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Shirley Anne Field possessed the type of youthful and pure beauty that was highly favored by British cinema during the 1950s and 1960s. There was a hint of feline grace to her appearance, giving her a charming and innocent yet seductive quality. Her looks often brought a touch of naivety and sadness to the gritty dramas and realistic films she starred in. She embodied the grace and poise of a model, but also exuded a pin-up girl allure.
Field was of the same generation as heartstoppingly beautiful performers such as Janette Scott, Shirley Eaton, Sylvia Sims and Julie Christie. She appeared briefly in Michael Powell’s 1960 chiller Peeping Tom as a temperamental film diva (quite unlike her real self) but had her breakthrough in Tony Richardson’s The Entertainer later that year, based on John Osborne’s acidly satirical play about Britain’s fading imperial dream. Laurence Olivier is seedy music-hall entertainer Archie Rice who seduces Field’s character as the judge of a seaside beauty contest. A shot of Field, in bed with the post-coitally brooding Olivier, was heavily used in the movie’s promotion; she is sexy and calculating, but also shown as a “nice” girl, or at any rate a girl from a wealthy family whose resources Archie may want to exploit. The same year, Field was in Beat Girl, the earnest kind of “youth” movie that seems a bit toe-curling now, containing young people in coffee bars putting pop songs on the jukebox. She also sings the dreadful song It’s Legal to a smouldering lite-tough guy Adam Faith.
In Karel Reisz’s Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, Field played the role of Doreen, a seemingly shallow and oppressive “good” girl. She refuses to sleep with a man until they are married. Doreen is in a relationship with the volatile and demanding Arthur Seaton, portrayed by Albert Finney, who is also having an affair with the married and coarse Brenda, played by Rachel Roberts. While Finney and Roberts may have overshadowed Field with their raw and unfinished performances, their tumultuous and sexually complex lives would not have been as impactful without her presence.
In Joseph Losey’s 1963 sci-fi thriller The Damned, Field showcased a darker and more alluring persona as she portrayed a young woman who leads a middle-aged man to a terrible fate. Losey cleverly utilized her traditionally groomed appearance and mannerisms to create a more menacing character. She also played the romantic interest of Robert Wagner in the war drama The War Lover, which followed American soldiers in England as they pursued relationships with British women. However, Field may have been outshined once again in this role. Four years later, she appeared in the popular 1960s film Alfie as a seductive nurse, a type of character she also played in Doctor in Clover.
However, above all of her other roles, her most notable accomplishment in her 60s was her challenging and extended role in the mini-feature film Lunch Hour from 1962. The film, which is approximately one hour long, is adapted from a one-act play written by John Mortimer. In it, Field plays a young woman who is manipulated into having a secret affair with the smooth and predatory Robert Stephens. Field’s performance is outstanding, as she portrays the character as intelligent, alluring, and simultaneously vulnerable and determined. Lunch Hour explores themes commonly found in the New Wave movement, such as social class and sexual morality before the widespread use of birth control pills. Unlike other films of the time, such as Alfie or Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, Lunch Hour gives Field a substantial and significant role to showcase her talents.
After many years, Field remained active in the acting industry and was highly regarded for her roles, such as portraying Rachel, the mistress of Saeed Jaffrey’s character, in the 1985 film My Beautiful Laundrette. It could be seen as ironic that she took on a similar role to the one Rachel Roberts had in Saturday Night, given that she was a part of the British New Wave. She embodied a charming and savvy Englishness that was characteristic of the time.
Source: theguardian.com
