| Directed by: Lindsay Anderson Starring: Richard Harris, Rachel Roberts |
There are so many films that come out every week let alone every year, aren’t there? We can get so caught up with trying to keep up with the latest awards contenders, box office hits, and culturally relevant pieces that we just don’t have enough time to turn back the clock and check out films from the past. But it is so important to expand our horizons and experience the art that has set the stage for today’s cinema. You might need to find the time, so it is important to make wise choices with what you spend that time watching. Whether we head back 10 years, 50 years, or even 100 years, there is great cinema throughout the years. But let’s rewind the clock and here are some reasons why you should check out…
The Acting
As someone who grew up in the 90s and 00s, I knew Richard Harris as an old man in Hollywood. Whether it was as the aging gunslinger English Bob in Unforgiven, the tragically murdered Emperor Marcus Aurelius in Gladiator, and (of course) as our first Dumbledore in Harry Potter. But This Sporting Life is his first leading role and what a doozy it was. This raw and impassioned turn as a mercurial rugby player is one for a generation. Harris did not get awards (losing out to a culturally important and charismatic performance from Sidney Poitier). Harris is electrifying and you never know what he is going to do next. This was a career-launching performance, but his work was matched by Rachel Roberts. Her performance is powerful in tough moments, and she holds her own in every scene.
A Challenging Sports Drama
In so many sports films, we lose out on the actual drama amongst people in favor of the drama on the field (or rink or court). But this film (like The Hustler) offers up impressive moments on the field, but the real shining light is the impactful and harsh drama. Harris and Roberts spar in an abusive relationship where Harris’ forceful presence leads to some tragically awful acts against her. This is not an easy film to watch at all but if you appreciate a film that will challenge you with some serious themes and real authenticity, this is a film for you.
The Filmmaking
From the opening scene, you know this film is impressively directed. Anderson’s direction is filled with tension both on the field and inside the home. The opening rugby match is sharply and aggressively edited while being incredibly visceral. You see Harris get brutally beat up from the start and you know that this film is not going to pull any punches. The black-and-white cinematography is emotive and impactful. You cannot help but gaze upon this film in awe. This is a film from the 1960s and it looks so crisp and sharp that it would impress the audience even today. The amount of tension that Anderson ratchets up throughout this two-hour-and-fifteen-minute runtime is unbelievable.
Themes on Classism
For a time when blue-collar British dramas were on parade, This Sporting Life stands out against the rest.
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Harris plays a man from the streets who lives that life and can never really fit in amongst the elite upper-class society that his rugby success finds him in. We see him throwing around money now that he has it. There is a scene in a high-end restaurant that captures this divide (and the mercurial nature of our lead character) so impactfully. Harris is a brute and that is on display as he shuns all societal expectations sitting in this restaurant. The tension between our two leads grows as the judgment mounting towards Harris’ Frank becomes unbearable to Roberts’ Mrs. Hammond. No matter the money thrown at Frank, he will always be this man and that is a challenging perspective offered up by David Storey’s screenplay.
