Question for major Mike Leigh fans…
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Torian06 — 14 years ago(April 10, 2011 05:50 PM)
Vera Drake
is the first movie of Leigh that got me curious and eager to see more of his films. Leigh's compassion for those caught in the contradictions of life and the considered essentials for living it like the law, the social conventions etc. is keenly felt in that film.
I found that I have to be very attentive when watching anyone of his films, there are surely to be subtleties one might miss if one is simply expecting to be entertained.
Truth inexorably,inscrutably seeks and reveals Itself into the Light. -
blacklives4ever — 14 years ago(April 17, 2011 01:50 PM)
If you have a vague idea of Mike Leigh's work and know what you're getting into, I'd say that any of his films would be a good place to start. All of his work is so different that it's hard to know what first-time viewers might like or dislike. I started with "Naked" and had never heard of Leigh, nor had any idea what I was getting into. The film disturbed and fascinated me and stayed in my mind for a long time afterward, but it didn't really sit well with me. A year later out of pure coincidence I saw "All or Nothing" and fell in love with it completely, but I still had that disturbed/fascinated feeling after watching. I realized it was the same director as "Naked," and since then I have been watching all of his films that I can get and there's not one that I really dislike. His earlier films like "Bleak Moments" and "Meantime" are rather slow and might be better to see after you get a taste for his work and find out if you really like it. I can't say the same for the BBC shorts of that time period, since I haven't seen any of them yet. "Vera Drake" is quite accessible and might be a good place to start.
"The success of the horror genre has led to its downfall."
-Dario Argento -
helene123 — 14 years ago(October 16, 2011 06:20 PM)
A great film is Abigail's Party. We saw a production of it in Chicago at a small theatre, so watched it again recently. It is great. However, my very favorite movie of all time is definitely Secrets and Lies.
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jaddison383 — 14 years ago(March 28, 2012 11:01 AM)
I started with Happy-Go-Lucky, and it's one of my favorite films now. But I've heard many people dislike it, or find the central character annoying. But there's my suggestion.
Father. Mother. Always you wrestle inside me. Always you will. -
Saltstorm2000 — 13 years ago(January 13, 2013 11:35 PM)
Happy-Go-Lucky was one of the later Leigh films I saw, and I think that helped me love it (it's in my top 40 all-time favourites). If I had seen Happy-Go-Lucky first, without being used to the world of Mike Leigh, I would probably be more likely to write it off and compare it to other films.
Naked was my entry, but Secrets & Lies would be a better starting point.
