In Northern England in the early 1960s, Frank Machin is mean, tough and ambitious enough to become an immediate star in the rugby league team run by local employer Weaver.
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CinemaSerf
7
By CinemaSerf
Richard Harris is on great form here as the aspiring rugby league player "Frank" in a northern English town who is about to hit the big time. An enormous payment of £1,000 is offered and that's going to change not just his life, but possibly that of his landlady "Mrs. Hammond" (Rachel Roberts). She's quite a distant widow who keeps a low profile but he's interested in her, despite her dour exterior. Yes, in a physical way - but also because he desperately wants her to start to live again. With his new career comes cash, acclaim and success but there's also an emptiness as he seeks some greater sense of validation or purpose, and as that search proves elusive he descends into a drink fuelled abyss. His boss is the calculating and wealthy "Weaver" (Alan Badel) who cares not for the man at all, only for results and he's married to the bored Vanda Godsell who wouldn't mind a little fun with their tough new protégé either. As to the cause of the widow's unhappiness? Well rumours abound as to the cause - accidental or otherwise - of her late husband's death and those seem destined to map out her life - unless she and he can, perhaps, break that cycle of depression and find happiness? It's violent - both in spirit and delivery, and it clearly demonstrates the attitudes supporting a prevailing atmosphere of "acceptable levels" of domestic violence as the emotions of love, lust and anger vacillate for control of this immature young man, but it also features a subtle degree of decency and even respect deep down in there, too. There's quite a poignant effort from William Hartnell as his well-meaning but rather ineffectual dad and Colin Blakely also delivers well as his best pal "Maurice" who serves as a useful foil for the turbulent "Frank" as the story evolves. It's a social commentary, but not so much one on society at large as such but more of the grasping and unfilled nature of human life, frustration and exasperation and Harris really does imbue that compellingly.
