The Leather Boys – 1963 | 108mins | Drama | B&W

Plot Synopsis

Adapted from Eliot George’s (a pseudonym of Gillian Freeman) novel, The Leather Boys is a bold and engaging drama set against the decadent motorcycle clubs of 1960s England. Canadian Sidney J Furie’s film combines the sexual frankness and harsh realism of the British New Wave and confronts themes of class and homoeroticism at a time when being openly gay was still illegal.

Cosseted 16-year-old Dot (Rita Tushingham) and ton-up biker Reggie (Colin Campbell) are a couple of high school sweethearts who marry hastily and quickly learn about the follies and hardships of wedlock. The teen marriage gets off to a rocky start when their Butlin’s honeymoon is a washout and domestic life in London is no more rewarding. When outgoing platinum blonde Dot spends her time at the cinema rather than doing any housework and introverted Reggie loses interest in sex their incompatibility becomes apparent – and they inevitably split.

Reggie moves in with his grieving grandmother (Gladys Henson) and finds solace in the company of his irresponsible biker pal Pete (Dudley Sutton), but comes to discover that even this carefree friendship is not without its complications. Dot fakes a pregnancy in an attempt to win her husband back and in a moment of madness vents her frustration by cheating on her him. Reggie decides to get away from it all by fleeing overseas with Pete to New York, but after a chance encounter in a dockside pub he realizes that Pete is a homosexual – and returns home.