Del and his friends agree to take part in a robbery with a boy fresh from the borstal. When Del falls in love with Irene they decide to run away from their nagging parents - and the law.Del and his friends agree to take part in a robbery with a boy fresh from the borstal. When Del falls in love with Irene they decide to run away from their nagging parents - and the law.Del and his friends agree to take part in a robbery with a boy fresh from the borstal. When Del falls in love with Irene they decide to run away from their nagging parents - and the law.
Geoffrey Wincott
- Geoff
- (as Geoff Wincott)
- Director
- Writer
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Currently an offering on Criterion (8/2024). Recent restoration actually produced a rather beautiful piece of film. Non-actors working from a non-script seems to somehow capture the times better than if it had been a carefully crafted story. Almost cinema-virite, almost documentary style most like a collection of home movies from 1970. Or better yet what the world (East end London) would have looked like with YouTube and camera phones in 1970. Seems like something that should be taught in film school which is saying something about a film rescued from a dumpster/bin. This ain't Hollywood and this ain't got no happy ending but that isn't what film is all about.
I went to a viewing of this in Brighton, UK at which the director, Barney Platts-Mills, and one actor, Roy Haywood, was present. tidbits regarding the film: it cost £18k (at 1969 prices) under budget of £20k.
All the actors were untrained and this was their first piece of acting.
Some of the actors were tearaway kids who engaged in theft in real life. They stole filming equipment from the set not realising its value, and that by doing so they threatened the films production.
Martin Scorsese has a 16mm print of the film in his private collection and regards it highly. The original negative was nearly thrown away when the film company went bankrupt but it was recovered from a rubbish pile by an attentive employee.
The director said that he preferred untrained actors to trained ones because they didn't ad-lib or interpret their roles: they played it straight from the script and that this was the reason for the extreme minimalism of the performances. For them it wasn't an exciting filmic opportunity it was, Roy Haywood said, "just a job - not exciting - just a way to earn money". The director said that that made their performances special.
Platts-Mills said that the main theme of the film, which most critics missed, was "why shouldn't a 15 year old girl sleep with those who she wishes to?"
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The film's title "Bronco Bullfrog" refers to the thief who escaped from borstal and had to make his way in the world whilst on the run by engaging in theft. He does not play the major role in the film however. That goes to Del and Anne a young couple who meet in the deprived environment of Stratford in East London where there is little for kids to do and where they have no money. Their relationship strengthens and they attempt to escape their limiting environment by running away to the coast.
The films has its comic moments often driven by the utterly spartan & anorexic dialog. Conversations that would occupy tens of minutes of naff method-overacting in a Hollywood film are dispatched in two or three words: for example when the couple meet for the first time and agree to date the entire conversation is: "Del:do you want to go out? Anne:Yea, OK".
These are kids who are adrift and going nowhere. The plot is an engaging slice into their life and a unique fusion of drama and social documentary: unlike anything else made.
All the actors were untrained and this was their first piece of acting.
Some of the actors were tearaway kids who engaged in theft in real life. They stole filming equipment from the set not realising its value, and that by doing so they threatened the films production.
Martin Scorsese has a 16mm print of the film in his private collection and regards it highly. The original negative was nearly thrown away when the film company went bankrupt but it was recovered from a rubbish pile by an attentive employee.
The director said that he preferred untrained actors to trained ones because they didn't ad-lib or interpret their roles: they played it straight from the script and that this was the reason for the extreme minimalism of the performances. For them it wasn't an exciting filmic opportunity it was, Roy Haywood said, "just a job - not exciting - just a way to earn money". The director said that that made their performances special.
Platts-Mills said that the main theme of the film, which most critics missed, was "why shouldn't a 15 year old girl sleep with those who she wishes to?"
-----
The film's title "Bronco Bullfrog" refers to the thief who escaped from borstal and had to make his way in the world whilst on the run by engaging in theft. He does not play the major role in the film however. That goes to Del and Anne a young couple who meet in the deprived environment of Stratford in East London where there is little for kids to do and where they have no money. Their relationship strengthens and they attempt to escape their limiting environment by running away to the coast.
