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      My Childhood

      1972 50m Drama List
      Reviews 89% 250+ Ratings Audience Score A Scottish boy (Stephen Archibald) befriends a German prisoner of war during World War II. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

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      Audience Member NO CRITIC REVIEWS? Seriously?! Absolutely devastating, but Brilliant film—like everything in Bill Douglas's ouvre Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Audience Member good short with doc like quality Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member My personal favorite part of the trilogy focuses on surroundings which a young heart can't understand, yet it seeks magic in any corner possible despite the landscapes devoid of any peace. However, the beauty of nature remains, awaiting for a reconstruction that may never arrive. 99/100 Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Audience Member When we first started watching this, I thought it was a documentary. It reminded me of Ken Loach. We watched part of "My Childhood" but then needed to finish it the next evening. I had a sense of dread when we sat down to view it again. The hard cruelty and insanity of this child's family, and most adults except the German worker. There are moments when I was confused thinking this was Jamie's father, so warm were their interactions. These films are work but well worth the effort; a full meal. Reminded me of the "pure cinema" of Robert Bresson and "Au Husard Balthasar", to some extent; good children battling the harshness of the world, and the people in it. There were times when Jamie is sitting curled up under that table or outside when I despaired he would do injury to himself. I was so hoping when he fell backward onto that coal train, he would just keep going along with it. The previous comments from the gentleman who grew up in similar circumstances in a Scottish industrial town were very moving to me. His being reminded of his own childhood is a testament to Bill Douglas' gift of storytelling and marks these films very important indeed. The work of Terence Davies must have been influenced by Douglas, I thought of his "Distant Voices, Still Lives" quite a bit. There is an indictment of growing up in wartime U.K. that can't be ignored, and ultimately, the perils of growing up in poverty. I have to recommend the Bill Douglas Trilogy to anyone who appreciates a cinema verite film-making experience, but not for the faint of heart. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Audience Member Nur 48 Minuten lang, aber neben Truffauts LES QUATRE CENTS COUPS vielleicht der größte Film über Kindheit überhaupt. Douglas ist ein Dichter, ein Minimalist, und nicht zuletzt absolut schonungslos. Bar jeglicher Verklärung, wirft er uns in seiner autobiographischen Trilogie in die Hölle einer Jugend in einem schottischen Bergarbeiterkaff. Grausamkeit, Schmutz, Elend, Hass, und vor allem die absolute Machtlosigkeit. Ein Abstieg in die Hölle, den man nicht mehr vergisst. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Audience Member The first film in the Bill Douglas trilogy, followed by My Ain Folk (1973) and My Way Home (1978). This is an autobiographical account of Bill Douglas' childhood, I don't know how much licence was taken with the truth, but this is a sad, sad account of a childhood where the child's only affection seemed to come from a stranger who didn't even speak the same language. The film is in black and white and has little sound, all of which helps convey a great impoverishment. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      My Childhood

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      Movie Info

      Synopsis A Scottish boy (Stephen Archibald) befriends a German prisoner of war during World War II.
      Director
      Bill Douglas
      Screenwriter
      Bill Douglas
      Production Co
      British Film Institute
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Runtime
      50m
      Sound Mix
      Mono