IMDb RATING
7.1/10
1.1K
YOUR RATING
In 1948, a socially awkward cricket-obsessed London schoolboy wants to kiss a classmate, his co-star in a play.In 1948, a socially awkward cricket-obsessed London schoolboy wants to kiss a classmate, his co-star in a play.In 1948, a socially awkward cricket-obsessed London schoolboy wants to kiss a classmate, his co-star in a play.
- Nominated for 3 BAFTA Awards
- 3 nominations total
Christopher Karallis
- Shaz
- (as Chris Karallis)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
1948. 14-year-old Alan Duckworth dreams of playing cricket for England and of kissing Ann Lawton, a classmate. She is oblivious to his infatuation and only has eyes for Geoffrey, the class heartthrob. It seems Alan's dreams will forever be dashed but then fate intervenes.
A sweet, funny coming-of-age film. Solid, entertaining plot and engaging characters and heaps of nostalgia make for a great movie. You can't watch this without thinking of your own school days and relating to Alan's priorities and predicament.
It's not just about the kids: the adults' sub-plots are very entertaining too. These also bring up some interesting themes.
Solid performances from the (largely) young cast.
A sweet, funny coming-of-age film. Solid, entertaining plot and engaging characters and heaps of nostalgia make for a great movie. You can't watch this without thinking of your own school days and relating to Alan's priorities and predicament.
It's not just about the kids: the adults' sub-plots are very entertaining too. These also bring up some interesting themes.
Solid performances from the (largely) young cast.
An enjoyable movie, without a doubt, and very evocative of both its era and that very particular stage in any boy's 'rites of passage'. But I have to say that having read the very positive comments here, I was a bit disappointed. The period was captured, but the plot was desperately thin. The whole thing revolves around the most egregious bit of miscasting in the history of school plays. The idea that quack quack would ever be chosen to play not only one of only three star turns, but a philanderer, is risible. And without that, nada. The sub-plots bore no relation that I could see to the main plot - all of them could be removed in their entirety without in any way affecting the main story - which surely suggests a fundamental flaw. When all your sub-plots look like padding, you know a central idea is being stretched beyond its limits. Nevertheless, it's a benign movie with its heart in the right place, there are some fine performances, and you just get the feeling that everyone involved felt deflated at the final 'cut!' That good feeling permeates the film. And that has to count for something. A flawed really quite good movie. 7 out of 10.
Postwar England, the dawn of the "atomic age". Yet, the worries of a young schoolboy yearning to experience his first "kiss" cannot be derailed by something as inconsequential as THE BOMB. This was a delightful if not educational look at young love from the vantage point of an adolescent male and his world of the
1940's. Free of political correctness and preachy messages, this film exposes the viewer to the world that only the mind (and
hormones) of a young teenager can create. Wonderful subplots
maintain character interest ala "Gregory's Girl", and plenty
of well blocked shots help keep up the imagery of this era. This is a very good story for anyone, young or old, who has
ever been in love, or ever wanted to be. Does he ever get his wish? Watch it and see.
1940's. Free of political correctness and preachy messages, this film exposes the viewer to the world that only the mind (and
hormones) of a young teenager can create. Wonderful subplots
maintain character interest ala "Gregory's Girl", and plenty
of well blocked shots help keep up the imagery of this era. This is a very good story for anyone, young or old, who has
ever been in love, or ever wanted to be. Does he ever get his wish? Watch it and see.
There is a great danger when you watch a film that had had such a profound affect on you the first time around , that 20 years later , it wont hold the same magic as it did before. I must admit i wasnt expecting it to be as good as i remembered but a was pleasently suprised. P'tang Yang Kipperbang is still as fantastic as i remember it when i was a 12 year old .This film has a certain type of brilliance that not many films possess. It is engrossing , it is briliantly acted and best of all it makes me feel like a kid again and there isnt many things that can do that. John Albasiny and Abigail Cruttenden's rolls in this film are 1st class and i had forgotten how good they were until now. I urge any parent of teenagers to sit them down and watch this and see if it has the same affect on them as it did on me. P'TANG YANG KIPPERBANG EEHHH! 10 out of 10.
This sweet, breezy, coming of age/first kiss movie follows the trials and tribulations of Alan "Quack-Quack" Duckworth, a likable young teenager going through his first crush. Set in post WWII Britian, Alan has his public love of Cricket, and his secret puppy-love for classmate Ann Laughton, who barely tolerates his existence. And just as Baseball (or Cricket) can throw you a curve ball, Alan gets his curve ball in the the form of an iron-clad opportunity to kiss the girl of his dreams. But will "Quack-Quack" be able to step up to the plate and fulfill his dream? Well, get a hold of this little gem of a movie and find out. Great supporting cast of his Teacher and Headmaster, his schoolyard chums, and Tommy the Groundskeeper , whom Alan admires, but whom might throw Alan yet another curve ball. All in all, an entertaining movie that I highly recommend.
Did you know
- TriviaOne of the very first Film4 productions, an offshoot of the UK's then new Channel 4 which essentially revolutionized the British film industry by making a series of relatively cheap films which would air on the TV channel several months after their cinema release. This new style of production brought such resounding successes as Paris, Texas (1984), Bons baisers de Liverpool (1985), My Beautiful Laundrette (1985), 4 mariages et 1 enterrement (1994), Fish and chips (1999) and 12 Years a Slave (2013).
- GoofsWhen Alan, Ann and Geoffrey walk home from school after rehearsing for the school play, the top deck of a modern (probably late 1970s) double-decker bus is visible at the far end of the alley. In the same scene, opposite the side-road that leads to the alley, is a modern Warboys-design (post-1964) "no cycling" sign.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Timeshift: Jack Rosenthal: The Voice of Television Drama (2004)
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- First Love: P'tang, Yang, Kipperbang
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