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IMDb > Scum (1979)
Scum
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Overview

User Rating:
7.6/10   2,550 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 5% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Alan Clarke
Writer:
Roy Minton (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Scum on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
12 June 1980 (Australia) more
Genre:
Drama | Crime more
Tagline:
The film they tried to ban! A brutal story of today. more
Plot:
This is the hard and shocking story of life in a British Borstal for young offenders. Luckily the regime has changed since this film was made... more | full synopsis
NewsDesk:
Nick Love's - The Firm - Trailer
 (From LateFilmFull. 24 June 2009, 7:54 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
difficult to watch, but worth seeing once more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Ray Winstone ... Carlin
Mick Ford ... Archer
Julian Firth ... Davis

John Blundell ... Banks

Phil Daniels ... Richards
John Judd ... Mr Sands

Philip Jackson ... Greaves
Peter Howell ... Governor
John Grillo ... Goodyear
Ray Burdis ... Eckersley
Alan Igbon ... Meakin
John Fowler ... Woods
Bill Dean ... Duke
P.H. Moriarty ... Hunt
Nigel Humphreys ... Taylor
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Additional Details

Runtime:
98 min
Country:
UK
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Iceland:16 | Germany:16 (re-rating) (2006) | West Germany:18 (original rating) | Sweden:15 | Australia:R | Finland:K-16 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:18 (1980) | UK:18 (video rating) | USA:R
Filming Locations:
England, UK more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Originally, Carlin was a Glaswegian but was changed to a Cockney when Alan Clarke saw a then unknown Ray Winstone walk in a unique way. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: All Borstal inmates were subject to the same mandatory haircut of short back and sides, yet a vast array of hairstyles are shown throughout the film, including afros. more
Quotes:
Richards: You can learn a lot in here if you use your loaf. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Little Britain: Biggest House of Cards (#1.5)" (2003) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
7 out of 7 people found the following comment useful:-
difficult to watch, but worth seeing once, 25 November 2004
Author: didi-5 from United Kingdom

I've now seen this movie several times, although admittedly watching it can hardly be classed as a 'pleasure'. Alan Clarke made this feature after his TV play from two years earlier was banned, and perhaps had more freedom here to explore the issues.

Carlin (an early, showy appearance from Ray Winstone) is sent to Borstal where he quickly establishes himself as a tough boy with a regime of strength. Typical Winstone performance in many ways. In the prison with him are his shadow Richards (played by Phil Daniels); cynical, bare-footed Archer (Mick Ford, these days more often seen the other side of the law in such dramas as 'Silent Witness'); black inmate Angel (Davidson Knight); and quiet Davis, the boy who gets picked on for being a loner (a quite staggering performance from Julian Firth, who never really lived up to this early promise).

Scum is uncompromising - violent (there's a rape which leaves little to the imagination, a suicide, several fights); scathing in its condemnation of the 'system' (which thankfully is not like this now) - and yet finds time for character development and convincing plot. Without any music it is purely presented in documentary style, matter-of-fact 'this is how it is'.

Not a fun movie, but one which tries to make a point, and, if nothing else, has the power to shock and make you remember certain sections for a long time after viewing. Recommended.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Scum (1979)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Brit Classics: Scum BarneyRubble
film like Scum set in a girls borstal loose_lucy
Whats so bad about rape scene? JackLondon2004
Why did the boy who was raped not set Carlin on the perpetrators? Mc_chives
Did ITV4 ruin it? jiminy80
Greenhouse scene a turn on? getthemax
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