This Sporting Life [2 Discs] DVD

This Sporting Life
Adapted by David Storey from his own novel, This Sporting Life stars Richard Harris as Frank, an athletic coal miner who aspires to the greener pastures of professional rugby. Soon establishing himself as one of the most brutal and arrogant players in the business, Frank begins to amass a fortune. He also falls in love with his landlady, Mrs. Hammond (Rachel Roberts), who initially resists his advances. When she finally gives in, their relationship hinges on sex alone, as Frank practically begs Mrs. Hammond to give of herself emotionally and she remains incapable. At the wedding ceremony for one of Frank's teammates, Mrs. Hammond unexpectedly lashes out at her swaggering lover. They split up, but Frank, who until now has equated happiness with wealth, is unable to get over the permanent loss. In the end, with nothing else left, all of Frank's self-worth becomes contingent on his rugby performances, though Frank and the other players are exploited to such a degree that this also proves disastrous. Widely regarded as one of the finest British feature films ever produced, the gritty and bleak This Sporting Life not only marked former documentary filmmaker Lindsay Anderson's first feature, but became one of the harbingers of the "Angry Young Man" school of filmmaking. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast Richard Harris as Frank Machin Rachel Roberts as Mrs. Hammond Alan Badel as Weaver William Hartnell as Johnson Colin Blakely as Maurice Braithwaite Vanda Godsell as Mrs. Weaver Arthur Lowe as Slomer Anne Cunningham as Judith Jack Watson as Len Miller Katherine Parr as Mrs. Farrer Peter Duguid as Doctor Wallas Eaton as Waiter Anthony Woodruff as Head Waiter Frank Windsor as Dentist John Gill as Cameron

Crew Alan Withy - Art Director Miriam Brickman - Casting Sophie Devine - Costume Designer Ted Sturgis - First Assistant Director Lindsay Anderson - Director Peter Taylor - Editor Roberto Gerhard - Composer (Music Score) Bob Lawrence - Makeup John Harris - Camera Operator Denys Coop - Cinematographer Karel Reisz - Producer Peter Lamont - Set Designer John W. Mitchell - Sound/Sound Designer Gordon K. McCallum - Sound/Sound Designer David Storey - Book Author

This Sporting Life
The breakthrough film for both director Lindsay Anderson and star Richard Harris, this grim portrait of a tormented rugby player features what is likely the actor's finest performance and remains one of the few to explore the dark side of an athlete's life. Frank Machin (Harris) emerges from the coal mines of Yorkshire to wage war in the rugby scrum on his way to wealth and stardom. But the brutality that has taken him to the top corrodes all of his relationships, especially that with married paramour Rachel Roberts. In many ways a precursor to Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull (1980), Anderson records the relentless pounding of the scrum with a gritty immediacy, drawing a direct line from that bloody battle to the athletes' destructive off-the-field behavior. Along with Albert Finney, Harris was one of the first British actors to be influenced by the work of Marlon Brando and the techniques developed by the Actors Studio, and it would not be wrong to think of the character of Frank as a descendant of Stanley Kowalski. Like many of their contemporaries in the era of the Angry Young Man, both Anderson and Harris were also steeped in Italian neorealism, another strong influence on the film's style and tone. While Anderson would go on to produce more cerebral and explicit critiques of British society, none of his other films approach this one in terms of raw emotional power. ~ Michael Costello, All Movie Guide
 

Rachel Roberts: Academy, Best Actress (nominated) Rachel Roberts: British Academy Awards, Best British Actress (winner) Rachel Roberts: Golden Globe, Best Actress - Drama (nominated) Richard Harris: Academy, Best Actor (nominated) Richard Harris: Cannes Film Festival, Best Actor (winner)

British Academy Awards, Best Film - Both Any Source and British (nominated) Golden Globe, Best Foreign Film (nominated) National Board of Review, Best Picture (nominated)

General Specifications: Language Options: English Subtitle Options: Sound Processing: DD1: Dolby Digital Mono Additional Features: Disc One: The Film: New restored high-definition digital transfer Audio commentary featuring Paul Ryan, editor of Never Apologise: The Collected Writings of Lindsay Anderson, and David Storey, screenwriter and author of This Sporting Life Theatrical trailer Disc Two: The Supplements: Lindsay Anderson: Lucky Man? (2004), a short documentary from BBC Scotland featuring interviews with many of the director's friends and collaborators New video interview with Anderson's first producer and close friend Lois Sutcliffe Smith Meet the Pioneers (1948), Anderson's first film, a documentary short about a mining engineering firm Wakefield Express (1952), an early documentary by Anderson about the town that later served as the setting for This Sporting Life Is That All There Is? (1993), Anderson's autobiographical final film Plus: A booklet featuring a new essay by film scholar Neil Sinyard and an article by Anderson from 1963 DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1: Vistavision MPAA Rating: DVD Discs Included: 2 DVD Sides: 2 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 134 min   DVD Chapters: Disc #1 -- This Sporting Life 1. Opening Credits [2:07] 2. "He's Just a Bit Dazed" [5:08] 3. The Dentist [3:24] 4. "A Thumping" [5:49] 5. "A Blinder" [8:17] 6. Tea With Mrs. Hammond [8:08] 7. "Property of the City" [8:11] 8. "She Gives Me Nothing" [4:39] 9. Weaver's Party [4:47] 10. Day in the Country [4:38] 11. Champion [4:33] 12. "Here in My Heart" [5:01] 13. Home Late [6:53] 14. Trade Secrets [:22] 15. Mrs. Weaver [4:41] 16. "Social Informalities" [5:50] 17. "Just for Christmas" [7:48] 18. A Night Out [5:49] 19. Wedding Day [8:46] 20. "Great Ape" [4:02] 21. Flophouse [8:15] 22. Hemorrhage [3:55] 23. Empty House [6:54] 1. Beginnings [2:07] 2. Sport and Art [5:08] 3. Free Cinema [3:24] 4. Characters [5:49] 5. Medieval Patronage [8:17] 6. Emotional Response [8:08] 7. Objects of Affection [8:11] 8. Rachel Roberts [4:39] 9. Brando [4:47] 10. Epic Quality [4:38] 11. A Lively Character [4:33] 12. Humphrey Jennings [5:01] 13. Relationships [6:53] 14. Castmates [:22] 15. Opportunism [4:41] 16. Class System [5:50] 17. Camera Work [7:48] 18. Lindsay's Direction [5:49] 19. Sadism and Masochism [8:46] 20. Lyrical [4:02] 21. Tragic End [8:15] 22. Influences [3:55] 23. Relationships [6:54] Disc #2 -- This Sporting Life: The Supplements 1. If.... [5:10] 2. Respectful Rebel [3:00] 3. This Sporting Life [5:07] 4. Private Pain [6:27] 5. A Man Apart [9:14] 1. "The Prime Source" [5:51] 2. Past, Present, Parts [4:19] 3. Man and Machine [8:57] 4. Sutcliffe's Far-Reaching Vision [13:58] 1. Portraits of the People [5:38] 2. A History of the Express [4:34] 3. Traditions [10:43] 4. Inner Workings [11:22] 1. Every Day [12:43] 2. At Home: Visitors [10:23] 3. Cleaning Lady [2:54] 4. Secretarial [3:45] 5. About John Ford [3:07] 6. Writing About Films [3:10] 7. Project - Film [3:22] 8. At Your Age [1:51] 9. Project - Theatre [2:54] 10. My Brother [2:22] 11. Envoi [4:04] 12. Closing Credits [1:36]