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Product Description
The Arbor is the powerful true story of Bradford playwright Andrea Dunbar (The Arbor, Rita, Sue and Bob Too) and her daughter Lorraine. Andrea wrote honestly and unflinchingly about her upbringing on the notorious Buttershaw Estate in Bradford and was described as a genius straight from the slums. When she died, tragically at the age of 29 in 1990, Lorraine was just ten years old. The Arbor catches up with Lorraine in the present day, also at 29; ostracised from her mother s family and in prison undergoing rehab. Through compelling interviews we learn that Lorraine sees her mother as a destructive force throughout her childhood; an alcoholic who let her suffer abuse and whom Lorraine blames for all that is wrong in her life. Through interviews with other members of the Dunbar family, we see a contrasting view of Andrea, in particular from Lorraine s younger sister Lisa, who idolises Andrea to this day. Re-introduced to her mother s plays and private letters whilst in prison, the film follows Lorraine s personal journey as she reflects on her own life and begins to understand the struggles her mother faced. A truly unique blend of documentary and fiction, The Arbor is a captivating and revelatory piece of cinema.
Product Description
United Kingdom released, Blu-Ray/Region A/B/C DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), English ( Dolby Linear PCM ), English ( Subtitles ), ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN (1.78:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Anamorphic Widescreen, Interactive Menu, Scene Access, Short Film, Trailer(s), SYNOPSIS: Andrea Dunbar was a British playwright whose work reflected the gritty realities of life in working-class Bradford, West Yorkshire. Dunbar knew of what she wrote -- she grew up in a Bradford housing project, had children by three different men, was a victim of domestic violence, and struggled with alcoholism before she died in 1990 when she was only 29. Andrea's daughter Lorraine Dunbar inherited her gift with language, but also her weaknesses; she also dealt with unhappy relationships with men, worked as a prostitute, became addicted to hard drugs, and served time for manslaughter when her two-year-old son died after drinking her methadone. Filmmaker Clio Barnard set out to tell the story of Andrea Dunbar's brief, troubled life and the neighborhood where she lived and wrote, and The Arbor is a unique mixture of documentary and narrative filmmaking. In addition to interviews with members of Andrea Dunbar's family and residents of Bradford's Buttershaw estates, where Dunbar's plays took place (which are lip-synched by actors to create a distancing effect), the film includes passages from Dunbar's first play, also called {+The Arbor}, played out against the real-life locations where the story is set. The Arbor received its world premiere at the {~2010 Tribeca Film Festival}. SCREENED/AWARDED AT: BAFTA Awards, British Independent Film Awards, ...The Arbor (2010) ( I odos Arbor ) (Blu-Ray)
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I bought this movie only because Mark Kermode (the BBC Radio5 Live & Culture Show presenter) talked about it on his radio show. I am so glad that I did.
I watched it with really no idea what it was about, which probably helped my reception because I was totally blown away! It is really not very often that I say those words, I watch a lot of movies and although there are a lot that I really good but sadly few get to me me in quite the way this one did.
I was so captivated by it. There are a couple of different narrative threads running through the story told in subtly different styles/techniques but the way they are amalgamated to tell the overall story is just fascinating.
I cannot rate this film highly enough, watch this movie!
I watched it with really no idea what it was about, which probably helped my reception because I was totally blown away! It is really not very often that I say those words, I watch a lot of movies and although there are a lot that I really good but sadly few get to me me in quite the way this one did.
I was so captivated by it. There are a couple of different narrative threads running through the story told in subtly different styles/techniques but the way they are amalgamated to tell the overall story is just fascinating.
I cannot rate this film highly enough, watch this movie!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By bookworm
Format:DVD
Written before we became fastinated by council estate life, some parts workshopped but watched by the real residents a shame the author met such a tragic end
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This film is ground-breaking, and also heart-breaking. Totally original approach to the subject matter. Essential viewing to anyone who cares about life and the hand we are dealt. Innovative and compelling, this film demands attention.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fine portait of playwright
A revealing and moving film about the writer Andrea Dunbar. The experimental technique works well, and the actors put in good performances. Read more
Published 14 months ago by MartinS
4.0 out of 5 stars
Art on the estate
It's the sort of idea that almost certainly would have been written off as film-making suicide by a market research focus group: make a documentary about a working class playwright... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Dariush Alavi
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unique, brave and moving piece of documentary and docu-drama...
This tells the life story of playwright Andrea Dunbar, who was
discovered at a very young age in a rough working class area
of the Buttershaw estate in Bradford. Read more
discovered at a very young age in a rough working class area
of the Buttershaw estate in Bradford. Read more
Published 19 months ago by K. Gordon
5.0 out of 5 stars
high expectations
Im purely thinking from a video art perspective, where documentary crosses over into video art, and i really cant wait for its release on dvd! Read more
Published on 26 Feb 2011 by Eden
4.0 out of 5 stars
a look back in time
Seen at the premier in Bradford A truly emotional and evocative journey back in time.brought back many memories of working on the Buttershaw estate but Andreas work could have... Read more
Published on 21 Oct 2010 by vals b
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