Review of This Sporting Life (1963) by Daniel H — 15 Sep 2010

Very powerful performance from Richard Harris playing a rugby star who tries to have a relationship with his widowed landlady Rachel Roberts. Itâ??s a realistic portrait of a characterâ??s struggle with success and his loneliness.

Iâ??m surprised that the Academy nominated both Harris and Roberts for this film, if this came out today I couldnâ??t see either role getting awards attention. There are a lot of tough moments throughout and the final scenes with the two leads are pretty intense.

If you watch this film expecting to see a sports film about rugby, youâ??ll be disappointed, but if you want to see a film with great acting and a deep story, this is that film.