Saturday Night and Sunday Morning is another of the 'kitchen sink' dramas that were all the rage at the turn of the 1960s, and it's also an 'angry young man' film to boot. Albert Finney takes the lead role of a maladjusted young bloke who's got two women on the go at the same time; one of them is an older unhappily married woman and the other is more his age. There are definite shades of ROOM AT THE TOP in this premise but the film has a character all of its own.I find films like this invaluable these days for their insight into working class life during the era. A grimy and industrial Nottingham is brought to vibrant life here and if Finney isn't a very likable character at all then at least he's thoroughly entertaining throughout. A decent supporting cast keep the atmosphere of realism going, and the production has a good sense of pace. I found the ending a little lacklustre but otherwise this is decent stuff.

"Don't let the b******s grind you down!" The words which Arthur, the protagonist of Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, lives by. It is a powerful voice-over narration by Albert Finney which begins the film and introduces who his character is. The only problem is, he does not explain that this life motto - at least for him - means constant lying and a lack of consideration for women.We know from the get-go that Arthur is all about rebellion, specifically against his elders and their sense of tradition and manners; this is why he lacks any. He is also not the brightest star in the sky, letting his alcoholism (which he denies) get the best of him early on in the story.Arthur dreams big though. There is a great scene when he is fishing with his cousin talking about a new girl in his life Doreen, when he states "never bite unless the bait's good." If this is another part of his philosophy on life, it is curious as to why he goes for the older, married woman Brenda early on in the film. Perhaps he is learning since his relationship with Brenda comes back to bite him later in the story.With scenes of Arthur working at the factory, this becomes a commentary on the working class in England, but the commentary is slightly confusing. A young working man is susceptible to fall into a lifestyle including womanizing and living life to one's own terms, yet other characters who are nothing like him work with Arthur at the factory as well. In fact, Brenda's husband works at the same factory and from what we see of him he is a loving father and generally caring person. Perhaps, then, this film is a commentary on the young adult in England rather than the entire working class.This is clearly a "rebellion" movie which gets its point across with some strong voice-over work by Albert Finney, and while the acting is great and Arthur is a well-developed, detestable person, at some points the audience can't help but ask "so what?"3.0/4.0

You could say that this movie is being more of a low-key and black & white version of the Michael Caine movie "Alfie". It handles basically all of the same themes and even the main character is comparable (actress Shirley Anne Field is also in both movies by the way). But by saying this I'm not claiming "Saturday Night and Sunday Morning" is a bad or unoriginal movie. On the contrary really!It's a special little movie, that is being simplistic and minimal in every way. Perhaps somewhat inspired by the more European movies from France and Italy, that are being like a random slice of life and follow one main character who goes by his life on his very own way but not without paying the price for it. Yes, it's a drama but it is being one that is very realistic with its approach, events, characters and emotions.I think it helped this movie that it had a fresh director at the helm. Czechoslovakian born Karel Reisz had shot some documentaries in the past but this movie was his first ever attempt at directing a motion picture. It shows but in a very refreshing way. He approaches some crucial sequences brilliantly, which also provides the movie with some powerful, effective but also beautiful looking moments.I'll admit that I only knew and had seen actor Albert Finney as an old man and in his newer movies. Even though I have always liked him a lot, I never seen any early movies with him, till this one. It's great to see him as a young 24 year old in this movie, playing a typical rebellious, post-WW II, British young bloke, who is working hard and enjoying his free time with chasing down women. It's funny how not much later after this movie he started playing old men already, that's why you probably will also have some difficulties recognizing him in this movie. You will probably recognize his voice before you'll recognize his face.This are the type of movies I often like watching and this movie is one fine genre example!8/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Saturday Night And Sunday Morning (1960) starring Albert Finney, Shirley Anne Field, Rachel Roberts, and Norman Rossington is a marvelous, compelling movie based on a story by Alan Sillitoe, who also wrote The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner