Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

A Taste of Honey Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 8, 2016

Winner of Best Actor and Best Actress Awards at the Cannes Film Festival, Tony Richardson's "A Taste of Honey" (1961) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include new video interviews with actors Rita Tushingham and Murray Melvin; archival video essay featuring cinematographer Walker Lassally; archival interview with dierctor Tony Richardson; new video interview with theater scholar Kate Dorney; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring Colin MacCabe's essay "Northern Accents" and technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Jo

Tony Richardson’s A Taste of Honey is a truly groundbreaking film that, among other things, is largely responsible for the legitimization of homosexual characters in mainstream British cinema. It is based on Shelagh Delaney’s popular play of the same name, which Richardson had previously staged.

The film is set in a poor area of Salford -- which is where Delaney grew up -- and follows closely a young girl, Jo (Rita Tushingham, The Knack... and How to Get It), and her alcoholic mother, Helen (Dora Bryan, Hands of the Ripper), that are constantly at odds with each other. There are many reasons why. Jo is angry because Helen has abandoned her so that she can spend more time with her financially secure 'boyfriends'. There are days when Jo understands exactly why her mother does what she does -- in their neighborhood it is the only thing women like her can do to escape the misery. But she is convinced that if they could still be close, with a little bit of luck even best friends. The feeling that they have both given up on each other is precisely what fuels her anger.

After countless unsuccessful attempts to rebuild her life, Helen has realized that she has only a few years left to find a man that will take care of her and Jo. It is why now she is trying to play her cards right and finally get a result. At times she does feel guilty that she isn’t the type of mother Jo needs and deserves, but she has learned to suppress the feeling and focus on what matters the most. When she grows old with her savior, she will have plenty of time to question her decisions and teach Jo how not to repeat her mistakes.

The right man (Robert Stephens) arrives, but then quickly makes it clear that he will be much more comfortable with Helen if she finds a way to get rid of Jo.

While being intentionally isolated from the love birds, Jo meets Jimmy (Paul Danquah), a black sailor, who encourages her to listen to her heart. For a short period of time she assumes that she has discovered true love and her life actually begins to make sense, but then Jimmy leaves and she once again finds herself alone on the dirty streets of Salford.

Jo’s life profoundly changes when she discovers that she is pregnant and shortly after befriends Geoff (Murray Melvin, Sparrows Can't Sing), a homosexual drifter, who reluctantly becomes her roommate and vows to help her with anything she might need -- including finding someone that could be the father of her baby.

The ‘kitchen sink’ look and atmosphere are certainly present here, but A Taste of Honey is a much mellower, even cautiously optimistic drama. There is even a good dose of light humor in it that effectively counters a lot of the edgier material.

The delicate yet truthful manner in which Richardson depicts Jo and Geoff’s relationship is crucial for the film’s success. Basically, it sees them as normal human beings and treats them as equals, dealing with a reality that is likely to destroy their future for very similar reasons, which is a tremendous accomplishment. (Remember, this film was released in the early 1960s and bigotry is a major factor here. Jo will have a baby from an interracial relationship, while Geoff is ‘different’ because he is a young homosexual man).

Virtually all of the outdoor footage was shot on location in Manchester. Cinematographer Walter Lassally used an Arriflex hand-held camera and different film stocks that are responsible for the variations in density and grain exposure that ultimately give the film its fluid documentary appearance.

A Taste of Honey Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Tony Richardson's A Taste of Honey arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new digital transfer was created in 4K resolution on a Lasergraphics Director film scanner from the 35mm original camera negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, and warps were manually removed using MTI Film's DRS, while Digital Vision's Phoenix was used for jitter, flicker, small dirt, grain, and noise management. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from the 35mm original sound negative. This element was transferred at the British Film Institute National Archive in Berkhamsted, England, using Sondor's Resonances optical soundtrack scanner system. Digital restoration was performed by the Criterion Collection using Pro Tools HD and iZotope RX4.

Transfer supervisor: Lee Kline.
Colorist: Russell Smith/Criterion Collection.
Scanning: Motion Picture Imaging, Burbank, CA."

The film looks exceptionally healthy and vibrant. Plenty of the daylight footage, in particular, boasts excellent depth. The nighttime/darker footage also appears well balanced; shadow definition is very convincing as well. There are a few segments where density fluctuations are present, but they are part of the original photography, not a byproduct of poorly managed digital work (see screencaptures #8, 10, and 13). Grain is well exposed and resolved, but because cinematographer Walter Lassally used different film stocks in some areas minor fluctuations exist. There are no traces of problematic sharpening corrections. Contrast levels are stable, never appearing artificially augmented. Color balance is very good as well -- the blacks are solid but natural, while the varieties of grays and whites appear beautifully leveled. Image stability is very good. There are only a couple of shaky reel transitions, but overall stability is still very good. Large debris, scratches, marks, spots, stains, and other age-related imperfections have been effectively removed. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free Blu-ray player in order to access its content).

