Made in Britain
Encyclopedia
Made in Britain is a 1982 British drama film directed by Alan Clarke
, and written by David Leland
, about a 16-year-old white power skinhead named Trevor, and his constant confrontations with authority figures. It was originally broadcast on ITV
as the fourth in an untitled series of works by Leland, all loosely based around the British educational system. As with many Alan Clarke works, the director attempts to depict English working-class life, realistically without moralising or complex plots. The film features strong language, violence, racism and an anti-establishment feeling. Cinematographer Chris Menges
's use of the Steadicam
contributed to the fluid and gritty atmosphere of the play.
i man, Mr. Shahnawaz. He has also been charged with shoplifting from Harrods
. Trevor shows no sign of repentance for his deeds, and is defiant when questioned by the judge. Trevor's social worker, Harry Parker (Eric Richard
), believes Trevor can reform, so he has him sent to Hooper Street Residential Assessment Centre, where his punishment will be determined. The deputy superintendent in the assessment centre, Peter Clive (Bill Stewart
), admits Trevor, and he is allocated a room with Errol (Terry Richards
). Errol tells him about the contract that centre inmates are made to sign, promising to cooperate.
The next day, Trevor leaves the assessment centre, to visit the job centre and procure a job, as instructed by the magistrate. Trevor, accompanied by Errol, breaks into a car and drives to the job centre. Near the job centre, he buys Evo-Stik for huffing, and immediately enters the job centre. Trevor breaks the queue, and demands a job from the job centre attendant. When asked to wait, he storms out, and hurls a brick through the job centre window. He makes his escape, and walks with Errol to an abandoned swimming pool where he has hidden some tools, presumably to break into cars. Trevor pockets the tools, and hands Errol a bunch of keys, instructing him to get it into the centre, and hide it. He then breaks into another car, and takes it and drives away
. He orders Errol to get out, saying he is visiting some mates.
In the next scene, Trevor is seen eating a sandwich in the car, parked near the assessment centre. Peter Clive arrives riding a motorcycle, and notices Trevor in the car. Trevor discards the sandwich and walks into the assessment centre. Peter Clive stops him, and tells him to get rid of the car. Trevor refuses to admit that he has stolen the car, but agrees to get rid of it.
Inside the assessment centre, when Peter Clive asks him why he did it, Trevor refuses to co-operate and give a reasonable answer. He then demands lunch, only to be informed that he is too late. Trevor flies into a rage and tries kicking down the cafeteria door. The chef (Jim Dunk
) rushes out to stop him, only to be kicked in the groin by Trevor, who unleashes a vicious attack on him, before being stopped by care worker Barry Giller (Sean Chapman
). Trevor is then held down by the chef and Barry, and locked up in a room.
The superintendent (Geoffrey Hutchings
) arrives, and proceeds to show Trevor an overview of what he has been through and where he is heading - prison - if he refuses to cooperate and continues this way. During his mesmerizing near-monologue, he explains to Trevor that the assessment centre is his last chance to change, before his life becomes a vicious circle of poverty, crime and prison. Uncharacteristically, Trevor is not aggressive and is lost for words, listening to the superintendent without attempting to talk him down. The superintendent is extremely articulate and faces little resistance from Trevor, who is silenced by his pithy putdowns. As soon as the superintendent leaves, Trevor is back to his usual self, and confronts Barry Giller and Peter Clive, mouthing obscenities against immigrants, the education system
, dishonesty, and mindless conformity. Trevor refuses to keep the peace, and eventually Barry and Peter decide to send him to a secure unit
. However, while Barry is out making arrangements to send Trevor away, Peter offers to take Trevor banger racing
if he promises to behave.. Trevor accepts the offer, on the condition that he be allowed to drive. Peter informs Barry about the change of plans, and warns Trevor that he is doing him a favour by giving him another chance, and that if Trevor lets him down, he will team up with the chef and some of the biggest lads in the centre to kill Trevor.
They go to the races as planned and Trevor is given a chance to drive, as promised. Trevor seems to be enjoying the experience, but he gets in an accident, after which his car will not restart, and Trevor is unable to complete the race, frustrating him. On the drive back to the assessment centre, Peter informs Trevor that he was up against professional racers, did well. He also tells him that he could join a racing team if he wished, and need not go around stealing cars any longer. Trevor makes no reply, and blankly stares out the window.
