The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner

This was the last film in the Austin Film Society's series Blokes 'n' Birds: British Realist Cinema. Tony Richardson's The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner from 1962 is in many ways a more conservative film, stylistically, than some of its contemporaries. While it tells a story of societal rebellion, there is little of the sort of radical re-thinking of cinematic form found in works like Godard's Breathless of a few years earlier. We know who we're rooting for just as clearly as if we were watching a Frank Capra movie, even if our "hero" is a petty thief doing time in a juvenile detention center. The montage that builds to the film's climax is skillful but not exactly subtle. Still, it's certainly worth watching and has some wonderful moments. Tom Courtenay's silent burning of a pound note stands out. In fact his performance throughout is excellent, and although he's worked steadily since he's rarely had such a substantial role.

And again--there's something about sitting in a large darkened room with other people that just makes movies better. If we lose that, we'll have lost something valuable.