Violent Playground

"EVERY CITY HAS ITS DANGEROUS YOUTH. Stark, explosive drama - as the camera lays bare the heart of a big city and probe the secrets of its Violent Playground."

1958 1h 48m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 23

CrimeDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A Liverpool juvenile liaison officer struggles with a young and dangerous pyromaniac.

“EVERY CITY HAS ITS DANGEROUS YOUTH. Stark, explosive drama - as the camera lays bare the heart of a big city and probe the secrets of its Violent Playground.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Stanley Baker
Detective Sergeant Jack Truman
Anne Heywood
Cathie Murphy
David McCallum
Johnnie Murphy
Peter Cushing
Father Laidlaw
John Slater
Sgt. Walker
Clifford Evans
Headmaster Evans
Moultrie Kelsall
Superintendent
George A. Cooper
Chief Inspector

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Basil Dearden
Writers: James Kennaway
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

68 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Basil Dearden, shot by Reginald H. Wyer. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Arthur Stevens shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Stanley Baker and Anne Heywood and David McCallum carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "EVERY CITY HAS ITS DANGEROUS YOUTH. Stark, explosive drama - as the camera lays bare the heart of a big city and probe the secrets of its Violent Playground.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0052367 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 23 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Basil Dearden directs. Reginald H. Wyer behind the camera. Arthur Stevens cuts. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

168 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Basil Dearden, shot by Reginald H. Wyer. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Editor Arthur Stevens shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
4Stanley Baker and Anne Heywood and David McCallum carry the top of the cast.
5Marketing tagline: "EVERY CITY HAS ITS DANGEROUS YOUTH. Stark, explosive drama - as the camera lays bare the heart of a big city and probe the secrets of its Violent Playground.".
6IMDB entry: tt0052367 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 23 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Reginald H. Wyer
Editing: Arthur Stevens
Runtime: 108 min · 1h 48m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: Violent Playground (1958)

Also by

Basil Dearden

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-11-01
★ 6/10
David McCallum features strongly in this rather gritty story of "Johnnie", a bit of a pyromaniac, who falls foul of local policeman "Truman" (Stanley Baker) who is charged with dealing with the town's more violently recalcitrant youth. The latter character is not just about law enforcement, though, he is about rehabilitation and the gist of the story is to demonstrate that, whilst never easy or straightforward, there is always a certain degree of hope. "Truman" alights on the young "Johnnie" after he encounters his young niece and nephew running petty - and quite clever - scams on their neighbours. When he takes them home, he sees that their mother "Cathie" (Anne Heywood) is trying to do her best against formidable odds and that their other life influence is caught up in the semi-legal world of sex, drugs and rock and roll. In itself, the story is nothing particularly remarkable - but the characters are engaging, not always likeable, but they have depth which Basil Dearden takes his time to let us experience. The writing is pretty overly simplistic, though, and Baker really only has one gear as an actor and though he isn't bad here, he falls to resonate much as a man who might actually care. Visually, this film shows us a Liverpool that was still in the grips of post war doldrums, and the photography does much to engender the sense of need felt by many of the working class residents; it also shows us that it wasn't just London that had a rich mix of "personalities" embedded within the community - some tolerated more than others! Most folk watching now will only recall McCallum from his "Duckie" role in "NCIS". This film clearly demonstrates that for a while in the late 1950s, he was an actor prepared to push boundaries and tackle some borderline taboo topics with enthusiasm and skill.

Production companies