Dir: Marc Evans | Cast: Harry Lawtey, Toby Jones, Lesley Manville, Aimee-Ffion Edwards, Aneurin Barnard, Steffan Rhodri | UK. 2025. 124′
Most people have never heard of Philip Henry Burton (1904-95). But without Philip there would never have been a Richard Burton, that is according to Elizabeth Taylor.
Marc Evans’ epic tale of the ebullient Welsh actor as much known for his talent on the stage and cinema as for his prolific drinking bouts, love of fine diamonds and tempestuous love affair with Miss Taylor, is the lesser known story of Richard Jenkins’ early life in wartime Port Talbot 1942 and the man who inspired him to be what he later became. All this is neatly enveloped in Josh Hyams’ and Tom Bullough’s nifty script inspired by an idea that came to fruition over the last ten years.
Toby Jones is supreme as Philip Burton, a dapper little man, immaculately suited and booted each day as he heads off to teach literature to a class of Welsh teenagers preparing to don their own ‘battledress’ and fight for allied victory. In the local cinema recorded footage direct from the front flashes across the screen enlivening each dreary day as Philip and his friend and landlady Ma Smith (Lesley Manville) look on proudly as their country moves towards victory.
Evans’ drama is filled with these nostalgic scenes in a rousing, fabulously photographed affair that puts Philip and his pupil Richie (Harry Lawtey) at the heart of a real life story that champions perseverance against the odds in a close-knit mining community. The triumph here is this triumvirate of Jones, Lawtey and Manville who pull out all the stops to make this fascinating in showcasing Richard’s journey from truculent schoolboy, aged 17, to the moment he appears on the stage in the role of Prince Hal in Henry IV in Stratford upon Avon.
Diminished by his alcoholic father (Stefan Rhodri) Richie has to pay his way in the impoverished household of his brother-in-law Elfed (Aneurin Barnard) and loving sister Cis (Aimee Ffion-Edwards). Education being no longer an option he is forced work in a local tailor’s shop. Meanwhile Philip, a film star manqué himself, channels all his creative energy into Richie, persuading him to take part in a theatre production where he is electrified by the young man’s latent talent. Lawtey imbues his performance with Burton’s quixotic personality that morphs from insecure newcomer to arrogant ‘luvvie’ at the blink of an eye, .
John Hardy’s original score, performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, gives the film an authentic boost along with DoP Stuart Biddlecomb’s evocative images of Wales: the glowering smoke-bellowing chimneys, purple sunsets and lush valley landscapes – where Richie roams around practising his diction with Philip’s kindly tuition – seem to mirror the earth-shattering emotions involved in Richie’s transition from troubled teen to confident world class actor that contrast with the dour masculinity of the other men in his family.
The way to success from miner’s son to Oxford University and one of the greatest stars in the Hollywood firmament is provided by Philip’s RAF connections that involve him becoming the budding actor’s legal guardian. The rest is history, as they say, but the film’s two hour running time flashes by in the telling of this colourful story of two extraordinary British men. Mr Burton is one of the most enjoyable biopics of the year. @MeredithTaylor
IN UK CINEMAS FROM 4 APRIL 2025