Boy and Bicycle is available on the DVD of Scott's excellent feature debut, The Duellists. It is an abstract, stream-of-consciousness journey into the mind of "The Boy," played by Scott's younger brother Tony. While it may seem like not much happens as we follow Tony through the streets of a smallish English industrial town, the sensation of being inside his head, hearing the sometimes nonsensical interior monologue of a young teenager playing hooky becomes almost hypnotic after a while.
What really stands out about this short film is the early development of Ridley Scott's visual style. His shot composition is amazing for a first effort; Scott is able to use The Boy's surroundings, both natural and man-made, to frame his subject skillfully and direct the viewer's eye to the precise details he wants to emphasize.The black-and-white photography really helps to accent the details of The Boy's surroundings. Scott also is not afraid to experiment with camera angles, using high or low angle shots to capture The Boy from angles that are at once strange but also oddly natural, all the while keeping in mind the fascinating geometry of whatever might be found in the background.
All told, this is a fascinating film that succeeds in transporting the viewer into The Boy's interior world. It is beautifully shot, as one would expect from Ridley Scott. However, it is also in many ways abstract and lacks a conventional narrative structure, which is a bit unexpected and a pleasant surprise from a director who is from time to time unfairly labeled as a maker of big, loud, conventional action pictures.
