Because a taste of honeys first major hit, boogie oogie oogie, was a lighthearted, escapist piece of ear candy, rock critics of the late 70s didnt take the group seriously and tended to dismiss janice marie johnson and hazel payne as producers puppets. A compendium of sixties hot potatoes unmarried motherhood, race, homosexuality baked in a cracking script from shelagh delaney s stage play. A taste of honeywhich was based on a play by shelagh delaneyraised issues of race, class, and sexual orientation. Teacher eunice black reading keats ode to a nightingale, then attacking pupil jo rita tushingham, who escapes and meets again sailor jimmy paul danquah, along the manchester ship canal, in tony richardsons a taste of honey, 1962. The criterion collections bluray of a taste of honey is a superb rendition of this vintage brit new wave gem, much improved over earlier encodings. In addition to being expressive singers, johnson and payne. Delaney wrote the screenplay, aided by director tony richardson, who had directed the play on the stage. The film was wildly daring for its day, a fact that is liable to be lost on younger audiences.
Bmi from the lp another taste soo11951 produced for skyhigh productions. Silvie and gaby enjoy the taste of one another during an afternoon of erotic lesbian sex. An excellent social commentary this film was the winner of a number of awards the year of. Find video, photos, forums, blogs and shop for some of the best movies ever made only at tcm. In this domestic drama, british teen jo rita tushingham struggles to find love in her bleak daytoday life, which is dominated by her alcoholic mother, helen dora bryan. Maisie williams thriller the owners lands at rlje films.
The revolutionary british new wave films of the early 1960s were celebrated for their uncompromising depictions of workingclass lives and relations between the sexes. A taste of honey is the first play by the british dramatist shelagh delaney, written when she was 19. A taste of honey 1961 dvd region 1 playable in north america the us, canada, mexico, etc. A taste of honey is a 1961 british film adaptation of the play of the same name by shelagh delaney. Because a taste of honey s first major hit, boogie oogie oogie, was a lighthearted, escapist piece of ear candy, rock critics of the late 70s didnt take the group seriously and tended to dismiss janice marie johnson and hazel payne as producers puppets. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing a taste of honey near you. A taste of honey 1961 letterboxd social film discovery. Literaturea taste of honeyymmva taste of honeyif you meant one of those, just click and go. The script was an adaptation of a play that had already been a hit both in londons west end and on broadway where richardson had also directed ita taste of honey. It was the first british feature film to be made entirely on location, around the streets and canals of manchester and neighbouring salford jo rita tushingham tags along with her mother helen the priceless dora bryan and her fancy man.
During the process she helps ben accept and process his problems in a surprising way. It was the first british feature film to be made entirely on location, around the streets and canals of manchester and neighbouring salford. It was initially intended as a novel, but she turned it into a play because she hoped to revitalise british theatre and to address social issues that she felt were not being presented. Director tony richardson adapted the screenplay of a taste of honey from the kitchen sink stage play by shelagh delaney. It is an exemplar of a gritty genre of british film that has come to be called kitchen sink realism. Directed by tony richardson, a leading light of that movement, and based on one of the most controversial plays of its time, a taste of honey features rita tushingham in her starmaking debut role as a disaffected teenager.
A taste of honey started out playing at various clubs in southern california and at american. An illustration of a computer application window wayback machine an illustration of an open book. Jo is working class, in her teens, living with her drunk and libidinous mother in northern england. Jo has been trailing after her mother, who shuffles between unsuitable men and flats not fit to live in, and then she gets pregnant. After a stellar career in student drama at oxford, he had joined the bbc, but he was soon also writing film criticism and, in 1956, was one of the founders, along with karel reisz and lindsay anderson, of the free. I n 1961, when he made the wonderfully fresh a taste of honey, tony richardson was still in his early thirties but was already a major force in both cinema and theater in britain. A taste of honey this is a key movie in the british new wave that followed the free cinema movement, says philip french. Shot in documentary style, the fair sequence shines as a mesmerizing snapshot of a lost moment in time. In her screen debut, tushingham gave a compelling performance as a. A taste of honey is no different, and the camera brings the audience on a wild adventure through the wet and littered streets of north england, and as a cinematic highlight, on an extended trip to the fair. Cold winds may blow over icy seas ill take with me the warmth of thee a taste of honey a taste much sweeter than wine ill leave behind my heart to wear and may. A taste of honey is one of the defining films of this time period. I saw some of it on tcm a few months ago, and the print had torn film, ragged dirt and a soundtrack just cloudy enough to.
