The loneliness of the long-distance runner (film)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The loneliness of the long-distance runner |
| Original title | The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner |
| Country of production | United Kingdom |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1962 |
| length | 104 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Tony Richardson |
| script | Alan Sillitoe |
| production |
Michael Holden , Tony Richardson |
| music | John Addison |
| camera | Walter Lassally |
| cut | Antony Gibbs |
| occupation | |
| |
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner is a British film drama directed by Tony Richardson from the year 1962 . The film is based on the literary template of the story of the same name by the British author Alan Sillitoe , who also wrote the script for the film adaptation.
action
At the beginning of the film, 18-year-old Colin Smith can be seen walking down a country road in rural England. Colin's voice can be heard as a voiceover with the words: "Running has always been a big thing in our family, especially running away from the police" .
He is arrested for burglary in a bakery and after his conviction ends up in a detention center for juvenile offenders. There he takes part in a rehabilitation program run by the governor, which also includes athletics. When it turns out that Smith is a talented runner, he is instructed by the director of the facility to enter a competition with a " public school ". In the event of a win, Colin would be released early, but would have to beat the reigning champion in long-distance running. Colin is enjoying increasing privileges in the management of the home and thus inadvertently enters into direct competition with Spencer, the previous top runner at the institution, who does not hide his disapproval of Colin, but at the same time suffers from the resignation and ultimately breaks out of the institution. The director of the institution used this incident and made an example of the escapee with draconian punishments.
During daily training, Colin remembers various episodes from his past. The family situation in the parental home is particularly common: the death of his seriously ill father, the lavish way in which first his mother and then he himself squandered life insurance over 500 pounds as well as conflicts with his mother's new boyfriend, who shortly after Death of the father confidently claimed a place in the household. He also remembers a weekend trip with friends to the sea and his burglary and arrest.
In parallel montages, Colin's difficult past is contrasted with the present - life in the educational institution. It becomes clear that Colin rebels against all forms of authority and abhors submission and conformity.
On the day of the competition, the young people from the educational institution meet the opponents from the public school, who are clearly from a good family. Nevertheless, there is no tough competitive atmosphere, but a comradely teasing and curious observation. Colin quickly takes the lead in the field and can keep his lead until the end. Shortly before the home stretch, the memories shown in the film again run past his inner eye in the form of fragments. It becomes clear to him that in his life he has always only reacted to the instructions of various persons in authority instead of taking his fate into his own hands. To express his rejection of the authorities, he slows down despite loud cheers from his prison mates and lets his pursuer, the reigning champion and favorite of the opposing team, cross the finish line with a self-confident look.
criticism
"An outstanding work of the British 'Free Cinema': precise milieu studies, in which the social causes of crime are made clear, are combined with the rebellious gestures of the English post-war youth."
In the New York Times, Bosley Crowther praised the intention of the film, which is also practiced in the underlying short story by Sillitoe, not to dictate the conclusions from the situations and circumstances shown, but to let the viewer himself draw. The psychological drawing of the educators in the film was particularly successful. However, the dialect spoken in the film is difficult for American ears.
"Sillitoe, Richardson and Lassally each in their own way played a considerable part in the brief heyday of English cinema in the early 1960s ... Here the plot is outshone by poetry without distorting the substance of aggressive criticism of the time."
“English film of high artistic skill. Recommended for ages 16 and up. "
consequences
Along with other films such as Room at the Top , The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner is said to be one of the first films in Free Cinema . The flashback technique was also used extensively in other films later, including This Spring Life .
Awards
The British Film Institute chose Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner in 1999 at number 61 of the best British films of the 20th century .
Web links
- The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The loneliness of the long-distance runner in the online film database
- Page at Rotten Tomatoes
Individual evidence
- ↑ The loneliness of the long-distance runner. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .
- ↑ Crowther in his review of the film on October 9, 1962
- ↑ Dieter Krusche In: The loneliness of the lang distance runner, Reclams Filmführer, Reclam, Stuttgart, 2008, ISBN 978-3-15-010676-1
- ↑ Ev. Munich Press Association, Review No. 150/1965
- ^ Thomas Koebner IN: The loneliness of the long-distance runner, classic film descriptions and comments, Reclam, Stuttgart, 1995, ISBN 3-15-030033-9