This Sporting Life (1963)

This Sporting Life (1963) (Blu-Ray) (*)

$22.99

Screened, competed or awarded at:
BAFTA Awards
Cannes Film Festival
Golden Globes

Language Selections:
English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 )
English ( Subtitles )
Portuguese ( Subtitles )
Spanish ( Dolby Digital 2.0 )
Spanish ( Subtitles )

Product Origin/Format:
Spain ( Blu-Ray/Region A/B/C )

Running Time:
134 min

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen (1.66:1)

Special Features:
Interactive Menu
Scene Access
Black & White

Movie filmed in 1963 and produced in:
United Kingdom ( Great Britain, Ireland )

Directed By:
Lindsay Anderson

Written By:
David Storey

Actors:
Richard Harris ..... Frank Machin
Rachel Roberts ..... Mrs. Margaret Hammond
Alan Badel ..... Gerald Weaver
William Hartnell ..... 'Dad' Johnson
Colin Blakely ..... Maurice Braithwaite
Vanda Godsell ..... Mrs. Anne Weaver
Anne Cunningham ..... Judith
Jack Watson ..... Len Miller
Arthur Lowe ..... Charles Slomer
Harry Markham ..... Wade
George Sewell ..... Jeff
Leonard Rossiter ..... Phillips, Sports writer
Katherine Parr ..... Mrs. Farrer
Bernadette Benson ..... Lynda Hammond

Synopsis:

Richard Harris gives a career-best performance as the brutally competitive miner, strongly supported by Rachel Roberts as his bitter landlady, both of whom received Oscar nominations, with Roberts winning the BAFTA for Best British Actress. David Storey's compelling script was also BAFTA nominated, while director Lindsay Anderson was nominated for the Golden Palm for his unflinching look at working-class life set in the bleak landscape of Northern England. This Sporting Life is featured here in a High Definition transfer made from original film elements in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio.
Miner Frank Machin lodges with a widow, Mrs. Hammond. His competitive nature and powerful physique cause him to join the local rugby team and, as his career progresses, so too his brutal nature distances him from those around him. Success - and perhaps a new sense of insecurity - seems to make Frank harsher and cruder...

Adapted by David Storey from his own novel, This Sporting Life stars Richard Harris as Frank, an athletic coal miner who aspires to the greener pastures of professional rugby. Soon establishing himself as one of the most brutal and arrogant players in the business, Frank begins to amass a fortune. He also falls in love with his landlady, Mrs Hammond (Rachel Roberts), who initially resists his advances. When she finally gives in, their relationship hinges on sex alone, as Frank practically begs Mrs. Hammond to give of herself emotionally and she remains incapable. At the wedding ceremony for one of Frank's teammates, Mrs. Hammond unexpectedly lashes out at her swaggering lover. They split up, but Frank, who until now has equated happiness with wealth, is unable to get over the permanent loss. In the end, with nothing else left, all of Frank's self-worth becomes contingent on his rugby performances, though Frank and the other players are exploited to such a degree that this also proves disastrous. Widely regarded as one of the finest British feature films ever produced, the gritty and bleak This Sporting Life not only marked former documentary filmmaker Lindsay Anderson's first feature, but became one of the harbingers of the 'Angry Young Man' school of filmmaking.

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.

This product was added to our catalog on Tuesday 21 March, 2023.