The Leather Boys

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The Leather Boys

Released Nov 8, 1965

1h 48m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

79%

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14 Reviews

75%

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100+ Ratings

Young, rebellious Englishwoman Dot (Rita Tushingham) escapes her dull family life by impulsively marrying bike mechanic Reggie (Colin Campbell). Their union, however, begins falling apart almost immediately, particularly after Reggie meets handsome young mod Pete (Dudley Sutton). The two men spend a lot of time together, leaving Dot all by herself. Their marital strife comes to a head when Reggie realizes that his interest in Pete isn't entirely platonic.

Rocco T. Thompson

Slant Magazine

has endured as a key text in the emergent queer cinema thanks to its latent themes and largely empathetic view of same-sex desire.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jul 17, 2024

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A.H. Weiler

New York Times

[Director Sidney J. Furie] and his cast, who are not constantly effective with a relatively thin theme, have managed to elicit honesty and genuine tenderness and humor from their simple drama.

Mar 11, 2020

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Peter Harcourt

Sight & Sound

It is this personal quality, this sense of intimacy, which, finally, is the achievement of Sidney Furie as a director.

Mar 11, 2020

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Sukhdev Sandhu

4Columns

What the film gets spot on is milieu. Its London streets are monotonous brick barracks. The houses reek of boiled potatoes, unwashed curtains, endless resentment. What hungry soul wouldn't want to flee? Or hear the engines of motorbikes as siren calls?

Apr 30, 2021

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David Parkinson

Radio Times

The end result is fussy and flash rather than fresh, but the wedding and the Butlin's sequences are priceless relics of 1960s life.

Rated: 3/5

Mar 11, 2020

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Isabel Quigly

The Spectator

Pete is the film's hero and reason and charm. He is played with such accuracy and pathos by Dudley Sutton that no one and nothing else have much of a chance of getting our interest and sympathy.

Mar 11, 2020

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PridePosterStudios

Straights are the worst

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

05/10/24

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Trevor T

As a film it is ok if somewhat weak. Where it is interesting is as a piece of social history. Looking a London in the early 60's and comparing it to now. This film is includes, but is not exclusively about, motorcyclists. They where yet to be called "rockers" and it is before the media generated Mods and Rockers scare, and before the demonising of bikers by the press.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

04/25/23

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Audience Member

Excellent film and the boats bound for Cardiff.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

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Audience Member

Something rather different and much more interesting than a "gang terrorizes town" flick as the title suggests.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

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Audience Member

It was interesting, and the scene at the end was particularly unexpected. However, the writings on the case over-exaggerated any sexual part of this movie. There's really not much adult stuff in here.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

Audience Member

an interesting movie with great acting. The end scene is sad (where Reggie discovers Pete is gay.) This movie only uses the word "queer" once because in the sixties apparently being gay was a big "NO". This is a must-see just for the taboo matter of this film!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

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Sidney J. Furie

Director

Rita Tushingham

Dot

Colin Campbell

Reggie

Dudley Sutton

Pete

Gladys Henson

Gran

Avice Landone

Reggie's Mother

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Synopsis

Young, rebellious Englishwoman Dot (Rita Tushingham) escapes her dull family life by impulsively marrying bike mechanic Reggie (Colin Campbell). Their union, however, begins falling apart almost immediately, particularly after Reggie meets handsome young mod Pete (Dudley Sutton). The two men spend a lot of time together, leaving Dot all by herself. Their marital strife comes to a head when Reggie realizes that his interest in Pete isn't entirely platonic.

Director: Sidney J. Furie
Producer: Raymond Stross
Screenwriter: Gillian Freeman, Gillian Freeman
Distributor: RLP Pictures, Allied Artists Pictures
Production Co: Raymond Stross Productions
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 8, 1965, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 3, 2017
Runtime: 1h 48m