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The Uncle (1965 film)

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The Uncle
Directed byDesmond Davis
Screenplay by
  • Desmond Davis
  • Margaret Abrams
Based onThe Uncle (1962 novel)
by Margaret Abrams
StarringRupert Davies
CinematographyManny Wynn
Edited byBrian Smedley-Aston
Music byJohn Addison
Distributed byBritish Lion Film Corporation
Release date
  • 18 July 1966 (1966-07-18)
Running time
87 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The Uncle is a 1965 British drama film directed by Desmond Davis and starring Rupert Davies.[1][2] It was written by Davis and Margaret Abrams.

Premise

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Seven-year-old Gus faces trouble when his difficult seven-year-old nephew Tom arrives to spend the summer holidays with his family.[3]

Cast

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Critical reception

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Variety wrote: "Although the firm control of director Davis is evident throughout, he has been fortunate in having a cast that is entirely excellent, particularly young Robert Duncan as Gus (only a British child could look so profound at seven) ... Manny Wynn's crisp black-andwhite camerawork makes good use of the English countryside and some of the individual scenes are beautifully framed ... Other technical credits are excellent although the editing, credited to Brian Smedley-Aston, is difficult to judge, because of the post-production dissension on the handling of the film. According to one source, some short scenes have been eliminated and others have been moved about. The pre-title sequences were, supposedly, originally part of the main body of the film. As there is a tendency to cross-cut and rapidly, this could be easily believed, but the overall effect of the film is still great enough to warrant its being a very pleasant adventure for all filmgoers."[4]

InThe Radio Times Guide to Films Adrian Turner gave the film 4/5 stars, writing: "This little charmer caused controversy by being denied a release for two years, during which time the film was slightly re-edited against its director's wishes. But The Uncle is one of the cinema's most inventive and perceptive portraits of childhood. It's about a seven-year-old boy (Robert Duncan) who becomes an uncle rather suddenly. The shock of the birth catapults him into an emotional crisis, leading to isolation from his family and schoolfriends. Filmed in and around Plymouth, it's a touching story, and beautifully performed."[5]

Leslie Halliwell wrote "Its failure to find a release got it championed by some critics, but it's essentially a thin piece of work."[6]

The Spinning Image called the film "a little gem deserving of a wider audience."[7]

References

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  1. ^ "The Uncle". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  2. ^ "The Uncle (1964)". Archived from the original on 26 November 2018.
  3. ^ "The Uncle (1965) Desmond Davis, Rupert Davies, Brenda Bruce, Robert Duncan, Drama - RareFilm". rarefilm.net.
  4. ^ "The Uncle". Variety. 243 (9): 7. 20 July 1966. ProQuest 1017136110.
  5. ^ Radio Times Guide to Films (18th ed.). London: Immediate Media Company. 2017. p. 974. ISBN 9780992936440.
  6. ^ Halliwell, Leslie (1989). Halliwell's Film Guide (7th ed.). London: Paladin. p. 1065. ISBN 0586088946.
  7. ^ "Uncle, The Review (1965)". www.thespinningimage.co.uk.
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