Look Back in Anger (1959)

Introduction

Tony Richardson’s 1959 adaptation of John Osborne’s landmark play, Look Back in Anger, stands as a critical artifact of post-war British cinema. Often cited as the quintessential example of the "Angry Young Men" movement in British theatre and film, Look Back in Anger captures a moment of seismic cultural shift — a restless, disillusioned youth lashing out against class barriers, societal complacency, and personal dissatisfaction. The film is intense, emotionally raw, and deeply reflective of its time, yet its themes remain eerily resonant.

Plot Overview

Set in the drab, claustrophobic confines of a one-room flat in the English Midlands, the story centres on Jimmy Porter (played with ferocious energy by Richard Burton), a working-class university graduate married to Alison (Mary Ure), a genteel woman from an upper-middle-class background. Jimmy is bitter, restless, and endlessly scornful of the British class system — feelings he pours into a near-constant stream of verbal assaults aimed at Alison and their circle of friends.

The arrival of Helena Charles (Claire Bloom), a friend of Alison’s from her own class, triggers the narrative's emotional crisis. Helena's presence heightens the tensions in Jimmy and Alison's already crumbling marriage and eventually leads to betrayal, separation, and a partial, uneasy reconciliation.

Direction and Cinematic Style

Tony Richardson’s direction is tight and claustrophobic, perfectly fitting the material's angry, stifling tone. He does not shy away from the emotional brutality of Osborne’s script but translates it with a visual style that adds to its bleakness. The use of black-and-white cinematography (by Oswald Morris) sharpens the oppressive atmosphere; the cramped apartment becomes almost a character in itself, embodying the crushing inertia that Jimmy rails against.

Richardson’s work was ground breaking for its time, helping to pioneer the "kitchen sink realism" that would dominate British cinema throughout the 1960s. Look Back in Anger refuses gloss or sentimentality. Instead, it focuses unflinchingly on the squalor, the economic hardship, and the existential despair that underpinned life for many young people in post war Britain.

Performances

Richard Burton gives one of his most volcanic performances as Jimmy Porter. Though at 33 he was arguably too old for the role of a twenty-something malcontent, Burton compensates with such explosive passion and intensity that it becomes irrelevant. His Jimmy is a maelstrom of contradictions: brutally cruel yet deeply wounded, contemptuous yet yearning, destructive yet desperate for meaning and love.

Mary Ure, reprising her role from the original stage production, gives a quietly powerful performance as Alison. Ure’s performance captures Alison's emotional paralysis — the internal tug-of-war between loyalty, guilt, fear, and repressed anger. Her final scenes, where she attempts to reach some understanding with Jimmy, are devastatingly poignant.

Claire Bloom as Helena Charles is more than just a symbol of class tension. Bloom brings unexpected depth to a character who could easily have become a mere antagonist. Her internal conflict — between her upbringing’s rigid moralism and her unexpected passion for Jimmy — adds another layer to the emotional tumult.

Edith Evans also deserves mention for her small but significant role as Alison’s mother, symbolizing the generation and class structure Jimmy so despises.

Themes and Social Commentary

At its core, Look Back in Anger is an excoriation of Britain's post war society. Jimmy Porter is a young man furious not just at personal injustices but at an entire cultural system he sees as stagnant, hypocritical, and suffocating. His anger isn't directed solely at the rich or the powerful — it encompasses everyone, including himself and those closest to him.

The film digs deeply into the clash between the classes, the disillusionment of youth, the failures of love, and the impossibility of genuine communication across social and emotional divides. Jimmy’s furious tirades, while often cruel and self-destructive, are also a howl of despair for meaning and authentic connection.

There’s also an undercurrent of gender dynamics at play. Jimmy’s treatment of Alison (and, later, Helena) exposes a deep-seated misogyny tangled up with his broader sense of powerlessness. The women, constrained by societal expectations, must navigate both their love and survival instincts in an environment that offers them few options.

Legacy

When it first premiered, Look Back in Anger polarized critics. Some viewed it as a vital, necessary blast against the complacent cinema of the 1950s; others found its bleakness and anger off-putting. However, in hindsight, the film is seen as a crucial turning point — a bridge between the genteel period dramas that preceded it and the raw, socially conscious filmmaking that would define the next decade.

The film helped launch the British New Wave and influenced countless directors who followed, from Lindsay Anderson to Ken Loach. It also cemented Osborne’s reputation as a major voice of his generation and opened up new possibilities for serious, socially aware storytelling in mainstream British cinema.

Conclusion

Look Back in Anger remains a powerful experience. It’s a film filled with uncomfortable truths, searing performances, and a stark visual style that perfectly complements its themes. Watching it today, one is struck by how much of Jimmy Porter’s rage — against inequality, mediocrity, emotional dishonesty — still resonates. It’s not an easy film, nor is it a comforting one, but it is an essential one: a bold, bruising portrait of a man and a society on the edge.