Daily Archives: January 5, 2017

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning
Directed by Karel Reisz
Written by Alan Sillitoe from his novel
1960/UK
Woodfall Film Productions
First viewing/FilmStruck
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

[box] Arthur Seaton: Don’t let the bastards grind you down![/box]

Albert Finney made his name with this great portrait of a total louse.

Arthur Seaton (Finney) hates his job as a lathe operator in a factory somewhere in the north of England.  He gets his only joy at work by playing pranks on other workers and then lying about it.  He lives for the weekend when he spends his time getting roaring drunk and having an affair with a co-worker’s wife, Brenda (Rachel Roberts).  Eventually he begins also dating proper young Doreen (Shirley Anne Field).

Arthur lives with his conventional working class parents who are mostly glued to the TV.  At home, he enjoys playing pranks and assaulting neighbors and then lying about it.  In fact, he lies about everything, at times just for the hell of it.  Brenda’s pregnancy with his child may be the only thing that will make him grow up.  But not before he gets his comeuppance.

This is one of the Angry Young Men film that was rocking British cinema in the early 60’s, complete with a little mild rock and roll.  As you can tell from the plot summary, I did not like Arthur.  He’s less angry than anger-provoking.  However, I liked both Finney and the film.  He is just perfect as a cocky, conceitedly handsome bloke without manners or morals.  Director Reisz created some striking images and the film is beautifully lit by cinematography great Freddie Francis. Recommended.

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning won the BAFTA Award for Best British Film.

Clip

The Story of Ruth
Directed by Henry Koster
Written by Norman Korwin
1960/USA
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
First viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Ruth: [to Naomi] Entreat me not to leave you, or to keep from following you. For where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.[/box]

This is the rare biblical epic I thought was watchable.  Not great, mind you, but watchable.

The plot  is an embellished account of the biblical story of the Moabite who converts to Judaism and becomes the ancestress of David.  Ruth’s father sells the beautiful child to the temple of the god Chemosh.  She barely escapes ritual sacrifice and grows up to become a priestess of the temple played by Israeli actress Elana Eden.  One of her duties is to escort little girls to the ritual sacrifice alter.  In doing so, she meets Mahlon (Tom Tryon) an Israelite goldsmith who has been hired to make the victim’s crown.  They are instantly attracted and their conversations about his God give her serious misgivings about her role at the temple.

Ruth, who had been slated to become one of the King’s consorts, and Mahlon get into a world of trouble.  At the last minute, they are able to marry.  Soon thereafter she is a widow.  She departs for Judah with her mother-in-law Naomi (Peggy Wood).

The two women are destitute and resort to gleaning bits of grain from rich men’s harvested fields.  Ruth is persecuted due to her Moabite origins.  She is spotted by her husband’s kinsman Boaz (Stuart Whitman) in his fields.  He defends her and the rest is (biblical) history.  With Jeff Morrow as Boaz’s rival.

I think I could tolerate this one because it has the grandeur but not the pomposity of many of the other films in the genre.  The whole thing comes off as sincere and the acting, if not wonderful, is earnest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VCdkeIr6Ew

Trailer (in English)