The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner

1962

Action / Drama / Sport

4
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 85% · 22 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 85% · 1K ratings
IMDb Rating 7.5/10 10 9927 9.9K

prison sports rebel based on short story kitchen sink realism borstal

Plot summary

A rebellious youth, sentenced to a boy’s reformatory for robbing a bakery, rises through the ranks of the institution by impressing its Governor through his prowess as a long distance runner. He is encouraged to compete in an upcoming race, but faces ridicule from his peers.

Director

Tony Richardson Photo
Tony Richardson

Top cast

Aileen Lewis Photo
Aileen Lewis as Sports Day Spectator
Corin Redgrave Photo
Corin Redgrave as Spectator at Sports Day
John Thaw Photo
John Thaw as Bosworth
Julia Foster Photo
Julia Foster as Gladys
720p.BluRay 1080p.BluRay
952.69 MB
1280*720
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 43 min
Seeds 2
1.73 GB
1904*1072
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 43 min
Seeds 9

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by givnaw 8 / 10

The Loveliness of the Black & White Cinema

Rambling thoughts: A very good movie, really capturing the sense of futility of lower class British existence. The desolate beauty of gray, cold and damp England comes through in wonderful ranges of color; despite being a black and white film, there is a huge variety of tone in the photography. You can almost smell the wet leaves of the forests and hills, and feel the cold of the morning air as you follow the runners on their daily jogs. England's rich heritage of distance running makes it an apt subject. Distance running, which I do enjoy myself, is primarily a solitary activity, designed for bona-fide introverts, "angry young men", obsessive individuals who do not mind pain, and in some cases, may actually enjoy it. England, with its crummy weather, economy, history and hugely varied terrain, is particularly well-suited to the sport. Courtenay is a treasure; we are so fortunate to still have him around. It is a wonder to gaze upon his youthful gauntness, and then to see how his appearance has evolved over the years. Really sharp viewers will be able to spot a very young Inspector Morse, John Thaw, as one of the young inmates.
Reviewed by Andy-140 8 / 10

Excellent cinematography and great performances.

This film was seen to be the last of Woodfall's 'kitchen sink' dramas. There are great performances by Tom Courtenay and James Bolam as the two borstal boys. Colin (Courtenay) is very much a nihilist rejecting everything around him, like Arthur Seaton in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning.The story of Colin's refusal to fit into the pattern of 'model prisoner' or 'consumer' is well conveyed by Richardson and the scenes which follow Colin's runs through the woods are beautifully shot. Overall the film was slightly jumbled and represented class through the use of stereotypes i.e. the 'progressive' prison governor and the patronising employer. A good film nonetheless.
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