Customer Reviews

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning [VHS]

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Throughout the 1950s, a group of young British writers were referred to as "angry young men" because, in their novels and plays, they excoriated what they perceived to be the dominant materialistic values of their society following World War Two. They included playwrights John Osborne and Kingsley Amis and novelists John Braine, John Wain, and Alan Silitoe. This film is based on Silitoe's novel (same title) in which he focuses on Arthur Seaton (brilliantly portrayed by Albert Finney) who endures working in a factory all week so that he can afford to drink and chase women on Saturday evening. He lives (if that's the word) day-to-day, insisting "All I want is a good time. The rest is propaganda." Arthur is intelligent enough to know how to indulge his vices but lacks the wisdom to understand that he is drinking and wenching away what few prospects he has to improve his situation. It is unclear (at least to me) whether or not Arthur really wishes to do so. While continuing an affair with Brenda (Rachel Roberts), the bored and restless wife of his foreman/supervisor Jack (Bryan Pringle), Albert also becomes involved with Doreen Gretton (Shirley Ann Field) whose own ambitions seem limited to getting married and starting a family. Revealing to me is the fact that neither Arthur nor Brenda seems especially concerned about, much less rebellious against the limits imposed on them within their class-based industrial society.

Suffocation is one of the recurring themes in James Joyce's novels and short stories. I was reminded of that recently as I again observed Arthur's self-indulgent hedonism, indifference to the feelings of others, and callous betrayal of what little he has going for him. Sooner than he realizes, there will be only quiet evenings at home on Saturday. As for his Sundays, perhaps (just perhaps) they will include a moment when he wonders where his youth went as he wearily looks ahead to another dreary week in the local factory. Yes, "the sun also rises...." And then, what will its harsh light reveal?

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning is one of a group of so called 'kitchen sink dramas' which dominated British cinema in the early sixties. What these films brought to the screen for the first time were realistic portrails of British and in particular English working class life. This to my mind was the golden age of British film making with pictures like, This Sporting Life, Billy Liar, A Kind of Loving, Alfie, Up the Junction and Kess showing ordinary people struggling to make the best of their lot. This mood was also reflected on British TV with shows like Z Cars, Play for Today and even the early Coronation Street.

The best of this genre is Saturday Night and Sunday Morning. One thing most of these films have in common is that the hero trys to escape the limitation of his working class background. In A Kind of Loving the hero escapes into music and the middle class, In Kes, Billy Kasper escapes his hopeless situation by training and flying his hawk. In this film however Arthur Seaton (Albert Finney) sees no point in getting out. All he wants from life is to earn enough money to spend his weekends drinking and chasing women. Not that Arthur is unintelligent he just sees everything in life, politics, ambition and married life as phoney. Arthur wants to remain free of society's demand to comform either to marriage or to moving on and 'bettering himself'

Rachel Roberts and Shirley Ann Fields give great performances as Arthur's love or rather sex interest and Albert Finney is perfect as the cynical Arthur Seaton. The film ends with Arthur accepting marriage to Doreen (Fields) but telling her not to expect him to confirm all the time ( It will not be the last stone I will throw.)

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning captures a certain time and place and for any American viewers who want to know, is it an accurate a portrail of working class sixties England? I can assure them that it is.

Apart from those films about Britain's Asian communities, no British film today shows the British working class with making out that all it contains are thieves, druggies and gangsters.
The only exception being Mike Leigh's work.

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning is a gem. A product of it's time and a piece of social history on a par with Dickens.

This is the film that put Finney on the map, as the saying goes, and for good reason. He's a great actor, but his performance is more than individual; it's also symbolic of some anger afoot in the UK at the time--i.e., the "angry young men". More specifically, the combination of Finney's sex appeal and braggodocio thumbs its nose at the stereotypical image of Great Britain as the stuffy, staid upholder of propriety and good manners and lords and ladies, et cetera.

