Clarice Cliff was the working-class girl who left school at 13 destined for a life of menial work in the Staffordshire potteries; instead she rose to become a celebrated ceramicist. Her journey from the factory floor is told in this entertaining feelgood period drama, a bright and upbeat film that perhaps comes over as just a bit strenuously cheerful in places. The director is Claire McCarthy and there is a lovely performance by Phoebe Dynevor (Daphne the debutante in Bridgerton), who brings a breezy mischief and stubborn defiance to Clarice, who we meet in her early 20s working as a “paintress” – hand-painting patterns on to the pottery.
Well, to hell with all that. Clarice sees no limits to her talent; she sets her sights on becoming a “modeller”, a more skilled role, traditionally men’s work. Her huge talent is spotted by factory owner Colley Shorter (go-to posho Matthew Goode); and you know from the moment these two clap eyes on each other that romance is on the cards. So Clarice gets her promotion, working under a sensitive art director (nicely played by David Morrissey). Some of her male colleagues make sarky digs – “what if she is one of them suffragettes,” one sneers when Clarice is handed keys to the factory – but there’s nothing too off-putting. Here and elsewhere I wondered if the film-makers have softened the edges too much, not wanting to risk making us feel bad or uncomfortable. Even the smoke chugs picturesquely out of factory chimneys.
Clarice lives at home in a two-up two-down with her mum and sister. Every second of her spare time she paints: art deco-inspired patterns on china in sunshiny bright bursts of colour. Old duffers in the industry mansplain why women won’t buy her cheap and cheerful pottery (“you’ll find the modern woman has a more refined taste”). But Clarice knows exactly what women want (her Bizarre collection eventually sold more than 8.5m pieces). The film catches the excitement of this moment for Clarice, and Dynevor’s performance is wonderful.
• The Colour Room is released on 12 November in cinemas, on Sky Cinema and on NOW.
