Excited to find this Today ! Yesterday I stumbled across the 2005 film version of "Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont" starring Joan Plowright & Rupert Friend. I really loved that 2005 verison; it was so moving. Especially one moment when 'Desmond' takes out the guitar and impromtu sings a small piece of "For All We Know". As to this Play For Today version, I am only 13 minutes in and already the acting, the dialouge, the screenplay here is FAR, FAR, FAR more intelligent. I didn't know I was being patted on the head and being treated like a halfwit by the 2005 movie until seeing the first few minutes of this Play For Today by comparison.
1970. I was about 8. I saw this first today - so well done. Today my immediate neighbour (90 next year) has an ambulance at her house. Today I have thought of old age there and here. Where we go when we're old has never been easy. Hopefully I will die before all that. When we are younger we want a bit of peace and wish everyone were out of the house and when they leave older people get lonely.
Such silly British prejudice, being lonely while growing old. That depends entirely on one's attitude and socializing skills. British folks are so used to copy an established archetype, strictly within their class. As a Dutchie, I can't help thinking that tradition in Britain has a petrifying impact on its society. And the whining tone of some old ladies, with a helplessness that is merely pretense. Oh my! Hilarious, some of the actors, pretending to be polite, and interested, meanwhile slithering like salamanders inside. Gossiping behind each other's back, living in a rut, and rarely someone shows up with a mind of their own. For 5 years I've observed the terrible inhibition, in Britain. Seldom a straightforward opinion. It seems that the British fondness of tradition has turned unto itself, becoming a fossilized quality.
I should think that when I was young I enjoyed livelihood and company, while at an older age, 72, I enjoy peace and quiet, on my own, at home. I imagine you failed to make friends in your younger years, living in peace and quiet, leaving you lonely now, as a result of it. All of us have a choice to age gracefully, and participate in activities and events. It needs giving up feeling sorry for oneself.
@@devonseamoor Hi, this play is 50 or so years old and times have changed a little bit 🤣 I wouldn't argue with a lot of what you say, but there are many a folks that never followed the traditionally induced narrative. But yes Britain, if there is such a place anymore, has got some problems. 🤣😂🤣😂 Regards ✌♥️🇬🇧🤣😂🤣
@@soniavadnjal7553 Just an interpretation based on this play. Tragic if you are alone, broke and fragile. Tragic if you have nothing to look forward to and have money. Life is tragic!? Better not to have been born at all, then? That is why commuity is so important. Got to have something to look forward to.
I too am living this story, having seen this play on tv 50 years ago. A nasty bout of flu over Christmas has left me with peripheral neuropathy, the hospital being a little too keen not to have me taking up a bed, so now I’m home about to find out if I can manage to keep my independence. I’m certainly going to try.
Simply heartwrenching. Oh how I adored the character, Mrs Palfrey ( Dame Celia Johnson). What a splendid actress. And as for her 'grandson', well, he is quite delightful. Their touching 'story within a story' had me mesmerised. I enjoyed every moment of this 'Play For The Day' and must say a huge Thank You for sharing it with us. 1973 was a long, long time ago and perhaps there are no places like The Claremount now-a-day's, however human nature never changes. I thought it so touching that the character, Mrs Palfrey, should latch on to the idea that a total stranger ought to become her stand -in grandson. I have had the odd burst of laughter during this play but I've spent more time admiring the script and the acting from the leading players - Grand-mama and Grandson. I didn't want this play to end in the way it did, but as they say, all good things must end. To think that Dame Celia Johnson's film with the wonderful Trevor Howard (Brief Encounter - 1945) was my first introduction to her, golly, it has been a magical journey, for her, over the years. Thank you for sharing this production here on RU-vid. It has entertained me on a rather cold and windy Saturday evening. I must now have a browse through your Play For The Day library and see what else jumps out at me. I trust that I shall have to buy some more Kleenex to mop up my tears! I've just noticed that you downloaded this 11 months ago - November 2022. It has been viewed here 110,000 times! Good gracious. Quite a staggering amount of views. Thanks again for the entertainment. Splendid. I've decided to Subscribe to your channel seeing that you have quite a brilliant library, and, of course, very good taste!
Thought Celia didn't act later in life and so pleased to have come across this movie, Brief Encounter is one of my favourites that I see again at least once a year.
I search all the time for 'Play for Today' on tv, but seldom find anything. I found Alan Bennett's 'Sunset across the Bay' the other day. Very enjoyable.
I'm glad we don't have it today, it would be butchered by political correctness and virtue signalling writers, it's great to look back on these untouched gems of television that reflect a different age
This is a wonderful realisation of the great novel by Elizabeth Taylor. Her observations on human nature are perceptive and brutally honest. She should have had more recognition in her life time. Maybe she was ahead of her time in some ways.
