The potting shed scene was brutal. Even though I went to niters, carried drugs, took drugs. Never done anything that would warrant a stint n after seeing that, thought fuck that.
Watched it in Australia as an expat lad, the fact there was no musical score sank in days later. This was the darkest movie I'd seen at 18 years of age and I'd been dreaming of the Mother country. I could almost smell the coal burning...
One of my claims to fame is when I met Ray Winstone. Many years ago me and my best mate has a job playing background music in a restaurant in Manchester. One night Ray Winstone came in for a meal. I remember him listening to us playing intently and applauding us even though it was just really background music.. when he was leaving the restaurant he walked upto me as I was playing guitar and put 20quid in my shirt pocket and thanked us and I nodded back to him and then he left. He was a real gentleman
Scum is one of the best films I ever seen, its so gritty, if you like that, you'll love made in britain too. I really love those gritty 70's 80's borstal, prison type things from the UK.
I was about 10 years old and lived in South London then,one of the things that stands out to me about Scum now is a lot of the attitudes,accent body language etc is so authentic it really takes me back..I had a number of mates that had older brothers in borstal, its quite poignant looking back one of my mates Darren's older brother was a single mum with terrible nerves and Darren and his mum used to joke affectionately about how clumsy the brother/son was because he was always having "accidents" and getting injuries in borstal falling over things etc..but even at that age me and my mate Darren would look at each other knowing full well these weren't accidents,they were pretty lies to protect his mum that she knew deep down weren't true
Ray has that rare magic quality that all actors want, a magnetic presence on camera. But his magnetism has another quality as well, menace... A dark sense of a predator on the prowl, pent up fury barely contained. You feel that all his characters have a real history and that they carry heavy mental burdens. There are many people out there wanting, craving, to be professional actors, but all the drama school training in the world won't give you a magnetic presence if it doesn't already exist. Richard Burton had it too.
I remember going to the cinema in 1979 to see 'Scum' when it first came out - and being totally blown away. It particularly resonated with me because one of my best mates ['Andy'] got sent to borstal for breaking into a chemists. [in fact, my twin brother and I were supposed to meet with him and our other mates - but couldn't make it! We didn't know they were planning to break into a chemists - but it was an incredibly lucky escape!] 'Andy' reminded me a lot of a young Ray Winstone - he was a very strong, powerful kid, as he worked in a butchers and developed his physique humping all the heavy carcasses about. He could really handle himself, and you didn't mess with him. Despite that, he was a sort of 'gentle giant' and would always shy away from trouble if possible. But I remember him telling me when I went to see him after he was sentenced, that he just wanted to do 'his time' quietly and get on with the rest of his life. The problem was that being such a strong, powerful kid, the other inmates targeted him and gave him a lot of hassle. So as with Winstone's character in the film, 'Andy' went after the 'Big Daddy', grabbed him and literally picked him up, held him against the wall and told him to back off! He never had any more trouble after that.
Disagree with Winstone's conclusion. He's right that the younger cast adds more authenticity to the film's premise, and the set used in the 1977 version is a lot bleaker and cramped, giving a more claustrophobic mise-en-scene, but I think the overall casting and cinematography in the 1979 film is superior.
Im an American and this is 1 of my favorite movies…… they things wer in the borstools wer very different yet very similar to wat we have in the U.S. of course laws r supposed to change but wen I was In Juvenile detention centers in Philly/Camden as a kid it was still the same amount of abuse…… by inmates and staff
No way would you want to end up in borstal after watching scum , john judd was terrifying , i was 18 at the time and remember thinking thank god i wasnt one of the unlucky ones
While the film i think is better, i totally get what he means. Just seen the BBC version relatively recently, and everyone does look so much younger in it, so it really adds to it in many ways. That been said the final film is superior.
Nah, the film version is better largely because of the casting. The BBC version was indeed ''grittier'' but that doesn't make it better, imo. Bad language was censored in the original and the violence was diluted. The prison guards portrayed their roles better in the film version too.
This film was true as It was wen i was in borstel in the 70s every thing about this film happened from the open minnet to the end army style they wear brutal the fights food and the screws they had you marching all day long yes you was on report for farting I saw beatings assault death today is a holiday camp
I remember seeing a thing about how the film was made on here. How the riot scene they really got in to it and the crew etc tried get out lol it mentioned how some the guys in film were real offenders. Arh forget the name of it the actors were just talking about how scum was made it was mentle. Anyone know the video send me. Cheers
Davis had it coming to him in the greenhouse. ..when those 3 fine young fellows merely wanted a 5 minute smoke break to be greeted by davis with " what you want?"... The bloody cheek...no wonder prisoners behave the way they do when its full of wind up merchants like young davis..the hoodlum
Ray Winstone. Along with people like Bernard Cribbins - The Real Actual National Treasures. Thing is, why haven't they been knighted? Don't tell me people abroad don't go to see a film when they see Mr.Winstone's name on the poster. Of course they do. If that is not drumming up business for Britannia Inc. Then I don't know what is. So, there you go then. For services to the British Film Industry. Thank You.
Yes 1977 it's a bit shorter than the film version it was filmed for the BBC but was banned because it upset too many people. Few changes to some of the characters ( different actors) less violence but still good. I saw both the other week on the same day. Still prefer the film ( i believe that was 1979) Carlin is also gay in the 1977 BBC version and has a ' missus' lol.
@@neilreed6675 well main reason being it would have been highly out of tune with the real borstal, three murdered inmates at the hands of the screws wouldn't happen, a savage beating was easy to hide. The warden is saying as tragic as the suicides were it doesn't warrant the revolt that took place, Carling an co were beaten not dying 👍
Only in Britain could a film be banned for showing the truth, and yet the children (people who are not allowed to vote, buy alcohol, but can be forced to fight and die in war, or have the shit kicked out of them in Borstals and Detention centres.) can continue to be abused, as long as no one finds out.
I was lucky enough not to do Borstal . would have hated doing Life . that said I know for a fact this was understated certainly not exaggerated . many Scum in prisons have never been convicted of any crime THEY WEAR UNIFORMS . see Allan Marshall Scottish prisoner 2015 .may he rest in peace ..
The BBC version is better and at least the language is mild in comparison to the 1979 version. Also, the acting is better and more realistic. I really felt sorry for the way young men were treated in the borstal and it is not nice, no wonder they get more angrier at the way they are treated.
The problem was the system wasn't interested in rehabilitation for young prisoners. On paper it did, but really these places were just punishment farms, where the system employed violent and sadistic men to exercise their own demons by making life hell for the inmates.
I'm 52 was in detention centres lol was nt like that you don't talk fart eat sleep sit breath unless told simple n only hiding s were screws to lads age 14 to 17 I had my 16th bday in there lol 😅 And no association trust , had be 5 was n get red tie n badge n then that was crap lol 5 mins getting ping pong s for screws , n trust was whole place no exception s
