A Place to Go

Last updated

A Place to Go
A Place to Go VideoCover.jpg
Directed by Basil Dearden
Written by Clive Exton
Michael Fisher
Michael Relph
Produced byMichael Relph
Starring Bernard Lee
Rita Tushingham
Michael Sarne
Cinematography Reginald H. Wyer
Edited by John D. Guthridge
Music by Charles Blackwell
Distributed by Bryanston Films (UK)
Release date
  • July 1963 (1963-07)(UK)
Running time
86 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£155,000 [1]

A Place to Go is a 1963 British crime drama film directed by Basil Dearden and starring Bernard Lee, Rita Tushingham and Michael Sarne. Set in contemporary Bethnal Green in the East End of London, it charts the dramatic changes that were then happening in the lives of the British working class, fitting into the kitchen sink school of film-making that was popular in Britain at the time. The film was based on the novel Bethnal Green by Michael Fisher, which had been published in 1961.

Contents

Plot

Ricky Flint dreams of escaping working-class Bethnal Green, where he works in a cigarette factory and shares a crowded terraced house with his middle-aged parents Matt and Lil; his pregnant sister Betsy, who soon gives birth; and Betsy's husband Jim. In order to get the money to leave, Ricky agrees to help a local gangster, Jack Ellerman, to rob the cigarette factory, and also gets Jim, a lorry driver hoping to buy an expensive transport licence, to join the plot. Ricky finds himself attracted to Catherine "Cat" Donovan, who has been dating Charlie Batey, another member of Jack's gang. Cat agrees to date Ricky and even make love with him, but she is fiercely independent and refuses to take orders from him or stop seeing Charlie, pointing out that she and Ricky are not engaged so she is free to do as she likes.

Ricky's father Matt, a dockworker, also wants to leave his insecure job and strike out on his own. He eventually leaves the docks and becomes a busker with a Houdiniesque escape routine. Matt hates Jack Ellerman, who has been more financially successful than himself and was also his rival for Lil's affections many years before. When Matt finds Jack and his gang meeting Ricky and Jim at the Flints' house his anger, on top of the stress of busking, causes him to suffer a fatal stroke.

On the night of the planned robbery Jim decides at the last minute that he cannot go through with it and risk his family's future. Ricky takes Jim's lorry without his knowledge and fills in for Jim, as well as doing his own part by disabling the factory alarm. However, when Jack orders Ricky to stand guard with a lead pipe Ricky finds himself unable to hit a police officer who approaches and disrupts the robbery, thus leaving it to Charlie to knock the officer out. Charlie later takes revenge on Ricky by setting fire to Jim's lorry. Ricky is badly burned attempting to put out the fire and recovers in hospital. Cat visits him there, but also continues seeing Charlie.

Meanwhile, slum clearance forces Lil to move out of her home of 30 years into a new flat in another area. Jim and Betsy use the insurance money from the burned lorry to move into a house of their own, which Betsy had wanted, though now she finds it somewhat lonely. Jim gives up his dream of being a lorry driver for a steady job in a local factory.

After Ricky is released from hospital he finds Cat with Charlie at the pub and attacks Charlie. The police arrive and arrest both men. In court Ricky testifies that he and Cat are engaged, and that he was angry because she was seeing Charlie while he was in hospital. When Cat corroborates Ricky's testimony the judge is lenient and lets Ricky off with a fine. Ricky and Cat then decide to make their engagement a reality.

Cast

Differences between the novel and the film

In the book Charlie's character is called Spider and Matt's busking act is fire-breathing, not escapology. When Jim changes his mind about the robbery Jack postpones it, and they set fire to the van that night in revenge. Ricky and Jim go to confront Jack and his gang, but Ricky has a change of heart, leaving Jim to be badly beaten. Ricky flees the scene upset and, longing for his father, tries to simulate Matt's fire-breathing act: that is how he burns his face. The botched robbery goes ahead after Ricky leaves hospital, and the next day, racked with guilt, Ricky and Cat go to apologise to Jack and to tell him that they don't want to be involved in the gang any more. Jack threatens to have Ricky beaten up if he refuses to stay in the gang, but Ricky chooses to take the beating. Afterwards Jack confides that he felt as if Ricky was a son to him, heavily hinting that he is actually his real father. Ricky and Cat escape down the canal on a small boat and plan their future life together.

Production

Locations

The greyhound-racing scenes in the film were set at Clapton Stadium. [2]

Pub scenes were mostly filmed at The Acorn, a pub in Bethnal Green that was demolished in 2019, [3] but there is also an exterior shot of The Angel in City Road, Islington.

The rest of the outdoor shots were filmed on location in Bethnal Green.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Train Robbery (1963)</span> 1963 robbery in Ledburn, England

The Great Train Robbery was the robbery of £2.61 million, from a Royal Mail train heading from Glasgow to London on the West Coast Main Line in the early hours of 8 August 1963 at Bridego Railway Bridge, Ledburn, near Mentmore in Buckinghamshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Doolin</span> American bandit in the Wild Bunch gang

William Doolin was an American bandit outlaw and founder of the Wild Bunch, sometimes known as the Doolin-Dalton Gang. Like the earlier Dalton Gang alone, it specialized in robbing banks, trains, and stagecoaches in Arkansas, Kansas, Indiana, and Oklahoma during the 1890s.

