Mr Burton at Luna

Harry Lawtey (as Richard Burton) in Mr Burton
Photo Credit: Photo by Warren Orchard_©Severn Burton Ltd

On a quiet Monday evening, my partner and I headed down Oxford St to Luna Leederville – this time to watch Mr Burton. Currently immersed in my own acting projects, I thought that the film would be an inspiring one to watch.

Set in the gritty coal mining town of Port Talbot in Wales during World War II, the film Mr Burton follows the inspirational story of a passionate school teacher Philip Burton, who helps out Richie Jenkins - an unpolished teenager from an impoverished home - to pursue his schooling as well as his potential as an actor. To avoid questions about his mentorship that could affect Richie's career, Philip took on Richie as his ward, and thus Richie Jenkins became Richard Burton – revered as one of the greatest actors of the 20th century – well known for his powerful stage presence and his roles in Shakespearean plays.

At over 2 hours long, I had visions of an overly long drawn out melodramatic movie – but I was proved very wrong. Mr Burton got my attention from the get go and I was thoroughly immersed in the story with its up and downs and then onwards right through to its happy ending !

Mr Burton the film I feel does justice to the real life story of Richard Burton. For me the highlight was the exceptional strong performances and interplay between the two lead actors – Philip Burton (played by Toby Jones) and Richie Jenkins (Harry Lawtey).

The story of the poor boy facing adversity who rises to great things is inspirational, and along with the atmospheric background of a gritty coal town seeped with wartime challenges of poverty and social issues makes Mr Burton an inspiring and moving drama to watch.

It is currently showing at Luna at Leederville, Luna on SX and Windsor Cinema.

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