The Jealous God

As this 1960s-set Yorkshire melodrama proves, it’s hard to do period on a budget. It’s also hard to create a convincing sense of a bygone era when you cast actors best known for contemporary television roles. Jason Merrells (‘Cutting It’, ‘Casualty’) stars as Vincent, a bored teacher torn between his Catholic family and his new girlfriend Laura (Mairead Carty, ‘Family Affairs’), who is both Protestant and – gasp! – divorced. On the plus side, there’s enough passion in their bedroom fumbles to create some authentic stubble rash. But other scenes, such as Vincent’s run-ins with his flirtatious sister-in-law (overplayed by Denise Welch, ‘Coronation Street’), are dominated by a gloomy score and stilted dialogue. With its dreary demeanour and uneven tone, the film fails to exploit dramatically the religious preoccupations of John Braine’s autobiographical source novel. In fact, you need to read the book to fathom the emotional response Woodcock was aiming for.