British Kitchen Sink Dramas

107. This Sporting Life (1963) Anderson . Harris stars as a Yorkshire Coal miner turned Rugby Player. Rachael Roberts is his landlady/lover. Both were nominated for Oscars in a pair of dazzling performances. Harris in particular makes an unsympathetic character almost likable. Beautifully photographed and the supporting actors well cast and memorable. Probably the best of the "Kitchen Sink Dramas". Cons: The movie is too long at 134 minutes and the story itself is a little too bleak/depressing. In fact, its so gritty and grim as to verge on the unrealistic. All the characters are unsympathetic to a degree, and even the "fun" scenes and Rugby games are shot with an undertone of sadness or ugliness. I wanted to shout at the screen, "You're getting paid to play a kids game - be happy." A high rating due to the acting. Rating ***

Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962) Richardson. A rebellious youth, the long-distance running star in a boy's reformatory, reflects on his life. A gritty early 60s British working-class film An uneven film, well acted and well photographed but predictable even dull (lots of running scenes).Summary - Another "Kitchen Sink drama" - too downbeat and familiar to be enjoyable. Probably more interesting 50 years ago. Rating **

167. Look Back in Anger (1959) - Richard Burton. Boring, rather dated British "Kitchen Sink" drama. The acting is excellent, but the story was stagy and boring. But being an American I may have missed all the subtle class conflicts. Rating **