A Taste of Honey Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

It is obvious that the intent was to have a fluid organic sound design. Rather predictably, overall dynamic intensity is rather modest. On the other hand, clarity and depth are excellent throughout the entire film and there are absolutely no balance issues to report. Also, there are no audio dropouts, pops, or digital distortions.

A Taste of Honey Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Tony Richardson - in this archival interview, dierctor Tony Richardson discusses some of the trends that defined the British New Wave films, the importance of freedom in his work (film and theater work), the play by Shelagh Delaney that inspired A Taste of Honey and some of the similarities and differences between the two (Tony Richardson also directed a stage production of the play), the poetic quality of the film, its style and atmosphere and some of its key theatrical qualities, the pictorial qualities of the northern towns in England, etc. The interview was conducted by critic Gideon Bachman at the 1962 Cannes Film Festival. In English, not subtitled. (15 min, 1080p).

• Momma Don't Allow (1955) - this short documentary film was directed by Tony Richardson and Karel Reisz at the Art and Viv Sanders' Wood Green Jazz Club in North London. It was part of the Free Cinema movement, whose goal was to depict everyday life and relationships, which was founded by Tony Richardson, Lindsay Anderson (If....), and Karel Reisz. The documentary was lensed by cinematographer Walter Lassally, who also collaborated with Tony Richardson on A Taste of Honey. Music only. (22 min, 1080p).

• The Actors - presented here are two exclusive new video interviews with actors Rita Tushingham (Jo) and Murray Melvin (Geoff). The interviews were conducted exclusively for Criterion in London in May 2016.
  
  1. Rita Tushingham - the actress recalls how A Taste of Honey effectively launched her acting career, and discusses the shooting of the film in Manchester, her interactions with Tony Richardson and Dora Bryan, the director's working methods, cinematographer Walter Lassally's on-location shooting (the bulk of the footage was shot with a hand-held camera), how important the film was for women's roles in cinema, Jo and Geoff's relationship, etc. In English, not subtitled. (19 min, 1080p).
  
  2. Murray Melvin - Murray Melvin discusses his acting career, his first encounter with Shelagh Delaney, why and how A Taste of Honey broke all sorts of different barriers (with some very interesting comments about homosexuality in British cinema and theater during the 1950s), his work with Rita Tushingham, Tony Richardson's working methods and how he had to adapt to them, the success of the film, etc. In English, not subtitled. (19 min, 1080p).

• Walter Lassally - in this archival video essay, cinematographer Walker Lassally discusses the production history of A Taste of Honey, the decision to shoot it on different film stocks (with specific comments about the grain structure of different segments), the use of reflected light, the use of the Arriflex camera whose mobility made it possible to shoot on location and have the intended fluid appearance, the treatment of light throughout the film, etc. The essay was produced in 1998. In English, not subtitled. (20 min, 1080i).

• Remaking British Theater - in this new video interview, theater scholar Kate Dorney explains why A Taste of Honey is important as a play and film, and discusses the state of British theater during the 1950s, the type of themes that routinely appeared in plays (and the ones that were not allowed by the censors), the use of language in the play and the film (rhythm, articulation, delivery), the censors' attitude towards homosexuality and specifically towards Geoff's character, etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in London in May 2016. In English, not subtitled. (22 min, 1080p).

• Close-Up - presented here is an archival interview with playwright Shelagh Delaney in which she discusses her childhood years in Salford, England, and A Taste of Honey. The interview first aired in 1960 on the television series Close-Up. In English, not subtitled. (16 min, 1080p).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring Colin MacCabe's essay "Northern Accents" and technical credits. (The author is a Distinguished Professor of English and Film at the University of Pittsburgh. His most recent production is The Seasons in Quincy: Four Portraits of John Berger.

A Taste of Honey Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The are very important messages that are channeled through Tony Richardson's A Taste of Honey, but the film has some weaknesses that are rather difficult to ignore. Some of the material is overwhelmed with cliches that produce very unusual contrasts that do not work particularly well with the intended 'kitchen sink' atmosphere. The manner in which the film moves from one event to another also leaves some unfortunate gaps. The individual performances, however, are really wonderful and at the end the film certainly leaves a lasting impression. Criterion's upcoming Blu-ray release is sourced from a terrific new 4K restoration and offers an excellent selection of exclusive new and archival supplemental features. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.