Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960)

A rebellious, hard-living factory worker juggles relationships with two women, one of whom is married to another man but pregnant with his child.

Director:

Karel Reisz

Writers:

Alan Sillitoe (screenplay by), Alan Sillitoe (adapted from his novel by)

Stars:

Albert Finney, Shirley Anne Field, Rachel Roberts

Won 3 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 7 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Albert Finney	...	Arthur Seaton
Shirley Anne Field	...	Doreen
Rachel Roberts	...	Brenda
Hylda Baker	...	Aunt Ada
Norman Rossington	...	Bert
Bryan Pringle	...	Jack
Robert Cawdron	...	Robboe
Edna Morris	...	Mrs. Bull
Elsie Wagstaff	...	Mrs. Seaton (as Elsie Wagstaffe)
Frank Pettitt	...	Mr. Seaton
Avis Bunnage	...	Blousy Woman
Colin Blakely	...	Loudmouth (as Colin Blakeley)
Irene Richmond	...	Doreen's Mother
Louise Dunn	...	Betty
Anne Blake	...	Civil Defence Officer

Storyline

Arthur, one of Britain's angry young men of the 1960s, is a hardworking factory worker who slaves all week at his mindless job for his modest wages. Come Saturday night, he's off to the pub for a loud and rowdy beer session. With him is Brenda, his girlfriend of the moment. Married to a fellow worker, she is nonetheless captivated by his rugged good looks and his devil-may-care attitude. Soon a new love interest Doreen enters and a week later, Brenda announces she's pregnant. She tells Arthur she needs money for an abortion, and Arthur promises to pay for it. By this time, his relationship with Doreen has ripened and Brenda, hearing of it, confronts him. He denies everything, but it's obvious that their affair is all but over.

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Plot Keywords:

factory worker | nottingham england | british new wave | kitchen sink realism | based on novel | 

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Taglines:

Makes "Room at the Top" look like a vicarage tea-party.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Skeggy is a nickname for Skegness, a seaside resort in Lincolnshire, about 78 miles from Nottingham.

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Goofs

Though (apparently) set in Nottingham or thereabouts (certainly there are several references to the RIver Trent), there is not a single Nottinghamshire accent to be heard in the film.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Arthur Seaton: Nine hundred and fifty four, nine hundred and fifty bloody five. Another few more and that's the lot for a Friday.

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Connections

Featured in TCM Guest Programmer: Brian Dennehy (2007)

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Soundtracks

Poet and Peasant Overture
(uncredited)
Music by Franz von Suppé
Played during the carnival scene with Brenda and the soldiers

User Reviews

best of the "angry young man" movies

I first saw this film during its original u.s. run in 1961, loved it, and jumped at the chance to see it again at a local revival movie house. The movie is justly famous for Finney's brilliant performance (I think it was his first.), but has other virtues as well. Karel Reisz and Freddie Francis succeed in making the film visually interesting, and it is well paced, with essentially no dead time.

The thing that deserves the most praise, however, is Sillitoe's script, which puts virtually all modern dramatic screenplays to shame. In a general way, the working class british films of the late 50s and 60s launched the tradition that leads to Loach, Leigh, Tim Roth, etc. This film's subtlety and ambivalence towards its leading character reminds me specifically of Mike Leigh at his very best.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 April 1961 (USA)

Also Known As:

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning

Filming Locations:

Twickenham Film Studios, St Margarets, Twickenham, Middlesex, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

GBP100,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$370

Company Credits

Production Co:

Woodfall Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1