Family Life
Ken Loach’s film remake of his earlier TV drama In Two Minds explores the treatment of a teenager’s schizophrenia.
Family Life is a remake of David Mercer’s TV play In Two Minds, which had been filmed by Ken Loach four years previously. The broadcast of the latter provoked controversy, owing to its negative portrayal of the received treatment for schizophrenia. Family Life, like In Two Minds, promotes the theories of psychiatrist R.D. Laing, who did not believe that schizophrenia was a brain disease but a psychological syndrome that “cannot be understood without understanding despair”.
In Family Life, a troubled nineteen-year-old’s mental condition is exacerbated by her unfeeling relatives, and the cold and ineffective solutions of medical practitioners, who prescribe drug and electro-convulsive therapy.
For a very different take on schizophrenia, see Russell Crowe's Oscar-nominated portrayal of maths genius John Nash in A Beautiful Mind (2001).
Cast & credits
Cast
- Janice Baildon Sandy Ratcliff
- Mrs Baildon Grace Cave
- Mr Baildon Bill Dean
- Barbara Baildon Hilary Martyn
- Mr Carswell Alan Macnaughtan
- Dr Donaldson Michael Riddall
- Tim Malcolm Tierney
- man in the garden Johnny Gee
- cast member Bernard Atha
- cast member Edwin Brown
- cast member Freddie Clemson
- cast member Alec Coleman
- cast member Jack Connell
- cast member Ellis Dale
- cast member Terry Duggan
- cast member Rossana Garofala
- cast member Muriel Hunt
- cast member Jason James
- cast member David Markham
- cast member Julie May
- cast member Eleanor Montoya
- cast member Myrtle Mckenzie
- cast member Liz Mackenzie
- cast member Ena Owen
- cast member Ann Penfold
- cast member Jill Richards
- cast member Rita Russell
- cast member Rosario Serrano
- cast member Allan Travell
- cast member Doremy Vernon
- cast member Chris Webb
- cast member Dorothy White
- ambulance man Dudley Sutton
- patient in Dr Donaldson's clinic Anthony Phipps
Credits
Direction
- Director Ken Loach
- Assistant Director Sean Hudson
- Continuity Penny Eyles
Rights
Production
- A Kestrel film Kestrel Films
- Presents Nat Cohen
- For Anglo-EMI
- Producer Tony Garnett
- Associate Producer Irving Teitelbaum
- Production Executive Bob Blues
- Production Manager Keith Evans
Writing
- Screenplay by David Mercer
- Based on his own TV play 'In Two Minds' David Mercer
Photography
- Photography Charles Stewart
- Lighting by Lee Electric (Lighting)
Editing
- Editor Roy Watts
Design
- Art Director Bill McCrow
Costumes
- Wardrobe Daphne Dare
Film processing
- Colour by Technicolor
Music
- Music Marc Wilkinson
Sound
- Sound Recordist Fred Sharp
- Sound Recordist Gerry Humphreys
- Sound Recorded at Twickenham Film Studios
- Dubbing Editor Peter Elliott
Consultant
- This Film Was Also Made by Vivienne Ablett
- This Film Was Also Made by Barbara Allen
- This Film Was Also Made by Sophie Baker
- This Film Was Also Made by John Batt
- This Film Was Also Made by Dennis Brennan
- This Film Was Also Made by Christopher Cook
- This Film Was Also Made by Jimmy Cowan
- This Film Was Also Made by George Crawford
- This Film Was Also Made by Paul Cuff
- This Film Was Also Made by Arthur Day
- This Film Was Also Made by Billy Draper
- This Film Was Also Made by Bernard Ellis
- This Film Was Also Made by Paul Fell
- This Film Was Also Made by Maureen Gregson
- This Film Was Also Made by Evan Hercules
- This Film Was Also Made by Geoffrey Hill
- This Film Was Also Made by Richard Laughton
- This Film Was Also Made by Dennis Lay
- This Film Was Also Made by Janet Law
- This Film Was Also Made by Gay Lawley-wakelin
- This Film Was Also Made by Terry Lewis
- This Film Was Also Made by Don Maton
- This Film Was Also Made by Julian Miller
- This Film Was Also Made by Michael Monks
- This Film Was Also Made by Geoff Mulligan
- This Film Was Also Made by Michael Murchan
- This Film Was Also Made by George Noonan
- This Film Was Also Made by Bryan Oates
- This Film Was Also Made by Ron Pearce
- This Film Was Also Made by Richard Pointing
- This Film Was Also Made by Jack Roche
- This Film Was Also Made by Joy Seddon
- This Film Was Also Made by Ivan Strasburg
- This Film Was Also Made by Tony Teiger
- This Film Was Also Made by Jeremy Thomas
- This Film Was Also Made by John Woodley