His character, Arthur, is working class through and through, and it shows in every scene. He drinks and womanizes and plays tricks--mostly on older women he considers representative of stuffiness and stupidity. But he's callous himself--not stupid, but callous. This is really a slice of life movie that, more than anything else, portrays the British working class in the 1960s pretty much as they were. It's a great companion piece to another excellent British film, "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner", also from the 1960s, and also featuring a young British actor making his debut, Tom Courtenay.

Finney is electric in his role. What's especially good about this film is that it doesn't so much copy or emulate American movies--in departing from the image of British culture as proper, etc.--as it presents an entirely new type of film, that reveals the day-to-day lives of British workers and societal hangers-on, those who can never take anything for granted.

Thumbing one's nose symbolically and cinematically here is producer Tony Richardson, who went on to direct Finney in "Tom Jones" (a masterpiece, I would say) and director Karel Reisz, a Polish-born Brit who went on to direct a number of other interesting films.

But the biggest nose-thumber of all here is Albert Finney. The ending is deeply ironic because we can see that in short order he'll give up his nose-thumbing ways and settle down with a cute girl who has no higher ambitions, basically, than he does. Will that last? Given Arther's character, it doesn't seem likely.

It's nice to see that Finney is still active in cinema. This debut is stunning and for sure well worth seeing.

Karel Reisz and Tony Richardson joined forces and created the most representative film about life in Englands industrial north of the 60s. Albert Finney will always be remembered for his powerful performance as a young factory worker who rebels against his humdrum life and the social establishments.
This characteristic British Free Cinema film is a must for any serious film collection.
Poor DVD packaging though. Noextras whatsoever, unfortunately.

*** THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE 'UK" BLU RAY VERSION ONLY ***

"...What I'm Out For Is A Good Time...All The Rest Is Propaganda..."

After viewing this unashamedly gritty portrayal of British working class life on BLU RAY, you're left with two distinct impressions - one is admiration for the extraordinary restoration work done by the BRITISH FILM INSTITUTE on the newly restored near-faultless print - and second - and more importantly - is sheer astonishment at what a truly fantastic and ballsy film "Saturday Night And Sunday Morning" is.

In 2009 - with our so-called freedom and enlightenment - you'd be hard-pressed to find a movie so darkly truthful and still relevant. Masterpiece is a word that is often overused, but in this case it genuinely applies.

Directed by Karel Reisz in 1960, it was produced by Tony Richardson (who directed "The Loneliness of The Long Distance Runner") and adapted and scripted from his own novel by Alan Sillitoe. Set in Northern England, this is a world of downing pints of mild and bitter until you're paralytic drunk, red phone booths with black A/B coin boxes in them, kids getting a bag of Dolly Mixtures sweets in the corner shop, push-up packets of Sweet Afton cigarettes, busy bodies with scarves on their heads watching with malicious eyes from tenement doorways for neighbours doing anything immoral...

A young Albert Finney plays defiant loudmouth Arthur Seaton who suffers the late 1950's Nottingham factory all day, because at night and at weekends, he can have his "fun". In his dapper suit and greased-back hair, Arthur is busy juggling another man's wife, drinking and betting. Finney isn't just good in the part, he's magnificent - he inhabits every scene like a panther about to pounce - like the world owes him a favour and his character Arthur clearly believes it does (his anthem above is spoken in the opening credits as he wipes his hands in a rag by the machine-tool lathe).

Having said that, watching the movie again, you're more struck by the women whose parts were cutting edge for the time - given real meat to work with. Shirley Ann Field isn't just a pretty face as Doreen the girl who makes hairnets and lives at home with her mum; she adds a rare intelligence and class to the movie. Hylda Baker is excellent as the convivial Aunt Ada who thinks Arthur is a lovely boy, but it's Rachel Roberts as the smitten wife who nicks the film - she is needy one moment, steel the next - then towards the end, she's just beaten and broken as she realizes Arthur's heart is going somewhere else - permanently.

Johnny Dankworth's jazz soundtrack is deceptive - it seems like fun, but mostly it acts as an almost sly and sinister backdrop - happy tunes for people with nowhere to go - for the rest of their lives... It's very, very effective.

