Rachel Roberts in This Sporting Life (1963)
It perhaps only seems incongruous that Rachel Roberts, wildly extrovert and gregarious in much of her life, should be best known for playing clenched, repressed roles on screen - as in at least two of her three parts in Lindsay Anderson's O Lucky Man! (1973) and her corseted disciplinarian head teacher in Peter Weir's Australian feature Picnic at Hanging Rock (1976).
For Roberts, depressed in Hollywood and unable to reconcile herself to the failure of her marriage to Rex Harrison (1961-72), committed suicide at 53 after years of heartache.
She was never better than in Anderson's gritty This Sporting Life as a self-respecting widow hopelessly riven with guilt after allowing herself to be seduced by her new lodger Machin, an outwardly brash and mouthy rugby league player. He has his problems, bristling with resentment at the way team members are treated like cattle, or patronised by the club's Board.
Yet Machin, in the course of a tempestuous relationship, is gradually revealed as more sensitive and gentler in his awkward wooing than we might have suspected.
Roberts' Margaret Hammond refuses to bend her will. She's implacably defensive and Anderson's direction and David Storey's script from his novel make us care for this odd couple as they spar, and reel under perceived slights.
True communication remains elusive with Roberts steeped in the religious and moral values of her peers, distrustful and unyielding.
Hammond's stiff body posture, the way in which she seems to physically diminish whenever Machin enters the room, suggests a wealth of warring emotions.
The rare moments when she opens up, as in a graveyard scene, are all the more effective as she spits out her fears and resentment of her 'kept woman' status (and her south Wales lilt comes unexpectedly to the fore). Machin is aware that he's nearing the end of his career and will be mere disposable goods to any subsequent team he may join. He craves commitment.
The film risks caricature at times with its portraits of hypocritical hard-faced Board members and their female consorts, but it captures well Machin's sense of alienation from their blandishments. The brutal league action - shot at Wakefield - seems ultimately no more raw than the two lead characters' emotions.
