(East Enders -Johnny Allen), Terence Stamp, Kate Williams as well as... more info
Oh the good Ole Days I love movies like this. Despite a never ending trend of bogus remakes you cant remake history. Watch it over and over and gasp at the enormous beauty of Terrance Stamp who looks like a young George Best. 60's classic.
Make sure you know what your getting This is a documnetary Drama - this what Loach is famed for and very good at. This one of his earler works so may be a little rough round the edges, but has a strong heart and soul.
