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This Sporting Life

Richard Harris (Actor), Rachel Roberts (Actor), Lindsay Anderson (Director) Rated:
NR
Format: DVD
4.6 out of 5 stars 38 customer reviews
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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Prolific British filmmaker Lindsay Anderson weaves this small, evocative tale of young life at the crossroads in early 1960s Northern England. A rough, sullen young man (Richard Harris) working in the local coal mines begins to make a name for himself as

Amazon.com

Prolific British filmmaker Lindsay Anderson weaves this small, evocative tale of young life at the crossroads in early 1960s Northern England. A rough, sullen young man (Richard Harris) working in the local coal mines begins to make a name for himself as a star rugby player, but even as he begins to fall in love he cannot escape the harsh realities of the bleak life around him. The rugby sequences in the film are striking, but no more so than the depiction of downtrodden people living in the shadow of industry and corruption that too often crushes their spirit. Harris in one of his first roles, is remarkably effective as an unlikable but sympathetic figure trying against hope to savor the small joys life has to offer, and the film also features the debut of renowned actress Glenda Jackson. One of a series of working-class, character-driven British imports, This Sporting Life is one of the best on the field. --Robert Lane

Special Features

None.

Product Details

  • Actors: Richard Harris, Rachel Roberts, Alan Badel, William Hartnell, Colin Blakely
  • Directors: Lindsay Anderson
  • Writers: David Storey
  • Producers: Julian Wintle, Karel Reisz, Leslie Parkyn
  • Format: Multiple Formats, Black & White, Color, Letterboxed, NTSC
  • Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
  • Region: All Regions
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Rated:
    NR
    Not Rated
  • Studio: Image Entertainment
  • DVD Release Date: December 1, 1998
  • Run Time: 134 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: 6305186642
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #127,714 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • Learn more about "This Sporting Life" on IMDb

Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsA depressing slice of life in Yorkshire with Richard Harris giving an electrifying performance.
By johnf on March 6, 2016
Format: Amazon Video Verified Purchase
Another of the great British New Wave films of the early sixties, often called kitchen sink films for their honest portrayal of working class people in their daily lives, a group that had been largely left out of British cinema previously. This one features Richard Harris in one of his best roles as Frank Machin, a factory worker in West Yorkshire who seeks a way out of his dead end existence with his talent in playing rugby. Rugby is a rough sport and Frank is a rough guy. As he says, "It's Rugby. Soccer has stars". The owner of the factory, Mr. Weaver, sponsors the local team and after cajoling a tryout Frank makes the team with a handsome signing bonus.

Frank's ambitions also include Mrs. Hammond, a widow in whose house he rents a room. He husband was killed in an industrial accident at Weaver's factory and she has been left with a young daughter. She is bitter about her husband's death and has almost given up on life. Frank's attentions are not at all welcome to her and one senses that part of his motivation in taking on rugby is to win her over by offering a better life.Frank, however has many problems of his own making, largely due to his hot temper and impulsive nature. When things seem to be going right, he will always do something to mess it up. It's not that he has some suicidal wish but his fiery nature mixed with an inability to understand his situation and self constantly get him into trouble, such as the scene when he takes Mrs. hammond out to a fancy dinner and finds himself totally out of his element.

The story is told in flashbacks, gradually returning to the present. The black and white photography works well with the gritty realism of the time and place but is also very effective in an idyllic trip to the country with Frank, Mrs.Read more ›
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4.0 out of 5 starsA strong and impressive first feature by Lindsay Anderson
By KG on October 19, 2010
Format: DVD Verified Purchase
A lower-class young man (Richard Harris) makes his mark as a particularly violent, tough rugby player, while trying, in his awkward, coarse way to seduce his landlady (Rachel Roberts).

Strong moments of acting, photography, and interesting use of fractured time mark Lindsay Anderson's feature debut. This was a key film of the British New Wave cinema that helped moved English film towards gritty realism. (Ironic, considering Anderson's greatest films; 'If...." and "O Lucky Man" are quite far from that kind of naturalistic realism).

Almost all critics consider it a masterpiece, but on first viewing both the performances and the writing were too theatrical for me to grant it quite that level of perfection.

But I plan to re-see it. As often with films one hears about for years, I may have been over-hyped, and missed some of its greatness. And even as is, I found it a strong, impressive and very worthwhile first feature, worth seeing if you have any interest in any of the elements; the cast, the moment in English history, Lindsay Anderson's great career as a director, etc.

Criterion does their usual great job, with a beautiful transfer, and tons of supplemental material, including a wonderful 50 minute, irony filled autobiographical film by Anderson called 'Is That All There Is?', made not that long before his death.
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4.0 out of 5 starsan early Richard Harris classic
By Ted on March 8, 2008
Format: DVD Verified Purchase
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

This Sporting Life, directed by Lindsay Anderson, is based on a novel of the same name by David Storey who also wrote the screenplay. It is about a rugby player named Frank Machin played by a young Richard Harris (who was known for his role as Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter movies and subsequent death causing the character to be recast. I know him best from the 1998 Russian film "The Barber of Siberia" which is overdue for an official US release). Much of the film is in flashbacks. The flashbacks are brought on after Frank receives a mouth injury while playing and is taken to a dentist who anesthetizes him while fixing his mouth. Frank lodges with a widow and begins to become infatuated with her but unable to express his feelings for her. This frustrates him and he becomes angry often. I did not like the ending of the film, but overall it is nicely made.

