Customer Reviews

Taste of Honey [VHS]

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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/

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

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.

It's a crime against art that this is not available in the US on DVD. I saw this on broadcast TV (one of the Late Shows from Cedar Rapids) in small town Iowa when I was 13 and it was the first and only positive image of a homosexual which I had seen or would see for over ten years. The gay shoe clerk who has been trown out of his rooming house for bringing a man home is played by Murray Melvin. He is just as good as the women in this film, there is no weak part.

so amazing in so many ways..beautiful, unusual photography of this industrial area..wild, chanting children surround the main characters like a greek chorus, the movie is peopled with real, flawed, vulnerable people.. and the ending is not a neat one, real writing and superb acting.I was stunned to see a non stereotypical homosexual and a black man interracting with the main character, What a daring film for its time. So much to take in. PLEASE get this on American dvd so I can buy it and watch it over and over.If you get a chance to see it....

I totally agree with every word of Robert Dahl's review - only I would never have been able to express the ideas so excellently.

I inquired about "A Taste of Honey" for sale from rare cinema, to make sure it was exactly the edition I was looking for (the full BFI DVD with commentary). Per the seller's response it was indeed the copy I was looking for. However, after receiving a reply to my inquiry, I went back to my shopping cart to purchase it and discovered that rare cinema had raised the price by almost $40.00. Coincidental to my inquiry? I sincerely doubt it. I wouldn't do business with them now under any circumstances!