Stars of the Roller State Disco:

"Stars of the Roller State Disco" (1984) is essentially a more grounded, kitchen sink response to the roller disco teen films earlier in the decade. Here some teenagers are coming out of school and about to enter the job force, only to find that the basic training courses being offered for...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Other Authors: Clarke, Alan (Director), Tucker, Garth (Cinematographer), Dailley, John (Cinematographer), Benson, Perry (Actor), Murphy, Cathy (Actor), Greatrex, Christina (Actor)
Format: Video Software
Language:English
Published: London bfi [2016]
Series:Alan Clarke at the BBC, Volume 2: Disruption
Subjects:
Summary:"Stars of the Roller State Disco" (1984) is essentially a more grounded, kitchen sink response to the roller disco teen films earlier in the decade. Here some teenagers are coming out of school and about to enter the job force, only to find that the basic training courses being offered for jobs like demolition aren't enough to secure an actual position that will get them by. The twist here is that unemployed kids spend all their time in a skating rink run by the state where they hear job announcements and have to report to an officer on a screen about their qualifications and willingness to relocate. Unrest, bullying, and class consciousness emerge in the graffiti-strewn building, setting up a strange but fascinating social critique of Thatcher-era strife (complete with great vintage arcade games and barely heard pop tunes) that also sets the stage of Clarke's later 1987 surreal pool hall musical, "Billy the Kid and the Green Baize Vampire". Extra points for the grim and memorably bloody final scene, about as pointed a statement as you can get. [mondo-digital.com]
Physical Description:1 DVD-Video (72 Min.) farbig