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Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

Admirable film.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Blistering performances.

Such a WONDERFUL production. Very moving and atmospheric, authentic. When the haunting music came on at the end i remembered the stories and characters that we'd seen in the show. It reminded me that there were people who were like the o Brians in real life northern England and,like the people in real life, the characters have all been and gone too. The acting was great, even the smaller roles were great. This was made in 1989 and it was well made. I don't think they'd make such a brilliant job nowadays. It would be less tastefully made and more politically correct. Oh and the wonderful Claire Holman was amazing in every way

The love scenes in "Fifteen Streets" are so passionate and touching, that I watched these scenes over and over again -- for an entire week -- after first seeing the movie. I would simply "fast-forward" to any scene where Mary Llewellyn (played by the lovely actress, Clare Holman) appeared, and watch those scenes only. It is fascinating to watch the way in which she meets John-the-dock-worker (the boatman), and then quickly falls in love with him, despite the fierce opposition of her family.The saying "Love is blind" is truly portrayed to perfection in this romantic story. Mary Llewellyn and John O'Brien are so very different from each other. Mary comes from a wealthy and refined family living in a mansion far from the shipyard docks, while John is a rough dock worker living in the worst of slums in the poverty of "The Fifteen Streets." The two of them meet because Mary is the finely-dressed, highly educated school teacher. And she has one of John's sisters, Katie, as her pupil in school. Mary finds out that John has been writing the romantic prose and poetry that Katie has been submitting as her own homework at school! Mary now understands that inside the rough exterior of this handsome dock worker resides a special soul of a man to whom she is specially attracted.The final scenes are especially touching, to see Mary disobey her wealthy parents, abandon her wealthy surroundings and beautiful dresses, trade her fine fashions for peasant's clothing, and literally sacrifice everything she has, just to be with her true love.If this isn't enough to awe and inspire you, to see "love conquers all," no matter how large the divide in wealth, social class, and education (and despite some of the shocking scenes of violence in this movie), then you may wish to choose a different movie. As for me, I watched the romantic scenes (skipping past the fighting scenes and family disputes of the slums), to see the story of a budding romance blossom into the beautiful flower of love, with the young couple finally united in a tiny, dirty room in the slums of "The Fifteen Streets."

This is a magnificent piece of work. It's human. It's happy. It's sad. It's tragic. It's an improbable love story set in the grim world of the Newcastle England docks around the turn of the twentieth century. I'm not familiar with the author of the book. But I recognize dedicated, creative film work. We have plenty of that here! This is a film made by people who love making movies. It shows in every frame. The characters are strong and they're real. The grim atmosphere of the brick and concrete tenement district has been caught accurately, both its human and inhuman dimensions. Yet there are many warm and charming scenes among those that are bleak or tragic. The subdued colour, the rain and the snow at times, probably are more effective than black and white would have been. I would have given it a 10 save for two things. The ending is a little silly. And, surprising in a film which is is so historically accurate, one of the shots at the dock shows a modern overhead crane. But it's a keeper and one of those stimulating films that trigger interesting discussions and arguments.

A superbly balanced cast portray a story of love and loss in northern England. Excellent period piece that conveys the atmosphere of a rugged pre-war industrial town. Passions run high as love tries to cross the class divide. Performance which particularly stands out is that of a young Jane Horrocks.