Ajouter une intrigue dans votre langueThe life of a juvenile delinquent is threatened by his own incessant desire for trouble.The life of a juvenile delinquent is threatened by his own incessant desire for trouble.The life of a juvenile delinquent is threatened by his own incessant desire for trouble.
- Réalisation
- Scénario
- Casting principal
Johnny Briggs
- Skinny
- (as John Briggs)
Roy Bentley
- Football Coach
- (non crédité)
Marian Chapman
- Young Girl
- (non crédité)
Avis à la une
'Cosh Boy' (1953) - Lewis Gilbert.
Highly regarded writer/director Lewis Gilbert's gloomy, surprisingly gritty expose of violent opportunist street crime is certainly no less hard-hitting an experience today than upon its initial somewhat more controversial theatrical release in 1953. Due to Gilbert's tough-edged feature's rather blunt, relatively unfiltered examination of criminality it was granted an 'X' certificate, its abrasive depictions of anti-social teenage delinquency, petty larceny, violent street crime, and the increasingly criminal machinations of the gang's milk-faced, gimlet-eyed, plainly sociopathic gang leader Roy Walsh (John Kenney) and his greasily subservient entourage of shiftless, pallid-looking hoodlums were, perhaps, a little too vividly rendered for the time!
The existentially bleak 50s melodrama 'Cosh Boy' is a consistently fascinating thriller, being a remarkably grim, wholly unsympathetic view of teenage terror-twerp 'Walshie's' extraordinarily callous crime spree, his ill temper and frequent immorality seemingly boundless, robbing his own family, dispassionately getting his innocent girl (Joan Collins) in the family way, and fatefully shifting from a leather-bound cosh to a deadly firearm in the film's frantic, razor-edged, nerve-strafing climax! There are especially frank moments in the punchy narrative when it is almost as though Gilbert is foreshadowing the socially conscious, agitprop cinema of Alan Clarke and Ken Loach, since his intense young protagonist Kenney roils with the similarly splenetic rage of a young Gary Oldman! 'Cosh Boy' is far more than a nostalgic cinematic curiosity, aggressively maintaining a dark febrile energy undiminished by time with the breathtakingly beautiful Joan Collins expressing a heart-wrenching fragility as the naïve Rene Collins.
Highly regarded writer/director Lewis Gilbert's gloomy, surprisingly gritty expose of violent opportunist street crime is certainly no less hard-hitting an experience today than upon its initial somewhat more controversial theatrical release in 1953. Due to Gilbert's tough-edged feature's rather blunt, relatively unfiltered examination of criminality it was granted an 'X' certificate, its abrasive depictions of anti-social teenage delinquency, petty larceny, violent street crime, and the increasingly criminal machinations of the gang's milk-faced, gimlet-eyed, plainly sociopathic gang leader Roy Walsh (John Kenney) and his greasily subservient entourage of shiftless, pallid-looking hoodlums were, perhaps, a little too vividly rendered for the time!
The existentially bleak 50s melodrama 'Cosh Boy' is a consistently fascinating thriller, being a remarkably grim, wholly unsympathetic view of teenage terror-twerp 'Walshie's' extraordinarily callous crime spree, his ill temper and frequent immorality seemingly boundless, robbing his own family, dispassionately getting his innocent girl (Joan Collins) in the family way, and fatefully shifting from a leather-bound cosh to a deadly firearm in the film's frantic, razor-edged, nerve-strafing climax! There are especially frank moments in the punchy narrative when it is almost as though Gilbert is foreshadowing the socially conscious, agitprop cinema of Alan Clarke and Ken Loach, since his intense young protagonist Kenney roils with the similarly splenetic rage of a young Gary Oldman! 'Cosh Boy' is far more than a nostalgic cinematic curiosity, aggressively maintaining a dark febrile energy undiminished by time with the breathtakingly beautiful Joan Collins expressing a heart-wrenching fragility as the naïve Rene Collins.
