Afternoon Detention

 

“Afternoon Detention” is a 19-and-a-half-minute movie released by Roue in late 1982 or early 1983.  Its' release was announced in Roue 23 with a selection of black-and-white screen captures on pages 32 and 50.  Publication of Roue was disrupted during 1982 by a ownership dispute and Roue 23 was the first issue published by the new owners.   Roue 23 also included announcements of the release of Uncle George on page 33 and First Week of Term on pages 2 and 51.  “Afternoon Detention” is currently available on DVD through the Roue website at www.roue.com.  

Afternoon Detention has a cast of three, one man and two women.  The Headmaster is played by a familiar face; he also appeared in Half-Term Punishments which was directed by Roue editor Alan Bell during the Roue shutdown but I don't know if he directed this movie (I have my doubts).  I don’t recognize the women playing Cook and Simpson, the two students.  The setting is a rather sparse schoolroom but the girls wear red T-shirts that read ‘T.S. Nelson’ so it would appear that they are not at Roue’s usual setting of St. Angela’s School.

The movie opens with a cane hanging from the ledge of a lectern and the Headmaster pacing around the classroom while he waits for Cook and Simpson.  He picks up the cane and gives it a few test swings while he waits.  Eventually the two girls arrive.  He begins by asking Cook if she is wearing a bra and then has her lift her T-shirt to confirm that she isn’t.  He tells her to take her skirt off which she does reluctantly.  Then he has her bring a chair to the front of the room and he tells her to remove her knickers while he sits down.  Again, she is reluctant but eventually she complies.  He takes her over his knee and a hand spanking follows.  Cook struggles while she receives a hand spanking but the headmaster tells her ‘this is nothing … the cane comes next’.  Next, Simpson receives the same treatment.  The hand spankings end just before the 9-minute mark of the movie.

The Headmaster tells Cook to drag the caning stool to the front of the room.  She does as she is told and she is the first over the stool.   This is followed by a very bad edit where she jumps from waiting to be caned to crying.  A few more strokes of the cane follow as the Headmaster circles around her stopping to deliver a stroke on each pass but it seems like continuity has been lost and the scenes are being shown in random order.  Cook receives a lengthy caning that lasts until the end of the movie.  Simpson is never caned and the movie ends with the Headmaster taking her to his private study.  I can’t help but wonder if the woman playing Simpson backed out after watching the first caning.  If so, they found a creative way to deal with the problem.

This movie is a disappointment.  I think Cook’s caning could have made a very good movie but the movie suffers from poor direction and technical work.  The set is spartan but realistic however the lighting is inadequate.  Many scenes are marred but dark shadows.  Several camera shots are poorly framed and there seem to be several mistakes in editing.  A few of the scenes are filmed through the back of a chair which I think was a mistake.  Finally, the actor playing the Headmaster frequently passes close in front of the camera as he circles Cook during her caning and the screen goes dark as he passes.  Cook’s caning deserved better.