A Taste of Honey

A Taste of Honey

1961. Great Britain. Directed by Tony Richardson. With Rita Tushingham, Robert Stephens, Dora Bryan, Murray Melvin. Tushingham’s screen debut, an adaptation of Shelagh Delaney’s hit play, was one of the landmarks of the short-lived British realist school of filmmaking that included Karel Reisz and Lindsay Anderson. Tushingham’s sensitive performance made her an instant star, and Melvin’s character was one of the earliest examples of a sympathetic gay character on screen. The music, by John Dankworth and Cleo Laine, anticipates the tone for many significant British films of the 1960s, including those of Joseph Losey. 100 min.