A Taste of Honey

Shelagh Delaney's play A Taste of Honey had already played in the West End and on Broadway when Tony Richardson made his film adaptation, shot on location in Salford and Blackpool. Rita Tushingham made her indelible screen debut as Jo, a young girl who falls pregnant after leaving home and her floozie mother a revelatory performance by Dora Bryan. Jo befriends Geoff, a gentle kind-hearted gay art student, they move in together like two children playing house and - for a while - finding an innocent fragile happiness. Richardson (who co-wrote the screenplay with Shelagh Delaney), always skilled with actors, draws fine performances from the entire cast and A Taste of Honey remains an outstanding example of the British New Wave, and was shot by its star cinematographer Walter Lassally. Special features: Presented in High definition Walter Lassally Video Essay (2002, 21 mins):the cinematographer recalls shooting A Taste of Honey 50th Anniversary Q&A With Rita Tushingham, Murray Melvin and Walter Lassally (2011, 25 mins): the team reunite for a discussion with the BFI's Dr Josephine Botting A Taste of Honey From Stage to Screen - A Journey With Murray Melvin (2018, 25 mins): the actor looks back on both his role in the original play and reprising it for cinema Rita Tushingham on A Taste of Honey (2018, 15 mins): the actor reminisces about the making of the film Holiday (1957, 18 mins): jazz-scored documentary capturing a day (and night) in the life of high-season Blackpool, in glorious colour Illustrated booklet with new writing by Cecilia Mello and Melanie Williams, plus full film credits