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Captain Stirrick
Pickpockets, mad puppets, and murder – all from the 1840 press accounts of a real case that lead to the gallows – conceived as a musical by the Children’s Film Unit.
Director: Colin Finbow
Overview
Captain Stirrick is a teenage boy heading a gang of child pickpockets in Victorian London, but their attempt to rob a Lord ends in murder and a one-way ticket to the gallows. Captain Stirrick is a musical based on the 1840 press accounts of a real case. Cast includes: Julian Silvester, Freddie Jones, Douglas Storm
From 1981 to 1998, the Children’s Film Unit provided invaluable training for young British filmmakers and actors between the ages of 10-17, producing 18 features and a number of short films all featuring children on both sides of the camera. The stories were all conceived by the children themselves then shaped and helmed by the project’s founder, Colin Finbow. The CFU was supported by Sir Richard Attenborough and director Steven Spielberg. Captain Stirrick was shot on location in a school gym in Battersea in London over 4 weeks in 1981. It aired on Channel 4 in December 1982.
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