Robert Stephens, who plays the homosexual friend who comes to Jo's aid
in A Taste of Honey, surprisingly has little good to say about the
legendary film director, Tony Richardson, who directed the film.

Stephens says, " He convinced me (wrongly of course) that anyone can
make a movie. All Tony Richardson ever did was come in and ask his
cameraman what he should do...He was a useless, unpleasant creature."
(Tony Richardson's director of photograpy on A Taste of Honey was
Walter Lassaly, a Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany, who photographed a
few of the Free Cinema era movies)

But Tushingham is on record to say she learned a lot about movie making
from Richardson.

And Richardson went on to make some classic movies.

The script by Sheilah Delaney in a Taste of Honey is superb, based on
her highly successful play.

It has to be said that Robert Stephen's acting is appropriately highly
skilled in its naturalness and at times immensely moving, arising from
only the slightest gestures and facial expressions.

He was very hard not only on others but on himself in his acting
career and in his personal life.

One doubts whether the movie spectator will see something similar to
the Free Cinema movement of the late 1950s/early 1960s for a long
time.

It was the poetry of the film making - something that is difficult to
find these days. And Richardson was one of those responsible for
that.