28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Essential Viewing, January 20, 2005
This review is from: Taste of Honey [VHS] (VHS Tape)
British filmmaking enjoyed a resurgence, known as the British New Wave, during the late 50's and early 60's, with "kitchen sink" films depicting gritty realism, working-class people, and only an occasional happy ending. A Taste Of Honey is one of the defining films of this time period.
Written by then nineteen-year-old Shelagh Delaney, and first presented by Joan Littlewood at Stratford-upon-Avon in May 1958 as a stage play, it was brought to the screen by director-producer Tony Richardson's Woodfall Films in 1961. His search for an unknown actress to play Jo, the teenage daughter, culminated in his discovery of Liverpool-born Rita Tushingham, whose "all-speaking eyes" stood out in her film test.
The mother-daughter relationship between Helen (Dora Bryan) and Jo (Tushingham) is one of the best on film. Helen's sluttish ways and egocentric lifestyle prompt some wonderfully catty zingers from Jo. As the film goes on, we see that Helen truly loves Jo and never lies to her, but that Helen's first priority is Helen.
Jo becomes involved with a black man and with a gay man, highly controversial for 1961 audiences, and experiences a brief period of happiness - a taste of honey - before her mother returns with all of her emotional baggage intact.
A great script gives an actor the opportunity to shine, and Dora Bryan and Rita Tushingham both give standout performances.
Grittily realistic and wonderfully acted, A Taste Of Honey is essential viewing for anyone interested in British Cinema.
View some photos from the film on my Rita Tushingham fansite
http://members.cox.net/rjd0309/tush/
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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Taste Of Honey, May 23, 2002
This review is from: Taste of Honey [VHS] (VHS Tape)
This must be one of the best films of the sixty's it is very funny and yet so sad at the same time. Both Dora Bryan and Rita Tushingham give performances to rember all your life I personaly have seen it about 100 times and I think it is a film to remmeber.
Mr. Shaun Warburton
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
cinema verite, June 12, 2003
This review is from: Taste of Honey [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Rita Tushingham is excellent in her portrayal of a child/woman of the industrial north of England in the 60's.Her struggle to survive with so many odds against her are very touching and bittersweet.
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