Rita, Sue and Bob Too
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| Rita, Sue and Bob Too | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Alan Clarke |
| Produced by | Oscar Lewenstein Sanford Lieberson |
| Written by | Andrea Dunbar |
| Starring | Michelle Holmes, Siobhan Finneran, George Costigan, Lesley Sharp |
| Distributed by | Channel 4 |
| Release date(s) | July 17, 1987 (USA) (earlier UK date unknown) |
| Running time | 95 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Rita, Sue and Bob Too is a British film directed by Alan Clarke about two Yorkshire schoolgirls who have a sexual fling with a married man. It is adapted by Andrea Dunbar from her 1982 stage play of the same name and a 1980 play of hers, "The Arbor". Having been forgotten for many years after its release, it has now been shown by Channel 4 for the last few years around New Year. It was released on D.V.D. in 2003, and has become a cult film. The Sun (newspaper) featured it as the first in its series of adult films on Monday, 23 October 2006.
The film was released at the same time that Bradford was trying to remodel its image, and it has been blamed for preventing an improvement in the media image of the city. Many local residents, including members of Dunbar's family, resented the film [1]. In May 1987, a gathering of residents outside of Dunbar's house demanded a discussion over her portrayal of the estate[2]. However, it is now thought of warmly by many Buttershaw residents as their area's claim to fame.
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[edit] Plot
Two 15-year old girls from a housing estate in Bradford babysit for a relatively affluent couple. They start having an affair with the married man, who seduces them in his car on the moors outside Bradford. When Bob develops a preference for Rita, the two girls fall out. Sue then falls for Aslam - a colleague from a taxi firm that she works for.
[edit] Social comment
Although the film has many comedic elements, it is a comment upon Thatcher's Britain. The run-down estates are covered in graffiti, and Bob ends up unemployed in the play [3] (there is no evidence that Bob is unemployed at the end of the film). Issues covered in the film include racism, domestic violence, alcoholism, unemployment and cynical manipulation of state benefits.
[edit] Trivia
- The film contains a very blatant plot inconsistency. Towards the start of the film, Sue is shown to work at a taxi firm, and it is here where she first meets Aslam. Later on, when she takes Aslam to her house and is having a discussion with her parents, her father berates her for not earning any money.
- Maureen Long, who had a non-speaking role as Rita's mother in the film, survived an attack by the Yorkshire Ripper.[4]
- The blocks of flats in the area where Sue's family live in the film have now all been demolished.
- Although the film is set in Bradford, neither Rita nor Sue speak with a Bradford accent. The actresses came from Oldham and Rochdale respectively, and speak with accents from these areas. Bob speaks with a Yorkshire accent.
- In the large argument scene, the old man on the balcony makes a reference to "Manningham Lane". This is the main red light district in Bradford, although it is not well-known of outside of the city.
