LOVE ON THE DOLE
a film blog by Alan Ewing
“Love On The Dole” is a 1941 British film which features Deborah Kerr in the lead role. Based in Northern climes the film portrays the lot of the working class and the poverty stricken conditions that they had to endure in the 1930s. The film is a masterpiece, and its backing came from all layers of British society as the war effort at the time brought people together like never before. After World War Two a Labour socialist government would emerge 1945-51 which reflected the socially inclusive intent of the United Kingdom.
The purpose here is not so much as to give a plot rundown of the film, as that would ruin the viewing experience for anyone seeing it for the first time. Rather it is to reflect on the issues that the work raises and also how they relate to to Deborah Kerr’s character, Sally, has a boyfriend who talks in public about socialism, which was a rising star at the time. Within this, he has to stave off militants who wish to take more extreme paths. The film also raises questions about what the poor and afflicted are often forced to do by poverty. This is sybolised by the pursuit of Sally by the local spiv, who tells her she can have anything she wants if she gives in to his advances.
Overall, this film is well worth checking out. Based on the novel by Walter Greenwood, it has also been performed as a play …
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