Up the Junction (1968) User Reviews

A shamefully underrated expose on working class London in the swinging 60s

[Raph770 · 8/10 · 18 June 2016]

I first saw this film on late night TV in Melbourne, Australia, in the late 1980s. I love it then, but wasn't able to view it again until recently, and enjoyed it as much as my first viewing almost 30 years earlier.

One of the first things I remembered thinking after first viewing it is – why isn't this film better known? It's one of the great British films of the 1960s, and a fine example of the 'kitchen sink' genre. Added to that, it has superb widescreen cinematography – every scene is beautifully shot, the outdoor scenes particularly so. Working class London in the 60s was a ramshackle, beautiful if run-down environment. The film captures a lost world – it's a fascinating historical document as well as a serious movie.

The cast is spot on,it's all very believable, and the leads have a genuine chemistry. Suzy Kendall may have had a limited acting range – but she's perfect in this role. And so beautiful!

The story tackles all manner of social problems not just of the 60s, but universal ones applicable today as then. Some scenes are still quite disturbing to watch – this is not some 'swinging London' expose, but an accurate glimpse in to the life of working class Londoners before the gentrification process started.

I was fortunate to study British film at Monash Univeristy (Melbourne) under the great Brian MacFarlane in the 1990s. He's considered the world expert on British cinema, and was commissioned by the British Film Academy to write the authorised history of British cinema. One of the things MacFarlane consistently highlighted was the fact Brit film only began to portray the working class seriously from the late 1950s. Prior to that, working class were portrayed in movies as either servants, idiots, criminals or downtrodden miners etc. Up the Junction is a beautifully realised example of a time when the British finally began to take the working class seriously.

It's also the first film I can think of with a soundtrack written by a well known rock band – Manfred Mann. And though dated – the music is perfect for this film and captures something of the youth vibe then flowering across the western world. Truly – this is a shamefully underrated film and a must-see for anyone interested in London in the 1960s.

I Don't Want To Go To Chelsea

[Lejink · 7/10 · 1 July 2019]

So I was listening to Squeeze's brilliant "Up The Junction" single and thought to myself, I have to go to the source to maybe appreciate how the song came about. Chris Difford's lyric condenses the action far better than I ever could (although it doesn't slavishly follow the film's plot anyway) but I'll have a go. I've also not seen Ken Loach's earlier BBC TV adaptation of the original play, although I understand it dispenses with the central character of Suzy Kendall's mixed-up rich girl from the other side of the river who we see over the titles, walking out of her privileged world to see how the other half lives. Shallow and condescending as this might seem, sure enough she walks straight into a job at a sweet packaging company, where the all-female employees have an uncomplicated, enthusiastic approach to life which immediately appeals to her. There she falls under the wings of two very dissimilar looking sisters, Maureen Lipman as the older of the two, already married, separated and had an abortion, she's protective and cynical but still young enough to look to have a good time, while Adrienne Posta is her 17 year old sister, hormones flaring but with a selfish, bullying streak to her as we see when she publicly "makes over" one of her shop-floor colleagues, a shy girl possibly with learning difficulties.

We follow the three of them as they have a lark at work break-time and then at night when they hook up with some lairy young men at the local pub, where the sisters belt out a song with the pub group. Kendall herself meets a young delivery boy working for a second-hand furniture shop from where she's buying for her cheap and cheerful flat and things you might think will continue on this bright and breezy road until the end when things however take a darker turn. We see the older sister beaten up in the street by her drunken ex-husband but there's worse in store for the younger sister who falls pregnant and gets a back-street abortion which goes terribly wrong. Finally, to cap it all, the boyfriend who impregnated Corri dies in a motorbike crash, all of this with Kendall as sort of the first person witness to all of it. She wanted to see how the poor live and now she most certainly does.

The film finishes with a concentration on Kendall's new romance where the male feels he's punching above his weight and is forever trying to drag her out of seedy Battersea to posher Belgravia not appreciating that she's already rejected that mode of life. However catching her on the rebound from her emotional involvement over Posta's botched abortion, he turns up in a flash car, whisks her away to the seaside to a posh hotel, takes her to a fancy restaurant and eventually proposes to her. That's when we learn that the two of them are pulling in opposite directions, he wants out of the struggling, hard-up life amongst the poor working-class world he inhabits and doesn't care how he does it, while she seems to have found herself by rejecting the privileged upper class life he craves. It's nicely encapsulated in a scene where she craves a bag of cockles at a street vendor much to his disgust.

