Did anyone have a Sixth form Common Room quite as cool as that? - Son of Rambow (2008) Discussion

[–] clive-ihd 16 years ago

My guess is that the script writer didn't stay on to the sixth form at his school and he imagined that the common room was like it was in the film. Or it was based on what he would have liked the common room to be like.

In the real world sixth form social events were a waste of time and money.

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[–] Jugglingeek 16 years ago

The whole film is shot through Will's eyes. So you see what the sixth form common room looked like to a 12-year-old boy. This isn't supposed to be what a sixth form WAS like, rather what the IDEA of a 6th form was to a 12 year old

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[–] tentonpenguin 16 years ago

yeah, the director thought when he was growing up how great the 6th form was because they always played loud music and it sounded really exciting. When he actually grew up and went to the 6th form it was an anti climax. He based that scene on what he had imagined when he was younger. its true, read empire magazine

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[–] Mack666 16 years ago

I actually attended this school in the 80's and don't even remember there being a sixth form common room at all. I think the scene was shot in the main assembly hall.

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[–] Greycatclimber 16 years ago

Ours is alot more chilled out. We had a radio for the first week but that was taken from us by the head becasue of arugments. Now we sit on comfy spongy chairs and look at the window. Were not even allowed a kettle.

Sometimes we read books.

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[–] DarthCyclops 16 years ago

This has been said before but Garth Jennings was interviewed in Empire recently and he said that he wanted the Sixth form common room to be like a nightclub in the film as that was what he imagined it would be like when he was a kid. When he actually got in he said it was a massive disapointment and he thought it would work better in the film if the kids fantasies were actually true.

"Bow down before the one you serve, you're gonna get what you deserve."

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[–] paulyvincent 16 years ago

I think this is WICKED....

The way he made it look like how a 12 year old would DREAM it to look like is absolutely inspired.......

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[–] zimmyis 16 years ago

My sixth form common room was exactly like the one in this film

IDENTICAL I TELLS YA!

Crazy, crazy times.

Really

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[–] zephyrboy 16 years ago

The most exciting thing to happen in our Sixth Form Common room was when they bought new wheelie chairs and we played desruction derby with them, and broke about 15/20. Yes we had SUCH an exciting 6th form

"Is that you John Wayne? Is this me?"

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[–] 16 years ago

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[–] nicole_rome 16 years ago

i abseloutely ADORED this scene. it was just great.
so fun, and didier's dancing was the best thing everr :P
all the songs were great too...

Siouxsie and the Banshees - Peekaboo
Depeche Mode - Just Cant Get Enough.

Can anyone remember the Duran Duran song tht played just as they were walking in to the 6th form? I cnt remember.

xx

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[–] 16 years ago

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[–] grigorisgirl 16 years ago

It's a place where sixth-formers can be common.

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[–] nearlyangel 16 years ago

Um, this may actually turn into an explanation of the British school system... well basically it's a room in a school specifically set aside for the Sixth Form (ie. pupils aged 16-18) to hang out during free time. Younger pupils are generally not allowed in there, so there's a bit of mystery about it for the rest of the school. Every Sixth Form common room is different, depending on the school. But usually there'll be comfy chairs, a stereo, maybe a TV, maybe pool tables etc. If you've ever seen or read Harry Potter, it's like the common room there, but just for pupils aged 16-18.

For the person above who said about playing games with wheely chairs, so did we! Except we called it Chair Wars. Was amazing! We broke both the chairs and ourselves.

Something simple, something amazing... www.lost.eu/eeb8

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[–] Jezebel-5 16 years ago

Can anyone remember the Duran Duran song tht played just as they were walking in to the 6th form? I cnt remember.

"Wild Boys"

and yes, the Siouxsie & Mode songs were great... although, does anyone know what year in the '80s this was supposed to take place? "Peek-a-Boo" was a 1988 release, I believe.

And thanks nearlyangel for the explanation of the Sixth form common room... I'm not from the UK so I was a little confused about this.

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[–] lobemaya 16 years ago

Had a pool table and a TV in mine. And a stereo but that kept getting confiscated cos we were right above the music department and they complained about the noise.

Chairs were dotted about the place and there was one table. Folk brought in their PlayStation 2 on occasion and there was a SNES there constantly.

We once stole two tables from the library and set up table tennis.

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[–] worstpirateever 16 years ago

"And a stereo but that kept getting confiscated cos we were right above the music department and they complained about the noise."

Wait a second...the music department was complaining that you were playing...music?

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[–] macdino 16 years ago

My 6th form common room was a bit poo. couple of comfy seats, a fridge and a kettle. Dodgy AM/FM radio and we actually managed to get banned from using it. All because of empty beer cans in the bin.

We did however ensure that curtains were always closed so that no one that was 5th form or below could actually see how cack it was. This is probably the case across the country and why the imagined 6th form common room was so cool in Will's eyes. I have to say when I was 12 i envisaged something much more cool than what I eventually found

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[–] blackmambamark 16 years ago

What in the hell is a 6th form common room? Im sorry, im from america, and i have never seen anything like that at our school

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[–] grigorisgirl 16 years ago

Most UK schools go up to the age of 16. You could then leave school or stay on 'til 18. The 16-18 group was known as the Sixth Form and they had certain privileges like a Common Room where you had sofas, a record player and maybe even a TV and you could sit in there in between lessons.

Nowadays a lot of schools only go up to 16 then you have to go to a college for two years to do A-levels etc. These places are still called Sixth-Form College in some places.

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[–] zimmyis 16 years ago

My 6th form common room was sparse and unwelcoming, with only a rickety old stool, an ash tray made from puma's tears, and a keg of heroin in the corner.

Oh the jocular banter and mildly lewd times we had feel like only yesterday.

They weren't yesterday.

They were ages ago.

They really were THAT good.

The jocular banter and mildly lewd times I mean.

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[–] vivalaslauren 16 years ago

I took it be a symbol of Will, essentially, selling out. He falls into this sort of "Hollywood" subculture where he sees the perks of being this famous hot-shot film director. And then he stops doing the film for the love of it and Lee. The unrealistic nature of it just drives it home that much more because you know it's absurd and therefore more metaphoric.

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