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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
David Storey (novel)
David Storey (screenplay)
Release Date:
January 1963 (UK) more
Plot:
In Northern England in the early 1960s, Frank Machin is mean, tough and ambitious enough to become an... more | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 7 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(4 articles)
Four Angry Young Men: Richard Burton, Albert Finney, Richard Harris, Tom Courtenay
(From Alternative Film Guide. 26 October 2009, 1:53 PM, PDT)
Funeral Arrangements for Richard Harris
(From WENN. 29 October 2002)
User Comments:
Stark and uncompromising more (43 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Richard Harris | ... | Frank Machin | |
| Rachel Roberts | ... | Mrs. Margaret Hammond | |
| Alan Badel | ... | Gerald Weaver | |
| William Hartnell | ... | 'Dad' Johnson | |
| Colin Blakely | ... | Maurice Braithwaite | |
| Vanda Godsell | ... | Mrs. Anne Weaver | |
| Anne Cunningham | ... | Judith | |
| Jack Watson | ... | Len Miller | |
| Arthur Lowe | ... | Charles Slomer | |
| Harry Markham | ... | Wade | |
| George Sewell | ... | Jeff | |
| Leonard Rossiter | ... | Phillips, Sports writer | |
| Katherine Parr | ... | Mrs. Farrer | |
| Bernadette Benson | ... | Lynda Hammond | |
| Andrew Nolan | ... | Ian Hammond |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
134 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Australia:M | UK:15 (video rating) | UK:AA (re-rating) (1970) | UK:X (original rating) | UK:12A (2009) | Finland:K-16 | West Germany:16 (bw)
Filming Locations:
Bolton Priory, Bolton Abbey, North Yorkshire, England, UK more
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
First cinema film of George Sewell. more
Quotes:
Frank Machin:
We don't have stars in this game, Mrs Weaver, that's soccer.
Mrs. Anne Weaver:
What *do* you have?
Frank Machin:
People like me.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in 50 Films to See Before You Die (2006) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
Walking Back to Happiness more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (43 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for This Sporting Life (1963)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| The spider | grahamchris |
| Rugby League | Phil_Gwilliam |
| Structure and Fantasy (Spoilers) | ndhand |
| SPOILER WARNING | mtkane209 |
| Flashback Structure Flawed? | davidarnold |
| Content? | moviedude298 |
Recommendations
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| Billy Liar | Raging Bull | The Damned United | Apocalypse Now | Young Adam |
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Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Drama section | IMDb UK section |
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Set in the working class environs of Northern England (Yorkshire), this is a stark and uncompromising film. Richard Harris gives a performance of a lifetime as a rugby player who, both on and off the field of play, seems able to express himself only through violence.
Lindsay Anderson directs wonderfully, insisting on gritty realism, and stripping everything of any hint of cinematic glamour. Unlike the French "nouvelle vague", Anderson wasn't interested in technique for its own sake: he was more concerned with actual substance. Here, he explores the depths of the characters, and their relationships with each other; and, in particular, their emotions, which are volcanic. Never have such naked passions been portrayed on screen with such power. One feels somewhat drained by the end.
Something was happening in the British cinema in the 60s. Where did it all disappear?