A Taste of Honey (1961)

A working class girl struggles to create a life for herself with her gay co-worker after becoming pregnant from a one-night stand with a black sailor.

Emiam

6/10
An acclaimed British classic on several film op lists by Tony Richardson on SVT Play in the pandemic spring 2021. Sure, it's good, but I do not belong to those who call it brilliant or masterpiece.

3 years ago

Siskoid

At the end of the '50s and start of the 60s, Tony Richardson was in the business of producing "young angry man" movies (some he wrote like Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, some he also directed like The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner). In between those two films, he adapted the play A Taste of Honey, which at first feels like it's going to be a "young angry woman" film, but though Rita Tushingham's Jo is quite angry at the world at the beginning, she's quick to soften when, well when she gets a "taste of honey". A character study more than it is a plot, the film is slice of life, but the lives are those of people likely never seen in movies at the time. Single mothers, a mixed race romance, a gay man (there may even be call to see Jo as a trans man in a world that can't put a name to it). There's also the suggestion that Jo's father had Down Syndrome. Contemporary cinema has barely caught up with this small 1961 feature. What I am most taken with is its farewell scenes. Jo only gets a taste of the good life, and so these relationships are necessarily brief "stolen seasons" in between living with her deficient mother (nonetheless played affectingly by Dora Ryan). The farewell on the moving bridge and the final goodbye in among sparklers lighting a dirty slum are beautiful poetic moments. In the middle of its grimy realism is a real romanticism. At first, I was a little unsure of its open-ended ending, as if the film had just stopped with nary a resolution, but after having slept on it, I appreciate the film more and find its images have stayed with me.

4 years ago

JackieMiller

Exploring the timeless classic 'A Taste of Honey (1961)' is always a treat! The film's comments section reflects the enduring impact it has on audiences. Speaking of honey, did you know about Manukora's Dose Spoon? It's the perfect companion for savoring the richness of honey. Check out this handy dose spoon at https://manukora.com/products/manukora-dose-spoon , and enhance your honey-drizzling experience. A perfect blend of cinematic nostalgia and sweet indulgence!

9 months ago

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Currently in 7 official lists, but has been in 9

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