coolrob1955 Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 29 Wednesday 8:00 PM This Sporting Life (1963) One of the most emotionally depressing movies ever made. A great movie. At the end you will feel like you've been beaten-up rather than entertained. Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nsallieharding Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 Thanks for the heads up on this film. It gets great ratings on IMDB so I will give it a shot. This Sporting Life (1963) Runtime: 134 min Country: UK Language: English Color: Black and White Rank Film Distributors Ltd. (1963) (UK) (theatrical) In Northern England in the early 1960s, Frank Machin is mean, tough and ambitious enough to become an immediate star in the rugby league team run by local employer Weaver. Machin lodges with Mrs Hammond, whose husband was killed in an accident at Weaver's, but his impulsive and angry nature stop him from being able to reach her as he would like. He becomes increasingly frustrated with his situation, and this is not helped by the more straightforward enticements of Mrs Weaver. Trivia for This Sporting Life (1963) * Feature film debut of Edward Fox. * It was 'Willaim Hartnell' 's apperance in this film that brought him to the attention of Verity Lambert, producer of "Doctor Who" (1963) * At the time of filming, Arthur Lowe and Anne Cunningham were appearing together in Coronation Street. * Glenda Jackson appears briefly in the group singing round the piano at the Christmas party. * When Richard Harris is roughed up behind the scrum, rugby league legend Derek Turner, who was playing the character who punches him, was asked by the director to make the contact look real. So he did. He punched Harris for real and knocked him out completely, shooting for the day had to be stopped while Harris recovered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Presteign Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 I agree. I first saw this movie a year ago (they had it on VHS at the local library). It certainly is one of the bleakest movies ever made, and leaves you with an empty feeling in your guts at the end. If you just want entertainment then pass this one by. The two leading characters in the movie (played superbly by Richard Harris and Rachel Roberts, both nominated for oscars) are totally unsympathetic and dislikeable, and I found myself yelling at the screen "what's wrong with you F***ing people". See it at your own risk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jarhfive Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 Metry Road, Stay Away From Sharp Objects Tonight programming theme: "The Fisher King", "This Sporting Life" and "Sid and Nancy". Angora Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jarhfive Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 Sorry. Forgot number four--"Trainspotting". Angora Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonParker Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 What about "Penny Serenade?" It's the only Grant movie that I find unwatchable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CineSage Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 Hardly "unwatchable," but it (meaning director George Stevens) does seem to have trouble figuring out just exactly what kind of money it's supposed to be: comedy or tearjerker. Consequently, it's a very uneasy combination of the two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Presteign Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 I hope you don't misunderstand my comments about the moviw This Sporting Life. I was'nt trying to imply that it was a bad movie, It's a damn good movie. The director, Can't remember his name right now, did a superb job of showing us the relationship between two messed up, self destructive people in a miserable environment. One critic called it the British version of Streetcar Named Desire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jarhfive Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 Hello, I have not seen "This Sporting Life". I thank Metry Road for posting a notice of an upcoming broadcast. I noticed (looking up "This Sporting Life") on IMDB another Richard Harris movie that may be worth investigating (renting) is "The Field". Again, a film I have not watched. The three movies I listed are non-stop depressing films I have watched: "The Fisher King"--a must-see. After watching, I was trying to think of the word to describe the movie. I read a review of "The Fisher King" that described it as "melancholy"...melancholy, indeed. "Trainspotting"--a must-see. An accomplished film, but has a lot of drug use, foul language and focus on a group of pretty seedy characters. Did I mention toilet diving? The characters in "Trainspotting" remind me of some of my post-high school graduation roommates, so I felt a (sort of) connection to the movie. A lot of people would be disgusted by the 'goings on' in "Trainspotting". "Sid and Nancy"--skip it. Yuck. Milstead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandykaypax Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 Oh, god, THE FIELD has to be one of the most depressing movies that I've ever seen. AND it's sloooooow. I actually fell asleep in the movie theatre while watching it for a few minutes, during the middle of the afternoon! I've only fallen asleep in the movie theatre twice--during THE FIELD and during THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER--but I was really tired the night that I saw RED OCTOBER, so there is that excuse... THE FIELD is one of those movies where I am angry that I wasted 2 hours of my life watching it...Richard Harris, notwithstanding... Sandy K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coolrob1955 Posted March 17, 2006 Author Share Posted March 17, 2006 I am at that age now when I fall asleep watching just about any movie. My daughter took me to see 'Titanic' and I fell asleep. She was ****. I saw it later on DVD and enjoyed it. Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
path40a Posted March 20, 2006 Share Posted March 20, 2006 See if you don't think Richard Harris looks a little like Marlon Brando in this one. At first, the film reminding me a LOT of Raging Bull with Robert De Niro, but Harris's character (& Roberts's, for that matter) have a lot more depth than real life Jack LaMotta (& his wife) did. Because of Metry Road's earlier post, I wasn't looking forward to watching This Sporting Life; I don't usually enjoy these type of movies. However, I didn't find it to be nearly as much of a "downer" as Long Day's Journey into Night or Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (which are both excellent and, IMO, better films). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coolrob1955 Posted March 20, 2006 Author Share Posted March 20, 2006 Absolutely. Richard Harris was definately trying to play it like Marlon Brando. It's one of the best Marlon Brando impressions I have ever seen. A compliment to Both Richard Harris' ability as an actor, and Marlon Brando as a major influence. It's the only amusing part of this sad movie. Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Presteign Posted March 20, 2006 Share Posted March 20, 2006 I seem to remember there was a whole slew of 'Social Realism' dramas made in Britain during the 1960's, such as 'A Taste of Honey', 'The Lonliness of The Long Distance Runner', 'The Whisperers', and a bunch of others, All usually concerning the the deprivations of the working class poor. So many in fact that they became a whole sub-genre unto themselves, as did the 'Ealing Comedies'. I would like to see the above mentioned movies and others of the same genre on TCM. Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traceyk65 Posted March 20, 2006 Share Posted March 20, 2006 I felt the same way after watching "Suddenly Last Summer" I also felt like I needed a bath...metaphorically speaking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
path40a Posted March 20, 2006 Share Posted March 20, 2006 You're right, Presteign. They're called "Kitchen Sink", or were dubbed "Angry Young Men", films: http://www.filmsite.org/60sintro.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Presteign Posted March 20, 2006 Share Posted March 20, 2006 Thanks for the link. I just thought of another I hav'nt seen for decades. 'The Family Way' with John Mills and Hayley Mils. Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jarhfive Posted March 20, 2006 Share Posted March 20, 2006 ****Possible Spoiler Below**** Hello, Oh...my... God. The "social realism" comment reminds me of that dismal movie--"The Whisperers" (1967). Oh yes, and disappointing! I kept expecting a Wes Craven "The People Under the Stairs" thing to happen. But, no. Rusty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jarhfive Posted March 20, 2006 Share Posted March 20, 2006 Presteign, Whoops. Sorry. I see you already mentioned "The Whisperers". What a dreary movie. Rusty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
born80yr2late Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 I can handle Penny Serenade, depressing, yes, unwatchable, not for me. However I refuse to watch "Suspicion". I just hate the thought of Cary Grant as the bad guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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