Existence

A lovely period piece from the early 70s Jack Wild (Reg) struggles to keep his family together after his mum passes away. It's grim and if it's time but nonetheless it's very watchable.

How I found this movie was through my appreciation of the Bee Gees music. I had heard that their song Melody Fair was the theme song in the movie Melody. From there I looked up Mark Lester and Jack Wild, who were both in the movie Melody, and I found this movie listed on IMDb. I found it on YouTube and finished watching it a few moments ago! I think this movie was touching and the acting was quite convincing even from the kids who were truly acting like troubled, undisciplined kids, rather than actors with lines. This movie definitely interested me enough to where I would love to find out what happened to the kids.

Like a previous reviewer on here, I'm also fascinated by this film as it is about my family (my grandfather's cousin was the father of the 14). My mom gets very cross that they set it in London when it is actually Birmingham though! Perhaps it wouldn't appeal with Brummie accents? We are still happy that they made a film though despite the discrepancies. If the person who wrote the review would like to get in touch I would be happy to pass their details onto my mom as she has traced the family tree quite thoroughly :)

Csporsha I would love to know what happened to the whole family! I found this film back in 2003 when I rented it (I'm a huge Jack Wild fan, always was) as I had a home video but after it was not submitted for re-certification a year or so later, it and many more gems vanished for years. I recently found it to rent on Prime. I have great memories of that time in the 70's and the struggle of the family is so heart-warming. I wish you all the very best. Joanne :)

For a relatively obscure film this film features powerful performances. There is no doubting the talent of Jack Wild but it is the supporting cast which carries the movie. And June Brown's performance as the single mother who becomes a martyr is galvanizing. Do you love your mother? If you can find this film I highly recommend you see it. An underrated gem by David Hemmings.

This is not so much a review of the film "The 14" it's more a report on how shocked I was when I read that Jack Wild had died, and HOW he died - very sad. I work for Channel Nine in Sydney, Australia and this film was aired on their GEM network which shows a lot of old and sometimes obscure movies. If you want to watch a well made and moving film then this is it. Apart from the performances I think the Directing by David Hemmings is superb. I read recently that Jack Wild sent an open letter to Daniel Radcliffe warning him of the perils of becoming a child star. I hope he heeds his warning.