A Taste of Honey (1961)
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80% of critics liked it
(10 reviews) -
84% of users liked it
(2,327 ratings)
Director Tony Richardson adapted the screenplay of A Taste of Honey from the "kitchen sink" stage play by Shelagh Delaney. Rita Tushingham plays a working-class British teenager, living with her drink-sodden, libertine mother Dora Bryan. Denied affection by her selfish mother, Tushingham… More Director Tony Richardson adapted the screenplay of A Taste of Honey from the "kitchen sink" stage play by Shelagh Delaney. Rita Tushingham plays a working-class British teenager, living with her drink-sodden, libertine mother Dora Bryan. Denied affection by her selfish mother, Tushingham is pushed further in the background when Bryan impulsively marries her latest boyfriend Robert Stephens. The girl takes a job at a shoe store, then moves in with her kindly homosexual employer Murray Melvin. The two lost souls live in harmony until Tushingham becomes pregnant after a casual affair with black sailor Paul Danquah. Melvin comes to the rescue by offering to look after the baby. This relatively blissful state of affairs is short-lived; before long, Tushingham's hateful mother, having been kicked out by Stephens, descends upon her daughter and her "family," with all her debilitating emotional baggage intact. A poignant denouement caps this riveting slice-of-life drama. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Tony Richardson
- Genres
- Drama, Art House & International, Classics
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Jan 1, 1961 Wide
- Studio
- Westchester Films
Critic Reviews
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Variety Staff, Variety
[A Taste of Honey] has an earthy gusto and sincerity that lift its somewhat downbeat theme and drab surroundings.
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Geoff Andrew, Time Out
A perfect example of how the 'New British Cinema' of the late '50s and early '60s has dated and become almost unwatchable.
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A.H. Weiler, New York Times
Freed from the constricting confines of the stage, the shining honesty, the trials, the disenchantment of the drama's low-born Lancashire principals have become all the more striking and true.
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Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
Tony Richardson, who directed this mess, was once quoted as saying, "The British cinema is the worst in the world," and he was in a position to know.
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
It might have been daring during its time, but is now outdated.
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Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Dora Bryan
as Helen
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Rita Tushingham
as Jo
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Robert Stephens
as Peter
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Murray Melvin
as Geoffrey
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Paul Danquah
as Jimmy
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David Boliver
as Bert
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Margo Cunningham
as Landlady
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John Harrison
as Cave Attendant
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Eunice Blalck
as Schoolteacher
- Jean Cadell
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Herbert Smith
as Shoe Shop Proprietor
- Shelagh Delaney
