• Rating:
• Genre: Drama
• Movie Type: Urban Drama
• Themes: Twentysomething Life, Class Differences, Extramarital Affairs
• Director: Karel Reisz
• Main Cast: Albert Finney, Shirley Ann Field, Rachel Roberts, Hylda Baker, Norman Rossington
• Release Year: 1961
• Country: UK
• Run Time: 90 minutes

Plot

"All I want is a good time. The rest is propaganda." That's the philosophy of archetypal British "angry young man" Arthur Seaton (Albert Finney). A middle-class working stiff in a dead-end job, Arthur's principal goal in life is to survive the work week, then spend the weekend raising as much hell and drinking as much beer and other liquor as possible. Since pleasure is all that Arthur lives for, he thinks nothing of starting up an affair with the wife (Rachel Roberts) of one of his co-workers (Bryan Pringle). His efforts to secure her an abortion when he gets her pregnant stem not out of concern for her but out of his own selfishness: why should he be tied down with a squalling brat? Despite his carousing and his ongoing desire to escape the dull routine of his weekday existence, Arthur is doomed to perpetuate that routine via his marriage to a complacent "nice" girl (Shirley Ann Field) from his own neighborhood. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Review

While it was hardly the first of the British "Angry Young Man" dramas of the late 1950s/early 1960s (Look Back In Anger beat it to the screen by nearly two years), Saturday Night and Sunday Morning was one of the best, thanks largely to a superb performance by Albert Finney in his first leading film role. Finney's turn as Arthur Seaton practically defined the archetypal working-class yob who is just smart enough to know that his life is going nowhere, but not sharp enough to do anything about it; dozens more like him would follow, but few were able to give him the street smarts and fine edge of bitter wit that Finney brought to the character's charming amorality. The film made him a star overnight. Director Karel Reisz knew enough to keep Finney front and center throughout, but he also created an appropriately dingy atmosphere for his star; the film's sense of grubby detail is so keen that one can almost smell the smoke and stale beer in the pubs, and feel the heat in the factory where Arthur spends his weekdays. If time has dated Alan Sillitoe's screenplay, its spirit remains true to any post-adolescent would-be rebel either searching for a cause or not bothering to look for one. While Rachel Roberts doesn't get nearly as showy a role as Finney, her performance as Brenda, the unhappy housewife having an affair with Arthur, is every bit as strong, and she's perhaps the only actor in this movie who doesn't seem intimidated in her scenes with the leading man. Saturday Night and Sunday Morning can't escape being a product of its time, but its intelligence and rich store of talent make it powerful and relevant for any generation. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Cast

• Albert Finney - Arthur Seaton
• Shirley Ann Field - Doreen Gretton
• Rachel Roberts - Brenda
• Hylda Baker - Aunt Ada
• Norman Rossington - Bert

Bryan Pringle - Jack; Robert Cawdron - Robboe; Edna Morris - Mrs. Bull; Elsie Wagstaffe - Mrs. Seaton; Frank Pettitt - Mr. Seaton; Avis Bunnage - Blowsy Woman; Colin Blakely - Loudmouth; Irene Richmond - Doreen's Mother; Louise Dunn - Betty; Anne Blake - Civil Defense Officer; Peter Madden - Drunk; Cameron Hall - Mr. Bull; Alister Williamson - Police Constable

Credit

Johnny Dankworth - Composer (Music Score); Johnny Dankworth - Musical Direction/Supervision; Johnny Dankworth - Songwriter; Freddie Francis - Cinematographer; Seth Holt - Editor; Karel Reisz - Director; Tony Richardson - Producer; Harry Saltzman - Producer; Sophie Devine - Costume Designer; Barbara Gillett - Costume Designer; Ted Marshall - Art Director; Alan Sillitoe - Screenwriter; Alan Sillitoe - Book Author

Similar Movies

The Entertainer; High Hopes; The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner; Look Back in Anger; Room at the Top; This Sporting Life; Kes; Naked; Riff-Raff; Last Ball