A Kind Of Loving (1962)

A young draughtsman (Alan Bates) has some ambition but when he gets a girl (June Ritchie) pregnant, they marry. Married life takes its toll especially since they are forced to live with her mother (Thora Hird), the mother in law from Hell. Based on the novel by Stan Barstow and directed by John Schlesinger (SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY). Part of the "kitchen sink" British New Wave cinema of the 1960s, this is a beautifully done slice of life drama. One can't help but feel sorry for the two protagonists who live in an era when one simply had to get married if the girl got pregnant, even if they weren't suited for each other. We can tell at the very beginning that they're wrong for each other, we even see him losing interest in her. The film's bleakly hopeful resolution conjures up images of their future: nagging wife, philandering husband and the slowly creeping contempt for each other. Perhaps it's the cynic in me but I can't see a happily ever after rose covered cottage life for them. Bates is superb, you can read every emotion on his face without his saying anything and Ritchie is also good as the girl who has no real aim in life except to get married. The striking B&W lensing is by Denys N. Coop (THIS SPORTING LIFE).