This award-winning film is based on the 1958 novel of the same name by Nottingham author Alan Sillitoe (1928-2010), an honorary graduate of the University of Nottingham.

Directed by Karel Reisz and produced by Tony Richardson, it had its UK release this month in 1960. Nottingham was used as the location for much of the exterior filming, and the novel’s anti-hero, Arthur Seaton, worked at the Raleigh bicycle factory.

The film will be introduced by Nottingham based performance poet, writer and film fanatic, Andrew Graves, who will examine the piece’s themes, lasting appeal and the important part it played in the British New Wave cinema of the 1960s.

Often cited as the hardest working poet in the East Midlands, Andrew is currently touring with his new book and Saboteur Award shortlisted show, God Save the Teen. He was also tutor of the Broadway film course ‘Don’t Let The Bastards Grind You Down…’, which explored depictions of the working classes in British cinema.

Tickets are £5 (£3 concessions) from the Lakeside Arts box office: 0115 846 7777