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Movies / On DVD / This Sporting Life
This Sporting Life

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This Sporting Life (1963)

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Reviews Counted: 15

Fresh: 15

Rotten:0

Average Rating: 8.2/10

Runtime: 2 hrs 14 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Adapted from David Storey's novel of the same title, THIS SPORTING LIFE is a gritty, unblinking look at life in the coal mining region of Northern England as seen through the eyes of Frank Machin... Adapted from David Storey's novel of the same title, THIS SPORTING LIFE is a gritty, unblinking look at life in the coal mining region of Northern England as seen through the eyes of Frank Machin (Richard Harris). Produced by Karel Reisz, who made the acclaimed film about working class life SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING, and directed by Lindsay Anderson, THIS SPORTING LIFE brings realism to both the brutal violence of the Rugby matches it portrays and to the emotional and physical violence in the character's lives. When Frank Machin leaves the mine where he has always worked and signs a contract with a professional Rugby team, he hopes to gain social standing and respect. But he finds the hero worship of the drunken fans distasteful. While the owner of the team praises Machin as his star player in the privacy of the locker room, he snubs him in public. Machin's need to love and be loved is compellingly conveyed by Harris with the same startling immediacy as is his raw physical power. He forcefully seduces his landlady, Mrs. Hammond (Rachel Roberts), into a doomed love affair. As things continue to go downhill for Machin, the film captures the mood and feel of this gray industrial area in muted tones, achieving a documentary authenticity. The nighttime shots use a silvery shine, enhancing the feeling of human alienation. Though this parable of working-class life in England is hardly uplifting, the combination of its vibrancy, Harris's sexually charged performance, and Anderson's edgy visual style give it a place not only among the great sports movies, but among the best of all British films. [More]

Starring: Richard Harris, Rachel Roberts, Alan Badel, William Hartnell

Starring: Richard Harris, Rachel Roberts, Alan Badel, William Hartnell, Colin Blakely, Vanda Godsell, Anne Cunninggham, Jack Watson, Arthur Lowe, Leonard Rossiter

Director: Lindsay Anderson

Director: Lindsay Anderson
Screenwriter: David Storey
Producer: Karel Reisz
Composer: Roberto Gerhard

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Nov 18, 1998

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Reviews for This Sporting Life

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1 - 15 (sorted by date)
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The film is raw and confident, but it’s a little shallow, too.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/05/09
David Jenkins
Time Out

This Sporting Life exhibits astonishing vigour and a fierce engagement with life, but the bitter poetry is all its own.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
06/05/09
Channel 4 Film

I can’t think of a sport movie that is better photographed. The black and white cinematography is gorgeously stark, the perfect medium for this bleakly unforgiving tale.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
06/05/09
Wendy Ide
Times [UK]

This Sporting Life shrewdly anticipates modern Britain: a dour, yet thrilling and exhilarating film.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
06/05/09
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]

I’m tempted to see it as one of the strongest films of that period, every frame of which pulsates with drama, class confusion and erotic force.

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment Comment
06/05/09
Sukhdev Sandhu
Daily Telegraph

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment Comment
06/05/09
Daily Telegraph

From its virtuoso opening shot of a rugby scrum -- from the bottom, looking up -- to its final emotionally draining moments, This Sporting Life is a captivating, visceral film experience.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
01/22/08
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Lindsay Anderson, making his debut as a feature director, brings the keen, observant eye of a documentary man to many vivid episodes without sacrificing the story line.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
01/22/08
Variety Staff
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A reminder that something really was stirring in those days of the British New Wave before it frittered itself away.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Tom Milne
Time Out

No review available.

comment Comment
07/05/05
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

comment Comment
11/19/04
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews

No review available.

comment Comment
08/22/03
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal

It's about rugby league, beer, grit and tough lads, but it's also a profound commment on relationships loaded with symbolism and rich in emotion.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
05/24/03
Channel 4 Film

It's impossible not to appreciate the remarkable performances (both Harris and Roberts were nominated for Oscars) or the realistic rugby scenes that earned Harris a broken leg.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
06/27/02
John Petrakis
Chicago Tribune
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Probably the best crafted of the British 'kitchen sink' movies.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
01/01/00
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
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