''A Kind of Loving'' is a 1962 British

kitchen sink Kitchen sink may refer to: * ''Freaks of Nature'' (film), a 2015 comedy horror film, also known as ''Kitchen Sink'' * ''Kitchen Sink'', a 1989 horror short directed by Alison Maclean * ''Kitchen Sink'' (TV series), cookery series on Food Network ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

John Schlesinger John Richard Schlesinger (; 16 February 1926 – 25 July 2003) was an English film and stage director. He won the Academy Award for Best Director for ''Midnight Cowboy'', and was nominated for the same award for two other films ('' Darling'' an ...

, based on the 1960 novel of the same name by

Stan Barstow Stanley Barstow FRSL (28 June 1928 – 1 August 2011) was an English novelist. Biography Barstow was born in Horbury, near Wakefield in the West Riding of Yorkshire. His father was a coal miner and he attended Ossett Grammar School. He work ...

. It stars Alan Bates and

June Ritchie June Ritchie (born 31 May 1941) is a British actress. Biography Ritchie trained at RADA, where she graduated in 1961, having won the Emile Littler Award for Most Promising Actress and the Ronson Award for the outstanding female student. She ...

as two lovers in early 1960s

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

. The photography was by

Denys Coop Denys Neil Coop (20 July 1920 – 16 August 1981) was an English camera operator and cinematographer. He was a president of the British Society of Cinematographers from 1973 to 1975. Coop was best known for his works on the film ''Superman'' ...

, and the music by

Ron Grainer Ronald Erle Grainer (11 August 1922 – 21 February 1981) was an Australian composer who worked for most of his professional career in the United Kingdom. He is mostly remembered for his television and film score music, especially the theme mus ...

. Filming locations included the towns of Preston,

Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and north-n ...

Bolton Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish people, Flemish weavers settled in the area i ...

Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

Radcliffe Radcliffe or Radcliff may refer to: Places * Radcliffe Line, a border between India and Pakistan United Kingdom * Radcliffe, Greater Manchester ** Radcliffe Tower, the remains of a medieval manor house in the town ** Radcliffe tram stop * ...

and St Anne's-on-Sea in the northwest of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. The film belongs to the

British New Wave The British New Wave is a style of films released in Great Britain between 1959 and 1963. The label is a translation of '' Nouvelle Vague'', the French term first applied to the films of François Truffaut, and Jean-Luc Godard among others. Styli ...

movement in film, and the related genre commonly known as "

kitchen sink drama Kitchen sink realism (or kitchen sink drama) is a British cultural movement that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in theatre, art, novels, film and television plays, whose protagonists usually could be described as "angry young men" w ...

". The novel was later adapted into the 1982 television series ''A Kind of Loving''.

Plot summary

Victor 'Vic' Brown (Bates) is a

draughtsman A draughtsman (British spelling) or draftsman (American spelling) may refer to: * An architectural drafter, who produced architectural drawings until the late 20th century * An artist who produces drawings that rival or surpass their other types ...

in a Manchester factory who sleeps with a typist called Ingrid Rothwell (Ritchie) who also works there. She falls for him but he is less enamoured of her. When he learns he has made her pregnant Vic proposes marriage and the couple move in with Ingrid's protective, domineering mother, Mrs Rothwell (

Thora Hird Dame Thora Hird (28 May 1911 – 15 March 2003) was an English actress and comedian, presenter and writer. In a career spanning over 70 years, she appeared in more than 100 film and television roles, becoming a household name and a Briti ...

), who disapproves of the match. Ingrid has a miscarriage, Vic has regrets and comes home drunk. The couple then consider the possibility of making do with 'a kind of loving'.

