Mr Burton

Last updated

Mr Burton
Mr. Burton poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Marc Evans
Written by
  • Tom Bullough
  • Josh Hyams
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyStuart Biddlecombe
Edited byTim Hodges
Music by John Hardy
Production
companies
Distributed by Icon Film Distribution
Release date
  • 4 April 2025 (2025-04-04)
Running time
124 minutes [1]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguagesEnglish, Welsh

Mr Burton is a 2025 British biographical drama film about the early life of Welsh actor Richard Burton and his relationship with his mentor Philip Burton. It is directed by Marc Evans, written by Tom Bullough and Josh Hyams, and stars Harry Lawtey as Richard, alongside Toby Jones (as Philip Burton), and Lesley Manville. It was released in British cinemas on 4 April 2025. [2]

Contents

Cast

Production

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] [4]

In May 2024, Harry Lawtey was cast as a young Richard Jenkins. [5] Toby Jones is cast as Mr Burton, the school teacher who had a profound effect on the life of his pupil and became Jenkins' legal guardian, resulting in Jenkins changing his name to Richard Burton. Lesley Manville was cast as Mr Burton's landlady, with Aimee-Ffion Edwards and Aneurin Barnard as young Jenkins' sister and brother-in-law. [6]

Principal photography began in July 2024 for a 2025 release to mark the centenary of Richard Burton's birth. [7] [8] [9] Filming was completed in August 2024. [10]

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. [11] [12]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 88% of 26 critics' reviews are positive. [13] 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. [14]

Accolades

The film received four nominations at the 2025 BAFTA Cymru Awards, including nominations in the Best Actor category for Lawtey, and in the Sound, Editing, and Photography categories. Subsequently, the award for Best Photography and Lighting - fiction; was won by Stuart Biddlecombe for the film. [15] [16]

References

  1. ↑ "Mr. Burton". British Board of Film Classification . Retrieved April 3, 2025.
  2. ↑ Morris, Steven (March 28, 2025). "'A beloved figure': Welsh village ready for tourists as Richard Burton biopic opens". The Guardian. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  3. ↑ Cook, Sam (February 9, 2024). "Mr Bates vs The Post Office star Toby Jones to star in new biopic about Welsh icon Richard Burton". Walesonline. Retrieved February 9, 2024.[ dead link ]
  4. ↑ Price, Stephen (November 4, 2025). "Mr Burton: Richard Burton biopic debuts on TV this November". Nation.Cymru. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  5. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (May 8, 2024). "Rising Brit Actor Harry Lawtey To Play Young Richard Burton In 'Mr. Burton'; Independent To Continue Sales At Cannes". deadline.com. Archived from the original on May 8, 2024. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  6. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (February 8, 2024). "'Mr Burton' To Tell Story Behind Screen Icon Richard Burton's Formative Years; Toby Jones, Coming Off 'Mr Bates Vs The Post Office', Leads Cast With 'The Crown' Star Lesley Manville — EFM". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 8, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  7. ↑ Kimathi, Denis (May 8, 2024). "'Mr. Burton' Taps 'Industry' Star To Play a Young Richard Burton". Collider. Archived from the original on October 8, 2024. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  8. ↑ Calnan, Ellie (July 18, 2024). "2024 film and high-end TV productions shooting in the UK and Ireland: latest updates". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on September 1, 2024. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  9. ↑ Daniels, Nia (July 1, 2024). "Toby Jones starts filming Mr Burton in Wales". The Knowledge. Archived from the original on October 8, 2024. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Shooting wraps on Richard Burton movie with a stellar cast". nation.cymru. August 12, 2024. Archived from the original on October 8, 2024. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  11. ↑ "John Hardy scores 'Mr Burton', released on 4th April". Fabermusic. April 8, 2025. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  12. ↑ "The Making of "Mr. Burton": Behind the Scenes of the Richard Burton Biopic". Ikonlondonmagazine. March 6, 2025. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  13. ↑ "Mr. Burton". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Mr. Burton". Metacritic . Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  15. ↑ Ferguson, Angela (September 2, 2025). "Adoption drama up for seven Bafta Cymru awards". BBC News. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
  16. ↑ Matthews, Antonia (October 6, 2025). "Bafta Cymru: Lost Boys and Fairies wins five awards". BBC News. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
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