J. Lee Thompson’s 1957 working-class drama showcases a tour de force performance from Yvonne Mitchell as the slatternly housewife of the title whose uptight husband (AnthonyQuayle) is lured away by a younger woman (Sylvia Syms).
It’s relentlessly downbeat and claustrophobic, but Ted Willis’ script avoids easy recrimination.
Mitchell’s Amy Preston, warm-hearted, chaotic and close to a breakdown, still feels startlingly modern, and the scene where a rainstorm scuppers her attempt at self-improvement is heartbreaking.
Her performance deservedly netted her a Silver Bear at Berlin.
