Ethel & Ernest

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As with all Briggs’s subsequent titles, the book is full of autobiographical elements and references. His own childhood home and Loch Fyne holidays appear regularly and he himself pops up in the follow-up, Father Christmas Goes on Holiday (1975). I adore this fictionalized true story. Briggs shows us scenes from his imagination of his parents’ lives: how they met, raised a family during a destructive world war, and lived through the cultural roller-coaster ride of the 20th century. Briggs’s illustrations are full of humor, marvelous detail, and obvious love for the people who inspired the title characters. There’s a slight change to our format this month, as we look at ageing in film, rather than our usual topic of ageism. This month’s blog follows our trip to The Soho Hotel to see the film adaptation of Raymond Briggs’ graphic novel Ethel and Ernest. You can view last month’s article on the vibrant world of Up here. He was born in Wimbledon, south-west London, to Ethel (nee Bowyer) and Ernest Briggs. Their first meeting is beautifully described in the wordless opening sequence of the book devoted to their story. Ethel, a young parlour maid in a Belgravia house, had been innocently shaking out her duster from an upper window as Ernest passed by on his bicycle and confidently returned what he took to be a friendly wave.

The characteristic that the journalist John Walsh described in a 2012 interview as a very English “strenuous curmudgeonliness” had become in later years a stereotype that Briggs embraced, exemplified by his column in the Oldie, Notes from the Sofa, collected in book form in 2015, where he would rail against sundry incomprehensible aspects of modern life. Selected items are only available for delivery via the Royal Mail 48® service and other items are available for delivery using this service for a charge. Briggs is a very famous British children's author, which I didn't realize until after I finished reading this graphic novel. It didn't surprise me though, because the rich illustrations reminded me of books I'd read as a child. They were fabulous! A tribute to his parents, this is their love story. Heartwarming, humorous and bittersweet, the film follows the lives of lady's maid Ethel and milkman Ernest from their first chance meeting in 1928, through the birth of their son Raymond in 1934 to their deaths, within months of each other, in 1971. When I was in Junior School, there would always be one day in the final week of the Winter Term which was basically a free-for-all. To celebrate the run-up to Christmas we were allowed to miss lessons, bring in board games, and eat party food. It was glorious. But the best part of the day was always the moment when our teacher would wheel out a twenty-year-old television set for us all to huddle round and watch an animated film together.

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Met deze strip sloot ik de cyclus van de vier graphic novels/strips, die autobiografisch of sterk autobiografische elementen bevatten, af: The Snowman, Gentleman Jim, When the Wind Blows en deze. Ethel e Ernest è un fumetto che sa di casa in ogni pagina; si possono sentire le risate, le discussioni, i rumori dei lavori, il profumo del cibo, l’acqua che scorre, le risate di un bambino. Whilst the story was heart-warming and quite tender in places, I couldn't help but notice the political discrepancies between them. Ethel was a Tory and Ernest was Labour. My problem with this was how Ethel came across: she came from a working class family (she had about 8 other siblings) and yet she looked down on what she referred to as 'commoners'. I understand that she wanted what was best for her son but too many people in this world try and forget their roots, and they're ashamed of them, when they really shouldn't be. I am working-class and I always will be. I just feel that Ethel sometimes came across as someone who thought she was better than others which diminished the affinity I had with her. Firstly, it acts as a useful historical guide, for both children and adults. This occurs not only by displaying some of the most famous moments of the twentieth century, but also by showing them from the perspective of Briggs’ parents. Consequently, we hold an emotional investment in events that we normally only contend with in written form, which typically offers far less scope for emotion and empathy. The illustrations were beautiful and reminiscent of Briggs' other masterpiece, The Snowman, and the ending was very, very poignant.

In Ethel & Ernest vertelt Raymond Briggs het verhaal van het huwelijk van zijn ouders. Vanaf hun eerste toevallige ontmoeting in 1928, toen Ethel nog een dienstmeisje en Ernest melkboer was. Ze trouwden, kregen hun zoon Raymond in 1934, tot hun dood, binnen enkele maanden na elkaar, in 1971.And Ethel and Ernest was already a very enjoyable movie to begin with. Sadly this photo doesn’t do the screening room justice! This was such a short and sweet book and I enjoyed every aspect of it from the storyline, the illustrations and how grateful we are as human beings when parents try and make the life of their children better than what they went through. Their son became a famous illustrator and author and never had to live below poverty level or be a working class. It was sad how they both died and I am glad that Raymond chose to honor them in his book. Nevertheless, the children of his long-term partner, Liz Benjamin, provided inspiration and source material for other projects, notably The Puddleman (2004), which grew from a remark made by one of the young children on passing a puddle while the family were out walking in the countryside. As a result, we are made to feel the impact of the ageing process all the more closely, as we truly get to know both Ethel and Ernest, through all the highpoints and the inevitable lows. Consequently, the final few scenes are genuinely affecting, as we see both begin to struggle more and more with their daily routine and eventually succumb to illness within months of each other.

From the socially stratified 1920s to the moon landing of 1969, the film depicts, through Ethel and Ernest's eyes, the most defining moments of the 20th century - the darkness of the Great Depression, the build-up to World War II, the trials of the war years, the euphoria of VE Day and the emergence of a generation from postwar austerity to the cultural enlightenment of the 1960s. Liz died in 2015. He is survived by her children, Clare and Tom, and grandchildren, Connie, Tilly and Miles.

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Now, I had always thought that such carefree joy could never be replicated in the workplace. You can, therefore, imagine my delight when I found out that Age UK London had partnered with Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Content Group to put on a free showing of Ethel and Ernest for forty-five older Londoners at The Soho Hotel. Especially once I discovered that I would get to come along for the day out – and in the last week of “term” no less! Based on the award-winning book by acclaimed British author and illustrator Raymond Briggs, this beautifully hand-drawn animated feature film tells the true story of Raymond's own parents Ethel and Ernest - two ordinary Londoners living through a period of extraordinary events and immense social change. As various narrative texts came his way, he realised that not all of them were of the highest quality, and took to writing himself. In 1961 he wrote and illustrated two books, Midnight Adventure and The Strange House, for the publishers Hamish Hamilton, with whom he would have a lasting working relationship.