Robin Redbreast- Cult TV Review

Back in 1970s the BBC invested a lot into its TV drama productions and in this period there were numerous wonderful programmes created. I've already reviewed Supernatural and Dead of Night, which was released in the 1970s, and now I'm here to review another film, from the highly regarded Play For Today series.

The film is quietly sinister and unsettling.

The film is quietly sinister and unsettling.

The BFI released Robin Redbreast, a revered and influential gentle horror work recently and I decided to give it a viewing. Having never seen it before but hearing a lot about its impact on British horror cinema, namely The Wicker Man I thought it was worth a look. So, is it worth a watch in this day and age or is it looked at fondly with rose-tinted glasses by fans from the time?

Well, what I can say is that Robin Redbreast is quintessential gentle British horror in that it combines folklore, mundane village life and adds shock and surprise in equal measure.

The story is quite straight forward; newly separated from her partner of many years, a television script editor, temporarily moves to her cottage in a remote English country village to rebuild her life. At first, she finds that the villagers are friendly, if a little eccentric. However, when she becomes pregnant to a handsome villager, she begins to suspect that the locals are conspiring against her to prevent her from leaving... But to what end?

Although originally shot in colour, the BFI released it in a black and white transfer I think adds to the slightly hazy, surreal atmosphere of the piece. It also means the film could come arguably from any era as it is set in a rural, unnamed place which seems to be happy in its slow paced, traditional lifestyle.

The story itself is very much in the folk horror' genre, mentioning traditions from Frazer's The Golden Bough and rituals regarding harvest and sacrifice, but this play also asks wider, more relevant questions from the time which seem pertinent even now; tradition vs. modernity, female pleasure vs. reproductive rights, marriage vs. freedom to have partners and urban vs. rural. I found it very relevant today and was surprised to see that it was televised back nearly 50 years ago when viewing habits were a lot more conservative. I think a lot of this has to do with the quality of the acting which, whilst not up to much of today's high calibre, was overall pretty solid considering it was performed in a play format with the restrictions and style that dictates the acting.