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Becoming Victoria Wood review is an intimate and funny portrait of a trailblazing standup.
Summary
The documentary Becoming Victoria Wood uses archive footage and interviews with colleagues to trace Victoria Wood's rise as a pioneering female standup. It includes clips from her 1980s shows and voiceover excerpts recorded before her death in 2016.
Content
Becoming Victoria Wood is a documentary that traces the comedian's rise and influence. It combines archive footage, interviews with colleagues and voiceover excerpts recorded before her death. The film highlights how Wood and her collaborators challenged expectations for women in comedy during the 1980s. The tone is described as tender and frequently very funny.
What the film shows:
- The film opens with an archive clip in which Melvyn Bragg refers to Wood as Britain's first female standup, illustrating attitudes of the era.
- It features clips from Wood's 1985 BBC2 sketch show As Seen on TV, including performances with Julie Walters and Celia Imrie.
- Contributors interviewed include Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Maxine Peake and friends from university.
- The documentary uses voiceover excerpts from interviews Wood gave prior to her death from cancer in 2016 aged 62.
- It recounts aspects of Wood's early standup, personal life and public reception, noting jokes on subjects such as tampons and cellulite and reporting that later press coverage focused on her size.
Summary:
The film presents a tender and often funny account of Victoria Wood's career and her role in opening doors for women in standup. It brings archival material and eyewitness testimony together to create an intimate portrait. Undetermined at this time.