They reach the assessment centre late and have to be let in by the janitor, since Peter cannot find his keys. After everybody has retired to bed, Trevor wakes up Errol and shows him Peter Clive's keys, which Trevor claims to have picked up after Peter dropped them. Trevor and Errol make their way into the office, where Trevor rummages through the documents until he finds their respective files. Trevor reads through Errol's reports and contract, and finds a report titled 'The Future', which reads "It seems unlikely for this child to return home, his mother having rejected him for her own lifestyle. Bearing this in mind, future care seems to be the alternative. We would recommend a care order be made, in order to be able to continue our assessment of his needs." He then proclaims to Errol "You're in here for life, mate!". Errol looks confused and dejected and asks "What'll I do!?". Trevor is enraged. He drops the files on the floor and tells Errol to "Piss on it, fuckin' shit on it!". Errol defecates on his files, and Trevor urinates on his.
Trevor and Errol get out of the assessment centre, and drive away in the centre's Ford Transit van. They reach Mr. Shahnawaz's neighbourhood and hurl stones through the windows, and scream racial slurs. They get into the van and drive away. Trevor drives to a police station, and smashes the van into a car. Errol is rendered unconscious by the impact. Trevor exits the van and runs away, leaving Errol to be apprehended by the police.
Trevor begins walking to Harry Parker's apartment. On his way, Trevor looks into a shop window displaying a television, clothes, mannequins, and other items. He stares at them and their accompanying price tags, intently. He begins running into a tunnel, and screams "Bollocks!" Inside the tunnel, he discards his t-shirt, and screams at a passing vehicle after trying to kick it. Trevor walks past a school, presumably his, pausing to gaze through the iron gates before continuing on his way.
It is early morning by the time Trevor reaches Harry Parker's home. Harry is busy packing, and is preparing to leave on a holiday with his family. He is displeased to see Trevor in this state. He tells him to go back to the assessment centre before it is too late. Trevor informs Harry of his misadventures, and tells him that he is turning himself in. Harry makes the necessary calls to the police.
Trevor is seen in a jail cell, pressing the buzzer in the room. The police officer orders him to keep his hands off the buzzer. Trevor walks away, but returns and proceeds to press the buzzer with his head. This time, another officer, P.C. Anson (Christopher Fulford) enters, with a truncheon. He orders Trevor to stay quiet, but Trevor continues to provoke him, saying that he is a juvenile offender, and that he must be taken care of and sent back to the assessment centre. Anson orders him to shut up and sit down. He tells Trevor that he would be taken to court in a few days, and this time he will end up in a detention centre or a borstal
, not an assessment centre. He threatens to have his fingerprints taken as soon as he leaves the borstal, and use them to convict him of every unsolved taking and driving away in the district, dating back months. Trevor is still unfazed and sarcastically yells "Sounds great!" Anson is livid, and brings the truncheon down, hitting Trevor on the kneecap. P.C. Anson smiles and says, 'You think you're fucking hard.' Trevor, for the first time, looks defeated. He slumps in agony and shock, his face reddening. The warder tells Trevor that he is all talk, and decries his protests, saying that he has no choice but to respect authority and obey the rules, like everybody else.
The play ends with Trevor recovering from the pain and grinning, as the warders shut the door of his cell.
Alan Clarke
Alan Clarke was a television and film director, producer and writer, born in Wallasey, Merseyside, England.Most of Clarke's output was for television rather than cinema, including work for the famous play strands The Wednesday Play and Play for Today...
, and written by David Leland
David Leland
David Leland is a director, screenwriter and actor who came to international fame with his directorial debut Wish You Were Here in 1987.-Life:...
, about a 16-year-old white power skinhead named Trevor, and his constant confrontations with authority figures. It was originally broadcast on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
as the fourth in an untitled series of works by Leland, all loosely based around the British educational system. As with many Alan Clarke works, the director attempts to depict English working-class life, realistically without moralising or complex plots. The film features strong language, violence, racism and an anti-establishment feeling. Cinematographer Chris Menges
Chris Menges
Chris Menges BSC, ASC, is an English cinematographer and film director. He is a member of both the American and British Societies of Cinematographers.-Life and career:...
's use of the Steadicam
Steadicam
A Steadicam is a stabilizing mount for a motion picture camera that mechanically isolates it from the operator's movement, allowing a smooth shot even when moving quickly over an uneven surface...
contributed to the fluid and gritty atmosphere of the play.
