'Waterfront' is a short, but beautifully written and acted, British drama. It boasts an early performance from the young Richard Burton, before Hollywood flourishes and ego started to affect his film choices; and a multi-faceted turn from Robert Newton as the drunken father who returns to the family he abandoned some years before.
Without a complicated plot, this film concentrates instead on the characters - the mother who has grown strong for her children's sake (the excellent Kathleen Harrison); the daughters Nora (Avis Scott) and Connie (Susan Shaw), and other peripheral characters - Olive Sloane as Mrs Gibson, alongside Kenneth Griffith and Robin Netscher.
Directed by Michael Anderson from John Brophy's novel, this gem showcases the Liverpool docks in the days when life was hard for those who lived there and made their living from the water. It looks at the journey from girl to woman of the eldest child, and the muddled dynamics of family relationships and loyalties.
Without a complicated plot, this film concentrates instead on the characters - the mother who has grown strong for her children's sake (the excellent Kathleen Harrison); the daughters Nora (Avis Scott) and Connie (Susan Shaw), and other peripheral characters - Olive Sloane as Mrs Gibson, alongside Kenneth Griffith and Robin Netscher.
Directed by Michael Anderson from John Brophy's novel, this gem showcases the Liverpool docks in the days when life was hard for those who lived there and made their living from the water. It looks at the journey from girl to woman of the eldest child, and the muddled dynamics of family relationships and loyalties.