The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962)

Powerful

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

I'm a long distance runner, I love film, and appreciate British cinema, so I thought I check this out. It was not at all what I was expecting! It is a no-nonsense story about the class system and society of Britain in the late 50's and early 60's as told through the experiences of one young man who due to his success in distance running gets a chance to break away from the label society has put on him elevate himself to an other place and yet refuses. Tom Courtney is really good here. The B&W cinematography is wonderful, as is the sound/score. On one hand it's very much representative of Britain at this time and yet I feel the story is still very relevant to this day in Britain and here in America. Overall this is an interesting and thoughtful film.

I first saw this film 50 years ago and fell in love with the defiant rebelliousness. Tom Courtney perfectly captures the time, the culture, the fury, the aching. Everything is impeccable in this film. It deals with such essential issues that it has not lost an ounce of its power.

A poignant exploration of the British class structure in the 60s as well as a study of the disillusionment of the 'angry young man' of the working class. The story is interesting, but the direction as well as the musical choices at times is a bit weak. Nevertheless it's still worth recommending.

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner is one of the best films I've yet to see that deals with themes of rebellious and frustrated youths. Tom Courtenay brilliantly plays Colin Smith, a young man living in an impoverished area of England. Colin is the oldest member of a large family, his father is in poor shape and refuses to take his medication. The entire family seems to remain unbothered by this and his mother even carries on several affairs with different men. Eventually, the father dies and with the money she receives from insurance she blows on clothes and a new television.Frustrated about not having any money (because he refuses to get a job, insisting that he doesn't see any sense in working his guts out just so the employer can make all the money) Colin breaks into a bakery and steals a cashbox.Eventually, Colin is caught by the police and sent to a reformatory school where he shows promise in athletics as a long distance runner. The Governor takes special notice of him and gives him special treatment, hoping for him to compete in the long distance run against a preparatory school.When the day of the competition comes Colin straight away takes a huge lead on the star runner of the opposing school. He keeps up a steady pace but throughout a series of flashcuts we see Colin reflecting on his home life. He stops in place and in a rebel yell stares at the Governor who was completely expecting him to win.Now, the film is told in a non-linear narrative which makes the film have a lot more emotional resonance. It is shot in black and white, in a fantastic documentary style. The music in this film perfectly underlines all the emotions Colin goes through (most specifically loneliness, when it shows just his shadow running along a long road).Throughout the film we find that the apparent criminal seems to have more moral and ethical codes than the authority figures.The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner is a great example of a film in which almost all of the elements work perfectly together. It's experimentations in editing, the shaky camera work, gritty cinematography and fantastic acting all go together wonderfully.