Look Back in Anger

An early entry in the British "kitchen sink" genre, Look Back in Anger (1959) is a challenge. Tony Richardson's adaptation of John Osborne's play is very unpleasant - deliberately so yes, but no better for it. Richard Burton's remarkable performance makes it easier to swallow.

Jimmy Porter (Richard Burton) epitomizes the "angry young man." Well-educated but working class, Porter sells candy at a market, moonlighting as a jazz musician. He's abusive to everyone, especially his roommate Cliff (Gary Raymond) and passive wife Alison (Mary Ure). Alison becomes pregnant, which in combination with the death of his mother (Edith Evans) pushes him over the edge. Alison's actress friend Helena (Claire Bloom) comes to live with them, and she falls for Jimmy just as Alison prepares to move out.

Look Back in Anger is fairly typical of this genre, mixing gritty direction with a downbeat view of '50s Britain. Jimmy can't get satisfaction out of life; despite his education he's stuck in a menial job and takes out his frustration on everyone. In a way he's shown as no better or worse than anyone else: others make an easy target of Indian Kapoor (S.P. Kapoor) for "stealing" their business. Richardson and Osborne ascribe no specific blame for Jimmy's plight, though a slimy inspector (Donald Pleasance) makes his job hell. He's merely the product of a society rotting inside out.

All this works up to a point, but Anger occasionally grows tiresome. Jimmy is such a fierce protagonist that his co-stars seem false or contrived. With no one willing to fight back, Jimmy's harangues start to lose their dramatic impact. For all the misanthropy, the plot is awfully conventional: we know Jimmy and Helena will hit it off the moment they trade blows, and the ending just cheats. Richardson's later Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner is much better realized, especially the brilliantly pointed finale.

Richard Burton had a checkered career, from the highs of Becket to excretia like Exorcist II. Often stiff and overblown, Burton is absolutely perfect here, full of passion and naturalism often lacking. He makes Jimmy completely warped and bitter, giving him a human core and roguish charm that don't ease his animal nastiness. It's easily Burton's best screen work.

Claire Bloom's headstrong Helena makes a perfect mismatch for Jimmy's misanthropy. On the other hand, Mary Ure (Where Eagles Dare) is such a doormat she quickly forfeits our sympathy. Gary Raymond's (El Cid) Cliff similarly comes off as a sucker for putting up with Jimmy. Donald Pleasance (Halloween) has an early supporting turn and Nigel Davenport (A Man for All Seasons) gets a walk-on.

Look Back in Anger isn't for all tastes, and even my patience was tried at times. Still, Burton keeps it mostly on an even keel.