Professor Falgui English 10 13 May 2014 The movie The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner is about a rebellious young man, Colin Smith or simply Col, who was sent to a juvenile detention center in the form of a reform school because he stole some money from a bakery. During his stay he quickly becomes the prized stallion of the Governor of the school because of his prowess in long distance running. The film revolves around Cols struggle with authority and the events that lead to the fateful moment at the end, where he chooses to lose the race despite a comfortable lead towards the finish line and the expectations of the Governor and his school mates. Ultimately, Cols decision to not cross the finish line was foreshadowed by the death of his father, the indifference of his mother and the Governors favoritism. Col has a penchant for getting in to trouble, however from what I observed the gravity of his misdeeds seemed to escalate as his fathers condition worsened. We see his life outside of the detention center through flashbacks that are virtually indistinguishable from the present timeline unless you actually pay attention to the story. This gives the viewers an idea of what it feels like to lose their sense of time, which prisoners experience as a consequence of their incarceration. Col went from borrowing (he actually returned the car after he and his friend took it for a ride) cars and cheating gambling machines to robbing a bakery all in the span of the weeks leading up to his fathers death. He is also extremely bothered at the absence of grieving in their household when his father dies, especially when his mother takes her lover to their home. Cols resistance to submit to authoritative figures begins here as he insists that he must take the place of his father not his mother or her lover. An argument between Col and his mothers lover about who controls the television is actually what drives Col to rebel and rob the bakery which sends him to juvie. Del Rosario 2
In the reform school, Cols continual struggle with authority is evident in his relationship with Stacy, the leader of their house and champion long distance runner which he quickly overthrows and the Governor. The Governor favors Col because he (the Governor) believes Col can win the long distance race for their school. Col immediately expresses his plan to make the Governor and other school authorities think that hes on their side when he really isnt. This plan was fully realized in the race when he chose to lose. A few meters from the finish line, Col begins to experience a flood of memories that leads him to one seemingly stupid but epic realization: he must stop and lose the race. And just to rub it in the face of the Governor he stops within a few inches from the finish line. This was what he was fighting for throughout the whole movie. He was fighting for his freedom to make decisions for himself and be his own boss. Free from his fathers shadow, his mothers betrayal, and the Governors expectations. In the end we see him with a smile on his face - a smile of a contented boy who had just become a man by standing up for himself. The long distance runner is indeed a lonely man (or woman) because he waits for no one and neither does he submit to anyone. The movie The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner is one of those films that, to the impatient child of the modern word, are dreary because of its lack of color and deep subject. But it is usually these kinds of films that leave a lasting impression and may or may not change your life.
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Works Cited The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner. Dir. Tony Richardson. Perf.Tom Courtenay, Michael Redgrave, James Bolam. Continental, 1962. Film.