''Saturday Night and Sunday Morning'' is a 1960 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 directed by

Karel Reisz Karel Reisz (21 July 1926 – 25 November 2002) was a Czech-born British filmmaker, one of the pioneers of the new realist strain in British cinema during the 1950s and 1960s. Two of the best-known films he directed are ''Saturday Night and Sun ...

and produced by

Tony Richardson Cecil Antonio "Tony" Richardson (5 June 1928 – 14 November 1991) was an English theatre and film director and producer whose career spanned five decades. In 1964, he won the Academy Award for Best Director for the film ''Tom Jones (1963 film ...

. It is an adaptation of the 1958 novel of the same name by

Alan Sillitoe Alan Sillitoe FRSL (4 March 192825 April 2010) was an English writer and one of the so-called "angry young men" of the 1950s. He disliked the label, as did most of the other writers to whom it was applied. He is best known for his debut novel ...

, who also wrote the screenplay adaptation. The film is about a young

teddy boy The Teddy Boys or Teds were a mainly British youth subculture of the mid 1950s to mid 1960s who were interested in rock and roll and R&B music, wearing clothes partly inspired by the styles worn by dandies in the Edwardian period, which Savil ...

machinist, Arthur, who spends his weekends drinking and partying, all the while having an affair with a married woman. The film is one of a series of "

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 ...

" films made in the late 1950s and early 1960s, as part of 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 ...

of filmmaking, from directors such as Reisz,

Jack Clayton Jack Isaac Clayton (1 March 1921 – 26 February 1995) was a British film director and producer who specialised in bringing literary works to the screen. Overview Starting out as a teenage studio "tea boy" in 1935, Clayton worked his way up ...

Lindsay Anderson Lindsay Gordon Anderson (17 April 1923 – 30 August 1994) was a British feature-film, theatre and documentary director, film critic, and leading-light of the Free Cinema movement and of the British New Wave. He is most widely remembered for h ...

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 ...

and Tony Richardson and adapted from the works of writers such as Sillitoe,

John Braine John Gerard Braine (13 April 1922 – 28 October 1986) was an English novelist. Braine is usually listed among the angry young men, a loosely defined group of English writers who emerged on the literary scene in the 1950s. Biography John Brain ...

and

John Osborne John James Osborne (12 December 1929 – 24 December 1994) was an English playwright, screenwriter and actor, known for his prose that criticized established social and political norms. The success of his 1956 play ''Look Back in Anger'' tra ...

. A common trope in these films was the working-class " angry young man" character (in this case, the character of Arthur), who rebels against the oppressive system of his elders. In 1999, the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

named ''Saturday Night and Sunday Morning'' the 14th greatest British film of all time on its Top 100 British films list.

Plot

Arthur Seaton is a young machinist at the

Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...

bicycle factory in

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

. He is determined not to be tied down to living a life of domestic drudgery like the people around him, including his parents, whom he describes as "dead from the neck up". He spends his wages at weekends on drinking and having a good time. Arthur is having an affair with Brenda, the wife of an older colleague. He also begins a more traditional relationship with Doreen, a beautiful single woman closer to his age. Doreen, who lives with her mother and aspires to be married, avoids Arthur's sexual advances, so he continues to see Brenda as a sexual outlet. Brenda becomes pregnant by Arthur, who offers to help raise the child or terminate the unwanted pregnancy (as

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

was not legal in Britain at the time of the film). Arthur takes her to see his Aunt Ada for advice. Ada has Brenda sit in a hot bath and drink gin, which does not work. Brenda asks Arthur for £40 to get an abortion from a doctor. After Doreen complains about not going anywhere public with Arthur, he takes her to the fair where he sees Brenda. Arthur pulls Brenda aside, and she reveals that she has decided to have the child. As Arthur clings to her, she wriggles free because she is at the fair with her family. Arthur follows her on to an amusement ride and gets in a car with her. Brenda's brother-in-law and his friend—both soldiers—notice her enter the ride and follow her, shocked to see Arthur riding with his arm around Brenda. Arthur escapes the ride, but he later is caught and beaten. Arthur spends a week recovering and is visited by Doreen; they later have sex. After recovering, Arthur returns to work and realizes his affair with Brenda is finished after her husband tells him to stay away from Brenda. Arthur decides to marry Doreen. The film ends with Arthur and Doreen discussing the prospect of a new home together, with Arthur showing that he still has mixed feelings about settling into domestic life.