<i>The Killers</i> (1964 film) 1964 film by Don Siegel

The Killers is a 1964 American neo noir crime film. Written by Gene L. Coon and directed by Don Siegel, it is the second Hollywood adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's 1927 short story of the same name, following the 1946 version.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Queen Victoria</span> Fictional pub in the television series EastEnders

The Queen Victoria is the Victorian public house in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders. It has the fictional address of 46 Albert Square, Walford, London E20.

<i>Four Brothers</i> (film) 2005 film directed by John Singleton

Four Brothers is a 2005 American action film directed by John Singleton. The film stars Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, André Benjamin and Garrett Hedlund as four adopted brothers who set out to avenge the murder of their adoptive mother. The film was shot in Detroit, Michigan and the Greater Toronto Area. It has been described as blaxploitation-influenced. Released on August 12, 2005, the film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $92 million worldwide.

<i>Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia</i> American sitcom

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is an American sitcom created by Rob McElhenney and developed with Glenn Howerton for FX. It premiered on August 4, 2005, and was moved to FXX beginning with the ninth season in 2013. It stars Charlie Day, Howerton, McElhenney, Kaitlin Olson, and Danny DeVito. The series follows the exploits of "The Gang", a group of narcissistic and sociopathic friends who run the Irish dive bar Paddy's Pub in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but spend most of their free time drinking, scheming, arguing amongst themselves, and plotting elaborate cons against others, and at times each other, for personal benefit, financial gain, revenge, or simply due to boredom or inebriation.

<i>Private School</i> (film) 1983 film by Noel Black

Private School is a 1983 American teen sex comedy film, directed by Noel Black. Starring Phoebe Cates, Betsy Russell, and Matthew Modine, it follows a teenaged couple attempting to have sex for the first time, while their friends engage in sexually minded practical jokes.

<i>Tuff Turf</i> 1985 teen drama movie

Tuff Turf is a 1985 American drama film directed by Fritz Kiersch and starring James Spader and Kim Richards. The film was released in the United States on January 11, 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Branning</span> Fictional character from EastEnders

Jack Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Scott Maslen. He made his first appearance on 29 October 2007. He is the youngest child of Jim and Reenie Branning and the brother of April Branning, Carol Jackson, Derek Branning, Suzy Branning and Max Branning. The character was introduced to the show during a period when EastEnders was being routinely criticised in the media for its reliance on resurrecting old characters. The casting of Maslen provoked some controversy, being the first time an actor had been poached from one mainstream soap to another. It was quickly established that Jack is a morally ambiguous character with a murky past in the police force resulting in the paralysis of his young daughter, Penny. Tabloid media have praised the character for his role as resident Romeo, commenting frequently on his good looks and attractiveness, although broadsheet press have been more critical of Maslen's acting. On 1 July 2019, Maslen filmed his 1,000th episode as Jack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack La Rue</span> American actor (1902-1984)

Jack La Rue was an American film and stage actor.

"The Race Is On" is a song written by Don Rollins and made a hit on the country music charts by George Jones and on the pop and easy listening charts by the unrelated Jack Jones. George's version was the first single released from his 1965 album of the same name. Released as a single in September 1964, it peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and at number 96 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1965. Jack's version topped Billboard's Easy Listening chart and reached number 15 on the Hot 100 the same year. The two recordings combined to reach number 12 on the Cashbox charts, which combined all covers of the same song in one listing and thus gave George Jones his only top-40 hit. The song uses thoroughbred horse racing as the metaphor for the singer's romantic relationships.

<i>Mr. Wise Guy</i> 1942 film by William Nigh

Mr. Wise Guy is a 1942 American film starring The East Side Kids and directed by William Nigh.

<i>This Is My Affair</i> 1937 film by William A. Seiter

This Is My Affair is a 1937 American period crime film directed by William A. Seiter and starring Robert Taylor, Barbara Stanwyck, Victor McLaglen and Brian Donlevy. It was produced and released by 20th Century Fox.

<i>The True Story of Lynn Stuart</i> 1958 film by Lewis Seiler

The True Story of Lynn Stuart is a 1958 American biographical crime drama film starring Betsy Palmer, Jack Lord, Barry Atwater and released by Columbia Pictures.

<i>Send for Paul Temple</i> 1946 British film

Send for Paul Temple is a 1946 British crime film directed by John Argyle and starring Anthony Hulme, Joy Shelton and Tamara Desni. Paul Temple is called in by Scotland Yard after a major diamond theft. It was the first of four film adaptations of the BBC's Paul Temple radio serials, with John Bentley taking over the lead role in future installments.

<i>King of Thieves</i> (2018 film) 2018 British film by James Marsh

King of Thieves is a 2018 British heist film directed by James Marsh. The film is based on the Hatton Garden safe deposit burglary of 2015, and stars Michael Caine, Tom Courtenay, Michael Gambon, Charlie Cox, Jim Broadbent, Paul Whitehouse and Ray Winstone.

References

  1. Petrie, Duncan James (2017). "Bryanston Films: An Experiment in Cooperative Independent Production and Distribution" (PDF). Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television: 7. ISSN   1465-3451.
  2. Genders, Roy (1990). NGRC book of Greyhound Racing. Pelham Books Ltd. ISBN   0-7207-1804-X.
  3. Closed Pubs website