Review of A Private Function (1984) by Charles W — 23 Sep 2013

I remember seeing this film when it was first aired in the height of Thatcherism. Although it was notionally about food rationing in the aftermath of the War, in fact I found it a devastating critique of Thatcherite policies at a time when Thatcher could do no wrong.

In the same way that Ken Loach was largely prevented from making movies in the 80's, so this film was buried by the establishment because it highlighted the rampant greed, a nasty side of the British character, that Thatcherism had unleashed.

As with The Madness of King George, where the question asked is how to get rid of a monarch gone mad, so in Private Function Bennett is dealing with a very contemporary issue. It is a much better film that it was allowed to be.