Plot
The play begins with Trevor being tried in court on charges of throwing a brick through the window of a PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i man, Mr. Shahnawaz. He has also been charged with shoplifting from Harrods
Harrods
Harrods is an upmarket department store located in Brompton Road in Brompton, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. The Harrods brand also applies to other enterprises undertaken by the Harrods group of companies including Harrods Bank, Harrods Estates, Harrods Aviation and Air...
. Trevor shows no sign of repentance for his deeds, and is defiant when questioned by the judge. Trevor's social worker, Harry Parker (Eric Richard
Eric Richard
Eric Richard is an English actor.His theatre work includes plays at the Royal Court Theatre and the Theatre Royal, Stratford East, as well as seasons with the Royal Exchange, Manchester, Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Sheffield Crucible Theatre and Paines Plough...
), believes Trevor can reform, so he has him sent to Hooper Street Residential Assessment Centre, where his punishment will be determined. The deputy superintendent in the assessment centre, Peter Clive (Bill Stewart
Bill Stewart (actor)
Bill Stewart was an English actor best known for his role as Denton Evening News reporter Sandy Longford in the British television program A Touch of Frost. He also made appearances on Z-Cars and MacGyver and had roles in such films as 101 Dalmatians and Anna and the King.-External links:...
), admits Trevor, and he is allocated a room with Errol (Terry Richards
Terry Richards
Terry Richards may refer to:* Terry Gerin, wrestler who used the name Terry Richards* Terry Richards , singer best known for his work with Bill Chase* Terry Richards , actor and stuntman, see Red Sonja...
). Errol tells him about the contract that centre inmates are made to sign, promising to cooperate.
The next day, Trevor leaves the assessment centre, to visit the job centre and procure a job, as instructed by the magistrate. Trevor, accompanied by Errol, breaks into a car and drives to the job centre. Near the job centre, he buys Evo-Stik for huffing, and immediately enters the job centre. Trevor breaks the queue, and demands a job from the job centre attendant. When asked to wait, he storms out, and hurls a brick through the job centre window. He makes his escape, and walks with Errol to an abandoned swimming pool where he has hidden some tools, presumably to break into cars. Trevor pockets the tools, and hands Errol a bunch of keys, instructing him to get it into the centre, and hide it. He then breaks into another car, and takes it and drives away
TWOC
TWOC is an acronym standing for Taking Without Owner's Consent. Synonyms used by police in the UK include UTMV: Unlawful Taking of a Motor Vehicle, and TADA or TDA: Taking and Driving Away...
. He orders Errol to get out, saying he is visiting some mates.
In the next scene, Trevor is seen eating a sandwich in the car, parked near the assessment centre. Peter Clive arrives riding a motorcycle, and notices Trevor in the car. Trevor discards the sandwich and walks into the assessment centre. Peter Clive stops him, and tells him to get rid of the car. Trevor refuses to admit that he has stolen the car, but agrees to get rid of it.
Inside the assessment centre, when Peter Clive asks him why he did it, Trevor refuses to co-operate and give a reasonable answer. He then demands lunch, only to be informed that he is too late. Trevor flies into a rage and tries kicking down the cafeteria door. The chef (Jim Dunk
Jim Dunk
Jim Dunk is an English actor most notable for his long standing role as Dave Stocks in the 2001 remake of ITV soap opera Crossroads, and his recurring role as Jack Helm on Doctors as well as a 1980s UK ad campaign for Molson where the strapline was "Jim Dunk says don't drink it"...
) rushes out to stop him, only to be kicked in the groin by Trevor, who unleashes a vicious attack on him, before being stopped by care worker Barry Giller (Sean Chapman
Sean Chapman
Sean Chapman is an English-born actor. He is best known for playing Frank Cotton in Clive Barker's Hellraiser, and its sequel, Hellbound: Hellraiser II. He is also known for voicing the character Sgt...
). Trevor is then held down by the chef and Barry, and locked up in a room.
The superintendent (Geoffrey Hutchings
Geoffrey Hutchings
Geoffrey Hutchings was a British stage, film and television actor.-Early life and career:Hutchings was born in Dorchester, Dorset, England. After attending Hardye's School, he studied French and Physical Education at Birmingham University before he became a member of the Royal Academy of Dramatic...
