Mr Burton | |
---|---|
![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Marc Evans |
Written by |
|
Produced by |
|
Starring | |
Cinematography | Stuart Biddlecombe |
Edited by | Tim Hodges |
Music by | John Hardy |
Production companies |
|
Distributed by | Icon Film Distribution |
Release date |
|
Running time | 124 minutes [1] |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Mr Burton is a 2025 British biographical drama film about the early life of Welsh actor Richard Burton. It is directed by Marc Evans, written by Tom Bullough and Josh Hyams, and stars Harry Lawtey as Burton, alongside Toby Jones and Lesley Manville. It was released in British cinemas on 4 April 2025. [2]
The project was announced in February 2024 with Marc Evans directing from a script written by Tom Bullough and Josh Hyams. Ed Talfan and Hannah Thomas are producers for Severn Screen, with Trevor Matthews producing for Brookstreet Pictures and Josh Hyams producing for Promise Pictures. The film also has finance from BBC Wales and Ffilm Cymru Wales, in partnership with Creative Wales. [3]
In May 2024, Harry Lawtey was cast as a young Richard Jenkins. [4] Toby Jones is cast as Mr Burton, a school teacher who had a profound effect on the life of a young pupil, Richard Jenkins, who later became known as the actor Richard Burton, with Lesley Manville cast as Mr Burton's landlady and Aimee-Ffion Edwards and Aneurin Barnard cast as young Jenkins' sister and brother-in-law. [5]
Principal photography began in July 2024 for a 2025 release to mark the centenary of Richard Burton's birth. [6] [7] [8] Filming was completed in August 2024. [9]
Composer John Hardy is the nephew of Robert Hardy, lifelong friend of Richard Burton. The score was recorded by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales at the Wales Millennium Centre in December 2024.
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 84% of 19 critics' reviews are positive. [10] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 54 out of 100, based on six critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [11]