Boy and Bicycle (1956)

A teenage boy plays truant from school, and spends the day riding around the town and the deserted beach on his bicycle, letting his mind wander as he imagines he is the only person in the world.

Director:

Ridley Scott

Writer:

Ridley Scott

Stars:

Tony Scott

Cast

Credited cast:
Tony Scott	...	The Boy

Storyline

A lad of 16 spends a day on his bike in and about a village on the coast of the North Sea south of Newcastle. He heads to the shore for a contemplative smoke, rides into the village for a visit to a candy shop, then goes back to the strand. Clouds, water, shadows, and reflections give his day texture as do his internal monologues - comic commentary on adults, thoughts about dying, and observations about his family. Afternoon rain sends him looking for shelter. He explores a shack where someone lives. What discoveries await?

---

Plot Keywords:

bicycle | rain | reflection | sea | naivety | 

---

Genres:

Short

---

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

1965 (UK)

Also Known As:

Boy on a Bicycle

Filming Locations:

Hartlepool, County Durham, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

BFI Experimental Film Fund, British Film Institute (BFI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

27 min

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film features Ridley Scott's younger brother Tony Scott as the boy.

---

Connections

Edited into Cinema16: British Short Films (2003)

---

Soundtracks

"Onward Christian Spacemen"
Composed and Conducted by John Barry

User Reviews

young man and a movie camera

"Boy and Bicycle" is a short film famed director Ridley Scott made in the early 60's, which was completed in 1965. It offers a very limited narrative about, you guessed it, a boy and his bicycle. A teenage boy rides along the English seaside in search of some solitude with his own thoughts. A lot of teen angst runs through the telling of the story, which is told almost entirely through a difficult to understand voice over track by the star and the director's brother, Tony Scott (who went on to have a film-making career of his own).

There's a nice innocent appeal about it, and the chilly weather comes across particularly well, however there are plenty of the standard student film hindrances as well. Though there are some impressive black and white visuals, the viewer must also contend with a lot of wandering home movie type shots. It's a film that runs long at twenty-seven minutes, and though it might offer a glimmer of what would become a pretty strong director, it's not exactly worth it.