Boys in Brown

1949

1h 24m

IMDb RATING

6.5/10

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Crime

Jackie lives in poverty with his widowed mother. In a bid to escape poverty he gets involved in a robbery that sees him sentenced to three years in Borstal where he meets a tough crowd, tougher than anything on the outside.

Directors

Montgomery Tully

Writers

Reginald Beckwith(writer by)

Montgomery Tully(writer by)

Stars

Dirk Bogarde

Richard Attenborough

Jack Warner

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Top cast

Alfie Rawlins

Jackie Knowles

Governor

Bill Foster

Kitty Hurst

Casey

Tigson

Mrs. Knowles

Alf "Sparrow" Thompson

Bossy Phillips

Basher Walker

Mrs. Smith

Judge

Plato Cartwright

Bert

Spud

Dusty

Principal Prison Officer

Directors

Montgomery Tully

Writers

Reginald Beckwith(writer by)

Montgomery Tully(writer by)

All cast & crew

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Review

Featured review

6/10

Richard Attenborough is the naive young "Jackie", in love with his girl "Kitty" (Barbara Murray) but prone to getting into bad company. It is after one such escapade that he finds himself sentenced to three years in borstal. Fortunately for him, the governor (Jack Warden) believes firmly that the purpose of these institutions is to rehabilitate and so he is inclined to try and help the man; unfortunately his habit of falling for the wrong 'uns continues as he soon becomes the quarry of the duplicitous "Rawlins" (Dirk Bogarde) and his gang of would-be escapees. The film follows the path he takes to try and escape, not just from his incarceration, but from the self-perpetuating cycle of scenarios that make it impossible for him to break free and make a clean start with his life and his love. It sags a bit, this, but overall the performances are convincing and it does evoke a sense of just how despairing times must have been for many in the immediate aftermath of WWII. Jimmy Handley chips in well as another of "Rawlins" pawns, also do Thora Hird, Alfie Bass and Michael Medwin, too. There is a little too much dialogue but it is still worth a watch.

Geronimo196709 Jul, 2022