) arrives, and proceeds to show Trevor an overview of what he has been through and where he is heading - prison - if he refuses to cooperate and continues this way. During his mesmerizing near-monologue, he explains to Trevor that the assessment centre is his last chance to change, before his life becomes a vicious circle of poverty, crime and prison. Uncharacteristically, Trevor is not aggressive and is lost for words, listening to the superintendent without attempting to talk him down. The superintendent is extremely articulate and faces little resistance from Trevor, who is silenced by his pithy putdowns. As soon as the superintendent leaves, Trevor is back to his usual self, and confronts Barry Giller and Peter Clive, mouthing obscenities against immigrants, the education system
Education in England
Education in England is overseen by the Department for Education and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Local authorities take responsibility for implementing policy for public education and state schools at a regional level....
, dishonesty, and mindless conformity. Trevor refuses to keep the peace, and eventually Barry and Peter decide to send him to a secure unit
Secure units for children
Secure Units for Children Serve two main purposes. They can be to protect young people who are placing themselves or others at risk of harm through a range of behaviours. In these instances the unit is not used as punishment but to ensure the young people's safety...
. However, while Barry is out making arrangements to send Trevor away, Peter offers to take Trevor banger racing
Banger racing
Banger Racing is a tarmac or dirt track racing type of motorsport event popularised in both North America and Europe and especially United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands in which drivers of old vehicles race against one another around a race track and the race is...
if he promises to behave.. Trevor accepts the offer, on the condition that he be allowed to drive. Peter informs Barry about the change of plans, and warns Trevor that he is doing him a favour by giving him another chance, and that if Trevor lets him down, he will team up with the chef and some of the biggest lads in the centre to kill Trevor.
They go to the races as planned and Trevor is given a chance to drive, as promised. Trevor seems to be enjoying the experience, but he gets in an accident, after which his car will not restart, and Trevor is unable to complete the race, frustrating him. On the drive back to the assessment centre, Peter informs Trevor that he was up against professional racers, did well. He also tells him that he could join a racing team if he wished, and need not go around stealing cars any longer. Trevor makes no reply, and blankly stares out the window.
They reach the assessment centre late and have to be let in by the janitor, since Peter cannot find his keys. After everybody has retired to bed, Trevor wakes up Errol and shows him Peter Clive's keys, which Trevor claims to have picked up after Peter dropped them. Trevor and Errol make their way into the office, where Trevor rummages through the documents until he finds their respective files. Trevor reads through Errol's reports and contract, and finds a report titled 'The Future', which reads "It seems unlikely for this child to return home, his mother having rejected him for her own lifestyle. Bearing this in mind, future care seems to be the alternative. We would recommend a care order be made, in order to be able to continue our assessment of his needs." He then proclaims to Errol "You're in here for life, mate!". Errol looks confused and dejected and asks "What'll I do!?". Trevor is enraged. He drops the files on the floor and tells Errol to "Piss on it, fuckin' shit on it!". Errol defecates on his files, and Trevor urinates on his.
Trevor and Errol get out of the assessment centre, and drive away in the centre's Ford Transit van. They reach Mr. Shahnawaz's neighbourhood and hurl stones through the windows, and scream racial slurs. They get into the van and drive away. Trevor drives to a police station, and smashes the van into a car. Errol is rendered unconscious by the impact. Trevor exits the van and runs away, leaving Errol to be apprehended by the police.
Trevor begins walking to Harry Parker's apartment. On his way, Trevor looks into a shop window displaying a television, clothes, mannequins, and other items. He stares at them and their accompanying price tags, intently. He begins running into a tunnel, and screams "Bollocks!" Inside the tunnel, he discards his t-shirt, and screams at a passing vehicle after trying to kick it. Trevor walks past a school, presumably his, pausing to gaze through the iron gates before continuing on his way.
It is early morning by the time Trevor reaches Harry Parker's home. Harry is busy packing, and is preparing to leave on a holiday with his family. He is displeased to see Trevor in this state. He tells him to go back to the assessment centre before it is too late. Trevor informs Harry of his misadventures, and tells him that he is turning himself in. Harry makes the necessary calls to the police.
