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Mr Burton
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02:18
Mr Burton
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- 2025
- Marc Evans
- 124 mins
- 12A
Summary
Biographical drama starring Toby Jones and Harry Lawtey. In 1940s Port Talbot, rugby-loving teen Rich Jenkins expects to follow in the footsteps of his coal-miner dad, an abrasive alcoholic. His talent for drama and poetry is noticed by teacher Philip Burton, who encourages the troubled young lad to nurture his creative soul and overcome his profound self-doubt.
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Review
A star rating of 4 out of 5.
Terry Staunton
The formative years of Richard Burton come under the microscope in an absorbing drama chronicling the actor's relationship with the inspirational teacher from whom he took his professional name. Set in postwar South Wales, the film features Toby Jones as mild-mannered educator and aspiring playwright Philip Burton, who sees something special in the teenaged Richard Jenkins (Harry Lawtey), but must help the lad overcome the hurdles of a staunchly working-class upbringing and potentially destructive self-doubt. Beautifully photographed and richly atmospheric, director Marc Evans creates an engrossing study of an initially unlikely friendship between two individuals striving for better things. Jones turns in a masterful, sympathetic performance, and there's eye-catching support from Lesley Manville as his landlady and Aimee Ffion-Edwards as Richard's encouraging older sister. However, Lawtey is the true star of the piece, a mesmerising presence both in early scenes as the rough-around-the-edges pupil and in latter stages of the narrative, when his volatile personality threatens to derail a thespian career before it's barely begun.
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7.1/10
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Credits
Cast
rolenameMr BurtonToby JonesRichHarry LawteyMa SmithLesley ManvilleElfedAneurin BarnardCisAimee-Ffion EdwardsDic JenkinsSteffan RhodriDaphne RyeHannah NewAnthony QuayleDaniel Evans
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Crew
rolenameDirectorMarc Evans
Details
Theatrical distributor
Icon
Released on
2025-04-04
Languages
English | Welsh
Guidance
Violence, swearing, sexual references
Formats
Colour
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