Class consciousness was a big deal in the 60's and drove many of the kitchen-sink dramas which emerged in the British cinema of the day. Whilst that argument is over-simplified here and one can't imagine too many mummy and daddy's little girls like Kendall's Polly slumming it like this, there's definitely pathos in the portrayals of her poor workmates, although we never actually get a glimpse of the monied life that Polly's escaping.

With good use of real-life locations, fine naturalistic acting especially by Lipman and Posta in support, empathetic direction by Peter Collinson and a bright, psychedlicised soundtrack by Manfred Mann and Mike Hugg, although inevitably dated by its attitudes (it seems to be accepted that men can slap women about or leave them to deal with an unplanned pregnancy) "Up The Junction" still stands as a reasonably accurate and authentic snapshot of the travails of the working classes, especially women in the mid-to-late 60's.

Late entrant to classic 1960s "kitchen sink" drama

[john-dawson-614-792694 · 7/10 · 4 May 2020]

A portrayal of women's lives in 1960s working class Battersea, through the eyes of a girl from Chelsea, hence an outsider. Based on the better known book by Nell Dunn, from which it departs significantly, making the ill-fated affair with Dennis Waterman's character the central narrative. Beautifully done. Deserves to be better known than it is.

An accurate snapshot of down-at-heel 60's London

[sellery · 14 December 2004]

As someone who was born and brought up in Battersea in the 60's and 70's I can certainly attest that the tone of the film is spot-on.

Battersea was then a very working-class and rather depressed district, despite counting the very wealthy areas of Westminster and Chelsea as near neighbors. Today the difference is barely noticeable; then it hit one in the face.

Given the politics of the day, when unions were strong, the Communist Party of Great Britain still had a respectable face, and protests against the Vietnam War were taking place, the idea of a well-off young woman moving to south London to 'see things for herself' is not odd at all. Nowadays of course, it's the done thing to move to run down areas in the hope of seeing property prices rise.....

The film should be appreciated for what it is, a well-acted, involving and accurate snapshot of a less glamorous place and time in "Swinging 60's" London. About as good as you'll get without a time machine.

Battersea Babes

[richardchatten · 6/10 · 17 December 2020]

Peter Collinson was already mellowing after his directorial debut with the incredibly nasty home invasion film 'The Penthouse' (1967); and let loose on Nell Dunn's stories in Technicolor with Manfred Mann on the soundtrack was obviously going to turn in a very different film from Ken Loach's 'Wednesday Play' of 1965.

What seemed like gritty realism in 1967 today seems as remote as the world evoked by Dickens (complete with Jewish stereotypes which really date it). Maureen Lipman is almost unrecognisably young and it's always good to see Adrienne Posta and Liz Fraser (who share a literally gut-renching sequence after the former has an abortion performed by a drunken Hylda Baker).

But the real star is Battersea power station, looming in the background back in the days when it was still permitted to smoke.

The secret millionaire.

[morrison-dylan-fan · 7/10 · 18 January 2010]

With having enjoyed watching Dennis Watermen in the TV shows Minder and New Tricks,i was very much looking forward to this film that my dad had picked up on DVD.I feel that this is a very enjoyable British Kitchen-Sink drama. The plot:

A very wealthy girl called Polly,feels the she has had enough of living a very well off life in Chelsea,so she decides to move to a working class section of London called Battersea.When she arrives there,she does everything she can to move on from her old life by trying to fit in with all of the working class people around her.One of the things Polly does is go to work in a very run-down chocolate boxing factory.where she ends up making lots of new friends at the factory,and she even gets herself a boyfriend!,sadly Pollys life starts to get disturbing when her best friend tells her the she needs help with having an abortion,and with Polly supporting her friend,Pollys boyfriend gets angered by this,and also due to her pretending to be very poor to "fit in" with everyone around her,even though she and her family are very rich. View on the film:

One of the main things the makes the film different is that the screenplay by Roger Smith,starts off by having the first half of the film be very pleasant for the characters,and by also having the male characters in the film not all be dumb,violent thugs.Sadly the second half of the film falls into some of the kitchen drama clichés,that makes the lightness of the first half change very suddenly and (even thought the cast give very strong performances for the whole film)it just seems that the abortion plot line got shoe-horned into the film,to ruin the fun character piece and the light overtone look at upper and working class people living with each other. Final view on the film:

A very over looked kitchen sink British drama with good performances,that is let down by a very sudden dark change in plot.

Saaf London's take on the kitchen sink drama.

[granty-95171 · 8/10 · 27 April 2020]

Up The Junction was made during the Summer of 1967 though there isn't much love & peace to be found in this film. Arguably the only likeable characters are Polly, an uptown girl who's trying to slum it in Battersea, and Pete (Dennis Waterman) the 'bit of rough' she falls for, and they're not without flaws. I always loved Dennis Waterman in Minder and his character in this film could easily pass for a young Terry McCann; anyone who doubts his ability as a straight actor should watch the showdown between Pete and Polly in the hotel room. The two sisters Sylvie and Rube are sweet & bubbly on the outside but later on reveal a nasty side, especially when mocking a work colleague who appears to have learning difficulties.

Apart from Pete, all the men are depicted as selfish, sex mad and prone to violence.

Up The Junction came out a few years after the golden age of kitchen sink drama, and maybe lacks their gritty Northern humour, but there's still plenty to recommend including some lovely, sweeping London skylines, nice views of the iconic Battersea power station, and a groovy soundtrack by Manfred Mann. Anyone nostalgic for the late 1960s will probably enjoy it.

'Too Much of the Cockney'

[carmenjulianna · 6/10 · 26 April 2020]

Not as much of an entertaining take, with regards to a depiction of Working Class life in Cockney sounding(South London) as is with the Northern adaptations, which are much more humorous and realistically quite believable.! After a while watching this movie, it became more and more tiresome and tedious. Dennis Watermans character was predictable, wooden and boring, (not convincing as an actor) I find him one dimensional and static....Definately mis-cast..!!! That is probably why this movie isn't as remembered as some of the Classic Brit' Movies that were made up North...(Manchester.🤗) It's the rougher south London accent from the actors involved .. Too common, rough and ready for the International market to understand, and the violence between the family members is unacceptable......Ok for a rainy night in when nothing else is on TV..

CLASSIC FLY ON THE WALL

[gjwarrilow · 10/10 · 27 August 2001]

I remember the first time I saw this movie. It was around the time that my fascination for 60's British films started. I was transfixed by the portrayal of day to day life in 60's London. It was grim and miserable but everyone got on with life.

Polly (Suzy Kendall) plays the little rich `Chelsea Girl' trying to fit into the working class by moving to Battersea, finding a job in a factory, befriending sisters Sylvie (Maureen Lipman) and Rube (Adrienne Posta) and finds Peter (Dennis Waterman) the Mod delivery boy as a boyfriend. She moves into a rundown flat whilst trying to shake off the priviledged life she had with her family on the other side of the Thames. Polly tries to create her own working class life even though her choices do not necessarily reflect those of the working class she was trying to emulate.

This is a classic fly on the wall film and the scenes of the women talking whilst at work in the factory are brilliant. Who could forget the scene at the pub on Friday night when Slyv and Rube get up with the band to give the crowd a `belter'. Watching it is almost like being part of the crowd.

This film must have been pretty hard hitting when it was released in 1967. Abortion - which had only been legalised - played a big role in the film. Hylda Baker who plays the abornist Mrs McCarthy and plays the role so well, even though it was probably a cruel act of typecasting. Domestic violence was also portrayed in a hard hitting way even by todays standards.

For me this film is firmly planted at the top of my all time favourite 1960's films followed closely by `A Taste of Honey', `Smashing Time', `Saturay Night Sunday Morning' and `Blowup'. If you haven't seen this film – try and get a copy on video if you can and make up your own mind. I honestly believe this is one of the best 60's films produced in Britain, including the clothes, the soundtrack and Adrienne Posta's eyeliner!

