I watched Stir (1980) for the first time during the week. An Aussie prison drama led by a wild Bryan Brown, it presents a stripped back and brutal vision of prison life that left me thoroughly impressed and depressed. It also features a lot of creative swearing. This discussion between two inmates – Bryan Brown and Dennis Miller (no, not that Dennis Miller – thank fuck) – where they lament the troubles of prison yard love is both hysterical in its outrageous and very Australian dialogue and also strangely touching in an odd, sweary way.
3 comments
Kurt J says:
Jul 4, 2014
I remember when I was 15 or so and one of the guys in the neighborhood got out of prison and all he did was talk about it. He spent a lot of time showing us how to sharpen a spoon into a knife, and other things I never used. Even at the time I thought it was odd he no longer showed interest in any of the girls we hung with, and the way he talked about prison almost as if he was proud of it. Some of his advice did stick with me, especially about never trust the first person you meet in a new situation. The above conversation is much closer to the truth than Hollywood’s depiction. By the way the guy was back in within a year.
Dave Jackson says:
Jul 4, 2014
Thanks for the comment, Kurt. I got the feeling watching this film that it was very true to life. It was written by an ex-prisoner and based on his own experiences.
Lee Nicholson says:
Jan 30, 2015
Wow…..once again, this post indicates we have similar tastes in movies.
STIR is a great movie, and despite it’s serious nature, I was chuckling throughout (I don’t tend to laugh at regular comedy movies…..but revel in unpleasantness, violence and swearing)
There’s an equaly funny scene later on, between the ‘poofter’ and his cell-mate, where theydiscuss who’s “f**king” who? (and like this clip, it’s straight-faced obscure comedy gold) as the two (literally) ‘hardened’ cons pueh their beds together.
Awwww, aint love grand?