A Kind of Loving

This is a pretty basic story but its well acted by both Alan Bates and June Ritchie as the young couple and Thora Hird as the somewhat strict mother in law. Its a perfectly watchable film and is thought provoking - of course it reflects the social culture of the time (the early 1960s). While some films of this era have been a bit bland and uninteresting, this film kept my attention for the duration and I thought the character of Ingrid was quite nice. This is a film worth seeing if you get the chance and your keen on films of this type and time.

John Schlesinger's sensitive look at a young working-class couple in 1960's England.

It's far from perfect but Schlesinger uses Alan Bates as the true object of desire here we always knew he was, and that's really pretty great.

An intimate drama about a couple's trials as they fall in love and get married. Neither of the two is entirely sympathetic, which gives their struggles that much more weight.

It's life just as we know it. A classic of its genre from when British films set the standard and created the blueprint for the realists that followed.

British kitchen sink drama about a young couple who work at the same factory and start dating. Realistic view of attitudes of the time.

another brit angry young man pic

A good, real life drama of its day. Thora Hird plays the battle axe mother-in-law really well. Got a brief cameo of Kathy Staff of "Last of the Summer Wine" fame.

This domestic tale from director John Schlesinger has that endearing, lo-fi authenticity so typical of British films from this era. Alan Bates and June Christie give excellent performances as a newlywed couple, and Thora Hird is loathsome perfection as Christie's shrew mother. The early scenes of blossoming love are wonderfully sweet, and this film has as good a "first kiss" as I've ever seen. However, there's too much movie for such a simple, humdrum story (a couple gets married for the wrong reason, and struggles through the early months of wedlock).

There are tensions between desire, responsibility and social acceptance that are not easily resolved. While the moral climate it depicts has largely changed, A Kind of Loving remains an interesting and rewarding film, which dares to accept that there are not necessarily any easy answers to the questions it poses.