The Punk
From the first punk novel. Romeo and Juliet with safety pins.
David is nineteen, out of work and a punk. His father, a policeman, has thrown him out, and he is living in a squat in Notting Hill. Rachel is a young New York actress playing Juliet at the Gate Theatre. They meet when he takes refuge there after a fight in a pub. Her father, a film director, sets out to keep them apart.
The film is adapted from The Punk, the novel Gideon Sams wrote in 1976 as a school essay, at the age of fourteen. Published the following year, it was billed as the first punk novel.
Mike Sarne, director of Myra Breckinridge, adapted and directed it on a budget of £1.3 million. The film was shot in and around Notting Hill by a small crew of young film-makers, all under 25. Charlie Creed-Miles plays David and Vanessa Hadaway plays Rachel.
The film premiered at Cannes. Videodrome distributed it in UK cinemas. Roadshow Film Distributors released it in Australia, and it was also released in Canada and Japan. In France it appeared as Tendre Galère and Coup de Foudre, and in the US as The Punk and the Princess. PolyGram Video released it in the UK on VHS under the same title, presented by Videodrome and The Feature Film Company. It had its UK network television premiere on Channel 4 in March 1996.
The Mensch team co-edited the film and created its sound design.
Full credits and review: Sight and Sound The Punk on IMDb
Screenings and licensing enquiries: Email us
“**** off Arnie, here comes The Punk.”
Alan Parker
“Truly magical.”
Barry Norman
“A raging success.”
Derek Malcolm
“Visually stunning.”
Variety
“Compulsive viewing.”
The Guardian
“A genuine turn on.”
Evening Standard
“Sparse, knowing and funky.”
Sight and Sound, on the soundtrack
| Director | Mike Sarne |
|---|---|
| Screenplay | Mike Sarne, from the novel by Gideon Sams |
| Cast | Charlie Creed-Miles, Vanessa Hadaway, David Shawyer, Jess Conrad, Jackie Skarvellis |
| Producers | Robin Mahoney, Mike Sarne |
| Cinematography | Alan M. Trow |
| Editors | Gwyn Jones, Robin Mahoney, Matthew Salkeld |
| Locations | Notting Hill, West London |
| Running time | 96 minutes |
| Certificate | 15 (cinema), 18 (video) |
| Also known as | The Punk and the Princess; Tendre Galère and Coup de Foudre (France) |
From the video sleeve
Romeo and Juliet acted out on the mean streets of modern London.
David, a young idealist, unwittingly finds himself playing the part of Romeo.
The Bard himself, now a down and out fringe theatre actor, is reduced to financing his dream through the rich parents of his would be Juliet.
Friar Lawrence has become a drug dealer called Monk, the manager of a rock band.
Tybalt appears in the guise of Stray Cat, a psychopathic biker with a chip on his shoulder.
Posters and flyers