My mum would have loved this, she was a great fan of Play for Today, and Wordsworth's "Daffodils" was one of her favourite poems. An unusually clear picture for 1973, many thanks for the upload
@@executivedecision6141 I suppose what I meant to say is that most of the shows and plays that are uploaded to youtube from the 70s have a poor picture quality, thanks again
@@kingofdubb2133 It depends on the source. If they're off-air in recent years or from DVD they look fine. But if they're from VHS tapes, any kind of quality if possible.
Don't panic! I am in my eighties now and make sure I steer clear of imagining my dotage. I received my BA and Masters in my seventies, so all is not lost. I believe Judy Dench is in her late eighties and still working and she is not the only one, I imagine.
@@pathopewell1814 Yes, I agree, I'm 62, but I think in terms of life and living, enjoying being curious and learning new things not looking towards a rocking chair and knitting and "waiting for God" because that's when you stop living/being part of life and finding joy in being out in the world, meeting people and watching nature. Long may you enjoy life and living, I know I intend to.🌹
I first saw this on TV way back in 1973 and greatly enjoyed it. Have spent the last 50 years hoping I might see it again. Saw another version several years ago and was disappointed. Thank you for uploading this; Celia Johnson is Mrs Palfrey.
YES! I believe I saw some of this when I lived in England in the early 80s. I just can't believe I'm seeing this again now! And I couldn't remember what it was called to look it up. Spectacular! British TV is my favorite, especially Play For Today.
One watches, and sympathises, and realises a similar fate may lie ahead for oneself. Celia Johnson has always been a huge favourite. Thank you for reminding us how genteel life used to be, and how age can rob one of all happiness.
This was like finding treasure. Trapped in her class Mrs Palfry would not go to a pub or enjoy a meal on her own at the Savoy, just not acceptable for a lady of that period. Such a small life left to her but developed by the author into a meaningful one. So gently played by Cecelia Johnson and cast. So much horror in old age and loneliness for so many. Brenda
I've reached 70 now & in the early 1970s in my late teens I thought if I died at 70 I couldn't complain & here I am, alone, no family or friends. We just are not catered for now. If I died in my house I would lay here for months. Hey ho.
So glad I found this, nothing can beat quality British drama. I did find the subject matter sad, especially the ending. But that's not a reflection on the quality of this rare and memorable episode...💐💐
@@minkgin3370 I can't think of a better way of telling a story about how family isn't always related by blood, or how your soul mate might not be your age or a romance, but it's good to meet them in many ways.
Thank you so much for the upload. I love these play for today’s. I wish they would come out DVD. I would love them so much. I live in the US and I am addicted to British television!
In NZ, these plays were played on telly on Sunday evenings which I always used to think, that watching them, was the perfect ending to the weekend. These were the last days, the 70's to 80's, when the BBC produced excellent programmes before they became politically correct. So grateful to the people who put these on-line.
It’s sad how Rising Damp for instance is now frowned upon in spite of the joke being on stupid Rigsby - he believing he’s smarter than his tenants particularly Phillip fooling him that he was an African prince etc. The audience or public are treated as if they’re stupid nowadays . I may be wrong but I believe that Warren Mitchell whom played Alf Garnett in Till Deaf us do Part moved out of Britain after being constantly hassled for being a racist whilst his character was considered ridiculous & nasty enough even in those days by anyone with half a brain !
Lovely time spent with Mrs. Palfrey et al at the Claremont. I am pleased her grandson- of-choice shared Coleridge's superb poem before she died. Thank you from Hawai'i❤️.
@@trevormcgaughran9351 My dear husband's favourite poem. I recited it to him as he died a cruel death from Parkinson's & dementia here at our wretched nursing home. Played Beethoven's Ode to Joy. I don't know if he could hear or not. Growing old is not for the faint of heart. Just glad he wasn't left to face death alone.
Thank you, you're very kind. I tried but I don't know. The last words he spoke to me were 'This place has broken my spirit. How could you abandon me here for all these years?' Yes, he had dementia (& bipolar disorder) but I should have tried harder to move us to a better place. Now I'm in a different but equally dysfunctional home in another city, Toronto. My room is infested with cockroaches. I found them crawling out of his ashes. The shock gave me a TIA. My punishment, I guess. I think Abraham Lincoln said something like 'Sir, with all the cares upon my shoulders, if I did not laugh I should cry.' I do a bit of both.@@LH-ot5rk
Being 66 myself I wasn't sure I could bare this, but since it was British I went ahead. It was lovely, and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes profiles of personalities. Pour a glass of wine, or do what I did, pottered in the kitchen by myself making dinner.
I would have understood this in 1973, I was only 4. But I understand it now. My mother in law was gone quite frail the last years of her life. I'd bring her to mass on Sunday's, my husband her son would go over to her house every night and watch a few programmes with her. We miss her now so much, when they are gone, it leaves a space. It's really important to include elderly because you will be that person one day. I wonder why the elderly ladies had no pet dogs.☘️
I had an experience like this as a young English teacher in Japan with a much older but very well preserved and kind Japanese woman. It was really strange at times, I kept thinking "if you were 30 years younger I'd ask you to marry me!"... It's sad how time separates people of different generations who might otherwise have been very happy together.
