Beautiful Thing [DVD] [1996] | ![Beautiful Thing [DVD] [1996]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51SfaVEKsWL._SL160_.jpg) | Director: Hettie Macdonald
Actors: Scott Neal, Glen Berry, Tameka Empson, Linda Henry, Ben Daniels
Studio: 4dvd
Category: DVD
List Price: £15.99
Buy New: £3.99
as of 14/3/2010 23:09 CDT details
You Save: £12.00 (75%)
New (14) Used (2) from £3.99
Seller: Amazon.co.uk
Rating:  75 reviews
Sales Rank: 2012
Format: PAL
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region: 2
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 87 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
EAN: 6867449002491
ASIN: B000S399F6
Theatrical Release Date: 1996
Release Date: September 17, 2007
Shipping: Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.co.uk Review
A grim, gritty South London housing estate makes an unlikley setting for a romantic fairy-tale, but Hetti MacDonald's gay teenage love story all but brings it off. Adapted by screenwriter Jonathan Harvey from his own stage play, Beautiful Thing tells how teenage loner Jamie falls for next-door neighbour Ste, one of the tough kids who bullies him at school. Amazingly, he finds his feelings reciprocated, and the two progress to a tender, tentative affair. Sidestepping conventional notions of working-class homophobia, the film succeeds in presenting its central relationship not as anything startlingly different, but simply as a teenage romance--with all the joy and heartbreak it implies--that happens to be between two 15-year-old guys. Problems of brutality and deprivation are acknowledged but never allowed to dominate, and under the influence of love even the harsh walkways and terraces of the estate take on a sunlit glow. --Philip Kemp
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 75
review February 19, 2010
Mr. A. Hillcoat (Paisley Scotland)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
excellent condition, arrived within 3 days, good price, a flim that i will watch again and again. thanks.x
The movie of a life time February 7, 2010
Jabba (England)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I stumbled on this film while searching on amazon for something else, read a few of the many many reviews & thought I'd buy it not expecting much from a Channel 4 TV movie, I was soooooooooooooo wrong!
The plot has been outlined by many other reviewers in great detail, all I want to add is that this is the best movie I have ever seen. The acting by the two young (& probably just out of school themselves) lads playing the leads (Jamie & Ste) is awesome, they carry a difficult & emotionally complexed story with great maturity & professionalism. The moments of tenderness between the two teenagers are enhanced further by an excellent sounds track by John Altman, true tear jerking moments of love & tenderness on a knife sharpe edge of gritty reality on a deprived London council estate. The closing scene just made me cry with a mixture of tears of happiness, anger & wonderment!
This is truly the film of a life time & has touched & effected me emotionally like no other!
I only wish there had been a sequel.
Beautifully done,and very real. January 14, 2010
Fan of the classics. (South Africa)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
It was the customer reviews on amazon that made me decide to buy this,as I had not heard about the film before, and I am so glad I listened to the reviewers. I cannot add to what has been said before,but found this to be a beautifully real depiction of love,secrecy,and fear. The two leading men are very impressive. The film portrays the Thamesmead council estate,and this is done in such a convincing way,that I imagine much of the film was shot on actual locations in the east end of London. I have always associated the songs of Mama Cass with the 60s and the USA, but they really fit well here too. The thought and attention to detail in this film are delightful. Wonderful.
 South London Teen Story December 2, 2009
Michael Kerjman
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
A story of unprivileged teens' affairs and their surrounding presents kind-hearted helpful people so different from usual characters British cinematography exports-nasty "Shameless" and "Little Britain" shows, for instance.
Probably, too sweet ending adds nothing to a surrounding South London reality anyway.
A film for all to love and enjoy November 29, 2009
Joshua A. Dixon
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is film is a masterpiece of its time. Iconic, memorable and a fantastic representation of the British class system in the 90s. Jamie, the leading character, is brilliant. Witty, confident and so very sure of his feelings and emotions. His neighbour, and eventual partner, is a little less sure of himself. He is shy and quite reserved when it comes to showing his emotions. Jamie's mother, Sandra, is a fantastic character. Although she is not often shown as the most intelligent of women, she is a truly devoted mother and has clearly fought her way through life (unlike her extremely middle-class boyfriend, Tony). Finally, we have the neighbour on the other side of Jamie, Leah. She is no typical "girl-next-door" character by any means. Her role is essentially what influences the soundtrack to the film (Leah has an "unhealthy" obsession with the late singer, Mama Cass). She is good friend of both Jamie and Ste and she provides some of the funniest moments and even the darkest of points in the film (a point where Leah is having a bad trip and nearly kills herself by jumping off the tower blocks of the flats).
It is the smallest of touches that make me truly appreciate and love this film. The use of the rainbow hanging over the council-flats is a wonderful little touch. It could be recognised as symbolic for many things but I like to think it is used to dismiss the pre-conceptions made about the lives of those who live in the "worst" places to live in. It begins upbeat with the comedic dialogue between Sandra, Leah and Jamie but as soon as the story of Ste's dark home life unveils it soon becomes a different story all together. Firstly, we see Jamie and Ste bond as Ste has to stop over to avoid his abusive father. Then, true emotions are revealed and so the story truly begins. Emotions are confronted, taboos are smashed and the two stay strong throughout. Their defiance is inspirational and even through the hardest of points nothing stops them. The hollywood style ending may be completely clichéd and cheesey but what other way could truly do justice to such wonderful characters and a wonderful film?
The final element that truly makes this film so brilliant is the soundtrack. Mama Cass and her former group, The Mamas and The Papas are utilised to capture the most joyous and even the most poignant moments of the film. Dare I say it is almost as if the music sounds like it was made for the film (obviously not, but it just fits so perfectly).
Showing reviews 1-5 of 75
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