When The Bough Breaks Review

• 16th May 2011

When the Bough Breaks is a 1947 film by Gainsborough that deals with the taboo subject of a single mother having to give up her child for adoption. By the late 40s Britain was undergoing a radical social change after the Second World War and the ever growing call for female equality. By the mid-50s the UK film industry was producing a new wave of what became known as kitchen sink dramas. These films featured very real emotional situations that affected the lower classes in the north of Britain; dealing with teenage pregnancy, youth rebellion and other controversial subjects.

When the Bough Breaks‘ narrative now seems years ahead of its time, the style is in keeping with a regular melodrama but the content is far more challenging. Gainsborough had already pushed the envelope in terms of content with their lurid historical melodramas of the early 40s and When the Bough Breaks seems to represent a shift in focus for them from the historical to the present day, which was far more daring.

The central character is Lily Bates who, having just given birth to her child is told that her husband has been jailed. Leaving her as a single mother, she eventually finds a job but falls ill and begins to struggle to look after her child. A wealthy woman, who volunteers at the day care centre Lily uses, offers to take her son Jimmy while she’s ill. Having recovered she realises that her son is better off with his new family while she attempts to rebuild her life. The emotional heart of the film is reached when Lily decides she would like to have her son back after re-marrying.

Featuring excellent performances by Patricia Roc as Lily and Bill Owen as her future husband Bill Collins, the narrative is genuinely moving in the last third. The issue of adoption is met full on, with the resulting decision to get her son back being somewhat traumatic for all concerned. The one weak point is the performance of Cavan Malone as Jimmy which is awkward and lacks any level of depth. However, the core narrative is strong ensuring that this minor quibble doesn’t ruin the film.

The ground breaking aspect of When the Bough Breaks is the candid discussion of adoption and single parenthood well before it became commonplace in UK cinema. Ultimately everything works out for the best which can only be expected given that it was 1947 and audiences demanded a happy ending. Gainsborough actually closed within a few years of this film’s release as the marker began to change and a need for a new realism swept across British film. When the Bough Breaks seems to mark a watershed in terms of what producers and writers now deemed acceptable for a possible new audience.

Available for the first time on DVD in the UK the print is crisp and clean but sadly there are no extras.

Aled Jones