This Sporting Life (1963)

Directed by Lindsay Anderson. Starring Richard Harris, Rachel Roberts, Alan Badel, Colin Blakely, Vanda Godsell, William Hartnell, Anne Cunningham, Arthur Lowe, Jack Watson, Peter Duguid.

Director Anderson’s first motion picture endeavor is an “angry young man” drama depicting rugby player Frank Machin (Harris), a brutish working-class “ape” favored for his aggression and violence on the field, and his unstable attempts to court his widowed landlady (Roberts). A restless and unhappy film, not lacking in seething bitterness and elemental impact, with dingy sets and photography heightening the kitchen sink realism that’s betrayed by such passions. Observant but not as insightful as one might hope for, and long enough to wear the viewer out before the almost silly pantomime of its penultimate episode, but the committed performances from Brando-esque Harris and gutsy Roberts (both earned Oscar nominations) make it a solid effort at the end of the British New Wave. David Storey adapted his own same-named novel for the screen; produced by Karel Reisz.

70/100