A Dedicated Man by the 'Other Elizabeth Taylor!'

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United Kingdom

GENRE: Drama

CHANNEL: ITV

FIRST SHOWN: 1982 (UK) 1985 (USA)

NUMBER OF SERIES OF 'ALL FOR LOVE': 2

EPISODE NUMBER: 1 (Series one)

WRITTEN BY: Elizabeth Taylor

DRAMATISED BY: Hugh Whitemore

DIRECTED BY: Robert Knights

STARRING:

Joan Plowright - Edith

Alec McCowen - Mr. Silcox

Merged Esli - Carrie

Maris Mescki - Doreen

Peter Martin - Reg

Brenda Elder - Betty

Patti Nicholls - Rita

Max Smith - Harry

Bryan Coleman - Colonel

Phllada Sewell - Elderly Lady

David Clarkson - William

Aimee Delamain - Miss Bird

Doreen Sloane - Miss Skinner

Christopher Irvine - Julian

Graham Rigby - Hotel manager

A Dedicated Man, based on the short story by Elizabeth Taylor, starring Joan Plowright and Alec McCowen, was the first episode of a TV anthology called All For Love. It was first shown in the UK in 1982 before being shown on PBS in America as part of their Masterpiece Theatre series.

PLOT

A workaholic, dedicated to his job and separated from his wife, persuades a colleague to pose as his wife in order to secure a post at an upmarket hotel. The new 'wife' gets too involved in the charade which ultimately leads to trouble...

HOW THE STORY GOES...

Set in the post-war years, pompous waiter, Maurice Silcox, a man who has his head stuck up his rear end (sorry, derrière!) is sick of the 'trash' he has to serve at the run-of-the-mill hotel he works at in Brighton. Dedicated to his job and dreaming of a better position at a more prestigious hotel with better clientele, he applies for a post at a more upmarket hotel near Henley called The Royal George. But there's one catch... the hotel is seeking a married couple to fulfil the wait staff roles. Where is he going to find a 'wife' at such short notice?

Enter Edith, a lonely, never-been-married waitress at the hotel. Timid, reserved, and obedient, Silcox considers her to be the perfect candidate to pose as his wife, even though they haven't been acquainted for very long. Knowing that there's nothing to keep her in Brighton, and feeling equally as appalled as Silcox at the calibre of guests at the hotel, Edith agrees to Silcox's proposition. Even Silcox's admission that he is 'married but separated,' does not deter Edith from agreeing to go along with the charade.

On arrival at the new hotel, Silcox suggests that they come up with a backstory and 'married-couple' habits so that they can successfully convince everyone that they are indeed husband and wife. Part of the backstory is the creation of a seventeen year old son named Julian who is away at boarding school but goes to stay with relatives at weekends. Placing a photograph of a young man who is supposed to be Julian on the mantlepiece, Silcox tells Edith that the smiling teen in the photograph is a relative of his.

To ensure that both she and Silcox get their story right about their 'son,' Edith asks Silcox a lot of questions about 'Julian'. To Silcox, the creation of Julian is borne out of a matter of necessity - a ploy to convince their new colleagues that he and Edith are man and wife. But Edith gets drawn more and more into the make-believe world that Silcox has created and in her mind, 'Julian' is very real. She begins to discuss Julian's childhood with guests; asks her boss for time off so that she can visit Julian on his birthday; knits a sweater for him, and is delighted when a colleague, noticing 'Julian's' photograph, tells Edith that he has her eyes! None of this goes unnoticed by Silcox who is seething at Edith's lack of indiscretion.

But Edith refuses to stop discussing her 'son' with others when Silcox orders her to do so, and relations between the pair become frostier than a freezer in urgent need of defrosting! Then just before Edith leaves for the afternoon, she bumps into a man at the hotel who comes looking for Silcox. Edith recognises him... It's Julian! A confrontation with Silcox leads to Edith discovering Julian's true identity...

A heated exchange between Silcox and Edith follows, and realizing that whatever semblance of a relationship she had with Silcox is now irreparable, Edith decides to leave him and The Royal George. But before she does that, she exacts a terrible revenge on Silcox proving that meek, docile Edith is not a woman to be messed with...

What we think...

