Boys in Brown
Can Bad Boys Make Good?
Synopsis
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.
Main Cast
Dirk Bogarde
Alfie Rawlins
Richard Attenborough
Jackie Knowles
Jack Warner
Governor
Jimmy Hanley
Bill Foster
Barbara Murray
Kitty Hurst
Andrew Crawford
Casey
Patrick Holt
Tigson
Thora Hird
Mrs. Knowles
Michael Medwin
Alf "Sparrow" Thompson
John Blythe
Bossy Phillips
User Reviews
CinemaSerf
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.
