The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962) ( Rebel with a Cause )

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962) (Blu-Ray) (*)

$32.99

Alternate Title: Rebel with a Cause
Screened, competed or awarded at:
BAFTA Awards
Other Film Festival Awards

Language Selections:
English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 )
English ( Subtitles )

Product Origin/Format:
United Kingdom ( Blu-Ray/Region B )

Running Time:
104 min

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen (1.78:1)

Special Features:
Commentary
Documentary
Featurette
Interactive Menu
Scene Access
Booklet

Movie filmed in 1962 and produced in:
United Kingdom ( Great Britain, Ireland )

Directed By:
Tony Richardson

Written By:
Alan Sillitoe

Actors:
Michael Redgrave ..... Ruxton Towers Reformatory Governor
Tom Courtenay ..... Colin Smith
Avis Bunnage ..... Mrs. Smith
Alec McCowen ..... Brown
James Bolam ..... Mike
Joe Robinson ..... Roach
Dervis Ward ..... Detective
Topsy Jane ..... Audrey
Julia Foster ..... Gladys

Synopsis:

When he is caught by the police for robbing a bakery, Colin Smith is sentenced to be confined in Ruxton Towers, a borstal (prison school) for delinquent youths. Taken there in handcuffs and detained in bleak and highly restrictive circumstances, he seeks solace in long-distance running, attracting the notice of the school's authorities for his physical prowess. Long-distance running offers Smith a welcome distraction from the brutal drudgery of the Borstal regime and he is offered the prospect of early release from Borstal, if he wins in an important cross-country competition against a prestigious public school. For Ruxton Towers to win the cross-country race would be a major PR boost for the establishment, and Smith has an obvious incentive to cooperate.

Nottinghamian Colin Smith is a sullen young man from a working class family. He, along with his friend Mike, commit petty crimes, Colin in an effort to escape his unhappy family life. He has a difficult relationship with his mother, especially in that she seemed more interested in the insurance money from his father's death than with his father as a man and husband. That fact is further highlighted by her taking up with another man immediately following Mr. Smith's death. Colin also distrusts authority. He is sent to Ruxton Towers Reformatory after he is caught stealing money from a bakery. His stay there is initially a difficult one until its Governor notices that Colin has a natural ability in long distance running, which Colin states was all in an effort to run away from the police who were often chasing him. The Governor believes running may be Colin's salvation to a better life, both at Ruxton Towers and after his release. The Governor wants to cultivate Colin's running ability so that he will race for the school in the inaugural track meet against a public school, winning which will show the world the Governor being able to turn these boys into functioning members of society. Colin does take up the challenge as running offers him a sense of freedom. Colin may use his running to demonstrate what he considers his ultimate act of freedom.

A rebellious youth, sentenced to a boy's reformatory for robbing a bakery, rises through the ranks of the institution through his prowess as a long distance runner. During his solitary runs, reveries of his life and times before his incarceration lead him to re-evaluate his privileged status as the Governor's prize runner. The drudgery of post-war Britain was a rich breeding ground for angry young film makers. Out of this came the movement known as 'Kitchen Sink Dramas'

This product was added to our catalog on Saturday 16 May, 2020.