The Long Day Closes (1992)
A Film Review by Mark O'Hara Visit Online Film Critics at http://www.ofcs.org
In 'The Long Day Closes' writer and director Terence Davies shows his virtuosity with cinematic technique - mainly poetic shots and scenes that bridge reality. But he doesn't do much with plot.
There's a scene that makes us look at a still shot of a carpet for about two minutes, before the camera slowly pans up to frame the young star Bud (Leigh McCormack) gazing out the window. At various times this little English boy watches the lives and fascinating actions of those around him. Many times Bud hangs about the house with his mother (Marjorie Yates); occasionally he does chores for her, but more frequently he asks for money that will get him into his beloved 'pictures.' The one friend Bud supposedly has does not appear onscreen for too long. Once, playing with another boy, he runs past Bud's house. In scene after scene we witness Bud's loneliness, which is tempered only by his good cheer - at least he is not whiny and irritating. Davies portrays well the desultory underside of childhood, the long hours of nothing-to-do. But is this charming randomness worth its 84-minute running time?
An interesting device Davies employs is voice-overs from vintage films, apparently dialogue that has left its mark on Bud. In one sequence we watch Bud in the balcony of a wonderful movie palace, only to have the scene melt masterfully into the setting of a carnival, the camera following the young adults that draw so much of Bud's admiration. These uses of cinematic references do resonate with meaning, saying a lot about the imagination and its power over us. If the editing of the film is not tight, it does at least attempt to depict the profound sensibilities of a delicate and likable boy.
And Leigh McCormack is likable. Somewhat a mama's boy at times, but not selfish and not gloomy: Bud extends his hand with the rest of the boys at school, and takes the swats across his palm. He does not sneak out of reporting to the headmaster's office when he is late one day. When he is designated among the majority of the boys with head lice, Bud suffers through the creosote hair tonic and the tiny-toothed lice comb with only a grimace. In perhaps the most adorable scene in the film, we watch him take part in a duet to entertain the family and gathered guests. Here McCormack shows the gameness of a much older performer. He's able effortlessly to etch a boy sensitive and sweet, pious and rascally, dreamy and responsible.
As his mother, Marjorie Yates shows a quiet mastery of character. Most touching is a scene during which she sings an old air to Bud. They are sitting close but not looking at each other, and the camera is as still as they. After Mother mentions that this was a song her father would sing to her, we watch amazed as her eyes fill up with longing. A good example of a small but well-directed scene. We are also treated to wonderful performances by an ensemble of supporting actors - Anthony Watson, Nicolas Lamont, Ayse Owens, Tina Malone, Jimmy Wilde, and Robin Polley.
The film is set in the last days of 1955 and mostly in 1956. (We get to see a curious public gathering in which neighbors cross their arms and link their hands, dancing and crooning a community version of 'Auld Lang Syne'. Here's a nice mix of history and nostalgia.) Complimenting a film that serves as a strong study of English life in the mid-fifties, the sets are intricate and realistic, the street vibrant with middle-class goings-on. What makes Davies' vision so curious is his flash-forwards into what seems to be the present, the streets and Bud's house abandoned, wrecked by decades of rain and neglect.
Terence Davies (who directed 'The Neon Bible' a couple of years after 'The Long Day Closes') has captured much of the down-time of childhood: what it is like to live in a loving family; to get left behind as your older brothers go off with their girlfriends; to sit for hours through stories that take you out of your own life, the beam of light flickering romantically just above your head, the darkness a close and valuable ally. I borrowed the film on video from our local library, and I'm glad I watched it. It sorely needs something more happening - sorry, but all poetic work and no play make Terence a dull boy. But for strong acting and camera work, 'The Long Day Closes' should be watched and studied for a long time to come.
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