Boy and Bicycle

I saw this short film on the dvd for Ridley Scott's film, The Duellists. There was no introduction by Scott before the film, it just started right up.

Boy and a Bicycle is hardly an example of Ridley Scott's other work, it bears no resemblance. The film shows a boy, played by Tony Scott, riding around on a bicycle. Guess what? That's pretty all that happens. The boy rides around, rambling on and on with pointless, confusing dialogue. The film was shot in black and white, and since it was directed by Ridley Scott, I expected some cool cinematography or visually-striking sets. Instead, I was treated with nothing. This film isn't even good for a first effort. However, I recommend that any fan of Ridley Scott should check it out at least once.

This was Ridley Scott's very first filming attempt.I enjoyed it and can see how Scott was especially talented and suited to go on and have a very successful career. His demonstration of doing various types of shots is evidence that this film was a sample trial of what he was then learning about shooting using, angle, lighting, shadow and various textures of objects indoors and outdoors. His brother was focused and the narration thought provoking. Even if there were no voice over narration, the film positively demonstrates Scott's talents and abilities to go to be a groundbreaking film director. My understanding is Tony, his brother, was also a talent in the industry.

Once Ridley Scott got access to better equipment, we know he excelled at what he does best as evidenced by his long career of film-making. Blade Runner has got to be my favorite, but also enjoyed Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven.

These days, Ridley Scott is one of the top directors and producers and can command huge sums to helm movies--especially since he has films like ALIEN, GLADIATOR and BLADE RUNNER to his credit. So from this partial list of his credits, it's obvious he's an amazing talent. However, if you watch this very early effort that he made while in film school, you'd probably have a hard time telling that he was destined for greatness. That's because although it has some nice camera-work and style, the film is hopelessly dull and uninvolving. However, considering that it wasn't meant for general release and it was only a training ground, then I am disposed to looking at it charitably--hence the score of 4.

By the way, this film is part of the CINEMA 16: European Shorts DVD. On this DVD are 16 shorts. Most aren't great, though because it contains THE MAN WITHOUT A HEAD, COPY SHOP, RABBIT and WASP, it's an amazing DVD for lovers of short films and well worth buying.

Found as an extra on Ridley's fantastic feature debut, THE DUELLISTS, this short film is actually Ridley Scott's first completed work. Originally done during schooling, the student nature of the film is quite evident. Yet despite this, it is representative of Ridley's unconventional visual style, and his excellent eye for composition. This underrated director gives us stark visuals in black and white and using only natural light, making the film all that much more special. The narrative is somewhat obtuse, a peek into a young boy's thoughts as he rides around a small English town playing hooky. Definitely art house material, and thus not for everybody, but a must see for anyone with an interest in direction, cinematography or a die hard Ridley Scott fan. Almost as essential as THE DUELLISTS itself.

On a typically grey day in England, a young boy decides that school is not the place to be and heads out on his bicycle to hang around. He travels around the boardwalks, beaches, shops and closed fairgrounds of the town while we are allowed to listen to his inner thoughts as he wanders both physically and mentally. Written and directed by Ridley Scott in his first short film and starring his brother, mother and father.

Available on a DVD containing all manner of UK short films, this short was the first one I watched because I was curious to see an example of Scott's work in order to see if I could see the potential that had eventually led him to Hollywood. Visually I could see it. The film has plenty of shot framing and attention to detail that show Scott had a good eye for a shot, but not just for the sake of it. Many first shorts struggle because they are too obvious with tonnes of arty and clever shots which do not add to the film but rather just stand out as showmanship. However Scott doesn't fall into the same trap and I must admit that I was impressed by how he managed to be both visually interesting without detracting from the main story.

However the main story is not so solid that it can really be detracted from that much. We don't sure much have a narrative as we do a day out in the mind of a teenage boy. It is hardly ground breaking stuff but it is refreshingly free of teenage soul searching or stuff like that – no Tony's thoughts are more general wonderings and wanderings as he strolls around the place. It is maybe just as well that the dialogue is less important than the other aspects, because I personally found some of it quite hard to make out due to a mix of an average transfer and Tony's thick accent. Despite his accent, Tony comes across natural enough and maybe his brother being the director helped him just see it as a bit of fun, relaxing him.

Overall this is not a perfect short film by the standards that I apply to them. There is little narrative and the dialogue and performance is natural but a little dull and uninvolving. However what it does do is show the young Ridley Scott's comfort behind a camera and a seeming natural eye for a well framed shot and an attention to detail within his shots; he manages to deliver clever shots without taking away from the rest of the film. An interesting and enjoyable short film that is only made more interesting by the eventual careers of the two brothers.