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Two dying men, one hospital ward, zero patience for sentimentality — Frears makes cancer devastatingly funny.
TMDB
75

Going Gently (1981)

british gallows humorhospital realismunlikely friendship

Overview

DramaTV Movie

Play about two elderly cancer patients suffering in hospital.

Flag of GBGB
Content warning
based on novel or book

Standout Aspects

Acting

Wisdom's dramatic turn shatters his comedy typecasting completely.

Direction

Frears' early TV work, already refusing easy emotional beats.

Writing

Dialogue so sharp you'll laugh at death itself.

Best for:Solo: When you need a good cry but hate being manipulated into it.·Streaming: Rare Frears-Dench collaboration, hard to find, worth the hunt.
Heads up:Emotional: Terminal illness depicted unflinchingly; not a triumph-of-spirit narrative.
Stephen Frears

Director

Stephen Frears

ReleasedJun 5, 1981
Runtime1h 10m
StatusReleased

Vibe

Pacesteady
Intensitymedium
Tonemixed
Feelheavy
BBC

Top Cast

Judi Dench

Judi Dench

Sister Scarli

Norman Wisdom

Norman Wisdom

Bernard Flood

Fulton Mackay

Fulton Mackay

Austin Miller

Stephanie Cole

Stephanie Cole

Gladys Flood

Ray Hassett

Ray Hassett

Priest

Garry Cooper

Garry Cooper

Orderly

Bill Dean

Bill Dean

Painter

Ann Queensberry

Ann Queensberry

Iris Voluntary Worker

Ask about Going Gently

Opens AI chat

Deep Dive

Trivia, insights & behind the scenes

Trivia

Adapted from R.F. Delderfield's 'A Long Way to Go,' this was Frears' second feature-length TV drama after establishing himself at the BBC.

Cultural

Wisdom's casting was deliberate against-type; he'd spent 30 years as Britain's beloved slapstick clown, making his dramatic deterioration here genuinely shocking to contemporary audiences.

Reviews

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