The DVD has some excellent special features on two discs one of which I became very interested in.

On disc one,there is audio commentary by Paul Ryan and David Storey, and a theatrical trailer. On disc two there is a 2004 BBC Scotland documentary about director Lindsay Anderson, an interview with Lois Sutcliffe Smith, an early collaborator and friend of Anderson, and finally, three other films directed by Anderson.

"Is That All There Is?" was made in 1992 and is Anderson's last film. It is an autobiography. The other two are documentaries. They are "Meet the Pioneers" (1948) and "Wakefield Express" (1952)

"Meet the Pioneers" is a documentary about the company Richard Sutcliffe Ltd. which manufactured conveyor belts for coal mines and includes information about the company's founder and namesake, Richard Sutcliffe.Read more ›
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4.0 out of 5 starsThe Angry Young Man
By Bryan A. Pfleeger on July 22, 2007
Format: DVD Verified Purchase
One of the greatest sports films ever made Lindsay Anderson's This Sporting Life is a film that while not always easy to watch demands to be seen. Richard Harris, in a Cannes best actor winning role, plays Frank Machin, a ex coal miner who becomes a rugy star in his north London community. Machin is a broodish brute of a man trying to escape his social situation in the only way he knows how by playing violent City League rugby. His success on the field is mirrored by his loneliness and detachment off the field as he attempts to gain the love of his emotionally dead widow landlady Margaret Hammond (Rachel Roberts).

This film forms the template for many of the great sports films that followed it. It was especially important to Martin Scorsese in his film Raging Bull. Harris'performance is incredible. It is almost as if he were channeling Brando's performance in On the Waterfront. The film's structure is also unique. Machin's story is told in a series of flashbacks on the day that he got his teeth knocked out on the rugby field.

This film offers an emotional rollercoaster ride like no other that I've seen recently.Shot in harsh white light by Denys Coop. The color palette matches the loneliness and social stratification felt by the main characters. This is not an easy film to watch but it does have its rewards. This is part of the origins of the so-called angry young man cinema of the 1960's. It was this type of film that introduced the world to Britain's working class.

I viewed this film in the Paramount VHS edition which provided an adequate viewing experience. The film is available in a rare DVD edition. The costly nature makes purchase of the DVD impossible for me but it is my understanding that there are no special features.

Do yourself a favor and seek it out. View it as a great sports film or social commentary but see it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars"I'm the one thing in this world you can't have."

Academy Award nominations: Leading Actor-Richard Harris and Leading Actress-Rachel Roberts.

March Boy nominations: Leading Actor-Richard Harris, Supporting... Read more

Published 8 months ago by March boy
5.0 out of 5 starsThis has always been a favourite movie of mine

This has always been a favourite movie of mine. I could not believe I had the opportunity to own the movie which I saw approximately forty years ago. Read more

Published 8 months ago by Victor Crowley
5.0 out of 5 starsTops

One of the best ever

Published 19 months ago by Fran X Szostek
4.0 out of 5 starsA meal--not a snack

Heavy, but a great film among the excellent black and white works that came out of England. Harris and the other actors give strong performances, and the piece is shot almost as if... Read more

Published 22 months ago by William Alan Moss
5.0 out of 5 starsNot for the faint of heart

So good, so painfully true. Harris and Roberts are brilliant as two broken people trying to somehow forge a relationship. Read more

Published on January 8, 2015 by Steven L. Wilson
5.0 out of 5 starsWOW!,! this movie is so fascinating. ...

WOW ! ,!this movie is so fascinating.i have only seen this once before about 15 yrs ago,and I didn't appreciate it then. Read more

Published on December 21, 2014 by Jon Hufford
5.0 out of 5 starsRichard Harris' Finest Work

Harris did this film very early in his career. You can see the raw power of his acting and the inner turmoil of someone with only a vague awareness of what it means to be part of... Read more

Published on September 10, 2013 by William A. Bonnet
5.0 out of 5 starsBetter than many think

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing "This Sporting Life" when I first watched this, mum was making fun of me because she thinks, the hero is raping his love interest. Read more

Published on May 22, 2013 by Baby Faith Ostermann
5.0 out of 5 starsTragedy in Black and White

What a movie! Heavy. Heavy. But great if a little long. I never knew Richard Harris could act. I only had seen him in later, lesser movies. Read more

Published on August 11, 2012 by mphilipm
5.0 out of 5 starsScorching Sport-Centered Drama That's Still Angry After All These...

"This Sporting Life." (1963). A true black and white British classic, a scorching sport-centered drama, helmed by prolific director Lindsay Anderson (O Lucky Man! Read more

Published on December 7, 2011 by Stephanie De Pue

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