The Firm
Road
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The Firm
Directed by Alan Clarke.
With Gary Oldman, Lesley Manville, Philip Davis.
UK, 1988, 35mm, color, 90 min.
Although often overlooked in favor of his contemporaries such as Mike Leigh and Ken Loach, Alan Clarke was one of the major filmmakers to emerge in Thatcher-era England. In The Firm, Gary Oldman portrays a football hooligan attempting to organize rival gangs—known as "firms"—in advance of the upcoming European championships. Clarke's final film before his untimely death in 1990 critiques both the government which failed to address the concerns of violence at football matches and the hooligan community whom the director disdained for destroying the integrity of his beloved sport.
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Road
Directed by Alan Clarke.
With Neil Dudgeon, Jane Horrocks, David Thewlis.
UK, 1987, 35mm, color, 67 min.
Print source: HFA
Alan Clarke is credited with launching the careers of British talent such as Gary Oldman and Tim Roth (who would both later imitate his style in their respective directorial debuts) but he went largely unnoticed beyond England, as most of his films were produced for the BBC. Road was adapted from Jim Cartwright's acclaimed stage play for British television, with glorious results. In a Northern industrial town, young people wander the streets in search of entertainment. Clarke uses Steadicam shots to capture the extended conversations between characters who reside in a community who blighted by economic hardship but still find simple joys in living.
Part of film series
Screenings from this program
Ballad of a Soldier / The Forty-First
Nightfall / Great Day in the Morning
Verboten! / Dead Pigeon on Beethoven Street
I'll Never Forget What's 'is Name / The Jokers
Hearts of the World / True Heart Susie
Anna Christie / The Long Voyage Home
Suddenly Last Summer / The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone
Quiet Days in Clichy / Henry and June
The Freshman / The Sin of Harold Diddlebock
The Sheep Has Five Legs / The Law is the Law
Hobson's Choice / Sidewalks of London
I Know Where I'm Going / Outcast of the Islands
An Inspector Calls / The Belles of St. Trinian's
Mother Joan of the Angels / Thérèse
Dawn of the Dead / Strange Behavior
