Bronco Bullfrog

Made in 1969 for the price of a second hand bike (more or less) this film is all about being young and having nowt. Del is working in a factory when he meets the teenage Anne and his hormones take over and he just wants to be with her. He does have a motor bike though and can afford the odd bag of chips. He also has some mates and one of these is Bronco Bullfrog.

Bronco is a bit of a legend as he has been in borstal and has returned to his old haunts and habits because he has nowhere else to go. This is a kitchen sink drama – without the sink. It was made by Barney Platts – Mills with a cast of non actors in order to keep the costs down. What he has come up with is a great little film and a rather nice time capsule on the sixties just where we were going to tip into the optimistic seventies and the fashions certainly reflect that.

He has loads of little things here that were ordinary then, but have been lost to the mists of time – like getting one person into the cinema then they let everyone else in through the fire exit – brilliant. This is not a great film of itself it but there is so much here to admire and appreciate that it becomes the sum of its parts and is a rewarding watch for it. A testament to a lost Britain.