As someone with a certain interest in British street style, Lord Bassington-Bassington has long wanted to see the film Bronco Bullfrog. And yesterday this was finally possible, thanks to kind assistance from The World's Coolest Librarian.
On the surface, Bronco Bullfrog is a quite run-of-the-mill kitchen sink social realist film about mixed-up kids trying to find their place in the world. Only a bit better than most films of its ilk; the fact that all the actors were street kids themselves adds a realism most films about youth lack.
What really makes the film a gem, though, is the way it sheds light on one of the great, lost style subcultures: Suedeheads. A short-lived youth cult that grew out of the smarter end of the original skinheads, Suedeheads mixed all the dressier bits of skinhead clobber, such as suits and covert coats with longer, more conservative-looking hair. This style is perfectly captured by the film, which of course went on to popularise it.
As such, Bronco Bullfrog can be considered one of the great youth cult movies, on par with This is England, Quadrophenia and This is Spinal Tap. And like those films, the soundtrack is great, too.
That's a great bit of history as I always assumed "suedeheads" were greaser-types. ~Selené
ReplyDeleteAh, a classic! Very nice. Although, I find some of the haircuts much too long.
ReplyDeleteSelene: Well, the main character in the film rides a motorbike. If that doesn't make him a greaser, I don't know what does.
ReplyDeleteLaguna Beach Fogey: I agree. Longer hair rarely looks good on human males, and I feel certain that attempts to grow long hair stems from what I usually refer to as "ear envy": A frustration born from lack of the long, droopy, velvety ears that all REALLY stylish individuals have.