Saturday, April 24, 2010

Short Film Showcase - Boy and Bicycle (1965)

Boy and Bicycle, 1965.

Directed by Ridley Scott.
Starring Tony Scott.

Boy and Bicycle is the debut film of British director Ridley Scott and stars younger brother Tony as a schoolboy truant who spends the day visiting various locations around his northern seaside town, while a voice-over provides an insight into his frustrations and teenage angst.

Made in the early 60s using a 16mm camera borrowed from London's Royal College of Art while a student, Scott shot the film in his native North East of England and it was eventually completed in 1965 following a grant from the British Film Institute. This also allowed the director to secure the services of composer John Barry (James Bond), who provides the soundtrack to the short.

The film provides an early glimpse at the director's potential, drawing on influences such as Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal (1956) and the James Joyce novel Ulysses (1922), and including a number of Scott trademarks including the industrial landscape which would be so prominent in later efforts such as Alien and Blade Runner.


Related:


Hard to Replicate: A Ridley Scott Profile
Five Essential Films of Ridley Scott
Five Essential Films of Tony Scott

Click here to view more short films and public domain features.

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