Director Alan Clarke made this for the BBC. The BBC found it inappropriate for television and refused to air it. So Clarke remade the entire film for the renowned theatrical release in 1979. The TV version was unavailable for many years until it resurfaced after much anticipation. This isn't bad but frankly it looks like a rough draft by comparison. The script and cast are nearly identical, but this first version, though aspiring to realism, is less effective and less convincing.

More realistic than the theatrical remake but less competent.

Excellent.