‘I COULD MAKE A LONG LIST OF GOOD THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN MANY OF MY FILMS'
l’erplexingl}. Hap/it'-(iu-Im-Ai~ xeemx tu he getting it had pt‘exx heeatixe (II. the gtitid lliiltgx
that happen iii it. But I euuld make a lung lixt ul'
guud tliiiigx that happen in man} ul' m} lilmxf l'mxilliiig tu unraxel the xuhte\tx ur dig uut the
le_\ linex that run thruugli liix ueuire. Leigh puurx
xeurii uti m} xuggextiuii tliat l’upp} ix haxiealh a
pruphetie idiut xaiant e\puxing the greed and erl
ahxurptiuti eating iiitu the heart ul' lil'e iii Britain: ur that lie deliherateh eaxt tlie hrilliant Ilil\\l\lll\ lur lier rexenihlanee tu the late great aetrexx Katriii (‘artlidge \\I]U pla}ed anutlier llak} \i'urking girl in liix underrated I007 drama (‘un'er (Hr/x. lle L‘\L‘ll getx a little hit teteli} \\llL‘li l axk him ahuut the mutiiatiun l'ur. and the dei'elupment ul. eeitaiii ke) xeenex iii the liliii. ()l‘ a memurahle xequenee in \\ liieli the inehriated l’upp} \iatidet‘x tliruugli an induxtrial \iaxtegruttnd \\lIll ati itixane Vagrant. Leigh linall)‘ reletitx that: "l'here iiax the memut') ul‘ an e\perienee there ul‘ “gud tliix ix “end. where am l'.""
l.eigli heeumex inure animated un the .xuhjeet ul Seutt. the ttptiglit and utiliinged dri\ing itixtruetur in the lilm. \\ liuxe pt'eiudieial raiitx and ixulatiunixm euntraxt \lllll'pl} \\l[ll l’uppy‘x
heguiling xenxe ul ineluxiun and kindnexx. lle xa}x: "liliere ix a line ul liumurlexx paranuid peuple in m} lilmx and he ix the latext iii that lung litie. l-ur tiie the thing tliat'x interextitig ahuut Seutt ix that all thix xtul'l' lie'x read. itix all xlupping aruuiid iii hix head htit he duexii‘t underxtand an} ul~ it reall). he duexn‘t make euiiiieetiunx. lie'x nut pereeptiie reall}. lie‘x eertainl} nut in tuueli \\lIll liix uun emutiunx. heix gut all kiiidx ul' latte} ideax ahutit teaeliitig and he'x the uurxt teaelier iii the \xurld
littxiL‘ull}. and til L‘tittl'xe I’iipp} 'x xeltxe til
humuur hritigx uut the \xurxt in him iii a \xa} him. But nut tuix_\'nipatlietieall}. it ix iuxt her \ia} ul dealing u itli the xituatiuii.‘
l'iur all hix hhil'l‘iiexx. there eati he little dutiht l.eigli‘.x \Hll'lx lll hutli theatre and film re\ealx a eumniitnient tu xueial realixm. xell-el‘l'aeement atid an tuideniahle eunxeienee. lle ix alxu iii the unique puxitiun that. dexpile the \;ii‘_\ing l'ut‘tunex ul lii.x lilmx truth the eritieal and interttatiunal xtieeexx ul' Saw/x and Hex tu the puur perl'urnianee til the higger hudget tat L'lllm liix tiiuxt e\penxi\ e In datei enxenihle periud drama 'lii/ixi'iliu‘iji'. he ix xtill allu\\ ed tu make the lilmx lie \xantx \\ itliuttt heing liaraxxed h} mune) men. ‘lt’x heeauxe ul the \ia} l \i'urk.‘ he e\plaiti.x. \\lIll tlie niunihled eanduur ul a naught} xehuulhu} \\ll(l liax heen getting aua} \\llll .xumething liur lar tuu lung. '\\'e dun't knuix llt)\\ it‘x guing tu he. \ie \iuii't dixeuxx eaxting. the} ean either take it ur lea\e
heeauxe xlle pal‘tidiex
it and \er_\ ulten tlie_\’\e lelt II and it liaxn't happened. Vuu'ie util} xeen the unex that happened. it’x in the nature ul the thing that pruteetx me I xuppuxe ma \\a_\, lint l |uxt \xanl tu gu uut there and make it tip reall_\,'
|)expite hix prhileged puxitiuti leigh temanix xkeptieal ahuut the health ul the liritixli liliii itiduxtr}: ‘l \xuuld lu\e tu he uptimixtie. l'lieie are a lut ul’ \er_\ talented _\uung peuple uut thete and peuple are xtill guing tu the einenia and IllL‘l‘L‘ are \Illl llllllx 10 he made. .\lltl Ilix giiiitl neux that neu teehnulug} meanx peuple ean aetuall} get their handx uti equipment tu make tliitigx elieapl}. \Vliat‘x iiut guud ne\\x ix that there ix nut euuugli xuppurt lur peuple tu make tliitigx uninhihitedl}. I’euple dun't truxt peuple enuugh tu gu utit there and take rixkx. l'ni \er_\ luek} heeatixe all the milk l’xe e\er dune liax heen made \xliet‘e li\.e heen lt'tlxled hi gii till atid itixt du it \\ itliutit eummitteex lurmiiig.~
l‘ur liti\\ l.eigli ix hux} pruniuting llu/i/ii (in lair/tr \\lllL‘ll ix xuun tu upen iti l'raiiee (\xliere |.eigli'x lilnix are aduredi and liax itixt heen pieked tip h_\ .\lirama\ ha ['8 dixtrihtitiun. lle relttxex tu talk ahuut luture pruieetx lllllll lie liax had a ehatiee tu appruaeh a le\\ peuple. .r\x helitx hix eliaraeter. lie e\plainx he ix keeping eier}tliing 'tueked ;i\\;i}' \xhile euntititiing tu he inlurmed h} a 'pendulum ul e\perietieex.'
Happy-Go-Lucky is on general release from Fri 18 Apr. Mike Leigh on Mike Leigh (Faber) is published on Thu 17 Apr.
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