Babymother
| Babymother | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Julian Henriques |
| Written by | Julian Henriques Vivienne Howard |
| Produced by | Parminder Vir |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Peter Middleton |
| Music by | |
| Distributed by | Channel 4 Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 82 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £2 million[1] |
Babymother is a 1998 British musical comedy drama film directed by Julian Henriques and released by Channel 4 Films. It is considered to be the first Black British musical and captures the British Caribbean dancehall cultural scene of London.[2] It was also one of the few British musicals of its period.[3]
Plot[]
In the London district of Harlesden, Anita is a single mother dreaming of becoming a reggae singer, but living in a run down council estate with little financial support, and conflict with her children's father Byron, dents her dreams. Despite no funds for a studio demo, she has talent and ambition, and with her equally ambitious two friends, the trio pin their hopes on an upcoming singing contest to make it big.[4]
Cast[]
- as Anita
- Wil Johnson as Byron
- Caroline Chikezie as Sharon
- Jocelyn Jee Esien as Yvette
- Don Warrington as Luther
- Tameka Empson as Dionne
- Vas Blackwood
Production[]
Babymother was directed and written by Julian Henriques, his first feature film, and produced by his wife Parminder Vir. He is of Jamaican background and a resident of Harlesden, where the film is set in.[4] The film's budget was £2 million and was funded by Arts Council England.[5]
Release[]
Babymother opened in the UK on September 11, 1998 and three days later was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film did not receive much attention among major filmgoers and it has been considered a rare production. It made its name more as a cult film.[1] Since release it has been seldom aired on Film4 TV.[6]
On July 26, 2021, the film was reissued by the BFI in remastered 2K and released on Blu-ray. The release includes interviews with the director and other staff, as well as We the Ragamuffin, a 1992 short production by Henriques.[1][7]
Reception[]
The film holds a score of 5.2 out of 10 on IMDb out of 157 scores.[8] On Metacritic it holds a score of 48 based on 4 critic reviews.[9]
Empire gave the film 2 stars out of 5, noting that Henriques tackles subjects like feminism and tensions in the black community, but with little depth. The reviewer gave criticism to the main character Anita, "[delivering] her dialogue as if reading from an autocure." It did however praise the strong supporting cast.[10] A Time Out review was critical of Anita's character, but gave her praise as a vocalist (Smith) and called the closing two songs "excellent."[11]
The film received new attention upon its 2021 Blu-ray release. Rewind DVDCompare gave the film a score of B+, calling it a "flat out fun and unique film."[1] Cineoutsider.com said it is a film "with its place in history".[12]
Musical numbers[]
Original songs performed in the film are:[13][14]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lover Man" | Wayne Marshall | ||
| 2. | "Trust Me" | Beresford Hammond | ||
| 3. | "Return Of The Don" | Beresford Hammond | ||
| 4. | "Steppin' Ina NW10" | Superflex | ||
| 5. | "The Clash" | Superflex | Superflex | |
| 6. | "These Lips Don't Lie" | Mikey Bennet, Verese Vassell | ||
| 7. | "Rude Girls" | Carroll Thompson | Trilla Jenna | |
| 8. | "Forgive Me" | Carroll Thompson | ||
| 9. | "I Don't Care" | Carroll Thompson | Trilla Jenna | |
| 10. | "Boasty Bwoy" | Carroll Thompson | ||
| 11. | "Action" | Carroll Thompson | Trilla Jenna | |
| 12. | "Babymother" | Carroll Thompson | Trilla Jenna | |
| 13. | "Girls" | Anthony Kelly, Steven "Lenky" Marsden | Governor Tiggy | |
| 14. | "Perfect Lady" | Carroll Thompson | Peter Hunnigale |
See also[]
References[]
- ^ a b c d https://www.dvdcompare.net/review.php?rid=6689
- ^ "Watch Babymother". BFI Player.
- ^ "BFI Screenonline: Babymother (1998)". www.screenonline.org.uk.
- ^ a b "BABYMOTHER (1998) - Feature Film". Deptford Cinema.
- ^ Hanson, Emma. "Julian Henriques' Babymother: A Black feminist triumph of a film".
- ^ "Babymother (1998) - TV Films UK". tv-films.co.uk.
- ^ "Review: Babymother - 60 Minutes With".
- ^ "Babymother". 11 September 1998 – via IMDb.
- ^ "Babymother (TV Movie 1998) - IMDb" – via www.imdb.com.
- ^ "Babymother". Empire.
- ^ "Babymother". Time Out Worldwide.
- ^ "Babymother Blu-ray review | Cine Outsider". www.cineoutsider.com.
- ^ "Babymother (1998) Soundtrack".
- ^ "Babymother - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
External links[]
- 1998 films
- English-language films
- British films
- Films set in London
- British musical comedy-drama films