A Taste of Honey (1961)

Rita Tushingham delivers a BAFTA-winning performance as a resilient Salford schoolgirl making her way in the world in this classic of 1960s British cinema.
“Dora Bryan gives an uproarious turn as Jo’s impossible mam, with Robert Stephens as the shabby suitor. Tushingham’s performance and lovely, open face are still a tonic. Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian, 2002 Resilient working-class heroine Jo flees her uncaring single mother and gets pregnant by a black sailor. She seeks solace from another social outsider, a meek gay textile student. A Taste of Honey was adapted by Shelagh Delaney from her first play, written while she was still in her teens. If the then-daring subject matter suggests an issue-led drama urging moral tolerance, director Tony Richardson’s treatment is more a matter of poetic realism, highlighting sensitive changes of mood and emotion against a backdrop of grimly authentic Salford locations. Social attitudes may have moved on since 1961, but wide-eyed Rita Tushingham’s affecting central performance remains a delight. A sensation by the age of 21, playwright Shelagh Delaney went on to have a fitful screenwriting career, notable scripts including Charlie Bubbles (1967) and Dance with a Stranger (1985).
1961 United Kingdom
Directed by
Tony Richardson
Produced by
Tony Richardson
Written by
Shelagh Delaney, Tony Richardson
Featuring
Rita Tushingham, Dora Bryan, Murray Melvin
Running time
100 minutes

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