Anything written by 'the other' Elizabeth Taylor is always worth a read, so any TV drama based on her work is worth watching, and A Dedicated Man - with Joan Plowright and Alec McGowan leading a very talented cast - is no exception, and was indeed an impressive debut for the All for Love series. Directed by British TV and film director Robert Knights, whose work includes The Dawning; A Touch of Frost; and Inspector Morse among an impressive list of credits, A Dedicated Man will be a hit with those who are fans of the 'television play' genre, and because it is so quintessentially English with that characteristic quaint charm; a series of stiff upper lips, and silent hauteur, you'll feel as though you need to watch this production with a pot of tea and a couple of freshly baked scones!

Had this been a Hollywood rom-com, Edith and Silcox would have become a couple by the end of the episode, and would be running The Royal George. But Taylor's work isn't as predictable as that. A Dedicated Man has an underlying sense of darkness as there is with much of Taylor's work, complete with the notion that nothing is quite what is seems. The viewer is led to believe that Silcox is a domineering control freak, who used and manipulated a seemingly vulnerable woman for his own selfish gain. But then the audience sees that Edith is more than capable of standing up for herself. In a case of who manipulated who, we're left wondering if Edith had had enough of Silcox's controlling ways... or if she had been playing a game all along.

During her final scene, Edith tells the manager of the new establishment a story that is reminiscent of the one she told Silcox when she was describing her life before arriving at the hotel in Brighton. It makes you question: Who is Edith? And how much of her story is true? And who should the audience's sympathies lie with? Workaholic Silcox whose dedication to his job probably serves to mask the pain of estrangement from his family, or Edith who after having supposedly spent the best years of her life caring for her mother, thus missing out on marrying and having children of her own, now faces an uncertain future on her own.

Viewers do indeed get a sense of Edith's regret of never having become a wife and mother and the loss of her privileged life. The eager and enthusiastic expression on her face when she thinks Silcox is proposing to her suggests that she feels as though her ship has finally come in. But the realization that this is not a genuine marriage does not deter Edith, who goes along with the plan. There's very little closeness between Silcox and Edith - even as friends. Eye contact is limited and conversation is stilted, awkward and to the point but Edith does not seem too bothered by this. Her fixation with the make-believe 'Julian' implies that what she really wanted was to be a mother - not necessarily a wife.

Class struggles play a large role in Taylor's work and this is evident in A Dedicated Man where themes regarding social status and class differences occur. Both Edith and Silcox appear to be from middle class backgrounds, and have a very obvious disdain for the working class guests at the Brighton hotel who are portrayed as vulgar and uncouth. This is a far cry from the guests at The Royal George who amidst the sparkle of the silverware and crystal; the exquisite china and pristine table linen, are of a more desirable calibre: worldly, cultured, with impeccable manners.

Edith's act of revenge against Silcox as she leaves the hotel, is a very simple one, but no doubt it would have had terrible consequences for Silcox, for whom his dedication to his work and professional reputation mean everything. If Edith's scheme were to go according to plan, Silcox would undoubtedly lose his job at The Royal George, and having no other home or family, this could mean destitution and homelessness or a life of hard labour in the workhouses. Such an act tells us that Edith is no shrinking violet and is not afraid to hit back at anyone who crosses her. But what exactly was Silcox's crime against Edith? Was she angry that he had lied to her? Did she realise that he had manipulated her? Or was she devastated that Silcox had snatched from her the only experience of motherhood she'd ever really had?

The last thing viewers see before the credits roll, is a smirking Silcox. But what exactly is he so smug about? Was it all part of his plan to use Edith in order to get the position at The Royal George and then for her to leave quietly once he no longer had any use for her? Or had he discovered and thus thwarted her dastardly plan? You decide!

Doreen Sloane in A Dedicated Man. She was later known for her role in Brookside.

One thing for sure is that A Dedicated Man is indeed a quality, well produced piece of drama based on a quality, well written piece of work that is definitely worthy of viewing. And how many viewers will recognise the actress playing Miss Skinner? It's a case of blink and you'll miss her but Miss Skinner is played by The late Doreen Sloane who became better known to soap fans as Brookside's Annabelle Collins!

Photos from YouTube

Word Cloud by Angel Noire