The Leather Boys

UK, 1964. Directed by Sidney J. Furie. Rita Tushingham, Colin Campbell, Dudley Sutton, Gladys Henson, Avice Landone, Lockwood West.

Set in the world of young bikers, The Leather Boys is part of the “new realism” of British films of the period – a period which introduced many new young actors onto the screen. Rita Tushingham, a star from her appearance in A Taste Of Honey a couple of years earlier, here is cast with Colin Campbell as a couple of working-class teenagers who marry young but find it difficult to adjust to the responsibilities of life as a couple. He has a motorbike and they are both part of the local scene, hanging out with their mates at a bikers’ café. When things get too difficult for the couple, Campbell finds himself spending time with a new biker friend (a thoughtful and convincing performance by Dudley Sutton), not realising the true nature of the other’s affection for him. This being 1964, the homosexuality is handled with subtlety and discretion, but is nevertheless very clearly stated and because of this the film has been declared groundbreaking, though of course very tame by today’s standards. The ending, typical of films of this period, is downbeat and somewhat bleak, but it’s definitely a film worth seeing and if you’re a bike fan you’ll probably enjoy the road sequences.