Mr Burton (12A)
Directed by Marc Evans

 
“WITHOUT Philip Burton there would never have been a Richard Burton.” So said Elizabeth Taylor. 
 
But who was Philip Burton (Toby Jones)? As this heartfelt drama recounts, he was a Welsh teacher and BBC radio producer, actor, playwright and theatre director who took the young Richard Jenkins (Harry Lawtey) under his wing and transformed him into one of the greatest and most celebrated actors of the 20th century. Plus the biggest star Wales has ever produced. 
 
He spotted Richard’s acting potential as a teenage lad, mentored him, became his legal guardian and gave him his name. 
 
Directed by Marc Evans and co-written by Tom Bullough and Josh Hyams, this compelling film is set in 1942 Port Talbot and explores Richard’s impoverished childhood as the son of a Welsh miner and one of 13 children. He was reared by his older sister and her husband, and his future lay in the local mines until he met Mr Burton. As Richard tells his mentor: “When push comes to shove, nobody wants me.” 
 
This powerful drama also examines the elitism of the time which meant if Richard wanted to pursue Oxford and the RAF, which Philip encouraged him to, he had to erase his working-class roots, his Welsh accent and even his name to be accepted. 
 
It shows how Philip also helped him develop his trademark rich and deep baritone voice by taking him up the mountains and getting him to scream and project while teaching him to tone down the Welsh lilt. As Elizabeth Taylor said: “That great rolling voice that crashed like wild Atlantic waves would never have been heard outside the valley” if it hadn’t been for Philip. 
 
Jones delivers another outstanding performance bringing this mild mannered yet inspirational teacher to life, while Lawtey is a revelation as the young Richard Jenkins, transforming from a shy and awkward teenager into the great Richard Burton, which is an impressive feat. They are joined by the wonderful Lesley Manville as Philip’s landlady who also took in Richard as a boarder.
 
This is a remarkable true story which shows Burton in a whole new light, not just as a hard drinking film star and legendary thespian who married Taylor twice. It also pays homage to the man he considered a father and mentor and, as he tells him, “I owe you everything.”  

In cinemas today