Figure 1.--In this scene from "Brighton Beach Memoirs" Eugene is wearing his school knickers. You can see his New York Yankees cap, his grey patterned knee socks, his buckled knickers, and his canvas sneakers. Very accurate costuming for the 1930s. |
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You can also slect the movies available on HBC by using this alphabetical movie listing. At this time only a few movies have been analized by HBC for clothing information, but more pages are being added all the time. We incourage readers to add information about their favorive film.
The Brady Bunch of TV Fame are plucked out of the 1970s into modern day Los Angeles. The face an unscrupulous real estate developer. The campy contrast between their 1970's values, clothes, and slang is nicely done. The boys wear longs.
A downed American bomber pilot finds unlikely war time allies in Hungary, including an orphan boy who comes to idolize him. Kelly Reno.
A married couple tries to keep a device which allows a person to experience the sensations and thoughts of another from military and industrial groups. The couple has a boy of about 12 or 13. In one scene he appears in blue shorts or shorty pajamas.
Laurel and Hardy film in which they dress up as little boys in Fauntleroy and sailor suits with short pants, white socks, and Mary Jane strap shoes. This is the earliest film I know of with the Fauntleroy suit being used in a comedy routime. slapstick film, "Brats," in which
Laurel and Hardy play their own sons. It was produced by Hal Roach and
directed by James Parrott--an early example of Laurel and Hardy comedy after
the shift from silent films to sound or "talkies." In the plot, Laurel and
Hardy spend an exasperating evening with their own sons (played by the two
actors themselves in children's clothes and miniaturized so that the boys look
small in comparison to the adults). The irony here is of course that the
adults are in their own way just as childish as the children--all of the
characters being "boys" of great immaturity. The adult boys have their
evening together ruined by their two sons who get into all sorts of mischief
such as leaving the water in the bathroom running.
A young boy (Rudolfo Hoyos?) becomes attached to his pet bull. When it is sold, he runs away to Mexico City to find it. The boy is about 11 or so. Quite a personable little Mexican boy, who nicely plays his part. He wears long trousers.
William Wallace is one of the great Scottish leaders. He played a key role in prevcenting Scotland's absorbtion by England. The film depicts a Wallace that does not at first resist the English invader King Edward Longshanks. The film portrays Wallace as being set off was an English policy of allowing British soldiers to "breed" with native Scotts. The larger English population could eventuaslly breed the Scottish blood out of the Scotts. Wallace is shown as gathering the Scottish clans to do battle. With war paint
and a fierce determination, the Scotts defeat the much more numerous English. (This is one reason Stirling Bridge is so important.) The Mel Gibson film "Braveheart" has become the most famous and most popular film about Scotland. It is one example of the best known film about a country being made in America rather than in the country involved. Some classify "Braveheart as one of the greates films ever. The film has inspired numerous websites. One internet site on the film reads, "In my opinion, it's the best movie ever. It's something that leaves you with a feeling, has an impact on you, something that you will think about in days to follow." It is a well made film. It was awarded five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for Mel Gibson. Our major quarrel with the film is historical accuracy. we are skeptical about any film depicting the Battle of Stirlin Bridge without the bridge. This is no small deletion because the bridge was the key to the Scottish victory. A Scottish reader writes, " Whatever it's historical inaccuracies in other respects "Braveheart" does depict the clothes worn by the boy Wallace in 13th century Scotland - and no it wasn't a kilt!"
Little of special interest except a brief glimpse of a group of school boys in blazers and caps. It is not clear what type of trousers that they are wearing. Various children appear in shorts here and there in the background during the movie.
Break a Leg was based on a book by William Taylor. Leaving aside the typical, makeshift school-play costumes in Break a Leg, three types of kids'
clothes are seen; 1) Mid 1980s to early '90s kids' "regular" clothes (jeans, sweatshirts, etc.) 2) The soccer team uniforms, somewhat more European and "professional" looking than the ones common in the U.S. 3) What I now know to be typical New Zealand school uniform
(gray open-collar shirts, shorts, kneesocks and sweaters for the boys). I started watching the first one about halfway through, and at first I thought it was 1950s England (an impression deepened by the teacher's Morris Minor wagon).
Five students with nothing in common meet while in detention. Through the course of the day, they learn about each other's fears, pasts, and dreams. All are older teenagers. A well done movie. Anthony Michael Hall
"Breaking Away" was nominated for an Oscar in 1979 when it was made. An Indiana reader writes, "This film is sort of a local masterpiece around these parts because it was made in Bloomington and on the Indiana University campus, and it was about the famous I.U. bike race that is held every year here and known as "The Little 500" (the bicycle version of the Indianapolis 500 car race)." With its contemporary setting, the film provides a good idea of American teenage fashion in 1979.
Raised by a strict mennonite on a Kansas farm. Tommy (Bobby Breen), who is about 11, is denied such simple pleasures and music and dance. He leaves for Philadelphia and finds fortune, romance, and trouble singing for an ice skating troupe. He probably wears longs as he did in the stills I have seen of his other films.
David Jackson and Simon Nash star in the story of two young boys who are kidnapped by escaping convicts.