But your eyes keep coming back to the print - apart from a few lines in the opening shot of the noisy factory floor, the stark black and white footage is consistently fantastic - you can see Rachel's face blusher, Finney's sweat in the pub as he watches a war-veteran drown his sorrow in beer (Peter Sallis - the voice of Wallace in Wallace & Gromit - has a bit part in that scene) even feel the soft texture of Doreen's cashmere cardigans...a stunning restoration job done from start to finish.

The 4 extras are a mixed bag of the great and the disappointing:
1. A commentary for the duration of the film, which you can have On or Off.
2. There's an extract of an interview with Albert Finney taped in 1982 at the National Film Theatre (hosted by Michael Billington), which is accompanied by stills from the film. It's witty and informative in some ways, but criminally short at about 6 minutes. Being the main star, it's very disappointing to not hear more from him. Far better is...
3. An interview with Shirley Ann Field, which is superlative. She reminisces about each of the actors, her naivety at the time of filming, how groundbreaking the subject matter was - and of course from the stills - you get to see how beautiful she was and still is - a class act - much like Finney himself.
4. Best, however, is "We Are The Lambeth Boys", a documentary film about youths at work and play. It centres on the "Alford House Youth Club" and like the film is fully restored too. It uses the same Woodfall film team - Reisz as Director, Walter Lassally the camerman and even has Johnny Dankworth's jazzy music. It's a fascinating and lengthy insight into a world of British youth that is gone forever.

"Saturday Night And Sunday Morning" is a balls-to-the-wall triumph on Blu Ray - it's just such a shame that the mighty Albert Finney didn't get more involved - it would have been such sweet icing to an already great piece of cake.

Recommended - big time.

PS: the BFI have also done BLU RAYS of "The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner" (see REVIEW) and an astonishing restoration of Stanley Baker's "Zulu" and Michael Caine's "The Italian Job" (see UK review)....they're playable on all region BR players

Albert Finney is quite possibly one of my favorite actors working today, and quite frankly one of my favorite actors who has ever worked in cinema. Surprisingly the first film I ever saw of his was `Erin Brockovich', but it was that stunning portrayal of Erin's grumpy yet heartwarming boss that hooked me and moved me to find everything I could starring this man. Since then I've seen just about all of his films (I've still got a few coming on Netflix) and I have to say that Finney very rarely fails to deliver.

`Saturday Night and Sunday Morning' was Finney's first leading role, and what a stellar debut this proved to be. Winning for himself a BAFTA for his portrayal of a reckless steal worker, Finney instantly shot himself to `in demand' actor status.

Finney plays Arthur Seaton, a young and wild steal worker who lives (or merely stays awake) day in and day out in order to make enough money to drink and be merry on the weekends (sounds familiar '). Seaton has his work cut out for him though, carrying on a relationship with a married woman while trying to keep his unsuspecting girlfriend unsuspecting. His feelings for Brenda (the married woman) continue to grow, but when they find themselves in a tight spot (I smell a baby in the oven) Seaton's next moves become more and more desperate and pertinent.

The question is; when is it time to grow up and take responsibility?

The films title, `Saturday Night and Sunday Morning', refers to that very question. Saturday night we party, we have fun, we remain reckless; but Sunday morning we awake to a new set of problems and we become aware of the necessity to own up to our mistakes.

The film also speaks loudly about the feeling of suffocation within our respective classes. There is a layer of desperation that you can feel seeping into the actions of each character, in particular Brenda who seems the most affected by her lot in life. Arthur and his girlfriend Doreen seem almost unfazed by what is expected of them or really where they are headed, yet it becomes apparent that Arthur is longing for something more; and as his own decisions begin to catch up with him we can see his life finally blossoming in his eyes. Arthur's very views of his parents and the people around him, the waste of life he sees, almost contradicts his very actions yet as one peers into what makes Arthur tick they can see that he is most ashamed of becoming what he so despises. He's fallen into the rut of what society has delegated to him, and as much as he hates it he fails to embrace what could make him transcend it.

