Scum: 2-disc Collectors Edition

Starring: Mick Ford, Ray Winstone Original UK Premiere: 1977 Dvd Release: 13th June, 2005 Number Of Discs: 2 Format: Box set, PAL, Region 2 Encoding

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Scum is a film made in 1979 portraying the brutality of life inside a British borstal. Directed by Alan Clarke & starring Ray Winstone, Mick Ford, Martin Philips, Davidson Knight, John Blundell & Phil Daniels, it tells the story of a young offender named Carlin as he arrives at the institution & his swift rise to become The Daddy. The film is critical of the borstal system & caused much controversy when first shown. Some felt it should be banned, while others felt that it should be required viewing. The film is violent, with a vicious male rape scene that leads to the suicide of the victim. The warders & convicts alike are brutalised by the system. There is no attempt at rehabilitation, the inmates are simply locked away & left to their own devices. The story was originally made for the BBC s Play for Today strand in 1977 but was not shown at the time, although the BBC version has been broadcast since. Two years later director Alan Clarke & scriptwriter Roy Minton remade it as a film, which was then shown on Channel 4 in 1983, by which time the borstal system had been abolished.

If you want brutal viewing, look no further as they dont come any more so than Scum. American History X has its moments, Romper Stomper is rougher round the edges, but neither are a patch on this gritty, in-yer-face British drama of the late 1970s. Id seen the theatrical version a few times, but the TV version was new to me & it was well worth it. Rather than being a different cut to the theatrical version, its a completely different production with different actors for some of the characters, different sets & different nuances to the storyline.

Definitely not for the sqeamish, the violence is as real as out on the street - Ive seen violence for real & this captures the raw energy without even a hint of glamour or heroism usually associated with violence on film. Its harsh, brutal, no non-sense stuff.

Id definitely recommend getting this 2-disc set even if you have the single disk version - comparing the two versions is invaluable. A definite classic in violent film.

Raymond Andrew Winstone, better known as Ray Winstone, is a British actor. He met his wife, Elaine, while filming That Summer ; they have three daughters. As a boy, Winstone trained as a boxer. He won the London Schoolboy Championship three times & twice represented England. After leaving school he gave up boxing & studied drama at Corona School in Hammersmith, where he spent one year before being asked to leave. Winstone talked his way into an audition with the BBC for a 1977 play called Scum. He was cast in a leading role, but the play was judged unsuitable by the BBC & was not shown until 1991. In 1979, the play was turned into a film, with Winstone playing a tough newcomer to a borstal. Winstones role in Scum seems to have set a mould for many of his other parts; he is frequently cast as a tough or violent man. His film roles have included parts in Quadrophenia, That Summer, Ladybird Ladybird, Nil by Mouth, Face, Sexy Beast & Ripleys Game. Winstone has also been cast against type in some films in which he reveals a softer side. Posters Of Ray Winstone

Editors Choice: Ripleys Game, Sexy Beast, The Proposition, Face, Shes Gone, Final Cut, Henry Viii, Nil By Mouth, View DVDology

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