User Reviews

Were you lucky enough to be shown this at school by your 'community' Police Officer? I was & even as a teenager it blew me away with it's authenticity in social realism, dialogue, location & juvenile delinquency (which we're all guilty of in varying degrees, aren't we?). Filmed in 1975 in the Notting Hill area, when Notting Hill was still a tough working class neighbourhood. Forget Richard Curtis, Madonna & Robbie Williams, this was an era of Carnival race riots, heavily biased Policing / SPG activity & slum landlord Peter Rachman & goons making money out of squalor & intimidation. Think 'The Clash', rather than 'Gwyneth Paltrow', get the picture?. Seven Green Bottles moves from truanting to Borstal incarceration, one by one the protagonists involved either move away from criminal tendencies or delve deeper until they're lost to the system. All of this is broken down step by step, including 'first person' shots with the Chief Inspector, Juvenile Courts & yer Mum! This film was produced to show children the choices they have to make & the repercussions involved, but in a way children appreciated, rather than being patronised. Excellent script, Production & Direction by Eric Marquis Snr & interesting camera perspectives make this an all time London '70's youth classic, unavailable at present due to being a Police service film under copyright, this may change if I have anything to do with it! Also features Danny John Jules in his first film role, you might know him better as 'Cat' from Red Dwarf!.

I saw this film once in 1986 in a maths class that was used by the police to ward us off crime.

i don't know what this says for my me and my childhood but this was one of the best film i'd ever seen.

This was London in the 70's (flares,vandilism,etc) and had real atmosphere.

The final shot of the kid doing a runner from the borstol to go on to do God knows what has stuck with me to this day.

This was a REAL view of the boredom of deprivation before the media started hi jacking and glamourising innercity lifestyles.

I'd love to see this one released again along with babylon.

I was shown this film by the police at my School in Potters Bar in 1986.

It has stuck with me ever since in the same way that some those old public information films did that warned of the dangers of playing near power lines etc.

What i really liked was the fact that despite when i watched it, it was only 11 years old but everything had changed completely, the fashion, the cars, the way the kids spoke...everything! the other thing i liked was that as a bit of a rebel at that age i could really relate to and quite admired the bad behaviour in this film (precisely the opposite effect the police who showed the film were looking for).

I really hope this film becomes available in the future.

i remember it clearly we was all in assembly and the local plod came in to tell us about the perils and pitfalls of straying of track and along with their talk they brought in this film. far from deterring us it reinforced what we already knew and did,

i loved it because i could relate to it as could most of my mates.

i was at school in tonbridge in Kent at the time i think in 83, i would love to see it again and hope that the police let it go so we can all share in those memories again.

i still remember one scene when one of the lads goes into church and nicks the cross of the alter.