The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner

United Kingdom, 1962 / 100 Mins

Director: Tony Richardson

Starring: Tom Courtenay, Michael Redgrave

A seminal classic of 1960s cinema and one of the enduring peaks of the British New Wave, Tony Richardson's socially-engaged drama The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner catapulted near-newcomer Tom Courtenay from obscurity to BAFTA-winning stardom. He is rivetingly, harrowingly real as Colin, a troubled, sharp-tongued inner-city teenager from the English Midlands whose criminal ways see him sent to a rural "borstal" youth-prison. Colin's snarlingly cynical, proto-punk attitudes see him repeatedly clash with the hard-line guards—but the scrawny lad's unexpected athletic prowess also makes him a favourite of the avuncular governor. Building inexorably to a famously stunning finale that still packs a serious punch, this adaptation of the award-winning short novel by Alan Sillitoe features a gallery of soon-to-be-familiar faces (John Thaw, James Bolam, Edward Fox) in an atmospheric, acerbic and timeless tale of youth in revolt.

Showing as part of Portsmouth Festivities 2018

No.6 is taking a brief intermission - re-opening scheduled for May 9th

Loyal regulars will be aware that we have had a few technical issues with some of our screenings recently. We have been working to resolve these, and have been pleased that our most recent showings, including lengthy films like Dune: Part 2 and Apocalypse Now, have worked okay. But we feel it’s unfair on you to be crossing our fingers and hoping, we’d rather get things sorted properly.

The plan is to close for the next two weeks and hopefully return on Thursday 9th May. Keep an eye on the No.6 website and newsletter for confirmation or otherwise, and of course to find out what we will be showing when we do return. Thanks to everyone for your patience and understanding.