This film is part of Free
"...And Then There Was One"
Who will be the 'one'? This medical drama-doc, exploring mental health and illness, is stylish, nail-biting stuff.
Overview
Who will be the 'one'? Experiencing anxiety and depression, four very different people visit their GPs – getting very different reactions, playing out in their lives in very different ways. A canny concept, credible script and acting, atmospheric direction and sharp editing combine to make this sponsored medical drama-documentary unexpectedly stylish and gripping. It's nail-biting stuff.
The film was sponsored by pharmaceutical company Allen and Hanburys and naturally is supportive of the psychoactive medication they and other manufacturers had developed. But this is more than an extended advert – aimed directly at doctors, it is essentially (if for reasons of enlightened self-interest) an educational project to bring general practitioners, many of them with conservative attitudes, up to speed with changing clinical understandings of mental health and illness. The success of this commission led its talented director, Eric Marquis, to two yet more extraordinary 'psychodrama-docs', this time sponsored by Swiss pharma giant Roche: Time Out of Mind (1968, available on BFI DVD) and The Savage Voyage (1971).
Related
Plans for Living Plans for Living
Amateur film 1966 22 mins
The Pinner Cine Society looks at the work of Northwood's welfare services.
Rehabilitation at Roffey Park Rehabilitation at Roffey Park
Government sponsored film 1946 29 mins Location: Roffey Park (College)
Looking after the mental health of workers post-World War II – filmed in astonishing full colour.
Something to Offer Something to Offer
Documentary 1969 22 mins
An interesting documentary on psychiatric provision, set at a Plymouth day hospital and originally produced for nursing recruitment.
His Fighting Chance His Fighting Chance
Government sponsored film 1949 10 mins
Eleanor Roosevelt and Michael Redgrave narrate this optimistic post-war film on the rehabilitation of disabled people with polio.
Education of the Deaf Education of the Deaf
Documentary 1946 51 mins Location: Manchester
A brisk look at the tests and education practices for deaf people in 1940s
Faith Healer Faith Healer
News 1976 6 mins Location: Erdington
Does Danny Gallagher really have healing hands?
Khichdi Khichdi
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 16 mins
The interwoven stories of four best friends who reunite in the UK, thirty-five years after training together as nurses during their teens in Ferozepur, Punjab.
Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology
2023 15 mins
A satirical take on the healthcare service announcements of the 1960s and 70s.
Every Moment Counts Every Moment Counts
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 9 mins
A short animation that offers a window into the world of children’s palliative care.
Police Story: Panel Discussion Police Story: Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 24 mins
Panel discussion on Jackie Chan's 1985 action classic Police Story, with Chase Armitage, Sam Mak and Jadey Duffield.
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.