Sincerely, Delfont
Sir: In the course of an extremely enthusiastic review of the film Family Life (January 1) Tony Palmer states that he is " sure those who put up the money must have wrung their proverbial hands in all too real despair as they convinced themselves that all their lovely money had gone down the cinematic drain." I am sorry to disappoint Mr Palmer and to destroy his illusions of the film industry stereotype, but everyone in this company who has seen this film has reacted with both excitement and enthusiasm.
Mr Palmer goes on to ask ironically " . . . so this is art. But who needs it?" Well, this company for a start believes that many people in Britain do. There is no longer such a creature as the majority audience; there are simply a number of varying size minorities and it is our job to provide films for each of these minorities. And we are convinced that there are audiences all over The country who will wish to see and who will have been pleased to have seen Family Life. Thus, although the film "ignores the demands of commercially successfully film-making," we are not leaving it for the Academy cineaste alone. It will, in fact, be shown at ABC cinemas in thirteen major cities in Britain within a few days lof its London opening.
As further evidence of the way we feel about this picture perhaps Mr Palmer might be interested in the following letter being sent by this company's chairman to some 350,000 households in the areas where the film is being shown: "Dear Family, There is a film coming to . . . . . , . next week which I think no one should miss.
"It is called Family Life and is one of the very few films of which I could truthfully say "it could change the way you think." "Now I know that people go to films to be entertained, not changed. "Fine, Ken Loach's Family Life is a brilliant film staggeringly well acted and as stimulating entertainment as his earlier Kes.
"But it is also a film of real importance to your family. "It is about that crucial period when adolescents should sometimes be allowed to make their own decisions — and sometimes not.
"The parents in this film make the wrong decisions. Not because they are wicked, but because they are misinformed.
"The things they make their daughter do ' for her own good' are one relentless step after another on the way to tragedy. "You can bring your whole family to Family Life as long as they're over fourteen.
"You ought to. "It is not just another film about the generation gap. "It is the kind of event which can bring people together to talk and discuss things which are otherwise left unsaid — even in the closest families.
"Things which can lead, if not always to disaster, to bewildering anger and sorrow. "For like real life, there are no villains in Family Life, only victims.
Yours sincerely, Bernard Delfont."
No, Mr Palmer, we do not as you suggest wish to "convince ourselves that Ken Loach's film is not remotely commercial and so congratulate ourselves on our good sense and previous judgement." We are, in fact, confident that the film will be a very great success, for if ever a film deserved success this is it.
Peter King Managing Director, EMI, 30-31 Golden Square, London WI
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