Boy and Bicycle

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.