7. Poor Cow (1967)
Joy seems to go through her life making the most appalling choices. This is particularly true when it comes to the men in her life. When she is 18, she runs away with Tom whom she marries and has a son with. Tom is a thief who beats her up and verbally abuses her. He soon ends up in jail and Joy becomes involved with his mate Dave. He offers her a measure of happiness but ends up in jail too. From there on it is a slippery slope for Joy who gets a series of low rent jobs - eventually prostituting herself. It isn't until her child goes missing that Joy discovers the important things in life. Filmed like a docudrama - like director Ken Loach was a fly on the wall, Poor Cow is a masterpiece of gritty realism. This can be seen right from the beginning when we are treated to graphic footage of Joy giving birth to her son. the film is a sort of antithesis to Swinging 1960s London. Behind the gay facade there were proletarian women making stupid decisions, facing desperate poverty and eventual prostitution. Carol White is so good in her role as Joy and Terence Stamp is spellbinding in his role as the charismatic criminal Dave who briefly flutters around Carol. The acting in Poor Cow is very naturalistic. Joy has frequent monologues to the camera. But you know, this ain't Hollywood. Ken Loach wanted to send a strong social commentary in the film. He is intent on uncovering social inequality where he finds it. His films have a strong message but unlike Brecht (who I studied for A Level German and later at university) I do not find Loach to be didactic. His camera just simply speaks for itself - however the actions of the character play out.