It's a shame that COSH BOY (strangely re-titled THE SLASHER) is so extremely dated, holding back what's promised by the edgy image of British teen actor James Kenney as a street thug "teddy boy" (name of youth gangs in England)... because Kenney not only delivers his dialogue strongly, but listens just as intensely...
Too bad most of his words are aimed at his dotting mother, about to marry a man who can't wait to punish her oldest son... and she's more important than the fellow gang members, who sporadically hit the streets to "cosh" (violently mug) their victims...
On the peripheral is a romance with Joan Collins, injecting the kind of wispy hysterics to suit what's ultimately more a melodrama with crime genre elements than the sleek crime-noir it could/should have been instead...
Yet despite the flaws, director Lewis Gilbert, during the few scenes that matter involving the young gang working together before turning on each other, brings the viewer straight into the action... that is, when the distractions haven't taken over, in this case, almost entirely.
Too bad most of his words are aimed at his dotting mother, about to marry a man who can't wait to punish her oldest son... and she's more important than the fellow gang members, who sporadically hit the streets to "cosh" (violently mug) their victims...
On the peripheral is a romance with Joan Collins, injecting the kind of wispy hysterics to suit what's ultimately more a melodrama with crime genre elements than the sleek crime-noir it could/should have been instead...
Yet despite the flaws, director Lewis Gilbert, during the few scenes that matter involving the young gang working together before turning on each other, brings the viewer straight into the action... that is, when the distractions haven't taken over, in this case, almost entirely.
"Cosh Boy" (also known as "The Slasher") is an incredibly Oedipal picture that takes advantage of post-war worries that the youth were running amok. It begins with Roy Walsh and a friend committing a mugging (a 'cosh') and soon getting caught. They are placed on probation and Roy acts very contrite and decent in court...and almost immediately after, he's planning his next crimes! His idea is to use the Youth Club his probation officer wants him to attend. He and his gang will go there...and use it as a cover for their criminal activities. In the process, Roy discovers a pretty young lady (Joan Collins)...who he treats like dirt.
Through the course of the film, Roy continually ups the ante--with his criminal behaviors getting worse and worse. He clearly is without a redeeming quality...though his co-dependent mother makes excuses for him. The only one who sees right through the punk is his mother's boyfriend...he knows that Roy needs a very firm hand. But here is where it gets rather Freudian...as Roy throws a weird temper tantrum and swears no one will have his mother as she is HIS! What's next? See this weird little film.
James Kenney is quite good as Roy--snarling, nasty and incredibly two- faced..as well as hopelessly in love with his mother..though he and his mum don't seem to realize it. My biggest complaint, however, is that the film tries to say that who Roy is turns out to be because he has a super-permissive mother. In fact, the preachy prologue says exactly that! Oversimplified to say the least! Overall, it's not a great film at all...but it IS entertaining and worth seeing!
By the way, although the film seems very tame by modern standards, it received the brand new X-rating--which was very unusual for the 1950s. Perhaps this was because the film talks about teenage pregnancy and is a tad violent...all of which would lead to a PG or PG-13 rating today.
"Get up you little rat...you're making me sick!!!"--best line in the film.
Through the course of the film, Roy continually ups the ante--with his criminal behaviors getting worse and worse. He clearly is without a redeeming quality...though his co-dependent mother makes excuses for him. The only one who sees right through the punk is his mother's boyfriend...he knows that Roy needs a very firm hand. But here is where it gets rather Freudian...as Roy throws a weird temper tantrum and swears no one will have his mother as she is HIS! What's next? See this weird little film.
James Kenney is quite good as Roy--snarling, nasty and incredibly two- faced..as well as hopelessly in love with his mother..though he and his mum don't seem to realize it. My biggest complaint, however, is that the film tries to say that who Roy is turns out to be because he has a super-permissive mother. In fact, the preachy prologue says exactly that! Oversimplified to say the least! Overall, it's not a great film at all...but it IS entertaining and worth seeing!
