Review of A Taste of Honey (1961) by Bob L — 20 Nov 2011

One of the finest examples of the 'kitchen sink drama'. Incredibly controversial at the time, dealing with nearly every social issue in one hit (mixed race relations, homosexuality, class differences, unmarried parenthood, and fleetingly; mental illness) with actors using regional accents in the leads, which was quite original, this lead the way for the likes of Mike Leigh and Shane Meadows in later years.

True, the years have not been kind to the style of cinematography and acting, but Rita Tushingham and Dora Bryan are good as mother and daughter in this, and are at their best when performing off of each other.

Murray Melvin as the gay flatmate, puts in equal (if not at times better) efforts for his characterisation. Probably my one issue with it is its cliffhanger ending which, while brilliant, is actually more cinematic than the rest of the film.