I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

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."

Catherine Cookson is a great writer but she has not been well served by Tyne Tees who made this TV film from the book of the same name. I think I read the book once but you get used to this sort of thing in a film adaption,that vast chunks are omitted . In this one a couple of kids are drowned in a boat and there's hardly a mention, The ending is totally stupid and unreal. Maybe this is Catherine Cookson's poorest story as there's little drama anywhere.Just a lot of people arguing about nothing much at all other than a lack of money and some rather silly reasons for scrapping. The 15 streets are supposed to be the divide between the rich and the poor,a common enough theme in Catherine Cookson

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.