Cast

Albert Finney Albert Finney (9 May 1936 – 7 February 2019) was an English actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and worked in the theatre before attaining prominence on screen in the early 1960s, debuting with '' The Entertainer'' (1960) ...

as Arthur Seaton *

Shirley Anne Field Shirley Anne Field (born Shirley Broomfield; 27 June 1938) is an English actress who has performed on stage, film and television since 1955, prominent during the British New Wave. Early life Broomfield was born in Forest Gate, Essex (now in t ...

as Doreen * Rachel Roberts as Brenda *

Hylda Baker Hylda Baker (4 February 1905 – 1 May 1986) was an English comedian, actress and music hall performer. Born and brought up in Farnworth, Lancashire, she is perhaps best remembered for her role as Nellie Pledge in the Granada ITV sitcom ''N ...

as Aunt Ada *

Norman Rossington Norman Rossington (24 December 1928 – 21 May 1999) was an English actor best remembered for his roles in ''The Army Game'', the ''Carry On'' films and the Beatles' film '' A Hard Day's Night''. Early life Born in Liverpool, Lancashire, ...

as Bert *

Bryan Pringle Bryan Pringle (19 January 1935 – 15 May 2002) was an English character actor who appeared for several decades in television, film and theatre productions. Life and career Born in Glascote, Tamworth, Staffordshire, he was brought up in the L ...

as Jack *

Robert Cawdron Robert Cawdron (29 December 1921 – 14 September 1997) was a French-born British film and television actor. Often cast as police officers, he had a long-running role on ''Dixon of Dock Green'' as Detective Inspector Cherry.The Guinness Book of ...

as Robboe * Edna Morris as Mrs Bull *

Elsie Wagstaff Elsie Wagstaff (1 July 1899 – 16 July 1985) was an English actress. Educated at the Guildhall School of Music, her stage work began in the chorus in 1919, and one of her first leading roles was as Sadie Thompson in an adaptation of Some ...

as Mrs Seaton *

Frank Pettitt Frank Pettitt (16 October 1899 – 27 March 1964) was an English stage, film and television actor. He played Albert Finney's father in the film ''Saturday Night and Sunday Morning'' (1960). Filmography * '' Night and the City '' (1950) - Cab ...

as Mr Seaton *

Avis Bunnage Avis Bunnage (22 April 1923, Ardwick, Manchester – 4 October 1990, Thorpe Bay, Southend-on-Sea) was an English actress of film, stage and television. She attended Manley Park Municipal School and Chorlton Central School in Manchester. She ...

as Blousy Woman *

Colin Blakely Colin George Blakely (23 September 1930 – 7 May 1987) was a Northern Irish actor. He had roles in the films '' A Man for All Seasons'' (1966), ''The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes'' (1970), ''Murder on the Orient Express'' (1974), and '' Eq ...

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 as Mr Bull *

Alister Williamson Alister Williamson (17 June 1918 – 19 May 1999) was an Australian-born character actor, who appeared in many British films and television series of the 1960s and 1970s. A big, craggy-faced man, he would usually be found playing gruff police ins ...

as Police Constable *

Peter Sallis Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

as Man in Suit (uncredited) *

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 April ...

as Waiter (uncredited)

Production

Style

''Saturday Night and Sunday Morning'' was at the forefront of the

, portraying British working class life in a serious manner for the first time and dealing realistically with sex and abortion. It was among the first of the "

s" that followed the success of the play ''

Look Back in Anger ''Look Back in Anger'' (1956) is a realist play written by John Osborne. It focuses on the life and marital struggles of an intelligent and educated but disaffected young man of working-class origin, Jimmy Porter, and his equally competent yet i ...

