\/\/E /-\RE T|-|E |_/-\/\/\BET|-| B0YS 1 1959

Karel Reisz's We Are the Lambeth Boys (1959) has much in common with Lindsay Anderson's Every Day Except Christmas (1957). It was produced by Leon Clore, sponsored by Ford for its Look at Britain series, filmed by the usual Free Cinema technical staff - in particular cinematographer Walter Lassally and editor John Fletcher - and delivered in the same 50-minute format.

The film once again took a sympathetic approach to an aspect of working-class life largely neglected by commercial British cinema. After Every Day's dignified depiction of market workers in Covent Garden, Lambeth Boys attempted to deliver a positive portrait of the lives of ordinary teenagers, far from the usual violent 'Teddy Boy' stereotype. In a sense, the film also developed the theme initiated by Reisz and Tony Richardson in Momma Don't Allow three years earlier.

Lambeth Boys was shot over six weeks in the summer of 1958 in and around the Alford House, a youth club in the Oval area of South London. It follows a group of teenagers at work, at home and in their leisure time, giving them space to express their frustrations and aspirations.. The film is never so good as when it lets the camera move around the group or capture their faces in close-up, rather than providing facts and figures or a sociological analysis.

In a famous article on the film in Sight and Sound, sociologist Richard Hoggart talked of it as a 'film essay' rather than a documentary, because, as he claimed, "it sets out to show, not the whole truth, but some aspects of the truth, wholly". From that perspective, the film succeeded in embodying "the strength and variety of these young people's vitality, their lively, tolerant and complex sense of community".

However the film suffers similar drawbacks to Every Day Except Christmas: the unnecessary voice-over commentary gives it a paternalist tone which undermines the sensitivity of Reisz's images and natural sound, and seems obsolete to today's spectator. The film also loses some of its 'poetic authenticity' by trying too hard to show how nice these youngsters are.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• SHORT
• FILM

[inaband]

oh the days when smoking was socially acceptable and cool...

[hawcubites]

I live in Kennington and it is a delight to watch this as I find it fascinating to see what it used to be like around here.

Thank you ever so much for posting this as many residents of this area have spoken of this documentary from Tesco staff to Kennington association members...

[lsdidu]

Brilliant stuff.Thanks for posting.

[Suedeheadlover]

Has anyone immediately listened to Morrissey's "Spring-Heeled Jim" after watching this? Or even during to pick up any of the samples?

[LNKtheWizard]

'You pay I go with you, I pay you go with me'. Excellent system! I'm almost sad for not being around these exuberant heydays in g'ol England. Instead, I'm stuck here in bloody cold depressing, and stuck-up arrogant Sweden.

[zipthelite]

What a fascinating film ! Thanks a lot for a posting it.

[BaronVonPenguin]

Fair play to ye for posting this mate this is great stuff.

[BaronVonPenguin]

@TheAlexanderKennedy I remember it, it was called WE WERE THE LAMBETH BOYS. They played this one the night before they showed it. I was only about ten or so but I remember one of the lads in it was a kind've down on his luck binman and one of the others was a successful business man with a mercedes ha! I'd love to see it again myself.

[bbcisrubbish]

They all look a lot better dressed than the squalid jean and t shirt brigade now.

[TheAlexanderKennedy]

Does anyone remember the follow-up to this, which was made in 84 or 85?