013 Adaptation – Old
I found the adaptation of This Sporting Life by David Storey to be very powerful. James Purefoy was unrecognizable as northern
rugby player Arthur Machin; I was very impressed with his performance. He usually plays a posh voice, but he was
totally convincing as an intense and troubled young man. The story seethed with echoes of Kitchen Sink
drama but also Tennessee Williams.
Machin’s life is bound up in class expectations, his get-rich-quick from
rugby playing frowned upon somewhat by his parents, whom he sees as hidebound
to convention. It wasn’t at first clear
to me Machin’s relationship with Mrs Hammond (Emily Watson, unusually, in a
radio drama). She is his (older)
landlady with two children, and it’s never quite clear to me why she just doesn’t
marry Machin (although I guess the most obvious explanation is that she doesn’t
want to). I feel a lot of sympathy for
Machin, despite the fact with his terrible temper he becomes an abusive man. He is a complex and interesting man,
resisting being seduced by the higher class Mrs Weaver. He is, in the end, a positive influence on
his friend Maurice Braithwaite, who gets secretary Judith Parkes (played by a
luminous Sheridan Smith) pregnant.
Everyone, including Mrs Hammond, thinks Machin got Judith pregnant, but
Machin convinces Maurice to do the right thing and marry Judith, which gives
them at least a happy ending. Philip
Jackson is also good in a small role. I
also loved the music and the rugby commentary. Originally from 2013, it was
directed by Johnny Vegas and Sally Harrison.
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