I saw this film with Joan Plowright as Mrs Palfrey, great film. The name Claremont resonated as I grew up in the suburb of Claremont in Perth. I love these gentle olde worlde characters and slower pace.
A magnificent play a real pleasure to see and Celia Johnson never fails to get me hooked on every performance i have seen her appear in. This was stunning.
Many of us who were young in the 1970s when this was made are of a similar age now and living like this and in a time and world 2024 we thought we would never see or experience ,a lot are alone in rooms with computers but detached as everything has closed down ,even the young are suffering more loneliness depression mental disorders etc /shocking what's happened /great drama sad x
So true, I can’t believe I’m nearly her age now. Rewatching it I note the added sadness of her going there alone, no friend or relative to be with her to offer some comfort in her situation.
Enjoyed this a lot. Very touching and heartwarming even though there's a sad undercurrent. Celia Johnson had beauty and elegance. Played the character perfectly. It reminded me at times of the play Separate Tables. I found this accidentally when doing the RU-vid equivalent of channel surfing. If anyone can recommend any other similar plays, please do. ❤
Thisbplay really makes you think we go through life working buyingthings collecting things and at the end all we really need is a room warmth food and clothes and everything we collected has gone
Right from the start, I knew I was going to like this, then as I was in for about 10 minutes, I realized that I had seen the earlier version out in 2005. This version has more character, love the clothes and decor and the characters felt so real.
She had a better relationship & more things in common with her pretend grandson than her real one. I was so glad that he paid her back, I was a bit worried when he asked her for the loan - I thought that he would take advantage of her.
It's so good to see that there are still roles for actors as they age. A poignant play made all the more so by my being 81 and, despite still active and healthy, having to come to terms with my mortality. It does, however, harden my resolve to avoid being shunted off to an Aged Care Facility! BTW Not THAT Elizabeth Taylor
I remember seeing this as I quickly flicked through all Three channels incase I missed something interesting before turning off for bed. I loved these 70s plays, thought provoking stories. It's great to see it again in my mid 50s Thank you.
I doubt whether viewers today could cope with an understated, slow-moving and intricate play lasting one hour and twenty-four minutes. It captured very well the faded grandeur of a hotel paying its way as a genteel home for widows and a rare widower but not quite a nursing home. I think Mr Osmont stole the show with his proposal but Celia Johnson held it together with her sad but graceful performance.
I didn't think it was depressing, rather uplifting. I'm also watching a movie on youtube made in 1987 called "Escape from Sobibor" a true story of how a group of Jewish prisoners organised and successfully executed a mass escape from a Nazi Death camp in eastern Poland, it is so heavy and depressing that I can only watch a little at a time!
What a wonderful piece of television. When I was younger, I became friends with a lady in her 90s who, though a little bit shaky on her feet, had an intellect as sharp as a tack. She was absolutely convinced in the existence of a supreme being (God, if you like) and she'd patiently sit and listen to my doubts without ever criticising. When she did pass away, I wasn't sad for her as she was actually looking forward to doing so. I did then, and still do, envy her her faith and absolute certainty which must be a great comfort as one grows old.
The friendship shared with the one who really mattered is what really mattered till the very end of living.. something that was cherished by both.. Elizabeth Taylor who wrote this gave a perspective that was sensitive and of equal portion to both Mrs Palfrey and her faux grandson ❤
When I was a tradesman I always tried to treat old folks as people rather than old people but the downside was by charming them too much could lead to time being consumed which I couldn’t afford - but rather that than the brusque treatment many co workers dished out . 👍
At least the Mrs Palfreys of today don’t have to book in to hotels like this, there are better options like retirement villages with nice facilities. My heart sank for her as she walked along that spartan corridor to her room and the bleak room that was to be ‘home’.
TRULY DELIGHTFUL AND SO REALISTIC THE SETTING WAS WONDERFUL THEY COULD NOT AND WOULD NOT ACHIEVE THE PERFECT CAMEO TODAY IT HAS A TIMELESS QUALITY AN ABSOLUTE GEM THE ENDING WAS SO REAL THE UNCARING AND INCONVENIENCED FAMILY WHO HAD NO UBDERSTANDING AND WERE TOO BUSY TO bother TURN UP IN DISMISSIVE MOOD THE PRETEND GRANDSON was kind and put on a good act TGEN AFTER disappointing GRANDMOTHER came good at THE END AND COMFORTED HER VERY LAST MOMENT as he said HE NEEDED HER IN FACT THEY NEEDED EACHOTHER their real relatives FOR BOTH OF THEM WERE alien to their SOULS
