Mr. Burton

Marc Evans's 2025 British film covers the years when Richard Burton was Richard Jenkins. In the Welsh town of Port Talbot in 1942, a wayward schoolboy is caught between the pressures of a poor family, a devastating war and his own ambitions; when his talent for drama catches the attention of his teacher Philip Burton, a door opens. He will later take his surname from that man. Class is at the centre: a miner's son changing how he speaks, training his voice and becoming someone else. The teacher played by Toby Jones is both rescuer and possessor; the relationship is not only a story of mentorship. The film's limit is the familiarity of the biographical template and an ending tied off too neatly. Who it's for: viewers interested in British period drama, theatre history and Richard Burton's life. Who it's not for: anyone wanting to see Burton's famous years, or tired of the biopic template.