This film is part of Free
Boy and Bicycle
Ridley Scott's first film features his younger brother, the late Tony Scott, as a schoolboy playing truant for the day to meander around Hartlepool on his bicycle, lost in his own thoughts.
Drama 1965 28 mins
Overview
Ridley Scott’s first film – featuring his younger brother, the late Tony Scott, as a schoolboy playing truant for the day to meander around Hartlepool on his bicycle – is a far cry from the director’s Hollywood blockbusters, a lyrical and highly personal evocation of the early sixties North East.
Taking inspiration from James Joyce’s Ulysses, Scott employs a stream of consciousness that reveals the everyday thoughts and frustrations of the teenage schoolboy. Scott shot in black and white on a Bolex 16mm cine-camera while studying photography at the Royal College of Art in London in 1962. In post-production, Scott was able to secure a score from John Barry, with the composer recording an original piece after being impressed with the young filmmaker’s work.
Contains mild language and one image of a dead dog.Related
Freewheeling
Rider!
Government sponsored film 1945 4 mins
Cycling stunts and sight gags in a music hall curio.
Phillips Bicycles - Publicity Films for West Africa
Industry sponsored film 1954 5 mins Silent
From the West Midlands to West Africa: tour the Phillips bicycle plant in Smethwick and see the products in action overseas.
Raleigh: Alan Oakley
Documentary 1980 26 mins
Alan Oakley is the man that gave Britain the iconic Raleigh Chopper bike. This 1980 profile finds him moving from drawing board to boardroom.
Raleigh: Fred Mitchell
Documentary 1980 26 mins Location: Nottingham
Industrial relations and management's 'pound of flesh', on the shop floor of a large engineering firm in Nottingham.
Rudge-Whitworth - Britain's Best Bicycle
Advert 1902 1 mins Silent
A gentleman cyclist learns the error of his ways in one of the earliest surviving British film advertisements.
Riding on Air
Documentary 1959 16 mins Location: London
A beautiful and evocative survey of cycling's golden years.
Hartlepool
Bellamy on Beer
Promotional 1982 9 mins Location: Hartlepool
David Bellamy puts his head into hops, then into a fermenting tank, watches it mash into wort and has a pint – all grist to our engaging presenter.
Hartlepool Sleeper Depot
Industry sponsored film 1957 13 mins Silent Location: Hartlepool
The life of a railway sleeper is not an easy one, and here they get prepared for the rain, the snow and ice, and the thousands of tons of steel hurtling over them, day in day out.
Opening of West Hartlepool Airport
Home movie 1939 8 mins Silent Location: Hartlepool
A red letter day for Hartlepool aviation as the Secretary of State for Air opens a new civic airport at Greatham on the brink of World War Two.
Todd Yard Docks
Home movie 1937 4 mins Silent Location: Hartlepool
A memorable glimpse at the industrial docks and timber yards of West Hartlepool in the 30s.
Hartlepool Rovers' Diamond Jubilee Rugby Match with Bob Oakes
Amateur film 1939 17 mins Silent Location: Hartlepool
Rare footage of Rugby Union legend Bob Oakes and his International XV team in action against Hartlepool Rovers.
Coast of Commerce
Documentary 1962 27 mins Location: Whitby
Take a revealing tour along a coast of contrasts, from the folksy freshness of Whitby to the coaly Tyne, queen of all rivers.
New
Slug Life
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2018 7 mins
A curious woman creates her own perfect partner, a beautiful, talking giant slug.
The Penguin Who Couldn't Swim
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2018 2 mins
A disabled penguin feels isolated from the rest of her colony.
Uki
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2018 2 mins
A short stop-frame animation following a lonely Inuit who struggles to survive after an oil tanker leaks oil off the coast of Alaska, killing all the wildlife in the area.
Meteorlight
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2018 10 mins
Sci-fi animation set in an alien world. When a child discovers a dark secret at their father's factory, they must choose between what is right and what is easy.
O, Hunter Heart
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2018 2 mins
Nature and domesticity collide in this dark love story featuring stop-motion puppets.
\\_sleeper
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2018 7 mins
The story of Frank, a recluse who wakes each day to a strange anomaly.