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?

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Plot Keywords:

bicycle | rain | reflection | sea | naivety | 

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Genres:

Short

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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.

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Connections

Edited into Cinema16: European Short Films (2006)

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Soundtracks

"Onward Christian Spacemen"
Composed and Conducted by John Barry

User Reviews

Show of Ideals

Not a great short for anyone who didn't have the bits of childhood that Ridley sees in this piece initially, unless you love that gritty film feel.

Lots of little iconic items that used to be in mine and everyones houses. Lovely junk, treale tins, jam jars and old junk. What makes it good for me is I loved starting looking at film this way and also being able to understand how he brought this grittiness to Alien which complete transformed the far end of Cinema.

If you've had a go at using light 8mm or 16mm cameras in your life, you'll get excited about this.

G.