This Sporting Life (1963)
Famously calling This Sporting Life his “Hamlet”, it’s easy to see why Richard Harris was so proud of his work in this heavy drama. He got to show off his rugby skills, he cried, he screamed, he was cruel, sorry, violent, and he suffered.
Simply put, Richard plays a rugby player with a turbulent personal life. He has a quick temper and thinks nothing of getting into verbal or physical sparring matches. Attracted to his landlady, he can’t understand her reticence to enter into an affair. She’s a single mother still clinging to the memory of her late husband, and at every turn, she rebuffs his advances with a scowl and a harsh word. But isn’t his fantastic body enough to thaw her? Apparently not.
I can’t praise the acting of this movie highly enough. There are many different facets of Richard Harris’s career, and when you watch him in this movie, it’s hard to also see the nature-lover from Man in the Wilderness, the comic Fagin-esque Mr. Peachum from Mack the Knife, or the frail but infinitely wise Professor Dumbledore. The fellow in This Sporting Life has raw passion raging out of him before he can even think to control it. Rachel Roberts (his landlady) also has a couple of incredible scenes when she fights with Richard. She wears heartache and self-loathing on her face very well, and it makes you feel embarrassed, almost as if you’re eavesdropping on her real-life fights with Rex Harrison. They both definitely earned their Academy and Hot Toasty Rag award nominations, and although it was difficult not to send them home with the newspaper trophies, the winners that year also gave unforgettable performances. Geraldine Page was chillingly villainous in Toys in the Attic, and Sir Laurence Olivier went against his normal delivery style with the subtle, realistic Term of Trial.
Even though I’ve raved about the acting, I wouldn’t really recommend this movie unless you love “angry young man” films. I don’t happen to like them, finding two hours of shouting mean words upsetting. If you liked Richard Burton’s similar drama Look Back in Anger, you’ll love this. Next up, check out Laurence Harvey’s Room at the Top. With those three in your brain, you’ll never want another boyfriend.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "john S" for posting!
More Richard Harris movies here!
Simply put, Richard plays a rugby player with a turbulent personal life. He has a quick temper and thinks nothing of getting into verbal or physical sparring matches. Attracted to his landlady, he can’t understand her reticence to enter into an affair. She’s a single mother still clinging to the memory of her late husband, and at every turn, she rebuffs his advances with a scowl and a harsh word. But isn’t his fantastic body enough to thaw her? Apparently not.
I can’t praise the acting of this movie highly enough. There are many different facets of Richard Harris’s career, and when you watch him in this movie, it’s hard to also see the nature-lover from Man in the Wilderness, the comic Fagin-esque Mr. Peachum from Mack the Knife, or the frail but infinitely wise Professor Dumbledore. The fellow in This Sporting Life has raw passion raging out of him before he can even think to control it. Rachel Roberts (his landlady) also has a couple of incredible scenes when she fights with Richard. She wears heartache and self-loathing on her face very well, and it makes you feel embarrassed, almost as if you’re eavesdropping on her real-life fights with Rex Harrison. They both definitely earned their Academy and Hot Toasty Rag award nominations, and although it was difficult not to send them home with the newspaper trophies, the winners that year also gave unforgettable performances. Geraldine Page was chillingly villainous in Toys in the Attic, and Sir Laurence Olivier went against his normal delivery style with the subtle, realistic Term of Trial.
Even though I’ve raved about the acting, I wouldn’t really recommend this movie unless you love “angry young man” films. I don’t happen to like them, finding two hours of shouting mean words upsetting. If you liked Richard Burton’s similar drama Look Back in Anger, you’ll love this. Next up, check out Laurence Harvey’s Room at the Top. With those three in your brain, you’ll never want another boyfriend.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "john S" for posting!
More Richard Harris movies here!