Lord Brennan of Canton reviews 'Mr Burton'
Toby Jones as Philip Burton and Harry Lawtey as Richard Burton | Photo by: Warren Orchard | ©Severn Burton Ltd
3 min read
The engaging story of a Welsh acting legend’s inspirational teacher, Mr Burton manages to resonate beyond the formulaic constraints of the biopic genre
In director Marc Evans’ engaging biopic, Mr Burton is not the famous actor Richard Burton but his schoolteacher mentor Philip.
Philip literally adopts young working-class Richard Jenkins in this version, gifting him his surname to avoid any scandalous rumours about Philip’s motives for taking the handsome young Welshman under his wing. In real life Philip Burton was too young to adopt Richard; his protégé took his mentor’s name by deed poll instead.
We meet the schoolboy Richard Jenkins aged 17 in the classroom of his inspirational teacher, played with meticulous intensity as ever by Toby Jones. Harry Lawtey as Richard is suitably handsome, but perhaps a little old.
Lesley Manville as Ma Smith | Photo by: Warren Orchard | ©Severn Burton Ltd
As a Welshman from a working-class background, with a brother who has acted with the Royal Shakespeare Company, it occurs to me that the producers might have better honoured the spirit of this story by seeking out a talented unknown from Wales; a new Matthew Rhys or Ioan Gruffudd instead of an Oxford-born 28-year-old with a boarding school background.
Lawtey’s young Richard seems rather gormless, his mouth twisted as if struggling to articulate the vowels of the Pontrhydyfen accent. It requires effort to envisage him as the tough but intellectually curious Welsh-speaking miner’s son from a family of 13, who might have been good enough to play rugby for Wales.
Human talent is everywhere, opportunity is not
Smoky Port Talbot is the brooding backdrop – the crucible which, as well as forging much of the steel that built Britain, also manufactured a triumvirate of acting greats in Anthony Hopkins, Michael Sheen and Richard Burton himself.
In essence this story is a retelling of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, or Emlyn Williams’ The Corn is Green, both of which are referenced en passant; a motivational teacher takes the raw materials and like a blast furnace smelts them into the finished product, purged of impurities and polished to perfection, like premium grade steel.
At a time when the future of steelmaking in Britain is highly topical – and the dearth of working-class actors a frequent complaint in the creative industries – it is a film which resonates beyond the formulaic constraints of the biopic.
Standout performances come from the ever-believable Lesley Manville who, like John Lennon’s Aunt Mimi, is the provider of a respectable home for the motherless tempestuous youth. And Steffan Rhodri is compelling playing Richard’s boozy father although in truth he was more encouraging of his son’s ambitions. There is also a brief cameo as Richard’s rugby coach for the excellent Rhys ap William, usually heard as announcer at international rugby matches in Cardiff.
Notwithstanding a minor casting quibble, Mr Burton is an appealing and entertaining film which, at a time when the arts feel under pressure from ever squeezed budgets, reminds us that the real riches of life lie in a passion for beauty and truth, which can shine from the darkest of places.
Human talent is everywhere, opportunity is not. Like iron ore in a steelworks, talent requires a catalyst for its transformation into a fully realised form.
Lord Brennan of Canton is a Labour peer
Mr Burton
Written by: Tom Bullough & Josh Hyams
Directed by: Marc Evans
Broadcaster: General cinema release