Cast

* Alan Bates as Victor Arthur 'Vic' Brown *

as Mrs. Rothwell *

as Ingrid Rothwell * Bert Palmer as Mr. Geoffrey Brown *

Pat Keen Patricia Margaret "Pat" Keen (21 October 1933 – 1 March 2013) was an English actress whose career on stage, television and film ran from the 1950s to the 2000s. Born in Willesden, Brent, London, Keen trained at the Central School of Spee ...

as Christine Harris *

James Bolam James Christopher Bolam (born 16 June 1935) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Terry Collier in ''The Likely Lads'' and its sequel ''Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?'', Jack Ford in ''When the Boat Comes In'', Roy Fi ...

as Jeff *

Jack Smethurst John Smethurst (9 April 1932 – 16 February 2022) was an English television and film comic actor. He was best known for his role as Eddie Booth in the British television sitcom '' Love Thy Neighbour''. Early life Smethurst was born on 9 Apri ...

as Conroy *

Gwen Nelson Gwendoline Alexandra Nelson (30 June 1901 – 15 October 1990) was an English actress who was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Court Theatre Company. Born in Muswell Hill, London, she originally intended to be a singer, ...

as Mrs. Brown *

John Ronane John Ronane (11 December 1933 – 15 May 2019) was a British actor. He appeared onstage in the West End, in movies in Hollywood and Europe, on television and radio. As a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he appeared in the original produ ...

as Draughtsman * David Mahlowe as David Harris *

Patsy Rowlands Patricia Amy Rowlands (19 January 1931 – 22 January 2005) was an English actress who is best remembered for her roles in the ''Carry On'' films series, as Betty Lewis in the ITV Thames sitcom '' Bless This House'', and as Alice Meredit ...

as Dorothy * Michael Deacon as Les * Annette Robertson as Phoebe * Fred Ferris as Althorpe *

Leonard Rossiter Leonard Rossiter (21 October 1926 – 5 October 1984) was an English actor. He had a long career in the theatre but achieved his highest profile for his television comedy roles starring as Rupert Rigsby in the ITV series ''Rising Damp'' from ...

as Whymper * Malcolm Patton as Jim Brown * Harry Markham as Railwayman * Peter Madden as Registrar *

David Cook David Cook may refer to: Entertainment * David Cook (game designer) (active since 1980s), American game designer for TSR * David Cook (singer) (born 1982), winner of the seventh season of ''American Idol'' * David Cook (writer) (1940–2015), Briti ...

as Draughtsman (uncredited) *

Joe Gladwin Joseph Gladwin (22 January 1906 – 11 March 1987) was an English actor, best known for his roles as Fred Jackson in Coronation Street, Stan Hardman in Nearest and Dearest, and Wally Batty in the world's longest-running sitcom, ''Last of the ...

as Bus Conductor (uncredited) * Norman Heyes as Laisterdyke (uncredited) *

Bryan Mosley Bryan Mosley (25 August 1931 – 9 February 1999) was a British actor, best known for his role as grocer Alf Roberts in the long-running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. Early life Mosley was born in Leeds, an only child, to Agnes Basquil ...

as Bus Conductor (uncredited) *

Kathy Staff Kathy Staff (born Minnie Higginbottom; 12 July 1928 – 13 December 2008) was an English actress known for her work on British television. She is best known for her portrayal of Nora Batty in ''Last of the Summer Wine'', the longest running sit ...

as Mrs Oliphant (uncredited)

Reception

It was the sixth most popular film at the British box office in 1962."Money-Making Films Of 1962." Times ondon, England4 Jan. 1963: 4. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 11 July 2012.

Awards

The film won the

Golden Bear The Golden Bear (german: Goldener Bär) is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival. The bear is the heraldic animal of Berlin, featured on both the coat of arms and flag of Berlin. History The winn ...

award at the 12th Berlin International Film Festival in 1962.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kind Of Loving, A 1962 films 1962 drama films 1960s English-language films British black-and-white films British drama films Films directed by John Schlesinger Films based on British novels Films set in Manchester Films shot in Greater Manchester Golden Bear winners Social realism in film Films scored by Ron Grainer 1962 directorial debut films 1960s British films