continues the season of recent, highly-acclaimed films.
Starring Glenda Jackson, Mona Washbourne
'I first thought of suicide when I was eight - the thought cheered me up enormously. One might not be able to rely on life but one could always rely on death.'
Witty, caustic and sad, Stevie Smith lived a life of seeming ordinariness in the London suburb of Palmers Green. Yet by the time of her death in 1971, she was one of Britain's most admired poets - awarded the Queen's Medal in 1969 - as well as a novelist, broadcaster and social celebrity. She rejected lovers and suitors, fashionability and the external trappings of fame, dedicated to her writing and to her aunt. In this memorable film, based on Hugh Whitemore's play and the writings of Stevie Smith , Glenda Jackson gives one of her greatest performances. A portrayal equalled by that of Mona Washbourne as ' The Lion Aunt'.
"I'd trade six 'James Bonds' and a handjul of 'Pink Panthers' for the pleasure of watching and, above all, listening to the exquisite movie again - and I've seen it twice already." (DAILY MAIL)
(First showing on British television) Films: page 19
How to Score... A Movie, Thursday 11.30 pm on BBC2.
Also Closedown - The Forlorn Sea by Stevie Smith, Thursday 12.0 midnight BBC2.