A Kind of Loving (1962)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

John Schlesinger

Writers:

Stan Barstow (novel)
Willis Hall (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

1 October 1962 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

A Kind Of Loving that knew no wrong until it was too late!

Plot:

A young man, inching his way up from working-class traditions via a white-collar job, finds himself...

Plot Keywords:

Mother In Law | Honeymoon | Draftsman | Wedding | Fight

Awards:

Nominated for 4 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 1 win

Cast

Alan Bates	...	Victor Arthur 'Vic' Brown
June Ritchie	...	Ingrid Rothwell
Thora Hird	...	Mrs. Rothwell
Bert Palmer	...	Mr. Geoffrey Brown
Malcolm Patton	...	Jim Brown
Gwen Nelson	...	Mrs. Brown
Pat Keen	...	Christine Harris
David Mahlowe	...	David Harris
Jack Smethurst	...	Conroy
James Bolam	...	Jeff
Michael Deacon	...	Les
John Ronane	...	Draughtsman
David Cook	...	Draughtsman
Norman Heyes	...	Laisterdyke
Leonard Rossiter	...	Whymper
Fred Ferris	...	Althorpe
Patsy Rowlands	...	Dorothy
Annette Robertson	...	Phoebe
Ruth Porcher	...	Mrs. Parker
Harry Markham	...	Railwayman
Peter Madden	...	Registrar
Kathy Staff	...	Mrs. Oliphant
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jerry Desmonde	...	TV Compere
Joe Gladwin	...	Bus Driver
Reginald Green	...	Contestant
Douglas Livingstone	...	Window Cleaner
Bryan Mosley	...	Bus Conductor
Bud Ralston	...	Pub Comedian
Edna Ridgway	...	Pub Pianist
Graham Rigby	...	Pub Politician
Yvonne Buckingham	...	Barmaid (uncredited)
Helen Fraser	...	Ingrid's Friend (uncredited)
Kathleen Walker	...	Woman in dinner queue (uncredited)

Directed by
John Schlesinger

Writing credits
Stan Barstow		(novel)
Willis Hall		(screenplay) and
Keith Waterhouse		(screenplay)

Produced by
Jack Hanbury	....	associate producer
Joseph Janni	....	producer

Original Music by
Ron Grainer

Cinematography by
Denys N. Coop

Film Editing by
Roger Cherrill

Art Direction by
Ray Simm

Set Decoration by
Maurice Fowler

Costume Design by
Laura Nightingale

Makeup Department
Anne Box	....	hairdresser
Bob Lawrance	....	makeup artist (as Robert Lawrence)
Bob Lawrance	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Charles Hammond	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Frank Ernst	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Bob Jones	....	sound recordist
Don Sharpe	....	sound editor
George Stephenson	....	sound recordist

Camera and Electrical Department
John Harris	....	camera operator
Harry Gillard	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Editorial Department
John Gilbert	....	assistant editor (uncredited)
Barney Platts-Mills	....	third assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Ron Grainer	....	conductor

Other crew
Pamela Davies	....	continuity
Ann Skinner	....	production secretary

Production Companies

• Vic Films Productions

Distributors

• Anglo-Amalgamated Film Distributors (1962) (UK) (theatrical)
• Governor Films
• Momentum Pictures (2001) (UK) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures (2000) (UK) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1988) (UK) (VHS)

Runtime:

USA:112 min | Germany:107 min

Country:

UK

Language:

German | English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Hong Kong:IIA | Iceland:L | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:11 | UK:X (original rating) | UK:15 (video rating)

Filming Locations:

Albert Hall, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, UK

Company:

Vic Films Productions

Trivia:

Tony Beckley was going to appear in this film but dropped out.

Quotes:

Mrs. Rothwell: How dare you do this to my daughter!
Vic: I did good for your daughter! I married her!
Mrs. Rothwell: Yes! After you seduced her!
Vic: It would have been me or someone else, sooner or later.

Movie Connections:

References Victim (1961)

Kind and Loving (and Bitter, too)

John Schlesinger had an extremely successful career. I am not fond of many of his movies, including perhaps his most famous: "Midnight Cowboy." I think he was best at quiet, gentle movies.

"A Kind of Loving," though it is of the Angry Young Man school, is kind and gentle. It might be his very best movie.

Among others I like are "Billy Liar" and the beautiful "An Englishman Abroad." ("Sunday, Bloody Sunday" has many fans. I am not among them. However, I haven't seen it in many years and might change my mind. Certainly I agree with his musical choices, most notably the music from "Cosi.") Alan Bates is in "A Kind of Loving" and in "An Englishman Abroad." This is an early movie in his career and we see his star power already.

The rest of the cast is not up to Bates. Thora Bird is impressively off-putting as his mother-in-law. But she is something of a caricature, like Sylvia Miles in "Midnight Cowboy." Mona Washbourne plays a different sort of older-woman role in "Billy Liar," of course. She is infinitely more memorable.

The actress playing the girl Bates lusts after and then marries is all right. That's what she is: all right.

The view of young love, young lust, young anger is gentle and touching. In many way, "A Kind of Loving" resembles Hollywood movies of the thirties in which a young man is forced to settle down.

It's a movie that deserves to be better known.