English history has been full of rebel heroes but the screen tradition really came to fruition during the late Fifties and early Sixties when England's postwar generation was in revolt…

In the theater, this revolt took the form of the "kitchen sink drama" and the era of the Angry Young Men… In the movie industry, it was the era of "Free Cinema," an attempt by young filmmakers to break away from established subjects and standard treatments…

This raw melodrama deals with Arthur Seaton (Finney), a working class young man who rejects the misery and grind of his home and factory, but whose only possible rebellion takes the form of a cynicism towards authority and a cheerful indulgence in sexual encounters with various ladies of the town… His rebellion, though limited, is nevertheless genuine and the film's situation in a working class milieu is, for the habitually middle and upper class conscious British cinema, a much needed step forward...

There's a rather angry lad by name of Arthur, spends the week in factory, and he's a grafter, but at the weekend he goes out, drinking beer, he likes to shout, casts his eye over the women that he's after. One such lass, is married to, the workshop Forman, Brenda entertains Arthur like he's her old man, then she brings up in discussion, that she has a bun in t'oven, both their futures not what either of them planned. But Arthur's got another girl in tow, Doreen's taken quite a shine, and lets him know, then he suffers a tough beating, for all the lying and the cheating, and life goes on, because there's nowt else you can do (duck).

It's hard work growing up, it always was, and it always will be.

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning is another of the 'kitchen sink' dramas that were all the rage at the turn of the 1960s, and it's also an 'angry young man' film to boot. Albert Finney takes the lead role of a maladjusted young bloke who's got two women on the go at the same time; one of them is an older unhappily married woman and the other is more his age. There are definite shades of ROOM AT THE TOP in this premise but the film has a character all of its own.

I find films like this invaluable these days for their insight into working class life during the era. A grimy and industrial Nottingham is brought to vibrant life here and if Finney isn't a very likable character at all then at least he's thoroughly entertaining throughout. A decent supporting cast keep the atmosphere of realism going, and the production has a good sense of pace. I found the ending a little lacklustre but otherwise this is decent stuff.