''. Producer

later directed another such film, ''

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner "The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner" is a short story by Alan Sillitoe, published in 1959 as part of a short story collection of the same title. The work focuses on Smith, a poor Nottingham teenager from a dismal home in a working clas ...

'' (1962), which was also adapted from an Alan Sillitoe book of the same name. ''Saturday Night and Sunday Morning'' received an

X rating An X rating is a rating used in various countries to classify films that have content deemed suitable only for adults. It is used when the violent or sexual content of a film is considered to be potentially disturbing to general audiences. Aust ...

from the

BBFC The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC, previously the British Board of Film Censors) is a non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of f ...

upon its theatrical release. It was re-rated PG for the 1990 home video release.

Filming locations

Much of the exterior location filming was shot in Nottingham, but some scenes were shot elsewhere. 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 (now Rowditch Lane). The closing scenes show Arthur and Doreen on a grassy slope overlooking a housing estate with new construction that is being developed. According to an article in the ''Nottingham Evening News'' on 30 March 1960, this was shot in Wembley with the assistance of Nottingham builders Simms Sons & Cooke.

Finance

Bryanston guaranteed £81,820 of the budget, the NFFC provided £28,000, Twickenham Studios provided £610 and Richardson deferred his producers fee of £965. The film went £3,500 over budget and two days over schedule when filming at a Nottingham factory proved more difficult than expected. Woodfall bought the rights to the novel from Joseph Janni for £2,000 and got Stiltoe to do the script because they could not afford a professional screenwriter. The film made a profit of £500,000.

Reception

''Saturday Night and Sunday Morning'' opened at the Warner cinema in London's West End on 27 October 1960 and received generally favourable reviews. The film entered general release on the ABC cinema circuit from late January 1961 and was a box-office success, being the third most popular film in Britain that year. It earned over £500,000 in profit.Tino Balio, ''United Artists: The Company That Changed the Film Industry'', University of Wisconsin Press, 1987 p. 239 Bryanston earned £145,000 in profit on the film. After viewing this film,

Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer who is best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., a ...

sold the rights to the

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

series to Saltzman, who with Albert R "Cubby" Broccoli would co-produce every James Bond film between '' Dr. No'' (1962) and '' The Man with the Golden Gun'' (1974).

Awards

Popular culture references

Richard Lester Richard Lester Liebman (born January 19, 1932) is an American retired film director based in the United Kingdom. He is best known for directing the Beatles' films '' A Hard Day's Night'' (1964) and ''Help!'' (1965), and the superhero films ''S ...

's 1965 comedy ''

Help! ''Help!'' is the fifth studio album by the English Rock music, rock band the Beatles and the soundtrack to their Help! (film), film of the same name. It was released on 6 August 1965. Seven of the fourteen songs, including the singles "Help! ( ...

'' starring

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

, Brenda's famous line "I believe you. Thousands wouldn't." is said by a police inspector after he witnesses them being attacked by a cult. The film is the origin for the title of ''

Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not ''Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not'' is the debut studio album by English rock band Arctic Monkeys, released on 23 January 2006 by Domino Recording Company and on 21 February 2006 in the United States. The album includes their firs ...

'', the debut album of indie rock band

Arctic Monkeys Arctic Monkeys are an English rock band formed in Sheffield in 2002. The group consists of Alex Turner (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Jamie Cook (guitar, keyboards), Nick O'Malley (bass guitar, backing vocals), and Matt Helders (drums, back ...

. It is the origin for the title of the live album ''

Saturday Night, Sunday Morning ''Saturday Night, Sunday Morning'' is a live album by the Stranglers, released in 1993 by Castle Communications. By coincidence, it was guitarist Hugh Cornwell's last concert with the band that had been recorded for posterity. The tracks wer ...

