Look Back in Anger

Look Back in Anger, adapted by Nigel Kneale from John Osborne's 1956 play that launched Britain's "angry young men" literary movement, was Woodfall Film Productions' first production, a company founded by Tony Richardson, Osborne, and Harry Saltzman specifically to make this film. The film opened on September 15, 1959, on a budget of £250,000; lead actor Richard Burton was persuaded to take the role for 125,000 dollars, far below his usual Hollywood fee. The film received four nominations at the 1959 BAFTA Awards, including Best British Actor and Best Film, but won none of them. It's considered one of the pioneers of the kitchen sink realism movement that would dominate British cinema through the 1960s. Who it's for: anyone curious about the first production of a company founded specifically to adapt a movement defining play, a film that launched an era of British cinema. Who it's not for: viewers wanting a comforting, optimistic drama, since the film carries an angry tone from its title onward.