The Contact (1963 film)
| The Contact | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Directed by | Philip Wrestler |
| Screenplay by | Philip Wrestler |
| Produced by | Lawrence G. Knight |
| Starring | John Hurt Pauline Collins Wendy Richard |
Production company | Senaca Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 12 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Contact is a 1963 British educational short film written and directed by Philip Wrestler and starring John Hurt and Pauline Collins.[1][2][3]
The film was sponsored by the Spastics Society and was designed to educate young people against prejudice to disabled people.[4] It was shot at Thomas Delarue School.[5]
Plot
Max is a physically disabled teenager with cerebral palsy. After being knocked to the ground by teenage boys on motorbikes, they take him to a youth club. There the boys and their friends realise that, apart from walking, Max is no different from them.
Cast
- John Hurt as Max
- Pauline Collins
- Georgina Patterson
- Wendy Richard as Joyce
- Rodney Goodall
- Hugh Halliday
- Graham Harper
- The Impacts as themselves
Reception
The British Film Institute wrote: "The Contact is a remarkably forward-looking attempt to show disabled young people as deserving of inclusion and acceptance in mainstream society. Look carefully and you’ll spot a young Pauline Collins and Wendy Richards doing the Twist."[6]
References
- ^ "The Contact". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
- ^ "Film of the month: The Contact". Wellcome Library. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014.
- ^ "Seneca'as new film". Television Mail. 10 (1): 8. 21 February 1964 – via ProQuest.
- ^ Film User -1966 Volume 20 - Page 318 "THE CONTACT", and learn how some youth club members changed their ideas about Spastics— coming finally to know one ... "
- ^ "Wellcome Library /MIS Coll". wellcomelibrary.org.
- ^ "The Contact". BFIplayer. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
External links
- The Contact at IMDb
- Watch The Contact at BFIPlayer