'' by

The Stranglers The Stranglers are an English rock band who emerged via the punk rock scene. Scoring 23 UK top 40 singles and 19 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are one of the longest-surviving bands to have origina ...

. "Saturday Night Sunday Morning" is the title of a song from Madness's 1999 album '' Wonderful''. The run-out groove on the B-side of vinyl copies of

The Smiths The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. They comprised the singer Morrissey, the guitarist Johnny Marr, the bassist Andy Rourke and the drummer Mike Joyce. They are regarded as one of the most important acts to emerg ...

' 1986 album ''

The Queen Is Dead ''The Queen Is Dead'' is the third studio album by English rock band the Smiths. Released on 16 June 1986 in the United Kingdom by Rough Trade Records, and on 23 June 1986 in the US by Sire Records, it spent 22 weeks on the UK Albums Chart, pea ...

'' features the line "Them was rotten days," a line said by Aunt Ada (

) in the film. Also the line said by Doreen before Arthur takes her to the fair, "Why don't you ever take me where's it lively and there's people?" inspired the song "

There Is a Light That Never Goes Out "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" is a song by the English rock band the Smiths, written by guitarist Johnny Marr and singer Morrissey. Featured on the band's third studio album ''The Queen Is Dead'', it was not released as a single in t ...

" on the same album ("I want to see people and I want to see life").

Morrissey Steven Patrick Morrissey (; born 22 May 1959), known professionally as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. Since then ...

, the lead singer and lyricist of

, has stated that the film is one of his favourites. Arthur Seaton is mentioned in the song "Where Are They Now?" by

The Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhythm ...

, which appears on their album ''

Preservation Act 1 ''Preservation Act 1'' is a concept album and the 12th studio album by the English rock group the Kinks, released 16 November 1973 by RCA Records. ''Preservation Act 1'' did not sell well (peaking on the '' Billboard'' 200 at No. 177). However ...

''. Arthur Seaton is mentioned in the song "From Across the Kitchen Table" by

The Pale Fountains The Pale Fountains were an English band formed in Liverpool in 1980, and composed of Mick Head (vocalist/guitarist), Chris McCaffery (bassist), Thomas Whelan (drummer), trumpet player Andy Diagram (horns) and Ken Moss (Guitar/Bass). Diagram w ...

. The film is referenced, not least in the form of the promotional video, using elements of the original cinema poster's graphic design, in the 2013

Franz Ferdinand Archduke Franz Ferdinand Carl Ludwig Joseph Maria of Austria, (18 December 1863 – 28 June 1914) was the heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary. His assassination in Sarajevo was the most immediate cause of World War I. Fr ...

single " Right Action". Some of the song's lyrics were inspired by a postcard found by the band's lead singer

Alex Kapranos Alexander Paul Kapranos Huntley (born 20 March 1972) is a Scottish musician, singer, songwriter, record producer and author. He is best known as the lead singer and guitarist of Scottish rock band Franz Ferdinand. He has also been a part of the ...

for sale on a market stall, the postcard being addressed to

, the film's director. The film is referenced in ''

Torvill and Dean Torvill and Dean (Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean) are English ice dancers and former British, European, Olympic, and World champions. At the Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympics the pair won gold and became the highest-scoring figure skaters of a ...

'', the biopic of Nottingham ice dancers Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean. Like Arthur, Jayne's father works in the

factory, and when a young Jayne mentions the film, her mother scolds her and calls the film "rude".

References

External links

* * * * * *
British New Wave Essay on Saturday Night and Sunday Morning
at BrokenProjector.com. Archived at Webcite fro
this original URL
2008-05-08.

* {{BAFTA Best British Film 1960 films 1960 directorial debut films 1960 drama films Adultery in films Best British Film BAFTA Award winners British black-and-white films British drama films British pregnancy films Films based on British novels Films shot in London Films shot in Nottinghamshire Films directed by Karel Reisz Films produced by Harry Saltzman Films set in Nottingham Social realism in film Films scored by John Dankworth Films about abortion 1960s English-language films 1960s British films