Mike Leigh-Nuts in May (1976)

A pair of terrifically self satisfied, middle class vegetarians who are still high on the love philosophy of the 1960s, have hilarious and appalling things happen to them on a camping trip. Water Bearer Films




A couple of self-satisfied, bourgeois vegetarians on a camping trip–still attempting to live out the 1960s notion of free love–have a series of hilarious mishaps in this comedy by British director Mike Leigh.




Director Mike Leigh delivers another raucous social comedy with NUTS IN MAY. Keith (Roger Sloman) and Candice-Marie (Alison Steadman)–an interminably smug, self-satisfied English couple–settle down for a 10-day holiday at a rural camping site. It isn't long before their peaceful trip is disturbed with the arrival of Ray (Anthony O’Donnell), a college student who blasts his radio continually. Tensions between the campers are eventually calmed, but Candice-Marie's newfound admiration for Ray sparks friction between her and Keith. When Finger (Stephen Bill) and Honky (Sheila Kelley) arrive, their lack of respect for the rules culminates in a near physical brawl. In traditional Leigh fashion, the director lets his story develop at a leisurely pace, concentrating more on character development for the film's first two acts. By the time the new campers threaten Keith's strict moral values by breaking the rules and starting a fire, each character has become a completely distinct individual, resulting in an argument that is hysterical and moving at the same time. As the snooty Keith and Candice-Marie, Sloman and Steadman deliver supremely convincing performances along with the supporting players, who add hilarity and class conflict to the proceedings.




Their Morris packed to the gills, the punctilious Keith and the more spontaneous Candice-Marie arrive at a Dorset campground where they pay £10 in advance for ten nights. It's peaceful: they visit Corfe Castle, eat vegetarian food, and go in search of raw milk. Then a fellow with a loud radio pitches his tent near theirs: Keith is beside himself and it doesn't help when Candice-Marie decides to befriend the young man. Things get worse when a couple arrive on a motorcycle, make noisy love in their tent, and then start an illegal campfire. It's too much for Keith: he loses it. Will our middle-class couple find a bucolic corner, or are they doomed to brawl with the noisy and unwashed? (http://imdb.com/title/tt0074988/plotsummary)




NUTS IN MAY premiered in 1976 on BBC television, as part of their "Play For Today" series. Filmed on location in Dorset, England.