Hottoceame The Age of Commercialism

Ceticultsot Beautiful, moving film.

Cooktopi The acting in this movie is really good.

Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

avik-basu1889 A poignant exploration of the British class structure in the 60s as well as a study of the disillusionment of the 'angry young man' of the working class. The story is interesting, but the direction as well as the musical choices at times is a bit weak. Nevertheless it's still worth recommending.

Sindre Kaspersen After committing a crime with a friend, the young rebel Colin Smith is sent of to a reform school called Ruxton Towers where he is introduced to a world that is totally different from his own. Colin immediately objects to the reform school's methods and considers his punishment as pointless, but when he meets the school governor, a man who believes that sports can transform young men into responsible citizens, Colin gets the opportunity to use his running skills.The fifth feature film by British New Wave director Tony Richardson (1928-1991) is a socially critical story based on a short story from 1959 by English writer Alan Sillitoe (1928-2010), which realistically depicts the working-class milieu in Nottingham during the early 1960s. This character-driven social drama opens with the main character running along a road while his inner monologue describes his intelligible view of life, and from there on out portrays an in-depth study of character about a man's unyielding integrity. Through flashback scenes the viewers get a close insight into the protagonist's life before the reform school and acutely narrates how he is challenged by his resistance against authorities and his troubled family life while trying to find his own identity.This empathic coming-of-age tale has a well-written screenplay by Alan Sillitoe which examines themes like identity, family relations, friendship, alienation and strength of character. The captivating music and the stellar black-and-white cinematography emphasizes the quiet atmosphere in this British independent film, a timeless character drama, which is crafted by Tom Courtenay's magnificent performance.

wrongboyo The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner is one of the best films I've yet to see that deals with themes of rebellious and frustrated youths. Tom Courtenay brilliantly plays Colin Smith, a young man living in an impoverished area of England. Colin is the oldest member of a large family, his father is in poor shape and refuses to take his medication. The entire family seems to remain unbothered by this and his mother even carries on several affairs with different men. Eventually, the father dies and with the money she receives from insurance she blows on clothes and a new television.Frustrated about not having any money (because he refuses to get a job, insisting that he doesn't see any sense in working his guts out just so the employer can make all the money) Colin breaks into a bakery and steals a cashbox.Eventually, Colin is caught by the police and sent to a reformatory school where he shows promise in athletics as a long distance runner. The Governor takes special notice of him and gives him special treatment, hoping for him to compete in the long distance run against a preparatory school.When the day of the competition comes Colin straight away takes a huge lead on the star runner of the opposing school. He keeps up a steady pace but throughout a series of flashcuts we see Colin reflecting on his home life. He stops in place and in a rebel yell stares at the Governor who was completely expecting him to win.Now, the film is told in a non-linear narrative which makes the film have a lot more emotional resonance. It is shot in black and white, in a fantastic documentary style. The music in this film perfectly underlines all the emotions Colin goes through (most specifically loneliness, when it shows just his shadow running along a long road).Throughout the film we find that the apparent criminal seems to have more moral and ethical codes than the authority figures.The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner is a great example of a film in which almost all of the elements work perfectly together. It's experimentations in editing, the shaky camera work, gritty cinematography and fantastic acting all go together wonderfully.

JLRMovieReviews Tom Courtenay made his screen debut in this "angry young man" story of the 1960s. Costarring Michael Redgrave (and James Fox in a small role) and directed by Tony Richardson (Redgrave's son-in-law) and written by the same man responsible for "Saturday Night and Sunday Morning," this captures the same angst of the everyman, only more so. If you've not seen this, you need to find it right now. This is British cinema at its best.The story unfolds as we see Courtenay enter some sort of reform school, as he was arrested for stealing money. Just why he did so and his beginnings we see through reflections and memories of his, while running, as headmaster Michael Redgrave tries to mold him into a long distance cross-country runner, when Redgrave sees Courtenay has the ability for it. Little does Redgrave know that Courtenay is just playing him, and that no one tells Courtenay what to do. Such is the mindset of Courtenay. The viewer sees that, while Courtney is trying to show others, he's really just hurting himself.I feel the title doesn't necessarily refer to Courtenay but rather the opposite mindset, those who put in the extra time, effort, and work needed and also demanded by those willing to get ahead and doing it when no else is around or noticing. The perfectionists, those who push themselves, while others take the easy road. This is a very personal film about the integrity of the hard workers, who know you get what you put into it. Apparently, Courtenay only wants to do enough to live and doesn't want to work his butt off for the benefit of his bosses. There's also the element of his running from the law, as part of the title, as he refers to in the opening scene. But in the end, we see him back in shop, where he'll stay until he gets out. If he gets out.