Up The Junction Facebook Group

[lishak-c · 10/10 · 5 May 2020]

I remember seeing this film years ago and thinking wow this is really good and different and thought Adrienne Posta and Maureen Lipman were really good in it. Also seeing Dennis Waterman in an early role. And Suzy Kendall who is rather attractive. And Alfie Bass and Liz Fraser in small but very good roles. Also a great soundtrack from Manfred Mann with Adrienne Posta and Maureen Lipman singing (I need your love) which was a good song and the girls were good in it. We have a Facebook Group with at this moment 343 members called (Up The Junction Film 1967 Suzy Kendall, Dennis Waterman, Adrienne Posta,) and we have at this moment Adrienne Posta Actress who likes and comments quite regularly. Tony Klinger Producer who was 3 rd director on the film at 17, he is a major producer and so was his father who Produced Get Carter with Michael Caine. He has just answered 35 questions on the film and it's in the group. Also Roy Taylor Dubbing Editor. And we hope to get more.

Worth watching for bring back the past

[wendlewulf · 3/10 · 4 January 2012]

"Up the Junction' is a rather dreary tale The nostalgia was there though, especially for me whose both sets of grandparents lived at the Junction and with whom I spent an awful lot of my time, especially my mother's parents. The factory in the film was the Chelsea's Chocolate Liqueur works. The café they should have gone to was just around the corner (it still had adverts on the window for Turf and Airman cigarettes when it was demolished around 1966). In fact I got a bit confused about some of the other locations too. Being 'Up the Junction' I would have thought the girl would have gone down the Northcote Market, but it wasn't that one she went to (no railway embankment down there!). It might have been the one down Battersea High Street, though even that may not be right as I don't think the stalls went down as far as the railway. I have pondered where the shot of Pete & Polly looking over the Junction was taken. The bright light on the sky line was the Granada Cinema at the top of Plough Road, but for them to have been looking across from the north like that they would have had to have been up high so they must have been on top of one of the factories in York Road (the glucose or gin factories? too far west for the candle works). Pollys flat: I couldn't place it from anywhere I knew down the Junction, but thought it was either near Battersea Park area, possibly around Sheepcote Lane, or maybe the Princess Head area of Battersea. I couldn't place the abortionist place that was supposedly in Wimbledon either. It was fun, though, racking my brains trying to identify places. On the Web a site says many of the scenes are in fact of Wandsworth. My Nanny on my mother's side used to complain about 'some rich tart, what lived in the house that backed on to hers'. She said she was 'a dirty cow', didn't keep her windows clean and had curtains that were in tatters. She also moaned about the fact the girl and her lover(s) often used to stand naked at the bedroom window, and she knew my young aunt and her mates knew it too and used to watch if they got the chance. Yes, it was Nell Dunn they were watching. When the book, "Up the Junction", came out my aunt got it and then passed it to Nan. Neither thought it portrayed working class Battersea. Having now, at last, seen the film, I would agree. The houses certainly were dilapidated and the infrastructure of the places literally rotting in some cases (including that of my Nan's), but the women had pride and they were ardent and active cleaners and very critical of any woman who wasn't. If my grandmother's place smelt of anything it was carbolic! Family violence as in the film? I suppose so, I was not personally aware of it though I do remember hearing my Mum and Nan talking about local men, badgered by their wives, being sent to 'sort out' a man who had made a habit of hitting his wife. Certainly no one in their right mind would have tried getting physical with the women in my mother's family. Abortions? yes they happened and everyone seemed to know who had had one and where to go if you needed one. As a Rocker I was interested in the motorcycles. Like the hairstyles, they reflected the early 60's rather than 1968 when the film was made, though I did see one bike with a C registration (1965). Triumph changed from 'gate' to 'eyebrow' tank badges in 1966, which made aging the bikes easy. The lad's leather jackets were unadorned and they didn't wear helmets nor gloves, which was very untypical of us Rockers of the period and their riding was laughable. Not sure they would have tolerated a scooter riding Mod in their company either. Although the story was not strong, and the portrayal of much of working class life insulting, it did make me smile at times listening to voices from much of my childhood and youth and the memories the scenery stirred (even if they weren't all from the Junction). I could almost recall the smell of the Junction: leaving the station the smell of rotting bananas from the Fyfe's storage and cellulose paint spray from the metal cabinet factory that stood side by side under the arches, the stench of horse excrement from the totters stables, the drift of stench from the Glucose and Gin factories. Then at my paternal grandfather's house the smell of roses and lilies in my grand-dad's garden and the smell of cooking at my maternal grandmother's house. A different world in which children played hop scotch and cricket in the road and parents never worried about their kid's welfare or how they were behaving as the old folk, sitting outside their houses, kept an eye on them and disciplined them if need be. Every house used to open when you 'pulled on the string' and no one complained if you went in to use their toilet as long as you called out when you went in. many the time a bookies runner came through my Nan's calling out 'Coppers on me tail missus' and dropping a few coins as he shot through into the back yard, over the back wall and into another house. Then there were Saturday nights sitting outside the Duke pub, drinking lemonade and eating crisps whilst using lolly sticks to prise dirt from between the paving slabs or sailing paper boats in the gutter whilst the adults were all in the pub having a drink and a knees up. It was worth watching the film just for bringing the past back to me.

