Sons and Lovers

Paul Morel grows up in a mining town near Nottingham and wants to paint his way out of it. His father works the pit and drinks; his mother tries to recover through her son the life she could not have. Paul's turn first toward Miriam and then toward an older married woman living apart from her husband does not loosen the hold at home but pulls it tighter. It comes from D. H. Lawrence's novel. Jack Cardiff, who had spent years as a cinematographer, directs. The film took seven Academy Award nominations and won one, for Freddie Francis's black-and-white photography, which is why the soot-heavy air of the town remains the most discussed thing about it. Trevor Howard was nominated for the father and Mary Ure for supporting actress.