Hard Labour (film) where the Leighs had lived in Cavendish Road." "The polarity between the worlds of Mrs Stone and the lady who cleans her house (the central figure, Mrs Thornley, the Catholic house-cleaner) is icily delineated. In the middle is the new housing estate, where Mrs Thornley's son, Edward, (played by Bernard Hill in his professional début), a car mechanic, lives with his wife Veronica (Alison Steadman)." Hard Labour (film) Hard Labour is a 1973 television film, directed by Mike Leigh and produced by Tony Garnett which aired as part of the BBC anthology series "Play for Today". The film stars Liz
Monique van de Ven Monique van de Ven Monica Maria Theresia "Monique" van de Ven (; born 28 July 1952) is a Dutch actress and director. From 1973 until 1988 she was married to Dutch cinematographer and director Jan de Bont, with whom she lived in Los Angeles for a number of years. She is now married to actor and writer Edwin de Vries. Her film debut as an actress was in "Turkish Delight" in 1973. This film was an immediate breakthrough for her acting career. The Paul Verhoeven film was nominated for an Academy Award and was chosen as the best Dutch film