The cinema of Alan Clarke shines an unflinching light on the deteriorating UK society he saw crumbling around him in the 1970s and '80s. This collection gathers four of his made-for-TV films, alongside a fascinating documentary on Clarke. SCUM is the earliest work presented here, and comes in two versions: the original 1977 production, and a theatrical reworking from 1979. Both star Ray Winstone (SEXY BEAST) as a hapless victim of England's juvenile prison system, offering a damning indictment of a corrupt and brutal regime that caused incredible damage to Britain's troubled youth. MADE IN BRITAIN (1982) features Tim Roth in a lead role for the first time, portraying an unconventional skinhead named Trevor. Intelligent, yet excessively violent, Trevor bucks the cinematic stereotypes often attached to such figures, with Clarke lending a sympathetic slant to a character who boils over with rage. Six years later, THE FIRM saw the ever in-tune Clarke turning his attentions to another disease gnawing away at the bones of society: soccer violence. A huge fan of the sport, Clarke sought to distance the game from the acts of violence that tarnished its name. Gary Oldman stars as Bex, the leader of a gang of brutal hooligans. Embodying traits familiar to many of Clarke's central characters, Oldman perfectly juxtaposes Bex's above-average intellect with extreme, mindless violence. ELEPHANT (1989) rounds out this set of films, offering a unique drama based on the troubles that beset Belfast in the late 1980s. A movie with barely any dialogue or narrative, Clarke simply let his wandering camera follow numerous murderers as they encounter and shoot their victims; the title inspired the 2003 Gus Van Sant film of the same name, and is an austere final entry into Clarke's cinematic canon, made just one year before his death.

DVD Features:

5-Disc Set
Region 0
Disc 1: SCUM - Alternate Version
Full Frame - 1.33
Audio:
Dolby Digital Mono - English
Additional Release Material:
Audio Commentary:
1. Phil Daniels, David Threlfall - Stars, Maragaret Matheson - Producer
2. Selected Scenes with Ray Winstone - Star
Disc 2: SCUM - Theatrical Version
Letterbox - 1.66
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
Additional Release Material:
Trailers
Production Interviews: Clive Parsons - Producer, Roy Minton - Writer
Audio Commentary: Ray Winstone, Star
Text/Photo Galleries:
Stills/Photos
Poster Art/Lobby Card
Disc 3: MADE IN BRITAIN
Full Frame - 1.33
Audio:
Dolby Digital Mono - English
Additional Release Material:
Production Interviews: Tim Roth - Star
Audio Commentary:
1. Tim Roth - Star
2. David Leland - Writer, Margaret Matheson - Producer
Text/Photo Galleries:
Stills/Photos
Poster Art/Lobby Card
Disc 4: THE FIRM/ELEPHANT
Full Frame - 1.33
Audio:
Dolby Digital Mono - English
Additional Release Material:
Audio Commentary: Danny Boyle - Producer
Documentary: MEMORIES OF ELEPHANT - Interviews with Gary Oldman - Star, David Hare - Friend of Director, Molly Clarke - Daughter of Director
Disc 5: DIRECTOR: ALAN CLARKE
Full Frame - 1.33
Audio:
Dolby Digital Mono - English
Text/Photo Galleries:
Biographies: Alan Clarke - Director

Gary Oldman: British actor, SID AND NANCY/TRUE ROMANCE
Tim Roth: British Actor
Lesley Manville: Actress
Phil Daniels: British Actor
David Threlfall: British Actor
Philip Davis: British Actor
David Baldwin: Actor, ALAN CLARKE COLLECTION (2005)

Alan Clarke: British TV Director

Danny Boyle: Director: SHALLOW GRAVE
Margaret Matheson: Producer, ABIGAIL'S PARTY
Clive Parsons: English producer: I AM DAVID (2003)
David M. Thompson: BRITISH PRODUCER/BBC

"[G]roundbreaking....An essential primer on the work of a great TV director who died in 1990 a he was poised to become a world-class English filmmaker."
"[A] monumental introduction to a singular and uncompromising talent..."
"[Filmed] with an utterly unflinching eye..."