Sunday Bloody Sunday

"It's about three decent people. They will break your heart."

1971 1h 50m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 144

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Recently divorced career woman Alex Greville begins a romantic relationship with glamorous mod artist Bob Elkin, fully aware that he's also intimately involved with middle-aged doctor Daniel Hirsh. For both Alex and Daniel, the younger man represents a break with their repressive pasts, and though both know that Bob is seeing both of them, neither is willing to let go of the youth and vitality he brings to their otherwise stable lives.

“It's about three decent people. They will break your heart.”

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Cast

Peter Finch
Dr. Daniel Hirsh
Glenda Jackson
Alex Greville
Murray Head
Bob Elkin
Peggy Ashcroft
Mrs. Greville
Tony Britton
George Harding
Maurice Denham
Mr. Greville
Bessie Love
Answering Service Lady
Vivian Pickles
Alva Hodson

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Schlesinger
Writers: Penelope Gilliatt
Languages: English, Hebrew, Italian
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

55 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, Hebrew, Italian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Schlesinger, shot by Billy Williams. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Ron Geesin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Richard Marden shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Peter Finch and Glenda Jackson and Murray Head carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "It's about three decent people. They will break your heart.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0067805 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Schlesinger directs. Billy Williams behind the camera. Ron Geesin scores. Richard Marden cuts. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English, Hebrew, Italian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

155 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, Hebrew, Italian.
3Directed by John Schlesinger, shot by Billy Williams. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Ron Geesin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Richard Marden shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Peter Finch and Glenda Jackson and Murray Head carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "It's about three decent people. They will break your heart.".
8IMDB entry: tt0067805 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 14 themes, including "london, england", "love triangle", "sexuality", "bisexuality".

The technical file

Cinematography: Billy Williams
Original score: Ron Geesin
Editing: Richard Marden
Production design: Luciana Arrighi
Costume design: Jocelyn Rickards
Runtime: 110 min · 1h 50m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971)

Also by

John Schlesinger

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-06-08
★ 7/10
“Bob” (Murray Head) rather has his cake and eats it here as he enjoys being the centre of a consensual love triangle between older Jewish doctor “Daniel” (Peter Finch) and the bored “Alex” (Glenda Jackson). It’s not a venal arrangement, but he does play them off one and other by giving them enough to stay interested but never enough to get tired of him, or the scenario. Their young plaything is an artist - think Meccano rather that Monet - and when an opportunity to visit New York comes he has a new choice to make and difficulty telling his partners while they have to get to grips with the prospect of having none of him at all in their respective lives. Recently divorced “Alex” is weary. Of her job; of screaming kids around her all the time, of sharing her beau. She has tried other dalliances, but somehow this youthful man has an hold over her that has a rejuvenating effect. “Daniel” is steeped in a culture that fully expects him to wed a suitable young woman - or even a divorcée - to augment his professional status. He isn’t “out” nor is that a possibility, nor is he really in love with “Bob” either. He realises the man is toxic (with a small t) for his life, but like “Alex” reckons he’s better with him in it than the unthinkable alternative. As the week before his trip unfolds, we follow this trio through the trials of that time where truth melds into fantasy and each much face their own demons. Finch probably has more meat on his part and he plays the conflicted gent with a subtle positivity - even with some of his more hypochondriac patients. Jackson, likewise, adopts a smilingly stoic characterisation with a degree of realism that makes her performance come across as entirely natural. It’s Head, though, whom I think really stands out. Ostensibly flighty and selfish, but actually the more he portrays “Bob”, the more lifelike and complex his character becomes and the more unsatisfying his almost transient existence starts to appear. It’s not the quickest of films, pace-wise, but I think that lets the performances and quite a potently observational script permeate a little deeper before a denouement that is probably the only one that would have worked. It has dated, with much of the shock factor now dissipated, but it’s still quite an interesting dissertation on early 1970s mores.

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