One of the best dramas from the "New British Cinema" of the 1950s and 60s. A young Salford girl gets pregnant by a black sailor after leaving home and considers her options, while fighting off the affections of Jeff, a heart of gold with a funny face. A grittily realistic portrait of the era that will delight fans of Northern cinema. find out more...

In order to relieve the tension of depressing surroundings and boring people Northern English working class lad Billy spends most of his time in his own fantasy world. However all could change when he meets Liz and discovers that he may be able to escape into a new, bearable reality. A Brit classic that can be classified as 'kitchen sink' - the comedy. find out more...

A young working-class lad in a grim Northern mining town has no more ambition than to follow his dad down the pit. However he finds an injured young kestrel, which he nurses back to health and trains, an event which opens up a once bleak landscape for him. It's grim up there..... find out more...

The story of an ambitious young clerk who abandons his real love so he can marry into a rich family. The first of the British "realist" pictures - films that dealt with working class people and the realities of the English class structure - as a change from cosey middle class drama. find out more...

Arthur Seaton is a factory worker who lives for women and booze and doesn't give a damn for the consequences. He is two-timing with Doreen whilst Brenda is pregnant and forced to face his responsibilities without losing his fighting spirit. 'Don't let the bastards grind you down'. A classic early 1960s angry young men neo-realist drama.

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A Jewish doctor, Daniel Hirsh (Peter Finch) and a middle-aged woman, Alex Greville (Glenda Jackson) are both having affairs with the same male artist, Bob Elkin (Murray Head). Not only are Hirsh and Greville aware that Elkin is seeing the other but they actually know each other as well. Despite this, they are willing to put up with the situation through fear of losing Elkin who switches freely between them. Schlesinger's film highlights some worrying facts about how much people's attitudes to re find out more...

L-Shaped Room - Leslie Caron was nominated for an Oscar and won a BAFTA for this story of a jilted pregnant girl alone in her shabby Notting Hill suburban room of the title, sharing her desperation with her low-life neighbours and considering abortion in this sensitive tale of social morals at the dawning of the 60s. One of the classic 'social realism' films of the era. find out more...

A Borstal boy has nothing going for him bar his ability to run. When selected to run against a public school he begins a rigorous training programme whilst reliving his troubled past and planning his confrontation with authority. One of the classic early '60s working class dramas. To be seen. find out more...

The story of a miner who becomes a champion rugby player, but who can't overcome his violent and aggressive personality, which ruins his personal life as he wins his way to success. Rugby League football as a metaphor for the rat race and real passion in the tormented affair between Harris's inarticulate demanding miner/footballer and his dowdily uncomprehending landlady. One of the great films produced by the English "realist" movement of the 50s/60s. find out more...