By the way, although the film seems very tame by modern standards, it received the brand new X-rating--which was very unusual for the 1950s. Perhaps this was because the film talks about teenage pregnancy and is a tad violent...all of which would lead to a PG or PG-13 rating today.
"Get up you little rat...you're making me sick!!!"--best line in the film.
Interesting film. It was filmed in Leamore Street in Hammersmith. My Mum lived there. The film crew gave them ice creams and skipping ropes to play in the background of some scenes (though on a quick look through the film, I didn't see much of this). The beginning shows them running down a high street and I suspect this was the main street in Hammersmith.I have just bought it for my Mum's 70th birthday as she had never seen the film due to it being an X and of course, there were no DVD/Video recorders in those days!Feels a bit over acted in places, but an interesting historical document of life in the 1950s. Joan Collins is impressive though.
This was known in England as "Cosh Boy."
A cosh is a blackjack or bludgeon and cosh means mugging someone.
Nice performance by James Kenney as a juvenile delinquent who runs a gang that beats up little old ladies and steals their money. Kenney played the lead on the London stage and does an excellent job.
He becomes involved with one of the gang members' sister (Joan Collins) with disastrous results.
Both of the Hermoines are in this film. Gingold looked like a drag queen.
Post-war juvenile delinquency was going on everywhere, including Britain.
Amazing to see 20-year-old Joan Collins, who as of this writing is still with us 70 years later. The film is worth it just for that.
A cosh is a blackjack or bludgeon and cosh means mugging someone.
Nice performance by James Kenney as a juvenile delinquent who runs a gang that beats up little old ladies and steals their money. Kenney played the lead on the London stage and does an excellent job.
He becomes involved with one of the gang members' sister (Joan Collins) with disastrous results.
Both of the Hermoines are in this film. Gingold looked like a drag queen.
Post-war juvenile delinquency was going on everywhere, including Britain.
Amazing to see 20-year-old Joan Collins, who as of this writing is still with us 70 years later. The film is worth it just for that.
Le saviez-vous
- AnecdotesRoy Bentley, at the time Captain of Chelsea Football Club, and an England international, has a small, uncredited role as an instructor.
- GaffesIn the draughts game, Walshy's opponent makes two moves before Walshy makes one. The position of the pieces at the end of the scene reflect a different game to the one they appear to have played, especially as they do not seem to have moved any pieces during their conversation other than the first three moves.
- Citations
Police Sergeant: How would you describe the men who attacked you?
Queenie: As dirty lot of stinking rotten sons of...
Police Sergeant: Alright, alright. What did they look like?
Queenie: 'Ow the hell should I know? D'you suppose they came up and raised their bloomin' 'ats before they 'it me?
Police Sergeant: [filling in a form] No description...
- Crédits fousOpening credits prologue: By itself, the "Cosh" is the cowardly implement of a contemporary evil; in association with "Boy", it marks a post-war tragedy - the juvenile delinquent. "Cosh Boy" portrays starkly the development of a young criminal, an enemy of society at sixteen. Our Judges and Magistrates, and the Police, whose stern duty it is to resolve the problem, agree that its origins lie mainly in the lack of parental control and early discipline. The problem exists - and we cannot escape it by closing our eyes. This film is presented in the hope that it will contribute towards stamping out this social evil.
- ConnexionsFeatured in Mike Baldwin & Me (2001)
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Détails
- Date de sortie
- Pays d’origine
- Langue
- Aussi connu sous le nom de
- The Slasher
- Lieux de tournage
- Riverside Studios, Hammersmith, Londres, Angleterre, Royaume-Uni(studio: Riverside Studios Hammersmith)
- Sociétés de production
- Voir plus de crédits d'entreprise sur IMDbPro
- Durée1 heure 15 minutes
- Couleur
- Rapport de forme
- 1.37 : 1
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