When Chestnut Hill Film Group screens “A Taste of Honey” at Woodmere on April 1, audiences will have a chance to rediscover one of the most significant films of Britain’s “kitchen sink” realism movement. Directed by Tony Richardson and adapted from Shelagh Delaney’s play, the 1961 film broke new ground with its unflinching portrayal of working-class life, outsider identities, and unconventional family bonds. More than six decades later, its themes remain relevant and compelling.
“Kitchen sink” realism, a British film and theater movement of the late 1950s and early 1960s, sought to depict the struggles of working-class characters with unfiltered honesty. These films — often shot on location in industrial cities — challenged the technicolor escapism of popular cinema, focusing on poverty, class, and alienation. “A Taste of Honey” embodies this aesthetic, it’s an unsentimental story plays out on the gritty streets of Salford, Manchester, yet its naturalism and humor is warm and inviting.
The film’s protagonist, Jo (Rita Tushingham), is a lonely, working-class teenager neglected by her self-absorbed mother, Helen (Dora Bryan). When Jo is abandoned by her mother and separated from her Black boyfriend, Jimmy, Jo forms an unlikely friendship with Geoffrey (Murray Melvin), a kind-hearted gay art student. In a society that marginalizes them both, Jo and Geoffrey create a makeshift family built on mutual support and understanding.
At a time when homosexuality was still criminalized in Britain and interracial relationships were met with hostility, “A Taste of Honey” was revolutionary in its depiction of both. Geoffrey, one of the first openly gay characters in British cinema, is portrayed with dignity rather than as a caricature. The film also features one of the earliest interracial kisses on screen, a quiet but radical act in 1961. Through these relationships, the film challenges the era’s rigid definitions of love and kinship.
The mother-daughter relationship is very compelling, swinging between biting wit and raw vulnerability. Helen, played with both humor and cruelty by Bryan, is a woman chasing romance and financial security at the expense of her daughter’s well-being. Jo craves love and stability, but pushes away those who try to offer it. While Helen’s actions are often selfish, the film avoids turning her into a villain, instead portraying her as another product of the same harsh world in which Jo is struggling to survive.
Shelagh Delaney was just 19 when she wrote “A Taste of Honey,” frustrated by the lack of working-class stories in British theater. Her play, filled with sharp dialogue and authentic depictions of life in Northern England, was successfully brought to the stage before being adapted into the film. Delaney brought an authentic perspective to themes of class, gender, and identity. Despite exploring topics of neglect, abandonment, poverty, and teen pregnancy the film never sinks into depression. There is a fierce struggle for freedom and agency in each of our characters as well as candid humor that helps them get by.
Directed by Tony Richardson, a key figure in British New Wave cinema, “A Taste of Honey” captures the gritty realism of 1960s England while allowing moments of warmth and humor to shine through. Richardson had previously directed “Look Back in Anger” (1959), which helped launch the British New Wave, and would go on to direct acclaimed films such as “The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner” (1962) and the Oscar-winning “Tom Jones” (1963).
“A Taste of Honey” offers a snapshot of England before the cultural revolution brought by The Beatles and the Swinging Sixties. Ahead of its time in portraying the hardships faced by the working class without sentimentality, it also celebrates the resilience of those who refuse to face the world alone. For fans of classic cinema, social realism, or simply great storytelling, this screening at Woodmere on Tuesday, April 1 is not to be missed.
“A Taste of Honey” will be screened at 7 p.m., April 1. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The event is free, but donations are appreciated. Refreshments are served. Woodmere is at 9201 Germantown Ave.
