Rita, Sue and Bob Too
| Rita, Sue and Bob Too | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Alan Clarke |
| Written by | Andrea Dunbar |
| Produced by | Oscar Lewenstein Sanford Lieberson |
| Starring | Michelle Holmes, Siobhan Finneran, George Costigan, Lesley Sharp, Kulvinder Ghir |
| Distributed by | Channel 4 |
Release dates | July 17 1987 (USA) (earlier UK date unknown) |
Running time | 95 min. |
| Language | English |
Rita, Sue and Bob Too is a 1986 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". Its portrayal of 'ordinary' people's lives made it a cult film soon after its cinematic release. It was released on DVD in 2003.
Plot
Two 15-year old girls from a rundown council estate in Bradford babysit for a relatively affluent couple living in a large private house in a more desirable part of the city. 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 Pakistani colleague from a taxi firm that she works for.
Production, cast and reception
The film is realistic in its depiction of teenage dress and social attitudes of the mid 1980s. The images of the run-down Buttershaw area was typical of many council estates in industrial towns. Many of the blocks of flats in the film have now been demolished.
Maureen Long, who had a non-speaking role as Rita's mother in the film, survived an attack by the Yorkshire Ripper.[1]
In the large argument scene, the old man on the balcony (played by Danny O'Dea) makes a reference to "Manningham Lane". This was near the main red light district in Bradford when the film came out. This is something of an insider joke. Many of the actors in the film have fairly accurate Bradford accents, including Bob himself. However, Rita and Sue sound more like south-east Lancashire, and the teacher (played by Bernard Wrigley) is well known for his "broad" Bolton accent.
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 [2]. In May 1987, a gathering of residents outside of Dunbar's house demanded a discussion over her portrayal of the Buttershaw estate[3]. However, it is now thought of warmly by many Buttershaw residents as their area's claim to fame.
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 unemployment is rife. Issues covered in the film include racism, domestic violence, alcoholism, unemployment and cynical manipulation of state benefits.
The film and the play differ slightly on Bob's social status. In the play, Bob is a "jack-of-all-trade" manual worker, who seems likely to become unemployed under the Thatcher era[4]; although he is supposed to be wealthier than the families of the two girls, the class gulf is not large. However, in the film, a much greater class gulf is portrayed, and there is no reference to Bob being likely to lose his job. In both the play and the film, it is Michelle, Bob's wife, who has more of a stereotypical middle-class attitude than Bob himself; Rita and Sue seem to feel less guilty about cheating with Bob when they know that Michelle lives a fairly comfortable life otherwise.
Sue's father is portrayed as a lazy, drunken, unemployed and foul-mouthed middle-aged man with a deep hatred of black people. His attributes are no more obvious than when he is making numerous racist insults at Aslam - the most notable being "I'll smash those fucking black brains right off your black head".
Impact
The 2000 play A State Affair, written by Robin Soans, is said to have been inspired by Rita, Sue & Bob Too. The former is again set on the Buttershaw estate, but is a much more serious play than the latter. The play ends with an entrance by a character named Lorraine, who claims to be one of Andrea Dunbar's daughters. She says, "As a piece of writing, Rita, Sue and Bob Too is OK.... as a piece of autobiography it's disgusting. She made herself look a right tart."[citation needed]