The films has its comic moments often driven by the utterly spartan & anorexic dialog. Conversations that would occupy tens of minutes of naff method-overacting in a Hollywood film are dispatched in two or three words: for example when the couple meet for the first time and agree to date the entire conversation is: "Del:do you want to go out? Anne:Yea, OK".
These are kids who are adrift and going nowhere. The plot is an engaging slice into their life and a unique fusion of drama and social documentary: unlike anything else made.
Proof if it were needed that not everything was bright and shiny for everyone in those infamous 'swinging sixties'. Here a largely improvised series of incidents is filmed on location in Stratford and Greenwich. The second half with the girlfriend and vague plans to leave home is more successful that the first mainly centred around a robbery at a goods marshalling yard but the whole has a likeable enough rolling gait to it that feels authentic enough. Ironic of course that the lack of acting ability tends to give the impression of inauthenticity. Fortunately the essential good nature of the participants and the reliance on location shooting ensures that this is far more interesting than it might have been had it been over rehearsed and shot in a studio. Lots of fabulous shots of a less than fabulous Stratford of the time and now almost all replaced. Most of the war torn and.prefab strewn streets were soon to be built on and more recently the Olympic Park would smooth out and gentrify much of the rest. The short sequence at the end of the film is particularly interesting showing the Greenwich foot tunnel and the riverside power station. Both are still in use but the ships seen alongside and the working docks beyond are long gone. Not the finest film in the world but a valuable document of late sixties east London and pleasant enough watch.
Made in 1969 for the price of a second hand bike (more or less) this film is all about being young and having nowt. Del is working in a factory when he meets the teenage Anne and his hormones take over and he just wants to be with her. He does have a motor bike though and can afford the odd bag of chips. He also has some mates and one of these is Bronco Bullfrog.
Bronco is a bit of a legend as he has been in borstal and has returned to his old haunts and habits because he has nowhere else to go. This is a kitchen sink drama – without the sink. It was made by Barney Platts – Mills with a cast of non actors in order to keep the costs down. What he has come up with is a great little film and a rather nice time capsule on the sixties just where we were going to tip into the optimistic seventies and the fashions certainly reflect that.
He has loads of little things here that were ordinary then, but have been lost to the mists of time – like getting one person into the cinema then they let everyone else in through the fire exit – brilliant. This is not a great film of itself it but there is so much here to admire and appreciate that it becomes the sum of its parts and is a rewarding watch for it. A testament to a lost Britain.
Bronco is a bit of a legend as he has been in borstal and has returned to his old haunts and habits because he has nowhere else to go. This is a kitchen sink drama – without the sink. It was made by Barney Platts – Mills with a cast of non actors in order to keep the costs down. What he has come up with is a great little film and a rather nice time capsule on the sixties just where we were going to tip into the optimistic seventies and the fashions certainly reflect that.
He has loads of little things here that were ordinary then, but have been lost to the mists of time – like getting one person into the cinema then they let everyone else in through the fire exit – brilliant. This is not a great film of itself it but there is so much here to admire and appreciate that it becomes the sum of its parts and is a rewarding watch for it. A testament to a lost Britain.
Given that the people behind the camera would have been trained in their skills why should this not apply to the actors I front of the camera.There is really no story and the dialogue is terse.This though does not prevent long scenes with little pace or purpose..All in all a pointless exercise
Did you know
- TriviaThe film's certificate was changed in the UK from 12 to 15. This is rumoured to come from a very brief appearance of the word "cunt" in graffiti, which might have been missed by the BBFC originally. This is also one of the first appearances of the word in mainstream cinema.
- GoofsAs the boys jump over the counter early in the movie, the reflection of a crew member standing with his arms folded can be clearly seen on the left side just above the counter.
- SoundtracksDarkness All Around
performed by The Audience
UK RPM/Cherry Red 511
Details
Box office
- Budget
- £18,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $13,171
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $3,452
- Mar 27, 2022
- Gross worldwide
- $13,171
- Runtime1 hour 26 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
- 1.66 : 1
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