"Bred in Old Kentucky" was a remake of an earlier 1919 film. The star was Viola Dana who played Katie O'Doone. There was a boy in the cast, but we do not what is role was. Set in Kentucky, it was of course about horse raceing. Kentucky is famous in America for its blue grass and raising thoroughbred horses. The Kentucky Derby is of course run in Kentucky. When Katie's father dies she has to run the declining family es tate. She mortgaages the family home and bets the proceeds on her beloved horse. The boy I think is a groom at the estate. As was common in the rural South, he wears overalls. Interestingly, despite the sork atire, he buttons his collar.
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A slap stick romance about the author of popular children's books. It is a typically sappy commedy, but actually rather humerous and the chenistry of the main chractrs works well. John McGrath publishes children's books beloved Uncle Bump is one of their most popuilar series. Greg Rawlings (Van Johnson) is the author and he not only hates kids, but is an irresponsible playboy who ikes to drink more than he likes to write. Not the best qualification for a children's author. There are two love interests for Johnson--Tillie and Martha. And as a result he keeps delaying getting down to work on his next book. Prim and proper school tacher, Martha Terryton (June Allyson), won a contest to illustrate the book. Rather than start work, Gerg get her drunk. McGrath next has to convince her to stay so he gets a Danny (Butch Jenkins), a little juvenile delinquent from an orphanage, to pose as his son and show her the pressure he has to deal with. Butch was very good in his roles and according to his reputation, he was well cast here. Butch's arrival leads to some good chuckels. One of the funniest moment is when Uncle Bumps and his publisher (Hume Cronyn) arrive at the orphanage to get Danny and unintentionally become involved with the boys in their game of indians. Meanwhile, Danny later has to see the the orphanage dentist for a cavity. Here there is a battle of wits. The dentist first has to get Danny into the dental chair. Then he has to get his mouth open. Meanwhile Greg is still recovering from losing Tillie. And he begins to look at Martha more kindly.
Disney ghost story. A New England town's annual festival sparks the return of 300-year old spirits. The family involved has two boys.
A peasant girl seeks a chance to marry a rich aristocrat. Dickie Moore
A group of German boys die in an effort to stall the Allied advance right before the end of the war. The Bridge features a cast of young actors who proved supremely talented. It is the last days of the
World War II in a small German town. The principal characters are depicted as 15/16 years old schoolboys in shorts and knee socks at school. Their town is about to confront the advancing American soldiers, and the boys are called up to active service in the German army. As the Amis (Americans) approach, the boys' are ordered to hold the bridge into town at all costs. The task is futile, and they should
have surrendered, but they were, as the SS motto went, "Treu auf bis dem todt" (Loyal unto death). Also, communication with their headquarters was lost. In the end, they are all killed, and the bridge turned out to be meaningless. A really good, post-war, self-examination film. The Bridge featured a cast of young actors who proved supremely talented. It is the last days of the World War II in a small German town.
A young boy (Lance Kerwin) struggles in the 19th Century to handle his new environment in rural Pennsylvania and win his stepfather's approval.
Story about the imaginary world shared by two 11 year old friends, a boy and a girl. It is a lovely film about the developing relation between the two, but has a tragic ending. Shift to TV
'A Bridge too far' is a World War II drama about Opperation Market Garden, the Allied effort to cross the Rhine and enter the Reich in 1944 before winter set in and hindered military operations. Eisenhower gave control of the effort to Fied Marshall Montgomery. As a result it was largely a British-Canadoan effort with Americans playing a supporting role. The opperation involved crossing a series of Dutch bridges, but uttimastely failed at the Arnhem bridge iover the Rhine. A scene at the beginning shows a Dutch boy out cycling. He spots a new Wehrmachy insignia on a flag and realises that a new well-equipped German unit has arrived unknown to the resistance. He reports back to his father but this information though relayed to London is disregarded by the Allied high command which is convinced that the Germans have been too badly battered to organize an effective defense. The film was directed by Richard Attenborough. It stars Dirk Bogarde, Sean Connery, amnd Ryan O'Neal.
Otar Iosseliani's "Brigands-Chapter VII" has stories of various thieves
throughout Georgia's (in the Caucases) history. One segment is set at the beginning of the Soviet era, and focuses on a torturer for the secret police who one day brings his son to work with him to see what his daddy does for a living. (I wonder if NKVD officers really did this. To my knowdlefe the NAZI SS never did such a thing.) The actor who played the son looked to be at least 12, yet wore H-bar suspender shorts. It could be that the character was supposed to be younger than the actor who played him. I have seen other images from the Soviet Union of boys wrearing for H-bar suspender shorts, but maybe they didn't have quite the same juvenile connotations at that time in that place. One image depicted a Young Pioneer.I'm not sure who profuced the film, it seems to be an internation production (France, Russia, Italy, and Switzerland).
A fourth grade teacher takes an interest in one of her students, a black boy.
