The Bank Manager's Wife

Moves rather slowly which is unfortunate since the storyline, although a good one, "APPEARS" to have been written quite poorly. It feels like this was written for a very small theatrical group, then handed to a director, who has been told to make an hour television matinee from a 25 minute script meant only for a very small stage. "Oh by the way, you have 24 hrs!". I liked the story but feel many will find fault before finishing it which is unfortunate. If written again I would definitely give it another try. I had real emotions for the poor husband and the evil wife so this tells me it's worth another stab at what the writer had intended.

Housewife Dorie becomes increasingly anxious as her husband George's retirement date approaches. George, a bank manager, runs a tight ship, counting the pennies, and makes it clear that when he retires, he'll be taking charge of the money. Dorie almost breaks, but she formulates a plan to deal with the change.

I thoroughly enjoyed it; such an unusual one off drama, I loved how the tension built up. We quickly grasp the plot, and it's a very good plot that made me order Valerie Kershaw's novel.

It doesn't take long for us to discover the sort of man George is; he's clearly incredibly mean and used to making poor Dorie live a life of servitude and duty. I wanted to strangle George; he's so irritating, invading her space.

It's very easy to see that the only life Dorie had was spent in her greenhouse while the old skinflint went to work. You can definitely feel her stress and anxiety. In that scene where he states he wants to take over the shopping, you can see how controlling he is.

It's a brilliant performance from Avril Elgar, she's so good, Richard Pearson is also very good.

A forgotten gem.

9/10.

Lovely Avril Elgar plays Dorie, the wife in this story of a grown in years childless lady who's husband, a manager's bank, will retire and soon will be home full time.

There's some well hidden good humor in this tale of anxiety that develops in the life of Dorie, as we witness how her tiny little world begins to crumble under the sheer passive but abrassive weight of her husband's own physical prescence and petty pedantry. Avril Elgar let be remember plays the old lady that suicides in The Medusa Touch with Richard Burton and Lee Remick.

Good story and good acting by a limited number of actors in an unpretentious setting is all what was needed, and it will keep you glued to the screen as i haven't seen a movie as good as this in years. Enjoy it.

I give 10 stars out of 10.