Directed by Tony Richardson • 1963 • United Kingdom
In the early 1960s, at the height of the British New Wave, director Tony Richardson and playwright John Osborne set out for more fanciful territory than the gritty realism of the movement they’d helped establish. TOM JONES brings a theatrical flair to Henry Fielding’s canonical eighteenth-century novel, boisterously chronicling the misadventures of the foundling of the title (Albert Finney, in a career-defining performance), whose easy charm seems to lead him astray at every turn from his beloved, the wellborn Sophie Western (Susannah York). This spirited picaresque, evocatively shot in England’s rambling countryside and featuring an extraordinary ensemble cast, went on to become a worldwide sensation, winning the Oscar for best picture on the way to securing its status as a classic of irreverent wit and playful cinematic expression.
Up Next in British New Wave
-
Séance on a Wet Afternoon
Directed by Bryan Forbes • 1964 • United Kingdom
Starring Kim Stanley, Richard Attenborough, Margaret LaceyThe medium is the menace in this hair-raising suspense classic. In one of her precious few screen roles, stage legend and renowned Method actor Kim Stanley delivers an electrifying, Academ...
-
Girl with Green Eyes
Directed by Desmond Davis • 1964 • United Kingdom
Starring Rita Tushingham, Peter Finch, Lynn RedgraveWonderfully tender, fresh, and full of lyricism and life, this offbeat romance follows the young Kate Brady (Rita Tushingham) as she leaves behind her sheltered existence in the Irish countrysi...