This is one of the better American coming of age films. A 15-year old tries to discover life's mysteries while his family keeps hiding all the clues. He finds his truth in baseball, ice cream, and girls. Matthew Broderick played the part of Eugene on the Broadway stage, but the movie featured Jonathan Silverman as Eugene. He is supposed to be about 14 years old. Eugene is a rather high-strung boy who is constantly peeking through windows, looking under the table at his cousin's legs, and talking about things he shouldn't. Once his mother keeps calling him to dinner while he was misbehaving. "Coming maw," he keeps shouting down to her. He wears knickers throughout. Rather well done movie, but Silverman was really to old for the part. The costuming was very accuate. In one scene Eugene is wearing his school knickers. You can see his New York Yankees cap, his grey patterned knee socks, his buckled knickers, and his canvas sneakers--all popular 1930s styles.
A true story about a boy, an old miner, and a wild donkey which is set in the Grand Canyon. Based on a book by Marguerite Henry.
A young orphan in the 1920s befriends a hound dog named Bristle Face. Philip Alford.
Jackie Cooper and Mickey Rooney
Based on a true story of a young man whose joy at a single fatherhood turns to outrage when he learns that his adopted son suffers from fetal alcohol syndrome.
The film deals with childhood and the male community. It is an experimental film about being macho, a imaginatively shot documentary on boxing. It is directed by Bruce Weber, famous for his Calvin Klein ads. A HBC reader has provided a review of the film. The film illustrates athletic gear and is also an interesting documentary about a boy's boxing club in Portland, Oregon, in action. A former Olympian and professional athlete, Andy Minsker, is the manager and trainer for a group of a dozen or so boys, about ages 10-15, who spar and train for matches with rival clubs. This black and white documentary is an unsparing look at the work, training, and sacrifices
of these boys in pursuit of a little glory in the ring. It also focuses a bit on Andy Minsker and the encouragement and support he gives his young pugilists. This documentary is no tear jerker; the language and film footage are uncensored. The disappointments and the triumphs are presented unvarnished, supported by a sound track of some of Chet Baker's jazz numbers. Not to say, however, that you won't be moved by both the winning and losing matches caught on this film. A nice version of the Nat King Cole tune, "Too Young" adds mellow background music to some of the scenes. The boys wear contemporary casual clothes, T shirts, jeans, and sneakers, and sometimes the longer shorts known as
"jams", which were becoming popular then. Of course, they also wear boxing trunks, athletic socks, and shoes, and occasionally protective headgear. According to our reviewer, a "Good show!
Five youngster abandoned by their parents fight bureaucracy to stay together. Chris Sarandon
Calogero (Francis Capra) is a boy about 10 years old caught in a struggle between his hard working father and flashy gangster. Set in New York during the early 1960s.
The title 'Broth of a Boy' comes from a an Irish expression meaning an outstanding person; as if produced by boiling down a savory broth broth of a man. It was made as a one-man show about IRA man and author Brendan Behan. The moviw, however, is an Irish commedy, produced as an independent film done by the Abbey Theater players. It was directed by George Pollock and starring Barry Fitzgerald, Harry Brogan and June Thorburn. It was noted actor Barry Fitzgerald's last film. Fitgerald was know for playing Irish American roles. Fitzgerald's began is acting career with the Abbey Players. The film plot is about a television reporter who sets out on a personal quest to find a very elderly man. Fitzgerald who was 77-years old at the time played a centenarian approaching his 110th birthday -- making him the oldest man in the world. BBC producer Tony Wright discovers him while vacationing in Ireland. He conceives of a television special. But Fitzgerald proves to be a crabby old man who proves to be uncooperative with the project. He attacks the owner of a trout stream where he and his slightly dimwitted son often poach. The film addresses the issue of explotive journalism.
An inter city youth is catapulted into the midst of a 19th century South Carolina slave rebellion. A Wonder Works presentation.
Another awful horror film. A coven is responsible for the abduction of children and the slaying of their parents.
A young boy runs away from home when he finds that he is adopted. He soon learns how much he needs his family, especially his brother. Yanick Bisson and Charley Higgins
A stuffy English teacher at a public school prepares to leave when he learns of his wife's affair. I haven't seen the whole movie, but a boy named Taplow has an extensive part, especially at the beginning. He and the other boys wear long trouser suits. There is quite an extensive cricket scene with all sorts of boys in the background, many wearing caps. The movie begins with all the boys rushing to chapel. One loses his cap in the rush. Well acted film, but deals primarily with the adults rather than the boys, so there are limited scences showing boys' clothes.
Remake of the 1950s British film with Matthew Modine. There is a gratuitous bullying scene featuring a long-haired boy.
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This film has been released as both "The Dress Code" (1999) and "Bruno" (2000). The tagline: "A film that's long on originality but short on pants." The basic premise is that Bruno is an 8 years old cross dresser who attends a Roman Catholic elementary school. He has a recurring dream of being chased by an angel, and it's the vision of the angel that sanctions (for Bruno) his choice of wearing a dress. Actually, when we meet Bruno, he's wearing the blue blazer, long grey trousers, and blue tie that are the uniform of his Long Island parochial school. Bruno is the victim of the class bullies. The film touches upon, but does not really tackle a very serious problem at American schools. Children that are different can have a very difficult time.
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