The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962 Tony Richardson)

Young Tom Courtenay embodies the Angry Young Man movement in Alan Sillitoe's story of anti-establishment Nottingham youth. Still impressive, resonant film flashes back from borstal and encounter with warden Michael Redgrave to former life at home with mother Avis Bunnage and family, friend James Bolam and girlfriend Topsy Jane.

Shot realistically by Walter Lassally and put together by the innovative British editor Antony Gibbs, who is clearly influenced by the French New Wave in early scenes of running in the woods, but makes certain sequences ('Jerusalem' song, Skegness slow fade beach scenes, interview with psychiatrist) entirely his own, with a stunningly edited finale which jumps through all of the events of the film and the culminating long distance race that he is supposed to win.

There's also a very early instance of the sound track of the next scene preceding the cut, which is now totally commonplace. Dede Allen, known for this trick, was directly influenced by Gibbs ('Film and Video Editing', Roger Crittenden 1981/1995.)

Young John Thaw is one of the inmates; James Fox is the public school competitor. Scored by John Addison.

One slight problem is that the BFI Blu-Ray shows the film at 1.77:1 when it was clearly shot at 1.66:1, and that's a bit poor.