Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageThe Kitchen (1961)
Director: James Hill
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
In the steamy atmosphere of a large and in-salubrious West End kitchen, chefs fight, philosophise and finally go berserk, while waitresses pout, dance and have miscarriages. An unlikely vehicle for the ACTT (the cine technicians' union) to choose for their incursion into commercial film-making, but the fact that it was the first play from socialist bright boy Arnold Wesker makes it explicable. Good intentions are perilously flimsy foundations for constructing worthwhile films; Wesker and director Hill (more at home with Elsa the lioness and Worzel Gummidge) fall into the trap of making clichéd pontification on the meaning of life, work, capitalism, the world. A strange mix of utopian whimsicality and rather unlikely melodrama.Author: RMy
Cast & crew
Director: James Hill
Producer: Sidney Cole
Cast: Carl Mohner, Mary Yeomans, Eric Pohlmann, Tom Bell, Martin Boddey, Sean Lynch, James Bolam full cast
Duration: 74 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Our verdict on Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones
Peter Jackson ends a triumphant decade with a sentimental misfire with this lush Alice Sebold adaptation
On the set of Ken Loach's 'Route Irish'
Dave Calhoun meets Ken Loach on the set of his forthcoming Iraq war movie
Stephen Poliakoff discusses 'Glorious 39'
Stephen Poliakoff’s ‘Glorious 39’ is his first film for cinema since ‘Food of Love’ in 1997. Dave Calhoun met him
Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?
How does a film go from DIY experiment to box-office smash? 'Paranormal Activity' director Oren Peli explains
Steven Soderbergh on 'The Informant!' and 'The Girlfriend Experience'
We talk to Steven Soderbergh about his two forthcoming films: one featuring a porn star, the other a chubby Matt Damon
A gateway to all things 'New Moon'
In anticipation of 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon', Time Out is offering the chance to pick up a limited edition pack with three exclusive magazines and a free poster.
London Children's Film Festival
Read our exclusive reviews of films playing at the 2009 London Children’s Film Festival
The films that deserve a TV spin-off
With Roland Emmerich suggesting he'd like to make a '2012' TV spin-off, we propose some more movie-to-TV serialisations
The Coen brothers discuss 'A Serious Man'
Masters of contrary comedy, Joel and Ethan Coen have struck gold again with their latest, ‘A Serious Man’
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations
What do you think?
Post your review now