I received this edition of Alan Sillitoe's Saturday Night and Sunday Morning as a Christmas gift from Mrs. Phelps. She said that she wanted to get me an old, of-the-era copy since I apparently spoke highly of the film and the Kitchen Sink aesthetic. ("Albert Finney this, Rachel Roberts that! Kitchen Sink, Kitchen Sink ra-ta-tat-tat!")
The *only* reason that this thread most mighty would ever come to an end is that British Kitchen Sink Realism simply didn't produce the number of films as, say, film noir did dueing its heyday.
I'm still "tickled pink" that the Kinks thought enough of this now-forgotten era of British film to compose their song "Where Are They Now?"
Hey, Jim, you might be amused to know that one of your reviewed texts/films, John Osborne's Look Back in Anger gets a mention in the text of a book I'm presently reading: Britain Alone (2021) - Philip Stephens.
... [Britain] was also witnessing a deeper, cultural shift. The age of deference was passing. 1956 was the year of Elvis as well as Suez. John Osborne's Look Back in Anger challenged the old order. ...
The chapter ends with references to Ian Fleming's James Bond (... an emblem of Britain as it imagined itself. ... ) and Graham Greene's Jim Wormwold (... an updated perspective on the nation's standing in the world. ...).
Compared with reality, these kitchen sink dramas are the land of Ambrosia.
Compared with reality, these kitchen sink dramas are the land of Ambrosia.
Can't disagree with that.
Speaking of books, are there any decent ones on the subject of Kitchen Sink dramas and what are they? Film Noir, Westerns, Science Fiction, all have outstanding reference and critical books, but my beloved Kitchen Sink Drama genre does not(?).
Just learned of a fascinating collaboration involving Kitchen Sink artists.
From BBC Sunday Night Play: A Subject of Scandal and Concern (1960). Written by John Osborne, directed by Tony Richardson, and starring Richard Burton and Rachel Roberts.
"A dramatized account of a Victorian cause celebre, written by John Osborne and concerning the true story of the last person in England to be tried for blasphemy. Richard Burton plays John George Holyoake, a social reformer who goes on trial for speaking in public about his atheist views. Rachel Roberts plays his wife, and the programme is introduced by Face to Face inquisitor John Freeman."
My five month immersion into British Kitchen Sink Realism has led me back to American Film Noir.
While Noir has dozens of films, British Kitchen Sink has only about 30, if one is being generous. I wish there were books devoted to this genre like there are for Noir. Too bad there isn't an Eddie Muller-type figure banging on interestingly about British Kitchen Sink Dramas to entice a new generation of fans to this most fascinating and artistically rewarding genre of uniquely British film.
...and you can forget 99% of FSMers being interested in this stuff.
Still, one can take satisfaction in knowing that this is the definitive thread on this most worthy subject.
Some films I've seen referenced in histories that haven't been covered by Jim are ALFIE, DARLING and MORGAN, A SUITABLE CASE FOR TREATMENT, although these do perhaps skirt the boundaries of swingin' London/mod films too much.
Some films I've seen referenced in histories that haven't been covered by Jim are ALFIE, DARLING and MORGAN, A SUITABLE CASE FOR TREATMENT, although these do perhaps skirt the boundaries of swingin' London/mod films too much.
Earlier in this thread, I mentioned the "overlap" between Kitchen Sink and Swinging London, and I made the "command decision" to put those films in the latter category. I have no idea when I'll make a proper dive into that long-deferred "Mod Films" interest.
The film BillCarson has posted will no doubt go into a 1970s-'80s sequel to the Kitchen Sink interest.
It is a bonafide KSD. Just later. If your angry young men got older n had an angry young bride - then had a couple of kids who became disillusioned youths - they would be the grumpy bitter sullen parents in Meantime in a council flat.
Check it out, man of the year.
My off the beaten paths haven't failed you yet lol.
It is a bonafide KSD. Just later. If your angry young men got older n had an angry young bride - then had a couple of kids who became disillusioned youths - they would be the grumpy bitter sullen parents in Meantime in a council flat.
Check it out, man of the year.
My off the beaten paths haven't failed you yet lol.
True true, Bill. However, my unhealthy fixation on "aesthetics" prohibts me from leaving the 1940s-1960s era, but when the winds shift to the 1970s, I will pursue these and other suggestions with a vengeance.
One might give a nod to THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD. Of course, it belongs to another genre. One might even say that it created a genre: the downbeat, realistic, anti-Bond espionage story. But when Burton goes to ground in London to establish his cred as a potential defector, the surroundings and personalities are right out of the kitchen sink toolbox.
One might give a nod to THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD. Of course, it belongs to another genre. One might even say that it created a genre: the downbeat, realistic, anti-Bond espionage story. But when Burton goes to ground in London to establish his cred as a potential defector, the surroundings and personalities are right out of the kitchen sink toolbox.
Thanks to FSM, I've grown to hate everything about James Bond, so an edgy, uneasy, and intense actor like Richard Burton doing an "anti-spy" film sounds like the perfect antidote to the cartoony 007.
Rozsa, Phelps has proven to love those "unusual, off the beaten path" recommendations. He's not a man to turn his nose up. Except to Meantime, my more modern Kitchen sink drama suggestion. But he's goin to wish he put his pinny on and granny slippers and stood nearer to it a bit sooner when he finally gets to watch it. Lol
Rozsa, Phelps has proven to love those "unusual, off the beaten path" recommendations. He's not a man to turn his nose up. Except to Meantime, my more modern Kitchen sink drama suggestion. But he's goin to wish he put his pinny on and granny slippers and stood nearer to it a bit sooner when he finally gets to watch it. Lol
Watch a film starring (over)actors Gary Oldman *and* Tim Roth?!? Give me at least a second to steel myself for that experience!
