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      The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner

      Released Oct 8, 1962 1h 43m Drama List
      74% 23 Reviews Tomatometer 86% 1,000+ Ratings Audience Score Fleet-footed Colin Smith (Tom Courtenay) is a rebellious teenager in the poverty-stricken town of Nottingham, in northern England, who enjoys running as an escape from his harsh reality. Caught stealing cash from a bakery, Colin is sent to a reform school where the manipulative governor (Michael Redgrave) promotes sports as rehabilitation by enlisting Colin in a foot race against a prestigious rival school. What the governor doesn't realize is that Colin is not so easily disciplined. Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered Nov 21 Buy Now

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      The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner

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      Critics Consensus

      Dry and full of angst, this British New Wave classic features potent social commentary and a star making performance by Tom Courtenay as a textbook example of the "angry young man."

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      Audience Reviews

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      Alec B Appropriately angry as it is one of the definitive films of the British New Wave. Tom Courtenay gives a hell of a performance, especially with his eyes. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/09/24 Full Review Leaburn O Another British kitchen sink drama that made it onto the BFI Top 100 list. It's also another reminder of just how poor so much of UK cinema was in the 50s and 60s. The plot is far fetched even though it's meant to be grounded in realism. There are clear left wing undertones but the film is really let down by poor acting. Why on earth couldn't they at least find actors who could actually run? Bought the BluRay of this one as not on streaming or tv. Cost was fairly mild but not the cheapest. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 08/23/23 Full Review Shioka O It was unexpectedly enjoyable. A crime/prison film from the UK New-wave counter culture, stylish. Wear proper jackets and shirts in prison? Rated 3 out of 5 stars 10/17/22 Full Review dave s Adapted by Alan Sillitoe from his own novel, The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner is a character study of a troubled young man from a bleak area of northern England who is sent to a juvenile detention center for the crime of stealing from a bakery. An example of the British New Wave, it is a dark and somber film, shot primarily in black and white with a hand-held camera, that effectively captures the inner turmoil of the protagonist through unsettling flashbacks. The movie is hurt by an odd music score, which swings from upbeat jazz to something that sounds like it's from a Three Stooges film to choral music. The sound mixing is also jarring, perhaps deliberately, as a handful of scenes either start or finish in silence with no ambient noise. Despite this, it is a film worth watching but will not satisfy all tastes. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review William L Disaffected youth have always been prime territory for writers (of both literature and film) and directors to explore larger issues of society, and the various New Wave movements seemed to take to it as well as any other. The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner looks into the general dreariness and lack of potential that a young generation saw little to latch on to in the postwar decades, and the society that decided not to invest in alleviating their plight rather than confining them to a 'useful' role. The protagonist, Courtenay's Smith, ultimately decides to forego "redemption" when presented with the opportunity and instead chooses to humiliate the system he sees as having condemned him to his current condition instead, made manifest by Redgrave's Governor. While many may empathize with the theme, the film ultimately seems to lack real nuance or to reflect the true complexity of midcentury social structures, instead leaning more towards a general antiauthoritarianism. The jazzy theme is a nice touch, though. (3.5/5) Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/02/20 Full Review Audience Member Appropriately angry as it is one of the definitive films of the British New Wave. Tom Courtenay gives a hell of a performance, especially with his eyes. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Critics Reviews

      View All (23) Critics Reviews
      Variety Staff Variety The performance of Tom Courtenay and the imaginative, if sometimes overfussy, direction of Tony Richardson, plus some standout lensing by Walter Lassally makes this a worthwhile pic. Aug 4, 2008 Full Review Time Out Most of the period hallmarks of the British New Wave are paraded here. Jun 24, 2006 Full Review Bosley Crowther New York Times While this show of compassion may not sit comfortably with those who distrust social agitation and too easy sympathy, it must be said that a splendid presentation is made by Mr. Richardson. Rated: 3/5 May 20, 2003 Full Review Roger Moore Movie Nation Every working class screen tale that followed, every realistic depiction of those on the losing side of the ongoing class war, owes something to this classic Rated: 3.5/4 May 13, 2023 Full Review Pauline Kael KPFA (Berkeley, CA) With so many styles incorporated, it's no wonder that the film has no style, nor does it have anything that might pass for aesthetic structure. The bits and pieces are choppily assembled, with clumsily overlapped dialogue serving as makeshift bridges. Nov 17, 2020 Full Review Clyde Gilmour Maclean's Magazine The film's numerous flashbacks make heavy weather of the essentially simple story, but they fail to spoil its honesty and sardonic humor. Sir Michael Redgrave portrays, without any taint of caricature, a hearty reform school governor... Oct 7, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Fleet-footed Colin Smith (Tom Courtenay) is a rebellious teenager in the poverty-stricken town of Nottingham, in northern England, who enjoys running as an escape from his harsh reality. Caught stealing cash from a bakery, Colin is sent to a reform school where the manipulative governor (Michael Redgrave) promotes sports as rehabilitation by enlisting Colin in a foot race against a prestigious rival school. What the governor doesn't realize is that Colin is not so easily disciplined.
      Director
      Tony Richardson
      Screenwriter
      Alan Sillitoe, Alan Sillitoe
      Distributor
      Continental Distributing Inc.
      Production Co
      Woodfall Film Productions, Bryanston Films Ltd., British Lion Film Corporation
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Oct 8, 1962, Wide
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Apr 19, 2016
      Runtime
      1h 43m
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