Every Day Except Christmas

Every Day Except Christmas

Infobox Film
name = Every Day Except Christmas


image_size =
caption =
director = Lindsay Anderson
producer = Karel Reisz
Leon Clore
writer =
narrator =
starring =
music =
cinematography =
editing =
distributor =
released =
runtime = 37 minutes
country = flagicon|UK UK
language = English
budget =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website =
amg_id =
imdb_id =

"Every Day Except Christmas" is a 37-minute documentary film made at Covent Garden in 1957 and directed by Lindsay Anderson. It was produced by Karel Reisz and Leon Clore under the sponsorship of Ford of Britain, the first of the "Look At Britain" series.

"Every Day" and other short, mostly documentary films made within two or three years, reflected the concept of Free Cinema, ["a term coined by critic and film-maker Lindsay Anderson ("if....", "O Lucky Man!"), when he, Karel Reisz ("Saturday Night and Sunday Morning"), Tony Richardson ("A Taste of Honey", "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner") and Lorenza Mazzetti screened a programme of their short films at the National Film Theatre on 5 February 1956."] , films which were "free" in the sense that they were made outside the traditional structure of filmmaking.

ynopsis

Opening with a title card dedicating the film to about seven or eight of the drivers/loaders and market workers whom we’ll meet as the film progresses, Anderson establishes the rituals of the daily routine; the loading of the lorries, the post-midnight drive through the deserted country and city streets as, voice over, the BBC Light Programme's announcer says goodnight, signs off, and the national anthem, "God Save the Queen" plays.“All these roads leads to Covent Garden” says the narrator, writer Alun Owen, and then there flows a series of images of the market workers slowly beginning their night's work, work which they do 364 days a year. As the “streets are stirring”, the vegetables and flowers begin to arrive and stalls are gradually set up; the overall pace of the editing picks up as the activity increases and the rhythm of night establishes itself.

Up to this point, the rhythm of the film parallels that of the activities it portrays; the steady pace of the loading and arrival at Covent Garden gives way to a faster pace of editing as Anderson carefully establishes mood and feeling by focusing on the activities of several of the individual workers who are introduced to us by name. There's some casual bantering, some jokes, some time for a cup of tea, but it's mostly steady work. A montage of shots follows and it establishes the routine: flower and vegetable boxes are being opened and set up, their contents exposed for the buyers, lorries are unloaded, deliveries are being made to the stallholders until, finally all is ready.

So "Every Day" proceeds by respecting the dignity of the market workers and their roles in the rhythm of the market's operations. Then the pace slows again: it's time for a breather before the buyers arrive. This time Anderson allows his camera and the pace of his editing to focus on many of the individuals relaxing; these include not only the market workers, but the “night time habitués” of the market cafes where they can get a cup of tea, have a chat, snooze a bit, and prepare themselves for the next phase.

By 4 a.m. the market is empty, the streets are empty; the camera pans across silent rows of flower and vegetable stalls. We wait. “Daylight brings traffic back to the market” says the narrator, and the mood quickly changes. It's suddenly busier, noisier, and the film's rhythms reflect this. The familiar sound of the BBC Home Service announcer's “good morning” is heard against the arrival of many of the corporate buyers, those from big store chains. By 7am business is brisk, and this is reflected in the many voice-overs we hear with snippets of conversation, orders being taken, porters given instructions, all the natural sounds of market activity placed over a montage of constant movement. Then, as movement is “steadily outwards” there's a sequence of porters (originally, we are told, all were women; only one remains, Alice, an elderly woman) with boxes of all sorts, many mounted on their heads, moving the produce and flowers out to waiting lorries and larger barrows.

As the market activity slows by about 8 a.m, once again the film's pacing reflects a quieter time in the workers’ day. Cafes are busy again and older female flower sellers (shades of "Pygmalion") look for bargains as we hear their chatter about the old days when every man wore a flower. “By 11am there's nothing left” and loading of big lorries going out into the country is well under way. In a montage of loaded lorries leaving the market (not surprisingly, perhaps, a few of which are made by Ford) the activities have come full circle: the market's day ends where it began, and film comes to an end with a review of the faces of the market workers to whom the film is dedicated.

Critical reaction

As noted by critic Christophe Dupin [ [http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/438953/ See "screenonline" below] ] : "The film evokes what Anderson has called the ‘poetry of everyday life’ and has the best lyrical qualities of the wartime films of Anderson's idol Humphrey Jennings."

References and External links


* [http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/438953/ BFI's "screenonline" on "Every Day Except Christmas"] .


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • day — noun 1 period of 24 hours ADJECTIVE ▪ the following, (the) next ▪ the previous ▪ the other ▪ I was in your area the other day (= recently). ▪ …   Collocations dictionary

  • Christmas worldwide — Christmas around the world redirects here. For other uses, see Christmas Around the World (Bradley Joseph album). The Christmas season is celebrated in different ways around the world, varying by country and region. Elements common to many areas… …   Wikipedia

  • Christmas tree — For other uses, see Christmas tree (disambiguation). A lit up Christmas Tree with ornaments [1] The Christmas tree, also known as a Yule tree, is a decorated evergreen coniferous tree, real o …   Wikipedia

  • Christmas tree cultivation — A Christmas tree farmer in the U.S. state of Florida explains the pruning and shearing process of cultivation to a government employee. Christmas tree cultivation is an agricultural, forestry, and horticultural occupation which involves growing… …   Wikipedia

  • Name day — A Swedish calendar page from 1712 with name days listed A name day is a tradition in many countries in Europe and Latin America that consists of celebrating the day of the year associated with one s given name. The custom originated with the… …   Wikipedia

  • Christmas — Day redirects here. For other uses, see Christmas (disambiguation) and Christmas Day (disambiguation). Christmas …   Wikipedia

  • Christmas — • Provides a detailed overview of the holiday from the fourth century through the modern age. Includes links to related topics Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Christmas     Christmas …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall — Single by Coldplay from the album Mylo Xyloto …   Wikipedia

  • Christmas Bird Count — The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is a census of birds in the Western Hemisphere, performed annually in the early Northern hemisphere winter by volunteer birders. The purpose is to provide population data for use in science, especially conservation… …   Wikipedia

  • Christmas Conference (Methodism) — Part of a series on Methodism John Wesley …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”