Cathy Come Home Criticism

 

Out of Cathy Come Home and Poor Cow, the former was much more successful with the reception it received from the public, two charities formed for the homeless due to the popularity of the film but conditions for the poor and homeless haven’t fully improved even in today’s society.

It was first broadcasted on the BBC in November 1966 to 12 million viewers and was well received by critics. Although very different to Poor Cow in its more traditional style of social realism, with the monotoned man voicing homeless statistics over montages of poor estates, the aim and the realism of Carol White’s acting is all relative.

There is no doubt that Cathy Come Home is more politically aimed, which is something I value highly within Loach’s work and is why I wanted to focus on this piece as well as Poor Cow. It has been noted that ‘While some critics remained uncomfortable about the blurring of the distinction between drama and documentary, there was little argument about the play's power.’ The aspect of the blurred lines between documentation and acting is also something I want to keep within the forefront of my work, although my work can be detailed and not realistic, I want the compositions and the scenes to adhere to the traditional kitchen sink settings.

Sources can be found at;

http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/438481/index.html