A young thief takes up long-distance running when he is sent to a borstal.A young thief takes up long-distance running when he is sent to a borstal.A young thief takes up long-distance running when he is sent to a borstal.
- Won 1 BAFTA Award
- 5 wins & 2 nominations total
Ray Austin
- Harry Craig
- (uncredited)
Ernest Blyth
- Army Officer at Sports Day
- (uncredited)
Jim Brady
- Man in Cafe
- (uncredited)
John Brooking
- Green
- (uncredited)
James Cairncross
- Mr. Jones
- (uncredited)
Dallas Cavell
- Lord Jaspers
- (uncredited)
Peter Duguid
- Doctor
- (uncredited)
Charles Dyer
- Bit Part
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaProducer and Director Tony Richardson continued to insist on selecting filming locations, which he'd begun with A Taste of Honey (1961), the first British movie shot entirely outside of a studio. According to Cinematographer Walter Lassally, location work was very difficult to sell to British movie financiers at the time. "They were afraid that a lack of sunlight would delay the shooting interminably. It was impossible to convince them that for greater realism, it was actually desirable to shoot exteriors without sun."
- GoofsEarly in the movie, when the new boys are in the van on the way to the borstal, they are shown in handcuffs and chains; when they emerge from the van, the restraints are gone. However, one of their guards is heard referring to removing their restraints after they pass through the outer gate.
- Quotes
Colin Smith: Running's always been a big thing in our family, especially running away from the police.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Free Cinema (1986)
- SoundtracksJerusalem
Music by Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry (uncredited)
Lyrics by William Blake (uncredited)
Sung by the lads in the audience at the close of the concert scene
Several instrumental variations of the melody are heard throughout the soundtrack
Featured review
Excellent cinematography and great performances.
This film was seen to be the last of Woodfall's 'kitchen sink' dramas. There are great performances by Tom Courtenay and James Bolam as the two borstal boys. Colin (Courtenay) is very much a nihilist rejecting everything around him, like Arthur Seaton in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning.
The story of Colin's refusal to fit into the pattern of 'model prisoner' or 'consumer' is well conveyed by Richardson and the scenes which follow Colin's runs through the woods are beautifully shot. Overall the film was slightly jumbled and represented class through the use of stereotypes i.e. the 'progressive' prison governor and the patronising employer. A good film nonetheless.
The story of Colin's refusal to fit into the pattern of 'model prisoner' or 'consumer' is well conveyed by Richardson and the scenes which follow Colin's runs through the woods are beautifully shot. Overall the film was slightly jumbled and represented class through the use of stereotypes i.e. the 'progressive' prison governor and the patronising employer. A good film nonetheless.
helpful•70
- Andy-140
- Nov 25, 1998
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Die Einsamkeit des Langstreckenläufers
- Filming locations
- Riddlesdown Quarry, Whyteleafe, Surrey, England, UK(the view of the railway line and gas-holder)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 44 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.66 : 1
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Top Gap
By what name was The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962) officially released in Canada in English?
Answer