This Sporting Life

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Anthony J Very good, if quite dated. A grim look at at time long since passed, though human misery and shallowness of life is timeless. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/11/23 Full Review dave s Known for his absurdist social satires, notably O Lucky Man! and Britannia Hospital, director Lindsay Anderson made his debut with something quite the opposite – a hard-hitting, gritty slice of life called This Sporting Life. Richard Harris stars as Frank Machin, a former coal miner who, after being discovered during a bar fight, finds fame and fortune in the rough and tumble world of rugby. However, this is not a sports movie. It deals primarily with Frank's difficulty functioning with the norms dictated by society and his inability to develop a meaningful relationship with is widowed landlady. It is a beautifully made film, highlighted by the intense, animalistic performance from Harris. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member A drama about human ugliness! Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review William L Propped up by a focus on a magnetically intense main character, This Sporting Life is certainly a cut above your average kitchen sink drama of the period that chooses to simply lament the conditions of the time and gives out a sense of general hopelessness expecting that alone to be sufficient to be considered avant garde. This film feels like an early draft script for what would eventually become Raging Bull decades later - an athlete who rides a determination based on anger to professional success, only to see his personal relationships fail, simultaneously commenting on the commercial and cruel nature of their profession, less heroes of people than sideshow acts. While engrossing and at times powerful, the narrative does seem one-note at times and occasionally too prolonged for its own good. Harris and Roberts each form an integral part of a toxic and clearly ill-fated relationship, each capable of cruelty and certainly far from flawless, whose distressing realism certainly cause the film to be elevated above other "angry young man" films of the era. (4/5) Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/05/20 Full Review steve d The actors make the most of the script for a classic. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member A really taut British precursor to Raging Bull but played out over the backdrop of rugby league in Wakefield as opposed to a US boxing ring. Very well acted with a creepy nervous chill in the air. Ages fairly well as the screenplay is decent. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Read all reviews

This Sporting Life

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