Love on the Dole

Set in 1930s Salford during the Great Depression, Love on the Dole follows Harry Hardcastle (Geoffrey Hibbert) and Sally (Deborah Kerr), two young siblings who fall prey to poverty and mass unemployment, and must make terrible sacrifices in order to survive. Although its stark portrayal of social deprivation led the British Board of Film Censors to ban the film as a 'very sordid story in very sordid surroundings'. Love on the Dole nonetheless retains an optimistic spirit, reinforcing the ideal that Britain's working classes could face any hardship. Through its impassioned performances, it shows faith in the values of liberal democracy which Britain upheld throughout the war, and looks forward to a better future. (British Film Institute (BFI))