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Laughterhouse (1984)

Director: Richard Eyre

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From Time Out Film Guide

When one of farmer Holm's pluckers loses a joint off his finger in the plucking machine and the TGWU block the transport of his Christmas geese to market, he determines to take them on foot from Norfolk to Smithfield. The anti-union stance is soon conveniently dropped as the trek turns into a protest against factory farming, with another bunch of media shits (cf The Ploughman's Lunch) tagging along for the story. Presumably intended as a tribute to the continuing virtues of British pluck, the result is rather more off-putting than stirring. The main problem is that Eyre, as in the past, seems unable to invest his characters with a modicum of sympathy. That the film should have been 'inspired' by Howard Hawks' Red River is a point best glossed over. Comparisons are indeed odious.

Author: JP

Time Out Film Guide

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Cast & crew

Director: Richard Eyre

Producer: Ann Scott

Cast: Ian Holm, Penelope Wilton, Bill Owen, Richard Hope, Stephen Moore, Rosemary Martin full cast

Duration: 93 mins


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