Heffer On Film - Kitchen Sink Cinema

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01Room at the Top20170116

Simon Heffer continues his highly-authored and deeply-informed exploration of British cinema by viewing five New Wave or so-called "Kitchen Sink" films of the late 1950s and 1960s.

1.Room at the Top

Having explored the stereotyping of working class characters in his previous series of Essays on British film, Simon Heffer turns his gaze upon the films written and directed by a new generation of grammar school-educated young men, whose gritty depiction of the lives of ordinary working men and women was to shock and delight the cinema-going public.

John Braine's novel, Room at the Top, was a literary sensation when it was published in 1957 and caused further shock waves when it was released as a film two years later, starring Laurence Harvey as the determined Joe Lampton, determined to marry a rich man's daughter and live in the "Top" district of town.

Producer : Beaty Rubens.

Simon Heffer re-examines the 1959 British New Wave film Room at the Top.

Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond.

02Saturday Night and Sunday Morning20170117

Simon Heffer continues his highly-authored and deeply-informed exploration of British cinema by viewing five New Wave or so-called "Kitchen Sink" films of the late 1950s and 1960s.

Having explored the stereotyping of working class characters in his previous series of Essays on British film, Simon Heffer turns his gaze upon the films written and directed by a new generation of grammar school-educated young men, whose gritty depiction of the lives of ordinary working men and women was to shock and delight the cinema-going public in the 1960s.

2.Saturday Night and Sunday Morning
Simon Heffer reveals how Alan Sillitoe's novel was turned into a stunning film, directed by Karel Reisz, produced by Tony Richardson, and starring Albert Finney as Arthur Seaton, the anti-hero whose motto is "Don't Let the bastards grind you down".

Producer: Beaty Rubens.

How Alan Sillitoe's novel Saturday Night and Sunday Morning was made into a film.

Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond.

03The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner20170118

Simon Heffer continues his highly-authored and passionate exploration of British cinema by viewing five New Wave or so-called "Kitchen Sink" films of the late 1950s and 1960s.

Having explored the stereotyping of working class characters in his previous series of Essays on British film, Simon Heffer turns his gaze upon the films written and directed by a new generation of grammar school-educated young men, whose gritty depiction of the lives of ordinary working men and women was to shock and delight the cinema-going public in the 1960s.

3.The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner

Simon Heffer examines a second Alan Sillitoe novel, this time turned into a cinematic masterpiece by Tony Richardson: the story of Colin Smith, a boy whose chance to escape borstal and, possibly, to improve his life chances, depends on his talent as a cross-country runner.

Producer: Beaty Rubens.

Simon Heffer explores the 1962 film The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner.

Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond.

04This Sporting Life20170119

Simon Heffer continues his highly-authored and deeply-informed exploration of British cinema by viewing five New Wave or so-called "Kitchen Sink" films of the late 1950s and 1960s.

4.This Sporting Life

Simon Heffer examines the powerful film version of how David Storey's novel about Frank Machin, a talented rugby league player, hungry for success and love.

Simon Heffer examines the powerful 1963 film version of This Sporting Life.

Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond.

05Billy Liar20170120Simon Heffer continues his highly-authored and deeply-informed exploration of British cinema by viewing five New Wave or so-called 'Kitchen Sink' films of the late 1950s and 1960s.

5.Billy Liar

Keith Waterhouse's novel about Billy Fisher was turned into a film, starring Tom Courtenay, in 1963. The story of Billy's real life in a semi somewhere in the West Riding, and his vividly imagined alternative life in Ambrosia, lived to the accompaniment of a brass band, was unlike any film that had come before, but was it tragedy or comedy? Simon Heffer ends his account of the New Wave with this highly contentious film.

Producer: Beaty Rubens.

Simon Heffer explores Billy Liar, the 1963 British New Wave film starring Tom Courtenay.

Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond.