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Must-have movies: Gregory's Girl (1981)

The classics that every film-lover will want to own. This week, Paul Gent admires a charming off-beat film

Was there ever a more charming film than Gregory's Girl? It may not contain many jokes, and there are only one or two laugh-out-loud moments, but almost every scene puts a smile on your face.


John Gordon Sinclair: the perfect hero

From the opening, in which a sex-starved schoolboy faints off-camera at the sight of a nurse removing her bra, to the closing sequence, in which Gregory and his new girlfriend dance in the park while lying down, the film is filled with quirkiness and, well, charm.

In the young John Gordon Sinclair the film found the perfect hero. Playing a lanky adolescent who falls in love with the girl replacing him on the school football team, Sinclair is like a puppy discovering a whole new bit of the world that he doesn't understand but is eager to explore. Wandering around in a happy daze of hormones, he is taken in hand by the much wiser girls at the school, and they arrange for an unpredictable but happy ending.

This is one of the remarkably few British films set in a secondary school, and it's a vision of school how we would like it to be. The headmaster (veteran Scottish comedian Chic Murray) plays the piano to himself and orders cakes from a cookery-mad boy. A child dressed inexplicably in a penguin costume searches for his classroom.

Meanwhile most of the pupils get on with their hobbies and money-making schemes – such as selling glamour photos in the loos – apparently without the encumbrance of teachers, who huddle and joke in the staff room.

Indeed adults have a low profile throughout the film. There is a brief glimpse of Gregory's father, but otherwise the hero and his sister seem to live alone in their house in the antiseptic but curiously pleasing environment of Cumbernauld New Town.

Gregory's Girl put Scottish director Bill Forsyth on the map. He went on to make bigger films, but he never found a more engaging blend of offbeat comedy, warmth and insight into the peculiarities of the teenage mind.

Steve Crook

Another film (OK, TV films & TV series) set in a secondary school with great teachers, is the ever wonderful Beiderbecke series with James Bolam & Barbara Flynn.

The Beiderbecke Affair (1985)
The Beiderbecke Tapes (1987)
The Beiderbecke Connection (1988)

Thankfully they are all now available on tape or DVD

Steve

Steve Crook

PaPAS

mysteriesofedgarwallace

GG is my favourite 'teen angst' film and the highlight of John Gordon Sinclair's consistently un-interesting career.

To quote the great man himself (Gregory that is)

"Hurry Back"

The Beiderbecke trilogy was great fun; have any of them ever been repeated?

For another secondary school film, what about 'Kes' (1969)

Steve Crook

The Beiderbecke trilogy was shown again on the now defunct Granada Plus channel.

Yes, Kes is brilliant and has one good teacher (Colin Welland) and one horrible teacher (Brian Glover) so that's a fair example of most schools.

A few others with secondary schools are:
The St. Trinian's series
Carry On Teacher
Please Sir!
To Sir, with Love
Good Morning, Boys
The Ghost of St. Michael's

and probably many more - but not many give the joy of Gregory's Girl.

Steve

Steve Crook

PaPAS

Captain Casper

Gregorys girl was terrible. Sinclair was too smarmy for me. Besides, Claire Grogan was far better looking anyway. :-)

For teen-angst see P'tang Y'ang Kipperbang. Jack Rosenthals best small screen adaptation.

Trough

I reckon they're both good films.

I don't have a problem with Sinclair myself. We saw him recently in The Producers at the Theatre Royal, and he was excellent.

Mrs Trough loves Gregory's Girl because in one scene you can see the house in Cumbernauld where she spent some of her childhood.

Must admit though, I'm really not tempted by the sequel...

Fellwanderer

I'd watch all those listed above before Gregory's Girl.

FELL

All the best
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A signature is no substitute for a life

samkydd

I think we had more Brian Glovers than Colin Wellands! But to be fair we had a Terry Thomas as well, a Roger Livesey and the deputy headmaster was Ernest Clark (the newer dean from the Doctor in the House sitcom). The music master was John Gregson and the sports master was just a complete b***ard!

"...the chairman of Littlewoods stores made a Keynote speech!"

Bobj

I thought Gregorys Girl was firsat class as was Bill Forsyth's earlier film 'That Sinking Feeling'.
Used to have a huge crush on Clare Grogan too who was also lead singer with Altered Images.

thirdlady

I saw gregory's girl and it's a real class of a movie!

A.S.Carroll
"Happiness isn't sold in bottles you have to achieve it in your own lifetime!"

arty-dave

That Sinking Feeling for me

piroflip2

my fave bit from G/G is when the useless games master fancies hinself as the next England manager.

i had two such morons at my senior school ( sam hoyle and mike coyde ) where are you?

regards piroflip

cully

It's on television next week.

Fellwanderer

Maybe I'll give it another try - just wish JGS wasn't in it.

FELL

All the best
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A signature is no substitute for a life

mushie

My favourite british film-it captures early male adolesence so deftly and there are some great quirky moments-the kid as a penguin, the toothbrush on the kitchen side-make sure you get the R1 that is at least in it's correct OAR-the U.K DVD is one of the worst I have ever seen.