Made in Britain

An example of Alan Clarke’s TV work from the ‘70s and ‘80s, “Made in Britain” is, from the first frame, sheer cinematic force. We first see Trevor, a 16-year-old neo-Nazi, strutting through the halls of a local magistrate to the thrashing sounds of punk rock band, The Exploited. Trevor walks with total defiance, anger and resolve toward the courtroom, where he is reprimanded for various acts of theft and vandalism. But he is totally indifferent and brazen toward all authority. Trevor is society’s worst nightmare. In a scene at the local ‘assessment centre’ where he is sent because the court is unable to imprison him, a superintendent describes with shocking accuracy Trevor’s past and future options: he barely attended school and was constantly reprimanded; he engaged in criminal activities from an early age; he was court marshalled then sent to an ‘assessment’ centre; and from here it’s likely he will be unemployed and on the dole, leading to further theft and finally, at the end of the road, prison. Social worker, Harry Parker, believes that Trevor is in fact an intelligent young man who could be reformed with the right guidance and support. But what he miscalculates is Trevor’s unique psychological makeup: not only is he completely anti-society, the more society attempts to strap him down, the more his anger is fuelled. Perhaps the most terrifying aspect of Clarke’s portrait of young Trevor is that his neo-Nazism is in fact a logical extension of Britain’s colonial history: hence Trevor could only be “Made in Britain”. A tight script by David Leland, an outstanding performance by Tim Roth and tight, precise editing makes this film an unforgettable viewing experience.