Ethel & Ernest
I finally caught up with Ethel & Ernest last night, Raymond Briggs' tribute to his parents which has been adapted from a graphic novel into a 90 minute feature. T.he story covers their lives together through the events of wartime Britain and the birth of their son, with bright colourful animation beautifully recreating Briggs' visual style. It was certainly a different time as one finds it difficult to imagine that a midwife would chastise an expectant wife for causing "such a fuss" during childbirth these days.
The tale of happy go lucky milkman Ernest and the aspirational Ethel (she delights in young Raymond's acceptance into a grammar school) feels idyllic for much of its running time. This is of course shattered by the events of the Second World War, with scenes that take a genuinely perilous turn. The film is at its funniest when commenting on the issues on the day, like Ernest's failure to describe homosexuality to his wife. Briggs also nicely captures the insufferable nature of mothers which most sons will relate to, when she repeatedly insists that Raymond use a comb.
If the film has a failing it's that the audience only see certain snapshots of scenes from the Briggs' lives. For example, when Raymond is brought home in a police van for breaking, entering and theft, the story fails to elaborate on why he felt compelled to commit the crime. But Briggs may well argue that this is his parents' story and not his.
That story comes to a conclusion in 1971 and a couple of scenes towards the film's conclusion are as blunt and brutal as anything I've seen in animation as the couple reach the end of their lives. It's a considerable tonal shift but Briggs refuses to shy away from the truth. As a simple portrait of an ordinary marriage between two ordinary people, Ernest & Ethel excels.
The tale of happy go lucky milkman Ernest and the aspirational Ethel (she delights in young Raymond's acceptance into a grammar school) feels idyllic for much of its running time. This is of course shattered by the events of the Second World War, with scenes that take a genuinely perilous turn. The film is at its funniest when commenting on the issues on the day, like Ernest's failure to describe homosexuality to his wife. Briggs also nicely captures the insufferable nature of mothers which most sons will relate to, when she repeatedly insists that Raymond use a comb.
If the film has a failing it's that the audience only see certain snapshots of scenes from the Briggs' lives. For example, when Raymond is brought home in a police van for breaking, entering and theft, the story fails to elaborate on why he felt compelled to commit the crime. But Briggs may well argue that this is his parents' story and not his.
That story comes to a conclusion in 1971 and a couple of scenes towards the film's conclusion are as blunt and brutal as anything I've seen in animation as the couple reach the end of their lives. It's a considerable tonal shift but Briggs refuses to shy away from the truth. As a simple portrait of an ordinary marriage between two ordinary people, Ernest & Ethel excels.
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