SalfordOnline.com has linked up with the British Film Institute (BFI) to offer readers the chance to win a Blu-Ray of the classic film Love on the Dole.
The official re-release lands on the shelves on 18 January and SalfordOnline.com have two copies to give away to readers in honour of the 75th anniversary of the film’s release.
There’s still time to enter the competition here
Walter Greenwood’s 1933 novel, on which the film is based, is a classic and should be required reading for Salfordians of all ages.
John Baxter’s 1941 adaptation – brushed up to 1080p standard for this Blu-ray transfer – gets the same honour.
The film revolves around the misfortunes of the Hardcastle family and the daily struggles they face, living in industrial Salford in the grim days of the 1930’s.
Unemployment had rocketed during what historians would call the Great Depression. One in four in Salford was registered as out of work. Just a year later the crisis deepened, with almost a third of the city without a job.
The dreaded means test had also come into force – a particularly cruel piece of legislation that heaped more indignity on the unemployed.
It is against these grim conditions that the film is set.
You could almost replace the 1930s soup kitchens with modern-day foodbanks, such is the relevance of the politics of this film.
Deborah Kerr plays Sally Hardcastle, who falls in love with an unemployed labourer, Larry Meath, played by Clifford Evans.
Meath is a militant firebrand determined to change the fortunes of the Salford downtrodden with his optomistic socialist views.
The Hardcastle’s only son, Harry, played by Geoffrey Hibbert, is a shy young factory labourer who falls in love with local girl Helen.
The romance is doomed to failure despite him winning the princely sum of £22 from the odious Sam Grundy, an illicit bookmaker who figures heavily as the tragedy unfolds.
It’s not unremittingly grim, or a hard watch, however. There are many points of levity, like the gaggle of black-coated gossips – Mrs Dorbell, Mrs Nattle, Mrs Jike and Mrs Bull – who judge the main characters over a cheap glass of gin.
They’ll remind you nothing so much as characters from early Coronation Street episodes – Violent Carson’s Ena Sharples, or Minnie Caldwell and Martha Longhurst, the gossiping harpies from the snug of the Rovers Return.
The unemployed march to Salford Town Hall featured in the film is based on real life and became known in Salford folklore as ‘The Battle of Bexley Square’.
In October 1931 an estimated 10,000 people marched in force to hand in a petition to the council only to be brutally attacked by police on horseback.
Walter Greenwood was actually on this march and his novel was informed by the incredible scenes he witnessed on that fateful day.
A much diluted version appears in the film with fateful consequences for Larry Meath.
There’s much truth to admire here – I can recall my mother telling me stories about pawning her best clothes and bedding on a Monday morning to make ends meet, which also makes the film.
There is the story of women’s wedding rings being in the pawnshop more often than not, with a cheap brass replica on their finger to keep up appearances.
Love of the Dole does offer some hope of salvation for future generations.
I quote Mrs Hardcastle when she says, “…one day we’ll all be wanted. The men who’ve forgotten how to work, and the young ‘uns who’ve never had a job. There must be no Hanky Park, no more.”
All in all, this is not only a brilliant film but a milestone in social realism and a wonderful insight into the struggles of the daily lives of thousands of Salfordians.
Just one little niggle, as the opening credits roll we see a panoramic view of Salford complete with smoking mill and factory chimneys with the misspelt headline: ‘Hankey Park’.
I would urge you to purchase this marvellous film and learn about the struggles of the working classes and reflect on modern times, hoping that those dark days never return.
