Scum (1979)

Director:

Alan Clarke

Writer:

Roy Minton (writer)

Release Date:

2 May 1980 (Netherlands)

Genre:

Drama | Crime

Tagline:

The film they tried to ban! A brutal story of today.

Plot:

This is the hard and shocking story of life in a British Borstal for young offenders. Luckily the regime has changed since this film was made...

Plot Keywords:

No Music | Gay Interest | Male Rape | Rape | Greenhouse

Cast

Ray Winstone	...	Carlin
Mick Ford	...	Archer
Julian Firth	...	Davis
John Blundell	...	Banks
Phil Daniels	...	Richards
John Judd	...	Mr Sands
Philip Jackson	...	Greaves
Peter Howell	...	Governor
John Grillo	...	Goodyear
Ray Burdis	...	Eckersley
Alan Igbon	...	Meakin
John Fowler	...	Woods
Bill Dean	...	Duke
P.H. Moriarty	...	Hunt
Nigel Humphreys	...	Taylor

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Germany:16 (re-rating) (2006) | West Germany:18 (original rating) | Sweden:15 | Australia:R | Finland:K-16 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:18 (1980) | UK:18 (video rating) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

England, UK

Company:

Berwick Street Productions

Trivia:

Ray Winstone did not hit Phil Daniels with the sock containing the snooker balls despite the scene being done in one take. A crew member laid on the floor and handed Winstone another sock containing ping pong balls. Nevertheless, Daniels claimed it was very sore when Ray whacked him with the sock.

Goofs:

Continuity: when Carlin enters the 'games' room for the first time he passes three lags playing snooker. the score board on the wall behind them changes between one score and another and then back and then back again.

Quotes:

Mr Sands: Carlin?
Carlin: Yes, sir?
Mr Sands: What happened to yer face, Carlin?
Carlin: I fell, sir.
Mr Sands: Where?
[Carlin tries to talk but Mr Sands interrupts him]
Mr Sands: Quiet! Speak when I tell you! Somebody hit you, eh? Answer, somebody hit you.
Carlin: No, sir.
Mr Sands: We know about you, sunny. Who was it?
Carlin: I fell sir. On the stairs. Wasn't used to the concrete steps. Me own fault.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Little Britain: Biggest House of Cards (#1.5)" (2003)

On consent and violence

In Britain circa 1980, there was a lot of hope placed by the new Conservative government in the recipe of the "short sharp shock" as the ideal way to deal with young offenders. This faith, of course, reflected a dream that the problems of society can be addressed through the fair application of discipline (and the illusion that discipline can ever be applied fairly). In the real world, prisons don't work. However much non-prisoners may be afraid of them, once inside, most become institutionalised and accustomed to their environments; of course they act as schools for crime; and treating people like animals is hardly likely to turn them into civilised humans. Perhaps worst of all is the fact that all power rests on a mixture of violence and consent, and the power of the prison officers is thus crucially dependent on their forming an alliance with the nastiest, most violent of prisoners. Welcome to the world of 'Scum'!.

The late Alan Clarke had a reputation for making television dramas of searing intensity. This background is apparent in 'Scum', which is directed in a flat, no-nonsense style. But it rings with horrific truth in a way that other prison dramas (like 'The Shawshank Redemption') do not: there's no redemption here, only the brutality of a nightmare world where everything civil has been lost. One typical detail is the recreation the officers arrange for the prisoners: basically just an organised fight, to release their energy and aggression in controlled circumstances. Clarke also had a reputation for discovering talent, and a young Ray Winstone made his name here, playing a "Daddy" only slightly less nasty than his predecessor. The sense of reality means the rape scene is still powerful, even in an age where such material is routinely handled much more explicitly.

'Scum' is powerful stuff, and a voice on behalf of the young and powerless (who continue to commit suicide in Britain's jails at an alarming rate). It also makes one think about the very nature of power (the way of governor remains personally "civilised", while presiding over his brutal staff, is truly telling). Recommended.