which became a wonderful movie in 1962 starring Tom Courtenay (see my separate review for that film).The film is a portrait of young factory worker Arthur Seaton still living at home with his parents, and working as a lathe machinist making machined metal parts for industrial use, and doing it faster and better than most other workers in the grim and gray factory where he works, an open expanse where hundreds of workers tend hundreds of work stations under a high roof in dirty and depressing circumstances.Albert Finney plays the role of "Arthur Seaton" brilliantly, and this movie made him a star and led to Tom Jones (1963) also starring Albert Finney, made in color, done on a big budget, and filled with production values....but also about a young man who insists on being independent and refusing to cave into demands and expectations made by inferior people who surround and supervise him. He doesn't care about his reputation, and seems to emerge from the many fights and altercations he is faced with victoriously.Set backs he endures are minor. Victories he achieves seem major.Saturday Night And Sunday Morning (1960) is about a young man led and guided by an inner force which makes him a winner, in spite of lack of mentoring, money, social position, parental support or guidance, and the mediocre opportunities and people part of his dreary world.He wants to do better than those around him, and he does.Viewers watch his progress, come to like him immediately (Albert Finney has the most infectious grin I've ever seen in the movies....the same grin shines through in Miller's Crossing [1990], a movie he stared in 30 years later where he plays a crime boss of Irish descent in America.) The movie begins with scenes showing his successful adulterous sexual relationship with "Brenda," the wife (played well by Rachel Roberts) of Finney's straitlaced boss at work.As the story continues, it shows the problems which result from that, then Finney's abandonment of that girl, and finally his connection with an unusually pretty, thoughtful, reliable, attentive young girl named "Doreen" (played well by Shirley Anne Field) to whom he becomes engaged and plans to marry at the movie's end.In a curious way, the movie has the same "feel good ending" which "B" cowboy movies were famous for in which the hero rides off into the sunset after having set wrong things right for grateful Westerners.Alan Sillitoe is a truly great and thoughtful writer who recognized the inner strength and potential of noble young men born to low circumstances, but who are guided and delivered to good things by an inner knowledge of qualities they have and were born to use, regardless of what surrounding circumstances and bad people decree.Sillitoe's portraits of "angry young men" who are winners seems to favor "nature" in the "nature versus nurture" controversy and explanation of social behavior and outcomes.---------------Written by Tex Allen, SAG Actor. Visit WWW.IMDb.Com and choose "Tex Allen" "resume" for contact information, movie credits, and biographical information about Tex Allen. Tex Allen has reviewed more than 40 movies posted on the website WWW.IMDb.Com (the world's largest movie information database, owned by Amazon.Com) as of January 2011.These include: 1. Alfie (1966) 29 July 2009 2. Alien (1979) 24 July 2009 3. All the Loving Couples (1969) 17 January 2011 4. All the President's Men (1976) 16 November 2010 5. American Graffiti (1973) 22 November 2010 6. Animal House (1978) 16 August 2009 7. Bullitt (1968) 23 July 2009 8. Captain Kidd (1945) 28 July 2009 9. Child Bride (1938) 24 September 2009 10. Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) 22 September 2010 11. Destination Moon (1950) 17 January 2011 12. Detour (1945) 19 November 2010 13. Die Hard 2 (1990) 23 December 2010 14. The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl (1993) 19 November 2010 15. Jack and the Beanstalk (1952) 26 July 2009 16. King Solomon's Mines (1950) 1 December 2010 17. Knute Rockne All American (1940) 2 November 2010 18. Claire's Knee (1970) 15 August 2009 19. Melody Ranch (1940) 10 November 2010 20. Morning Glory (1933) 19 November 2010 21. Mush and Milk (1933) 17 January 2011 22. New Moon (1940) 3 November 2010 23. Pinocchio (1940) 6 November 2010 24. R2PC: Road to Park City (2000) 19 November 2010 25. Salt (2010) 24 August 2010 26. Sunset Blvd. (1950) 1 December 2010 27. The Great Dictator (1940) 1 November 2010 28. The King's Speech (2010) 19 January 2011 29. The Last Emperor (1987) 20 January 2011 30. The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962) 9 January 2011 31. The Man in the White Suit (1951) 5 August 2009 32. The Philadelphia Story (1940) 5 November 2010 33. The Social Network (2010) 19 January 2011 Written by Tex Allen, SAG-AFTRA movie actor. Visit WWW.IMDb.Me/TexAllen for more information about Tex Allen. Tex Allen's email address is [email protected] Tes Allen Movie Credits, Biography, and 2012 photos at WWW.IMDb.Me/TexAllen. See other Tex Allen written movie reviews....almost 100 titles.... at: "http://imdb.com/user/ur15279309/comments" (paste this address into your URL Browser)