`Saturday Night and Sunday Morning' is a very nicely crafted social piece that has the acting chops to match the important message provided within the films script. Karel Reisz handles the film very nicely, giving the actors room to develop their characters and deliver something strong and memorable. This is one of Albert Finney's finest moments, and it rightfully jumpstarted his very, very impressive career.

"Saturday Night and Sunday Morning" is one of the finest examples of cinema that emerged in Britain from the late Fifties and early Sixties. For sure there is a lot of despair on display here but there is also a glimmer of hope for happiness. Arthur Seaton (Albert Finney), stuck in a meaningless job with little hope for advancement beyond his class, doesn't so much lash out but engages in wreckless and self-destructive behavior. He drinks to excess, he carries on affair with a meek co-worker's wife (Rachel Roberts), he torments a busy-body neighbor with an air gun, he teases the ladies at his plant with a dead rat. Arthur isn't so much angry just stifled. The best chance for redemption is the love of a working-class girl, Doreen (Shirley-Anne Field). Arthur just basically has to do some growing up and brush off the inequities of class-conscious Britain. Finney absolutely mesmerizes in his starring debut. For sure, Arthur engages in some outrageous behavior, but Finney never overplays it. Director Karel Reisz perfectly captures the grimy working class milieu. Essential viewing. On a final note, when are they going to properly re-issue Lindsay Anderson's "This Sporting Life" with Richard Harris and Rachel Roberts, another fine example of British film from the early Sixties.

English history has been full of rebel heroes but the screen tradition really came to fruition during the late Fifties and early Sixties when England's postwar generation was in revolt...

In the theater, this revolt took the form of the "kitchen sink drama" and the era of the Angry Young Men... In the movie industry, it was the era of "Free Cinema," an attempt by young filmmakers to break away from established subjects and standard treatments...

This raw melodrama deals with Arthur Seaton (Finney), a working class young man who rejects the misery and grind of his home and factory, but whose only possible rebellion takes the form of a cynicism towards authority and a cheerful indulgence in sexual encounters with various ladies of the town... His rebellion, though limited, is nevertheless genuine and the film's situation in a working class milieu is, for the habitually middle and upper class conscious British cinema, a much needed step forward...

I have seen a few of the "angry young Brit" movies of the late 50's and early 60's lately. "This Sporting Life", "Look Back in Anger", and "Saturday Night and Sunday Morning" leave a picture of a society that offers little except a tedious life with limited rewards. The Richard Harris character in "This Sporting Life" at least had an opportunity to reach beyond but he was ultimately reminded where he belonged. These movies left me wondering why British life in that era seemed so incredibly boring while in America things were really hopping. The Beatles changed all that but then watching "The Fully Monty" gave me the impression that the deadend life had returned.

It's hard to get excited about all this dreariness but I'm certain that the directors had a point to make. Maybe it was a Dickensian version of the "youth will be served" motto. The anger, the fighting, the drinking, the love/hate relationships with women all portrayed a life without joy. Personally, I thought that "Saturday Night and Sunday Morning" was the best of the lot. Although Albert Finney might be a slight notch below Richards Burton and Harris, I felt his was the more compelling character; lost, aimless, but not willing to take it sitting down. He seemed to care for no one but himself (a common trait of the leading men in these movies) and was ready to sacrifice just about anybody to keep his life at least somewhat enjoyable. Burton was just plain angry and Harris was obsessed with his game but Finney used the people around him as pawns for his own entertainment. One of those individuals was played by Rachel Roberts who played the same sort of role in "This Sporting Life".

Some movies make you happy and some make you think. This limited genre of film seems to make you think you'd be happy to watch something else instead. Yet there is the life that must be lived in a society that has predetermined where you belong. These movies may impress many a viewer and I have to admit that the acting and directing is superb in all three of the movies I cited from that era. However, I came away from each one gladder than before that I spent those years in Middle America rather than Great Britain.

A moderately humorous sociopolitical drama with charming and ingratiating characters speaking what sound like an ancient Cockney tongue. Reasonably suspenseful and a bit daring for its time---it provides a sort of "Behind the scenes," account of British working class families in what appears to be the early 1960's. Alternately bleak, funny and compassionate.