Absolute Beginners

Director(s)

Julien Temple
Production Year

1986
Genre(s)

Drama, Musical
Approx. running minutes

103m
Cast

Eddie O'Connell, Patsy Kensit, David Bowie, Ray Davies, James Fox, Lionel Blair, Mandy Rice-Davies, Eve Ferret, Graham Fletcher-Cook, Joe McKenna, Steven Berkoff, Edwrad Tudor-Pole, Sade Adu, Bruce Payne, Slim Gaillard, Anita Morris, Robbie Coltrane, Jess Conrad, Ronald Fraser, Chris Pitt, Smiley Culture, Irene Handl, Sylvia Syms, Peter-Hugo Daly, Johnny Shannon, Paul Rhys, Colin Jeavons, Amanda Jane Powell, G.B. Zoot Money, Sandie Shaw, Bruno Tonioli, Alan Freeman, Ekow Abban, Robert Austin, Jim Dunk, Alfred Maron

Film

Absolute Beginners

moderate violence, racist language, sex references, nudity, drug misuse

violence

Scenes of violence include fights in which men are kicked and punched in the face and body, a fight between two men which includes a bottle being smashed over a man's head, and a knife fight between two men that ends with a woman being accidentally cut. The film also features a race riot in which clubs, a straight razor and a knuckleduster are wielded, and in which a man is threatened with a broken bottle that is held close to his face. However, there is no injury detail.

sex

There is a scene in which a man masturbates under bedclothes, as well as some verbal references to sexual behaviour. However, there is no strong detail.

discrimination

There is some use of racist language, which is often aggressive, including terms such as 'n****r', 'wog', 'golliwog', and 'sambo'. However, the film - which is set against a backdrop of rising racial tensions leading up to a race riot - clearly condemns discriminatory language and behaviour.

drugs

In one scene, a man smokes a marijuana joint before passing it to another man; the second man smokes it and subsequently crashes his motorbike.

nudity

Pin-up photographs and posters show bare-breasted women. There are also simple outline drawings of naked women.

additional issues: There is some mild bad language ('bastard', 'piss off', 'crap', 'bloody', 'sod', 'balls', 'tits', 'moron', 'hell', 'damn', 'Christ', 'God'), as well as scenes in which adult characters smoke cigarettes, reflecting the period in which the film is set.

Director(s)

Julien Temple
Production Year

1986
Genre(s)

Drama, Musical
Approx. running minutes

103m
Cast

Eddie O'Connell, Patsy Kensit, David Bowie, Ray Davies, James Fox, Lionel Blair, Mandy Rice-Davies, Eve Ferret, Graham Fletcher-Cook, Joe McKenna, Steven Berkoff, Edwrad Tudor-Pole, Sade Adu, Bruce Payne, Slim Gaillard, Anita Morris, Robbie Coltrane, Jess Conrad, Ronald Fraser, Chris Pitt, Smiley Culture, Irene Handl, Sylvia Syms, Peter-Hugo Daly, Johnny Shannon, Paul Rhys, Colin Jeavons, Amanda Jane Powell, G.B. Zoot Money, Sandie Shaw, Bruno Tonioli, Alan Freeman, Ekow Abban, Robert Austin, Jim Dunk, Alfred Maron

Posters powered by IMDb

Classified Date:

18/03/1986

Version:

Use:

Cinema

Distributor:

Palace Pictures

moderate violence, racist language, sex references, nudity, drug misuse

Classified Date:

23/05/2016

Version:

Use:

Physical media + VOD/Streaming

Distributor:

Second Sight Films

violence

sex

There is a scene in which a man masturbates under bedclothes, as well as some verbal references to sexual behaviour. However, there is no strong detail.

discrimination

drugs

In one scene, a man smokes a marijuana joint before passing it to another man; the second man smokes it and subsequently crashes his motorbike.

nudity

Pin-up photographs and posters show bare-breasted women. There are also simple outline drawings of naked women.

additional issues: There is some mild bad language ('bastard', 'piss off', 'crap', 'bloody', 'sod', 'balls', 'tits', 'moron', 'hell', 'damn', 'Christ', 'God'), as well as scenes in which adult characters smoke cigarettes, reflecting the period in which the film is set.

Classified Date:

04/07/1986

Version:

Use:

Physical media + VOD/Streaming

Distributor:

Virgin Video

Classified date

23/05/2016
BBFC reference

BVF058327
Language

English