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Seacoal

Type: Feature
Released: 1985
Length: 82 min.
Directed by: Murray Martin

Crew

Camera Peter Roberts

Editor Ellin Hare

Sound Elaine Drainville

Music Alasdair Robertson

Production Company Amber Films

Full credits (Main credits only)

Themes

Status

  • Shown in festivals
  • Available on DVD/VHS

Synopsis:

Betty and her daughter Corinna are introduced to the harsh seacoaling way of life by Ray, an ex-seacoaler returning from a job with ICI. His offer of a caravan on a cliff top and promises of the Klondyke that awaits them at least seem preferable to the violent marriage she has left behind. The film sets Betty's struggle for survival against the wider struggles of the seacoaling community, surviving on the fringes of capitalism. Despite the exploitation by a local entrepreneur, run-ins with dole snoops and School Board men and the ever encroaching regulations of a hostile council, their lives retain a kind of anarchic romance, which is reflected in the film's lyrical style.

Awards

Marks and Spencer Award, Tyneside, 1985
European Film Award, Munich, 1986


Links

www.amber-online.com
Synopsis:
Betty and her daughter Corinna are introduced to the harsh seacoaling way of life by Ray, an ex-seacoaler returning from a job with ICI. His offer of a caravan on a cliff top and promises of the Klondyke that awaits them at least seem preferable to the violent marriage she has left behind. The film sets Betty's struggle for survival against the wider struggles of the seacoaling community, surviving on the fringes of capitalism. Despite the exploitation by a local entrepreneur, run-ins with dole snoops and School Board men and the ever encroaching regulations of a hostile council, their lives retain a kind of anarchic romance, which is reflected in the film's lyrical style.

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