Our Mother's House
Encyclopedia
Our Mother's House is a 1967 British
drama
film
starring Dirk Bogarde
. The screenplay was by Jeremy Brooks, based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Julian Gloag.
One of the boys writes to their mother's no-good estranged husband, who is their legal father, hoping he will help them, but when he moves in, he spends their money, drinks regularly, entertains loose women, and begins the process of selling the house. When they confront him, he explains that their mother was even more irresponsible than he is before she turned to religion, and that they are all bastard
s. One of the girls is so shocked by this revelation that she kills him with a fire iron. Finally accepting the seriousness of their situation, the children turn themselves in to the authorities.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
starring Dirk Bogarde
Dirk Bogarde
Sir Dirk Bogarde was an English actor and novelist. Initially a matinee idol in such films as Doctor in the House and other Rank Organisation pictures, Bogarde later acted in art-house films such as Death in Venice...
. The screenplay was by Jeremy Brooks, based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Julian Gloag.
Plot
Seven young siblings are orphaned when their bedridden mother dies, having converted to fundamentalist religion and refused medical help. Not wanting to be taken to an orphanage, they bury her in the backyard and go on with their daily routines as if she were still alive. The eldest child, a young teenage girl, takes charge. They make excuses for their mother's absence to their neighbours and teachers, one of the boys forges the mother's signature on cheques that arrive for her each month, and they periodically hold séances to communicate with her.One of the boys writes to their mother's no-good estranged husband, who is their legal father, hoping he will help them, but when he moves in, he spends their money, drinks regularly, entertains loose women, and begins the process of selling the house. When they confront him, he explains that their mother was even more irresponsible than he is before she turned to religion, and that they are all bastard
Bastard (Law of England and Wales)
A bastard in the law of England and Wales is a person whose parents, at the time of his/her birth, were not married to each other....
s. One of the girls is so shocked by this revelation that she kills him with a fire iron. Finally accepting the seriousness of their situation, the children turn themselves in to the authorities.
Cast
- Dirk BogardeDirk BogardeSir Dirk Bogarde was an English actor and novelist. Initially a matinee idol in such films as Doctor in the House and other Rank Organisation pictures, Bogarde later acted in art-house films such as Death in Venice...
as Charlie Hook - Margaret Brooks as Elsa
- Pamela FranklinPamela FranklinPamela Franklin is a British actress who appeared in feature films from 1961 until 1976, and on American television throughout the 1970s.-Early life and career as a child actress:...
as Diana - Louis Sheldon Williams as Hubert
- John Gugolka as Dunstan
- Mark LesterMark LesterMark Lester is an English former child actor known for playing the title role in the 1968 musical film version of Oliver! and starring in a number of other British and European films of the 1960s and 70s and in a number of television series.-Early life and film career:Lester was born in Oxford,...
as Jiminee - Phoebe NichollsPhoebe NichollsPhoebe Nicholls is an English film, television, and stage actor. She is known for her roles as Cordelia Flyte in Brideshead Revisited and as the mother of John Merrick in The Elephant Man....
as Gerty (as Sarah Nicholls) - Gustav Henry as Willy
- Parnum Wallace as Louis
- Yootha JoyceYootha JoyceYootha Joyce was an English actress, best known for playing Mildred Roper in Man About the House and George and Mildred.-Early life:...
as Mrs. Quayle - Claire Davidson as Miss Bailey
- Anthony NichollsAnthony Nicholls (actor)Anthony Nicholls was an English film, television, and stage actor.-Life and career:Nicholls was born Sydney Horace Nicholls on 16 October 1902 in Windsor, Berkshire, England, the son of Florence and photojournalist Horace Nicholls. He served in the Royal Artillery...
as Mr. Halbert - Annette Carell as Mother
- Gerald SimGerald SimGerald Grant Sim is an English actor who is perhaps best known for playing the Rector in To the Manor Born. He is the younger brother of actress Sheila Sim and brother-in-law of actor/director Lord Attenborough.- Career :...
as Bank Clerk - Edina RonayEdina RonayEdina Ronay FRSA is an Anglo-Hungarian fashion designer and former actress, the daughter of food critic Egon Ronay and mother of actress/writer Shebah Ronay....
as Doreen