This film is part of Free
The Contact
Spot the film and soap stars of the future as John Hurt plays a disabled teenager befriended by some biker boys.
Overview
Two decades before he starred as The Elephant Man, a disabled teenager played by John Hurt is befriended by some bikers who welcome him into their youth club. Made in 1963, The Contact is a remarkably forward-looking attempt to show disabled young people as deserving of inclusion and acceptance in mainstream society. Look carefully and you’ll spot a young Pauline Collins and Wendy Richards doing the Twist.
The common practice of a non-disabled actor playing a disabled character is felt by many to be offensive, in a similar way to white actors 'blacking up' to play a Black character - which is now relatively rare. Disabled actors are currently under-represented in the creative industries and on the screen.
Related
Eyes of a Child Eyes of a Child
Government sponsored film 1961 31 mins Location: Dorton Ho (Sch)
Young imaginations run wild at School for Blind Children.
An Ordinary Life An Ordinary Life
1985 29 mins
“I’d much rather work at a computer than make wicker baskets” – disabled people hit the mainstream in 1980s Britain
It's a New World It's a New World
Instructional film/TV programme 1977 30 mins
Early attempts at inclusive swimming for disabled people.
Three for Society Three for Society
1969 29 mins
Feisty and free-spirited, three disabled people talk frankly and directly about the barriers they experience in the 1960s
Like Other People Like Other People
Documentary 1972 51 mins
Man Alive! moral panic, sex, and when professionals ruled – life as a disabled couple in 1972
Artificial Limb Making Artificial Limb Making
Non-Fiction 1916 1 mins Silent
Occupational therapy turns full circle, as amputee soldiers learn to make artificial limbs for others
Alexandre Desplat (Masterclass) Alexandre Desplat (Masterclass)
Inside Film 2011 33 mins
Over 30 years and 150 projects, the composer shares, with humour and passion, the intricacies of making film music.
Ian Neil (Masterclass) Ian Neil (Masterclass)
Inside Film 2012 74 mins
Neil selected soundtracks for 127 Hours, Shame, Kick Ass, Control and many more. He discusses the job and its complexities, referencing his own work.
Screenwriters' Lecture: Peter Straughan Screenwriters' Lecture: Peter Straughan
Inside Film 2012 mins
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy's adapter reveals his quest for "the poem of the book" and the importance of simplicity: 'Drain the pond to find the fish'.
Gabriel Yared on composing for film Gabriel Yared on composing for film
Inside Film 2013 11 mins
Composer of The Lives of Others, The English Patient and Betty Blue on intimacy and experimentation.
Lois Burwell on movie makeup Lois Burwell on movie makeup
Inside Film 2013 17 mins
Lincoln, Braveheart and Magnolia make-up artist Lois Burwell explains how she created some of her most iconic looks, as part of a BAFTA Masterclass.
Barry Ackroyd (Masterclass) Barry Ackroyd (Masterclass)
2013 61 mins
British cinematographer of The Hurt Locker, Captain Phillips, Hillsborough and Riff Raff reviews the art of the moving image.