By Keri O’Shea
If there was ever a film that could never be made today, then the British family drama and warped coming-of-age tale Baby Love is it. No bloody way. Whilst we have developed ever-stronger stomachs for all manner of fare in cinema since this film was made, back in the tail-end of the 60s – we frequently yawn through scenes of violence, torture, bloodshed and psychological torment – what we can no longer tolerate today is any intimation of sexuality in the under-16s, as the lead actress genuinely was at the time of filming, and as her character is during the story. Indeed, we have of late seen some very high-profile cases whereby people now are punished for sexual crimes which sometimes occurred around the time that this film was being made, and with girls who were Luci’s age. It’s impossible to see things in a vacuum, and we’re all the products of our own social climates – so with due warning, Baby Love will make for uncomfortable viewing for many twenty-first century audiences. That said, if you can remember that this film is the better part of fifty years old, then perhaps you can accept its own social climate (which is obliquely criticised) and see it for what it is: a decent slow-burn drama, with some excellent performances – not least from Linda ‘Angel Blake’ Hayden, here appearing in her first-ever feature role and, to be fair, owning this film at every stage, both because and despite of her young years.
So, we begin things in a run-down corner of urban 60s Britain; Luci (Hayden) is a bit of a young tearaway, hitching up her skirts, kissing the boys and thieving (or trying to). Her life seems set on a pretty tough course as it is, given her surroundings, but upon discovering the suicide of her mother (a cameo by Diana Dors), Luci is orphaned. She’s not the only one grieving her mum, though. It seems she had written to an old flame of hers – a doctor named Robert (Keith Barron), who was supporting her financially, unbeknownst to his wife. In her last letter, she begged him to take care of her daughter. He acquiesces – who wouldn’t feel sorry for a child in her place? So, he goes to collect her.
At first, Luci is overwhelmed by her new, luxurious surroundings – which are a far cry from the old industrial workers’ terraces and scrub land she’s known so far. Being a teenager though, she quickly begins to feel very comfortable, thank you, and as the old saying goes, familiarity breeds contempt. Unable to draw Robert out on his past relationship with her mother and clearly blaming him for their isolated, impoverished lives, Luci can’t help but worsen the cracks she finds in his marriage to Amy (Anne Lynn), whilst leading their son Nick into a confusing, heated flirtation. She behaves the way a lot of unhappy people do, only it’s amplified into a particular energy by her age and her life experiences; she’s clearly disturbed, and her nightmares (which are as close as this film gets to horror, though they’re rather effective) tell of a problematic relationship with her mother even before things went so wrong. But does Luci have a malevolent streak, or is she just a kid – a kid on the threshold of adulthood; is she vulnerable, or is it part of the act?
The jury’s out on that one, but what’s beyond doubt is that this film, made a clear three years before the seminal Blood on Satan’s Claw which made her into a cult horror actress, mind, provides clear evidence of Linda Hayden’s acting chops. It’s a pretty demanding and complex role that’s being asked of her here, and although I’m guessing she was meant to have a working-class accent (she doesn’t quite manage that one) she delivers an effective performance as Luci, maintaining ambiguity even when you’ve seen her smirk at some mayhem she’s caused. It’s never fully clear whether her behaviour is just an ill-thought-out kind of self-preservation, or whether she’s more unhinged than that. At least, one thing seems certain, and that’s that her burgeoning sexuality is both an asset and a curse to her. On one hand, she clearly uses it to see what will happen, in a kind of mischief-making sport. On the other, it places her in danger on several occasions – and the way men leer at her, paw at her and even threaten far worse is more than enough to raise an eyebrow. I mean, for god’s sake – British comedy mainstay Dick Emery is one of the cast members doing the dirty old man routine! It’s not exactly fun to watch, and although director Alastair Reid evidently wanted us to see this kind of behaviour as unpleasant or at least problematic, it also assumes a lot of things are quite normal when we’re hardwired not to find them so; there is a fair amount of partial nudity, for instance, and even retrospectively this sort of thing is a hot topic when the actresses are known to have been so young. There are a few wince-worthy scenes in other respects too, although this does not a film review make…
So, aside from all of this, is Baby Love a good film? I’d say it’s decent. Not a world-beater, and it derives a lot of its interest from what I’d call the ‘time capsule’ effect, providing an interesting and stylish snapshot of a Britain that’s long gone, but it manages a reasonable level of building tension; supporting Hayden, Lynn is good as the nervy, overlooked Amy, and although she’s only in the film in moments of flashback or nightmare, Dors packs a fair amount of presence into proceedings. Less effective, though, is Dr. Robert himself. Although Barron is a good actor (with an ongoing CV you could wallpaper your house with), he isn’t used to great effect here really considering he’s a lynchpin of the plot. He’s generally to be seen barking orders at the women of the house and little else; perhaps this is the point, but it would have been good to see him do more, especially as some of his more fraught scenes with Hayden had a lot of potential. Essentially, when…if you accept the sexualised content on its own terms (and whatever you might infer, it shows very little), Baby Love is a pretty low-key tale of family implosion, well-made and rather effective. It’s definitely very worthwhile as an early vehicle for its star Hayden – and as different as the two films may be, it actually foreshadows a couple of scenes from The Blood on Satan’s Claw in terms of dialogue and content.
Baby Love will be released by Network on 26th January 2015.