Unjust fate for a small but very appealing movie

[grahamclarke · 29 August 2004]

Though justifiably not considered a particularly important British film of the late sixties, "Up The Junction" has much genuine charm and remains a film for which I have a lot of affection.

Written by Nell Dunn, who specialized in portraying working class life, the characters are well drawn and brought to life with much conviction by a fine cast, some of whom have lasted and some who somehow faded away.

Whereas leading man Dennis Waterman went on to a long career in both television and on the stage, the lovely Suzy Kendall, who seemed to be headed towards becoming the next Julie Christie, proceeded to an undistinguished career. There's a touching chemistry between the pair.

Likewise the strong supporting players have had varied careers. The pairing of Maureen Lipman and Andrienne Posta was so successful in this film, that there was talk of them becoming a comedy team. Like Waterman, Lipman has been a regular on television and the stage, while Posta simply vanished.

"Up the Junction" too has vanished into obscurity, without even a video release. It's odd that while other far lesser British movies of the same period have been kept alive, this small but very appealing work should suffer such a fate.

A likeable if dated view of working class London life.

[clive-24 · 9/10 · 26 April 2000]

A very likeable if dated view of working class 60's London viewed the eyes of upper crust Polly Dean. Several tough and controversial issues (illegal abortions & wife beating) are covered which must have been brave at the time that the film was made. Strangely prophetic in the 'gentrification' of Battersea (one of the up-areas in recent property prices). Having been in the year I was born, I cannot fully comment on the authenticity of this films view of 60's life. However from my perspective and that of older relatives it is fairly accurate. The soundtrack (by Manfred Mann) is a superb slab of sixties beat\psychedelia. The characters are very likeable and the film is in my opinion a good introduction for any scholar of the period. 9/10

A Very Important Film

[crumpytv · 10/10 · 12 April 2021]

I hope that during time that this film is not doctored for political correctness and doesn't fall victim to culture correction.

This was an X rated film back in 1968, but that only applied to those under 16.

The film deals with many social issues of the day and could very well have been used an educationally focusing on some of the things life had to offer to young people leaving school at 15/16.

I was 17 and totally oblivious to much that was portrayed in the film, in fact films like this were regard as "mucky or "dirty". Most of these kitchen sink films suffered in the same way (Taste of Honey, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, A Kind of Loving, et al).

The film is very strong and of good quality considering it is well over 50 years old (it was downloaded from Talking Pictures).

Unlike many dramas of today, there is nothing gratuitous. The viewer is left to work things out for themselves. Good script and direction hammers home a lot of what is unseen.

There is an interesting technique used occasionally which I can only describe as grotesque; loud and bawdy close ups of people having drunken "fun" and focusing particularly on women with bright red lipstick. It really gets the point over that all this revelry is a smokescreen to compensate for their miserable lives.

