Comrades (film)
| Comrades | |
|---|---|
 British 2009 DVD cover | |
| Directed by | Bill Douglas |
| Produced by | Simon Relph |
| Written by | Bill Douglas |
| Starring | Keith Allen |
| Cinematography | Gale Tattersall |
| Editing by | Mick Audsley |
| Studio |
Skreba Films Film Four |
| Distributed by | Curzon Film Distributors |
| Release dates |
1986 (London Film Festival) February 1987 (Berlin Film Festival)
|
| Running time | 183 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Comrades is a 1986 British historical drama film directed by Bill Douglas and starring an ensemble cast including James Fox, Robert Stephens and Vanessa Redgrave. Through the pictures of a travelling lanternist, it depicts the story of the Tolpuddle Martyrs, who were arrested and transported to Australia in 1834 for trying to improve their conditions by forming an early form of trade union.[1]
The film was first shown at the London Film Festival in 1986, and entered into the 37th Berlin International Film Festival in February 1987.[2] In August 1987 it was released in British cinemas.
The film had a very long and troubled production. Although Bill Douglas had the screenplay ready in 1980, it took six years to complete it, due to problems of filming in England and Australia, the Douglas' perfectionism, and conflicts with his first producer, Ismail Merchant.[1] Parts of the film were shot in the ghost town of Tyneham in south Dorset which was taken over by the military during WWII for use as a training area and is still part of a large military range.
It was to be Bill Douglas' last film, as he died of cancer in 1991, 57 years old.
After a short run on cinema, followed by a VHS release in 1989,[3] the film was largely forgotten. However, 20 years later Bill Douglas' small but significant production began to be reappraised, and in 2009 the British Film Institute released a restored version of Comrades on DVD,[4] followed in early 2012 by a three-disc dual format DVD and Blu-ray box set.[5]
The film has been described as "a moving, magical poem of human dignity, decency and hope".[6]
Cast
In credits order:
- Robin Soans as George Loveless, leader of the Tolpuddle Martyrs
- William Gaminara as James Loveless, George Loveless's younger brother
- Stephen Bateman as Old (Tom) Stanfield
- Philip Davis as Young (John) Stanfield, Old Stanfield's son
- Jeremy Flynn as James Brine
- Keith Allen as James Hammett
- Alex Norton as Lanternist, Sergeant Bell, Diorama Showman, Laughing Cavalier, Wollaston, Ranger, Tramp, Sea Captain, McCallum, Silhouettist, and Mad Photographer
- Michael Clark (dancer) as Sailor
- Arthur Dignam as Fop, Hammett's master in New South Wales
- James Fox as William Norfolk, (fictitious) Governor of New South Wales
- John Hargreaves as Convict
- Michael Hordern as Mr Pitt, campaigner for the Martyrs' freedom
- Freddie Jones as Vicar of Tolpuddle
- Murray Melvin as Frampton's Clerk
- Vanessa Redgrave as Mrs Violet Carlyle, owner of a New South Wales sheep station
- Robert Stephens as James Frampton, Squire of Tolpuddle
- Barbara Windsor as Mrs Wetham, owner of a Dorchester print shop
- Imelda Staunton as Betsy Loveless, wife of George Loveless
- Katy Behean as Sarah Loveless, wife of James Loveless
- Amber Wilkinson as Hetty Loveless, daughter of George Loveless
- Patricia Healey as Mrs Brine, mother of James Brine
- Shane Downe as Joseph Brine, younger brother of James Brine
- Sandra Voe as Diana Stanfield, wife of Old Stanfield, mother of Young Stanfield
- Valerie Whittington as Elvi Stanfield, daughter of Old Stanfield, younger sister of Young Stanfield
- Harriet Doyle as Charity Stanfield, daughter of Old Tom Stanfield, younger sister of Young Stanfield
- Patrick Field as John Hammett, brother of James Hammett, the village carpenter
- Heather Page as Bridget Hammett, wife of John Hammett
- Joanna David as Mrs Frampton
- Malcolm Terris as Gentlemen Farmer #2
- Dave Atkins as Frampton's Foreman
- Alex McCrindle as Jailor
- Shane Briant as Official in New South Wales
- Lynette Curran as Prostitute in New South Wales
- Symon Parsonage as Charlie, a teenage convict
- Anna Volska as Woman in White at Auction
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 BFI Screenonline: Comrades (1986) Retrieved 2012-11-07
- ↑ "Berlinale: 1987 Programme". berlinale.de. Retrieved 2011-02-27.
- ↑ BBFC: Comrades DVD 1989 Retrieved 2012-11-07
- ↑ Amazon UK: Comrades [DVD] (1986) Retrieved 2012-11-07
- ↑ Amazon UK: Comrades [DVD + Blu-ray] (1986) Retrieved 2012-11-07
- ↑ Daily Telegraph, 27 July 2009: Comrades, DVD review Retrieved 2012-11-07
External links
- Comrades at the Internet Movie Database
- Comrades at the British Film Institute's Film and TV Database
- Comrades in the British Film Institute's "Explore film..." database
- Comrades at the British Board of Film Classification
- 400 Blows, 18 October 2005: Simon Relph on Bill Douglas Retrieved 2012-11-07
- 400 Blows, 26 July 2005: Phil Davis on Bill Douglas Retrieved 2012-11-07