Trevor is seen in a jail cell, pressing the buzzer in the room. The police officer orders him to keep his hands off the buzzer. Trevor walks away, but returns and proceeds to press the buzzer with his head. This time, another officer, P.C. Anson (Christopher Fulford) enters, with a truncheon. He orders Trevor to stay quiet, but Trevor continues to provoke him, saying that he is a juvenile offender, and that he must be taken care of and sent back to the assessment centre. Anson orders him to shut up and sit down. He tells Trevor that he would be taken to court in a few days, and this time he will end up in a detention centre or a borstal
Borstal
A borstal was a type of youth prison in the United Kingdom, run by the Prison Service and intended to reform seriously delinquent young people. The word is sometimes used loosely to apply to other kinds of youth institution or reformatory, such as Approved Schools and Detention Centres. The court...
, not an assessment centre. He threatens to have his fingerprints taken as soon as he leaves the borstal, and use them to convict him of every unsolved taking and driving away in the district, dating back months. Trevor is still unfazed and sarcastically yells "Sounds great!" Anson is livid, and brings the truncheon down, hitting Trevor on the kneecap. P.C. Anson smiles and says, 'You think you're fucking hard.' Trevor, for the first time, looks defeated. He slumps in agony and shock, his face reddening. The warder tells Trevor that he is all talk, and decries his protests, saying that he has no choice but to respect authority and obey the rules, like everybody else.
The play ends with Trevor recovering from the pain and grinning, as the warders shut the door of his cell.
Cast
- Tim RothTim RothSimon Timothy "Tim" Roth is an English film actor and director best known for his roles in the American films,Legend of 1900, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Four Rooms, Skellig, Planet of the Apes, The Incredible Hulk and Rob Roy, receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for...
as Trevor - Bill StewartBill Stewart (actor)Bill Stewart was an English actor best known for his role as Denton Evening News reporter Sandy Longford in the British television program A Touch of Frost. He also made appearances on Z-Cars and MacGyver and had roles in such films as 101 Dalmatians and Anna and the King.-External links:...
as Peter Clive - Geoffrey HutchingsGeoffrey HutchingsGeoffrey Hutchings was a British stage, film and television actor.-Early life and career:Hutchings was born in Dorchester, Dorset, England. After attending Hardye's School, he studied French and Physical Education at Birmingham University before he became a member of the Royal Academy of Dramatic...
as the Superintendent - Terry RichardsTerry RichardsTerry Richards may refer to:* Terry Gerin, wrestler who used the name Terry Richards* Terry Richards , singer best known for his work with Bill Chase* Terry Richards , actor and stuntman, see Red Sonja...
as Errol - Eric RichardEric RichardEric Richard is an English actor.His theatre work includes plays at the Royal Court Theatre and the Theatre Royal, Stratford East, as well as seasons with the Royal Exchange, Manchester, Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Sheffield Crucible Theatre and Paines Plough...
as Harry Parker - Sean ChapmanSean ChapmanSean Chapman is an English-born actor. He is best known for playing Frank Cotton in Clive Barker's Hellraiser, and its sequel, Hellbound: Hellraiser II. He is also known for voicing the character Sgt...
as Barry Giller - Christopher FulfordChristopher FulfordChristopher Fulford is a British actor who is best known for his supporting roles in many British TV shows.In his early career he often appeared in British crime dramas. He was guest star of both the ITV crime series Inspector Morse, in Driven to Destruction and as a killer in the early A Touch...
as P.C. Anson
Trivia
- The music in the opening scene, is the song "UK82" by ScottishScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
punk rockPunk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band The ExploitedThe ExploitedThe Exploited are a Scottish punk band from the second wave of UK punk, formed in 1979. Originally a street punk band, they transformed into a faster hardcore punk band with a heavy political influence. From about 1987 on they changed into a crossover thrash band...
. - Dialogue from the play was heavily sampled on SkinnymanSkinnymanSkinnyman is an English rapper who was born in Leeds, Yorkshire and moved to Finsbury Park, London at a young age. He grew up on the Six Acres Estate next to Andover Estate...
's 2004 album Council Estate of MindCouncil Estate of MindCouncil Estate Of Mind is a 2004 album by English rapper Skinnyman. It was produced by DJ Flip, Stoned Soldiers, Adam M, and others. Heavily autobiographical and socially analytical, the album makes much use of samples from Made in Britain, a British film from the early 1980s...
. - Dialogue from the play was sampled in the song "Over The Wall" by English Punk RockPunk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band Goober Patrol, on the version of the song that appeared on the compilation album "Greetings From The Welfare State". - Tim Roth got the lead part by coincidence. He stopped off in a theatre where he had done previous work, to look for a bike pump, and was told auditions were going to take place. He went up to meet the director, got hold of a script, and came back to audition.