The one thing that I think could have been included is a more specific explanation as to why Polly turned her back on a privileged life in favour of one south of the river.

How did she end up? I wonder. Did she stay in Battersea or return to her sheltered and safe existence back in Chelsea.

Up the Junction

[Tony-froude · 8/10 · 4 March 2006]

This is one of my all time favourite films. OK so the plot is not fantastic ( certainly better than some of the same era !! ), but anyone who loves the 60's will revel in its nostalgia, the cars, the buildings, the fashions.... simply superb!, it all harks back to a much more simpler, although harder way of life. I was born in the 60's & love the 50's/60,s era, this film started my interest in films of this time, so if you love this film then also see :- A KIND OF LOVING. LONELINESS OF A LONG DISTANCE RUNNER. POOR COW. LEATHER BOYS. CATHY COME HOME. Saturday NIGHT , Sunday MORNING. SMASHING TIME. HERE WE GO ROUND THE MULBERRY BUSH. BILLY LIAR. A TASTE OF HONEY. SPARROWS CANT SING. GIRL WITH GREEN EYES. A KID FOR 2 FARTHINGS. TO SIR WITH LOVE. So close the curtains, put the cat out, turn the lights off & watch this film.... you will be hooked, i promise !

Up the Junction

[Prismark10 · 5/10 · 16 October 2021]

Ken Loach made the BBC television play Up the Junction as an experimental slice of life drama based in South London.

The controversial play was later turned into a feature film, this time directed by Peter Collinson who struggles with the material.

Polly (Suzy Kendall) is a rich girl from Chelsea who has come to Battersea to slum it.

She gets a poky flat and a job in the factory. Polly befriends sisters Rube and Sylvie. She later gets a boyfriend Pete Dennis Waterman.) All suspect that she is a heiress.

Over time Polly sees violence, young people looking for sex at the weekend, dangerous racing and an illegal abortion. The reality of working class London.

The film has a grimness about it but it lacks a compelling story. Collinson has pervaded the film with songs from Manfred Mann.

Some of the events are predictable such as the abortion scenes. Pete turning up with a fast car that we later learn was stolen.

The character of Polly is too passive. She rails against her privileged upbringing but I wanted to know more about why she was happy to work in a factory for a pittance.

A must for all 1960's fans!

[pha96lgc · 24 March 2000]

An absolute must see for all lovers of 1960's culture. Not only does it boast some of the decades finest actors, it has a beautiful soundtrack from Manfred Mann and the cinematography perfectly captures the feel of what it was like to live in that decade. The plotline also deals with some of the pressing social issues of the time as well, including a very sensitive portrayal of back street abortion, the only one coming even slightly close to the masterly "Alfie". Even watching this film now, I think you can really get a feel for what it was like to be young and working class in the 1960's. Great Stuff.

Social Commentary and Period Piece

[galadriel-loth · 10/10 · 11 June 2007]

My goodness, this brought back memories. I grew up in London in the 1960s and also lived in areas like this up in the Midlands. The movie is a wonderful nostalgic period piece for those of us who knew this world, peripherally or centrally. But the social commentary is timeless. The central character, Polly, yearns for real earthy genuine living and crosses the bridge from upper-class Chelsea to working-class Clapham to experience freedom from upper class social mores and pretension. The world she finds there is indeed real, genuine and earthy. But she has the choice to enter this world or leave it, unlike most of the people who were born into it. And does she fully understand the world she has entered?

A superb 60's film

[clivem1 · 10/10 · 3 June 2000]

The best 60's film of all. The soundtrack fits so well with the film, brilliant. Battersea power station to me has become a 60's icon since watching this film. The film really shows what the 60's was like. It wasnt all just fab clothes and having a smashing time, this shows the other side of the 60's.

