The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner. 1962 Bryanston & Woodfall Film Productions (released to DVD by Warner Bros.)
Starring: Tom Courtenay, Michael Redgrave, James Bolam, Ray Austin, John Thaw, Alec McCowen
Director: Tony Richardson
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A movie based on a 1958 short story written by British writer Alan Sillitoe.

Colin Smith (Courtenay) is sentenced to a juvenile prison after robbing a bakery (how he got there is told in a series of flashbacks throughout the film). "The Governor" (Redgrave) oversees the facility, believing that hard work and discipline imposed on the inmates will ultimately make them useful members of society. Colin and his attitude catches the Governor's eye.

One crucial part of the Governor's rehabilitation program is athletics, and he quickly notices that Colin is a talented runner, easily able to outrun even the best runners in the prison. He wants Colin to compete in a five-mile cross country run against someone from a nearby public school, and Colin is treated to special privileges while training for the meet that the other inmates are not offered.

Finally, the big day arrives, and Colin grapples with personal torment while engaged in the race, and it could cost him the whole thing...

Recommended movie, which is based strongly on Courtenay's performance. My only complaint is that the juvenile prison seemed more like an all boys school rather than an actual correctional facility.