Rita tushingham plays a workingclass british teenager, living with her drinksodden, libertine mother dora bryan. Shelagh delaney was only 19 when she wrote the original play on which a taste of honey is based, and its her brilliant words plus characters who are easy to warm to that make this such a memorable film. It is an exemplar of a gritty genre of british film that has come to be called kitchen sink realism the film opened on 15 september 1961 at the leicester square theatre in londons west end. Resilient workingclass heroine jo rita tushingham flees her uncaring single mother dora bryan and gets pregnant by a black sailor paul danquah. Set against a gritty backdrop of the northern england of the 1950s this is a story of relationships and lost hopes, exploring issues that. A taste of honey started out playing at various clubs in southern california and at american military bases in both the united states and abroad. In addition to being expressive singers, johnson and payne were talented, versatile musicians and songwriters. She tries not to let it interfere with her work day, but when her female manager wants to give her some after hours instruction, well. Janice marie johnson guitarbassvocals, hazel payne guitarvocals, perry kibble keyboards and donald ray johnson drums. With joe mele, evan hoyt thompson, maria pendolino, steve arons. Thank you to the manufacturer for releasing this cd. Rita tushingham in a taste of honey 1961 murray melvin and rita. Kai ashante wilsons a taste of honey is the future of fantasy. The film is by acclaimed director tony richardson the loneliness of the long distance runner, who also produced it and cowrote the screenplay with original author delaney.
Director and producer tony richardson passed up an offer of american financing for the film by choosing tushingham, not audrey hepburn, for the lead role. Directed by tony richardson, a leading light of that movement, and based on one of the most controversial plays of its time, a taste of honey features rita tushingham in. Also sign me up for fanmail to get updates on all things movies. A taste of honey nevertheless represents a remarkable achievement for a young woman writing her first play in the mid1950s, a time when angry young men were dominating the english theater. A taste of honey 2000 cast and crew in this domestic drama, british teen jo rita tushingham struggles to find love in her bleak daytoday life, which is dominated by her alcoholic mother. During his search he meets honey, a very intense and obsessive woman who will try to help him. Made in 1961, a taste of honey tells the story of a working class salford schoolgirl who meets, falls in love with, and falls pregnant to, a black british sailor. This exploration of single motherhood, friendship, love, and motherdaughter relations is one of the better british, kitchen sink dramas of the.
A taste of honey does something equally interesting, making a hero of a gentle, effete zookeeper. We dont have an article named film atasteofhoney, exactly. A taste of honey, tart and lively around the edges and bitter at the core, is richardsons best film to date. A taste of honey 1961 is one of the most poignant of the entire genre and unusually features a young woman, jo, as its central character and introduced rita tushingham in her first film role. When he later leaves her, she plans to raise the child with her gay best friend.
This film version of shelagh delaneys play follows the hopes and dreams of five people. This cd is definitely worth owning if only for the extended version of boogie oogie oogie and the two 2 other versions. The story, by playwright shelagh delaney featured a. Its noteworthy when an lgbt character shows up in a fantasy, and the burly wizard demane is one mode, but building a story in a swordandsorcery world around a. New interviews with actors rita tushingham and murray melvin audio interview with director and coscreenwriter tony richardson from the 1962 cannes film festival excerpt from a 1960 television interview with a taste of honey playwright shelagh delaney interview from 1998 with cinematographer walter lassally remaking british theater. This was rightly called kitchen sink realism at the time. Moe is a gorgeous, funloving office assistant whos so sensitive that even the tiniest touch to her sweet spot turns her on.
From shelagh delaneys west end smash, written when. I had a vinyl copy of this album in the late 1970s when a taste of honey came out. The revolutionary british new wave films of the early 1960s were celebrated for their uncompromising depictions of workingclass lives and. Tasting much sweeter than wine i dream of your first kiss, and then i feel upon my lips again a taste of honey a taste of honey tasting much. Aug 23, 2016 this film was a success both critically and commercially, and richardson and woodfall decided to follow it with one set in manchester that richardson would direct himself. Black and white, gay and straight, mothers and daughters, class, and coming of age. Delaney wrote the screenplay with director tony richardson, who had directed the play on the stage.
A taste of honey is a britishdrama film based upon the acclaimed play written by shelagh delaney. Turner classic movies presents the greatest motion pictures of all time from one of the largest film libraries in the world. Ben, a man who lives overwhelmed by his addictions and his schizophrenia, decides to seek help. An excellent social commentary this film was the winner of a number of awards the year of its release. A taste of honey 1961 dvd rita tushingham robert stephens. A taste of honey by tony richardson dora bryan, rita. A taste of honey has an earthy gusto and sincerity that lift its somewhat.
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