This film is part of Rentals
Captain Stirrick
Pickpockets, mad puppets, and murder – all from the 1840 press accounts of a real case that lead to the gallows – conceived as a musical by the Children’s Film Unit.
Director: Colin Finbow
Overview
Captain Stirrick is a teenage boy heading a gang of child pickpockets in Victorian London, but their attempt to rob a Lord ends in murder and a one-way ticket to the gallows. Captain Stirrick is a musical based on the 1840 press accounts of a real case. Cast includes: Julian Silvester, Freddie Jones, Douglas Storm
From 1981 to 1998, the Children’s Film Unit provided invaluable training for young British filmmakers and actors between the ages of 10-17, producing 18 features and a number of short films all featuring children on both sides of the camera. The stories were all conceived by the children themselves then shaped and helmed by the project’s founder, Colin Finbow. The CFU was supported by Sir Richard Attenborough and director Steven Spielberg. Captain Stirrick was shot on location in a school gym in Battersea in London over 4 weeks in 1981. It aired on Channel 4 in December 1982.
Related
The BFG The BFG
Children's 2016 117 mins Director: Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg’s luminous Roald Dahl adaptation boasts an enchanting performance from Mark Rylance as the Big Friendly Giant who befriends a little girl (Ruby Barnhill).
Runaway Railway Runaway Railway
Children's 1970 55 mins Director: Jan Darnley-Smith
A pre-Porridge Ronnie Barker plays a dim-witted train robber up to no good in this steam-era comedy adventure for kids
Do Not Adjust Your Set (Series 1 episode 5) Do Not Adjust Your Set (Series 1 episode 5)
Children's 1968 25 mins Director: Daphne Shadwell
With the series in full flow, the fifth episode showcases some splendid interplay between the team – plus some sumptuous mugging from David Jason.
Do Not Adjust Your Set (Series 1 episode 11) Do Not Adjust Your Set (Series 1 episode 11)
Children's 1968 25 mins Director: Daphne Shadwell
Highlights in this episode include the terrific ‘Art Gallery’ sketch, with a Gumby-esque Terry Jones exhibited as a living art work.
Do Not Adjust Your Set (Series 1 episode 13) Do Not Adjust Your Set (Series 1 episode 13)
Children's 1968 25 mins Director: Daphne Shadwell
The last show of the first series sees everybody larking about somewhat.
Do Not Adjust Your Set (Series 1 episode 12) Do Not Adjust Your Set (Series 1 episode 12)
Children's 1968 25 mins Director: Daphne Shadwell
As the series nears its conclusion everybody in the cast seems thoroughly at ease with each other, delivering both slapstick and cerebral sketches with smooth efficiency.
Mr. Topaze Mr. Topaze
Comedy 1961 97 mins Director: Peter Sellers
Charming character comedy, unseen for decades, starring Peter Sellers as a school teacher corrupted by big business.
Wild West Wild West
Comedy 1993 84 mins Director: David Attwood
Defying opposition from his conservative Pakistani family, Zaf Ayub dreams of becoming Southall's greatest gift to country & western.
Lamb Lamb
Drama 1985 110 mins Director: Colin Gregg
In one of Liam Neeson’s earliest starring roles, he plays an errant priest who kidnaps a vulnerable boy from an abusive Catholic school
Extremes Extremes
Documentary 1971 81 mins Director: Anthony Klinger and Michael Lytton
In-your-face 70s documentary exploring the lives of Hell's Angels, hippies, skinheads, rudeboys, mods and drug addicts.
Remembrance of Things Fast Remembrance of Things Fast
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1993 62 mins Director: John Maybury
John Maybury’s dark, queer state of the nation film starring Tilda Swinton and Rupert Everett
The Golden Madonna The Golden Madonna
Drama 1949 88 mins Director: Ladislao Vajda
When she inherits an Italian palazzo, a young woman takes on more than she bargained for
Doombeach Doombeach
Thriller 1989 76 mins Director: Colin Finbow
A truant schoolboy sabotages the secretive power station he believes killed his friend. With Glenda Jackson.
Small Things Like These Small Things Like These
Drama 2024 99 mins
Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy delivers a stunning performance as a coal merchant who discovers horrific secrets about his local convent.
Only the River Flows Only the River Flows
Crime 2023 102 mins Director: Shujun Wei
Shujun Wei's slow-burn noir draws us inexorably into its mysterious psychological journey.
The Critic The Critic
Period drama 2023 101 mins Director: Anand Tucker
Ian McKellen is in delicious form as London's most vicious critic, who strikes a Faustian pact with a struggling actor (Gemma Arterton).
Special People Special People
Comedy 2008 74 mins Director: Justin Edgar
Justin Edgar's pioneering feature comedy about a neurotic filmmaker enlisted to make a film with a class of wheelchair-users.
Timestalker Timestalker
Comedy 2024 89 mins Director: Alice Lowe
What if unrequited love spanned the centuries? Alice Lowe's time-jumping fantasy rom-com is a colourful, darkly funny treat.
South: Sir Ernest Shackleton's Glorious Epic of the Antarctic South: Sir Ernest Shackleton's Glorious Epic of the Antarctic
Documentary 1919 81 mins Silent Director: Frank Hurley
An extraordinary story of survival in the wastes of Antarctica.