Up the junction

[omilant · 9/10 · 12 September 2007]

An uncomplicated film with Manfred Mann's music featuring , a view of the last years of the swinging 60's in London, for me personally very nostalgic. It also shows the brutal reality of the back street activities before the contraceptive pill era and results of the all too common promiscuity, and the days of tearing around on scooters and motor cycles before compulsory helmet laws. All in all a very interesting film and a reflection of days gone by! Younger actors such as Dennis Waterman combined with not so young actors Alfie Bass fit in very well against the background of that part of London. Yes you could say that the plot and story combined are a little thin, but on the whole this did not detract from the entertainment of the film or spoil it in my view

Unpersuasive drama

[barnabyrudge · 3/10 · 28 January 2003]

A rich, posh young woman moves from a quaint part of London to a run-down area, where she dreams of living a social class existence and escaping the corrupt influence of money. That's it. That's the whole film. We watch a lady who had it easy giving it all up so that she can live in poverty, because allegedly poverty is better than being unhappily rich.

I find this film woefully unconvincing, and it's theory that there are lots of good points about being poor is hard to swallow. Most people I know aspire to get out of the gutter and to climb to a respectable status, but here that notion is reversed. The main character played by Suzy Kendall is downright annoying anyway, so it's awfully hard to care much about what happens to her during the course of the film.

After spending two hours of my life watching this film, I have no insights into its characters or its social and moral standpoint. The film was a waste of time. It is probably the worst film that director Peter Collinson has ever made, other than the horrid Open Season (1974).

Formative years

[Zhivago-5 · 25 September 1999]

This movie had a profound effect on me when I first craned my neck to see it from the front row of the Haymarket cinema in Newcastle upon Tyne. I was sixteen years old and on date with a guy that had a rich father, a triumph spitfire and the personality of deadwood. I fell deeply in love with Suzy Kendall knowing that it should have been Dennis Waterman. I saw this movie every night for two weeks. It captures those times exquisitely, almost painfully. I just need to hear the opening theme to be transported back. The clash of cultures, the poverty on both sides of the class divide. Polly had money but was surrounded by shallowness and snobbery. Her friends up the junction had loyalty, camaraderie and fun, but struggled to survive, scamming their way from pay day to pub, who was the poorer? Manfred Mann's excellent score insinuates it's way into the fabric of the movie, haunting and evocative. Give this one a chance, you won't regret it.

great film

[valenciavin · 9/10 · 24 October 2006]

very good film,shows the 60,s at its best,a young Dennis waterman backed up by a strong cast, makes a must to see.this is backed up with a good music soundtrack, by manfred mann, which has a haunting feel, and goes well with the film,strong performances from Suzy Kendell, Maureen Lipton, adds to the film,must for release on DVD. one of my favourites films.based on the novel and TV show from a couple years earlier, up the junction is a film that catches the 1960,s at its height,and fits into the mould of greats like a taste of honey, Saturday night and Sunday morning,the knack and how to get it,billy liar,great stuff.

The other side of the tracks as seen through the eyes of the right side of the tracks.

[mark.waltz · 8/10 · 24 June 2023]

The rebellious sixties and sexual revolution bring on heartbreak, humor and tragedy for rich girl Suzy Kendall who goes to work in a sweets factory (not telling anyone of her social status),tries to avoid trouble, and tries to get her new friends out of situations in an illegal ways. With a little help of Carnaby Street shops, her new girlfriends are the height of fashion, and until they open their mouths, seemingly sophisticated. These young women live their lives with abandon, trying to find mometary fun yet ultimately ending up down the highway to unhappiness. It ain't no "smashing time".

It's a fascinating view of the late 60's, but not a very happy one, as living without thinking about the consequences only leads to tears, but these young women are devoted to their friends and hoping for true love. British musical theater legend Maureen Lipman, Adrienne Posta (the girl who gets into trouble to her regret) and Liz Fraser are among Kendall's circle of new friends with Dennis Waterman and Alfie Bass are among the young men, with one finding his destiny very early with a deadly thrill ride. Visually thrilling with great period costumes and fantastic locations footage, as well as some terrific songs in the background. A great script, fascinating characters and an important story makes this a historically thrilling film, dated for certain, but the way its presented makes that hardly matter.

Underrated.

[TomFarrell63 · 9/10 · 20 April 2022]

Whilst fitting into the kitchen sink drama category that was popular in the 60's, this for me is better than most of them, but doesn't seem to be as appreciated as others.

Great performances and soundtrack, elevate this above the norm, and if you can see it on blu ray, do so, it makes it shine.