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This Sporting Life Overview:

This Sporting Life (1963) was a Drama - Sports Film directed by Lindsay Anderson and produced by Karel Reisz, Leslie Parkyn and Julian Wintle.

Academy Awards 1963 --- Ceremony Number 36 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best ActorRichard HarrisNominated
Best ActressRachel RobertsNominated
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This Sporting Life BlogHub Articles:

This Sporting Life (1963)

By Beatrice on Dec 20, 2017 From Flickers in Time

This Sporting Life Directed by Lindsay Anderson Written by David Storey 1963/UK Independent Artists;Julian Wyntle/Leslie Parklyn Productions Repeat viewing/Netflix rental Mrs. Anne Weaver: What *do* you have? Frank Machin: People like me. It’s hard to find love when you are filled with rage... Read full article

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This Sporting Life Quotes:

Frank Machin: We don't have stars in this game, Mrs Weaver, that's soccer.
Mrs. Anne Weaver: What *do* you have?
Frank Machin: People like me.
Frank Machin: [to scantily clad nightclub singer] Eh love, show us your personality!
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This Sporting Life Facts
Glenda Jackson appears briefly in the group singing round the piano at the Christmas party.
Bernadette Benson, the eight-year-old actress who played Lynda Hammond, achieved newspaper publicity in her quest to be exempted from the film's X certificate which prohibited children under the age of 16 from seeing it. She said that it was perverse that she was able to see the rushes of the film as it was being made but was too young to be allowed to see the finished film at the cinema.
At the time of filming, Arthur Lowe and Anne Cunningham were appearing together in Coronation Street.
Because the budget would not stretch to the thousands needed for the rugby league match scenes at Belle Vue, director Lindsay Anderson deployed hundreds of wooden dummies to stand amongst the human extras for the crowd scenes.
Richard Harris was a serious rugby player in real life, but of the union variety. He came from Limerick, sometimes called "the rugby capital of Ireland" and played for Garryowen FC, as well as various junior sides. He remained a fan of the Munster team his entire life, and used to go and watch matches with Peter O'Toole and Richard Burton. Unlike rugby league, up until the 1990s, the union code was strictly amateur, so Harris would not have been paid as Machin is.
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