Saturday Night and Sunday Morning
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| Saturday Night and Sunday Morning | |
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| Directed by | Karel Reisz |
| Produced by | Tony Richardson |
| Written by | Alan Sillitoe (screenplay) based on his novel of the same name |
| Starring | Albert Finney Shirley Anne Field Rachel Roberts Hylda Baker |
| Distributed by | Bryanston Films Ltd. Continental Distributing Inc. |
| Release date(s) | November, 1960 |
| Running time | 89 min |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Saturday Night and Sunday Morning is a British novel by Alan Sillitoe (his second, in 1958); a 1960 film starring Albert Finney, directed by Karel Reisz, adapted from the novel by its author; and in 1964, a stage play, adapted by David Brett for the Nottingham Playhouse, with Ian McKellen playing one of his first leading roles.
The film is considered to be the first of the social-realist or "kitchen sink dramas" of the 1960's. Others include Tony Richardson's The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (from Alan Sillitoe's 1959 collection of short stories of the same name) and A Taste of Honey; and John Schlesinger's A Kind of Loving and Billy Liar. It was at the forefront of the British New Wave, films dealing with working class issues in a serious manner for the first time, and portraying the more realistic side of everyday issues such as sex, unwanted pregnancy and abortion.
The following plot summary refers to the film version which differs from the novel's plot in several key areas. It tells the story of Arthur Seaton, a young Nottingham factory worker, who is having an affair with Brenda, the wife of an older co-worker. He also has a relationship with Doreen, a woman closer to his own age. When Brenda gets pregnant, Arthur asks his aunt for advice on aborting the child. Arthur also begins an affair with Winnie, Brenda's sister who is married to a soldier. Winnie's husband discovers the affair and he and a fellow soldier give Arthur a serious beating. The film ends on an ambiguous note, with a recovered Arthur and Doreen discussing marriage and the prospect of a new home.
[edit] Cast
- Albert Finney as Arthur Seaton
- Shirley Anne Field as Doreen
- Rachel Roberts as Brenda
- Hylda Baker as Aunt Ada
- Norman Rossington as Bert
- Bryan Pringle as Jack
- Robert Cawdron as Robboe
- Edna Morris as Mrs. Bull
- Elsie Wagstaff as Mrs. Seaton
- Frank Pettitt as Mr. Seaton
- Avis Bunnage as Mousy Woman
- Colin Blakely as Loudmouth
- Irene Richmond as Doreen's Mother
- Louise Dunn as Betty
- Anne Blake as Civil Defence Officer
- Peter Madden as Drunken Man
- Cameron Hall (Actor) as Mr. Bull
- Alister Williamson as Police Constable
- Peter Sallis as Man in Suit (uncredited)
The film is also the origin for the title of the debut album, "Everything that you say I am, that's what I'm not" of Sheffield rock band The Arctic Monkeys.
[edit] Filming Locations
Much of the exterior filming was on location in Nottingham, but some scenes were not. The night scene with a pub named "The British Flag" in the background, was filmed along Culvert Road in Battersea, London, the pub being at the junction of Culvert Road and Sheepcote Lane. (That part of Sheepcote Lane was subsequently re-named Rowditch Lane.) The closing scenes show the lead characters on a grassy slope overlooking a housing estate with new construction going on. That was filmed in Wembley with the assistance of Nottingham builders Simms Sons & Cooke who set up a staged "building site" on location.
