In the vanguard of the New Wave movement which revolutionized British cinema in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning marked auspicious debuts for Albert Finney and Czech-born director Karel Reisz.
This gritty B&W drama laced with droll humor, adapted from the Alan Sillitoe novel, was among the first to tackle the struggles of the working men and women of northern England. With just a season at Stratford-upon-Avon and a couple of TV roles to his credit, RADA graduate Finney slipped effortlessly into the role of Arthur Seaton, a Nottingham factory worker who lived by the credo: 'Don’t let the bastards grind you down." Bastards meaning bosses, cops, government and anyone blocking his path.
Arthur’s having an affair with Brenda (Rachel Roberts), the wife of a colleague, while he starts courting the strait-laced Doreen (Shirley Anne Field). His cousin warns that if he continues his philandering ways, 'you’ll get your face bashed in one of these days." That proves prophetic, while his relationship with Brenda undergoes yet another complication.
Arthur is brash, amoral, belligerent, a boozer and a liar, but in his first starring role Finney invests the character with a cheeky charm and an air of pathos, such as when he admits in a rare moment of introspection, 'God knows what I am."
Roberts is effective as his guilt-ridden lover, although it’s hard to see just why Arthur fancied her. It’s also difficult to believe Doreen barely bats an eyelid when Arthur confesses he’s been having an affair: were women of the late 1950s so forgiving?
Reisz, who had made a number of social documentaries, relished the chance to work on the larger canvas, for which he received the princely sum of £2,000.
The camerawork is every bit as good as you’d expect from ace cinematographer Freddie Fields. The sex scenes and fruity language caused quite a stir with the film was released in 1960.
