Word: mumness
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...year that has taken its toll on the entire family. Diana threw herself into her many charities, but she kept some distance from Buckingham Palace. It was hard to know who was dissing whom. The Princess was conspicuously absent from Trooping the Color in June and the Queen Mum's birthday in August...
Throughout the film Leigh's vision of London is stark. His tendency to hold the camera completely still lends the narrative an almost documentary quality--Leigh rests on Cyril's mum's lined and bitter face or on a view of her gloomy kitchen. Pauses like these counterbalance the near-hysteria of Leigh's social caricatures. And the breathing space they provide force one to contemplate how close to reality those caricatures are. Because you can take it from me that British society does still revolve around antiquated, almost tribal social rituals. And Mike Leigh does dissect them with...
This will only be seen as a "feelgood" movie bythose who can thank their stars that they're notBritish. But Leigh somehow manages to steer clearof unmitigated pessimism. There are some greatone-liners, for example Vivien's classic blunder:"I would like to propose a toast to mum's birthday'cos it may be her last." There is also, inCyril's enduring idealism and his tenderness forboth Shirley and his mother, a reminder of theimportance of maintaining "high hopes...
...commandant, announced -- without consulting Aspin -- that the corps would refuse to accept married recruits as of Sept. 30, 1995. The political equivalent of a fragmentation grenade, Mundy's directive would have created a paradoxical situation in which the Marines would accept gay recruits -- as long as they kept mum about their sexual orientation -- but not married heterosexuals. "If they are not allowed to be homosexuals and they're not allowed to be married," asked Representative Pat Schroeder, "what are they supposed to do -- take cold showers...
Although his part is small, Bryan Van Gorder proves memorable as Mike's "Mum." The mother dreams of a life of art and manners as an escape from her marriage. Richard Nash as the bitter husband provides the play's best moment with his demonstration of a 1939 riot using his lunch. As he spews hatred for the Jews he marched against, he spews cupcake, strawberry jam, and hot cross buns all over the stage and the audience...