Northern Soul Film

[Tai-pan]

Ok 1st post on here so getting ready for the flak but here goes...I enjoyed "Once upon a time" pure nostalgia but well done with a terrific soundtrack. This is different and hopefully will reach a different audience if only through Amazon and You tube. Lets give a chance and keep our egos under wraps.

Well said Rodger!

[Steve G]

If I can watch "Life on Mars" I am sure I can watch this.

[Guest JIM BARRY]

And so will l!!

when quadraphinia was released we all watched it too see what the original mod culture was all about. don't remember any bad press!!!! same might just happen here with kids wanting to know whatit was all about for their older generation and maybe the tunes will stay with them,

[Guest mickeyb]

when quadraphinia was released we all watched it too see what the original mod culture was all about. don't remember any bad press!!!! same might just happen here with kids wanting to know whatit was all about for their older generation and maybe the tunes will stay with them,

Not sure Quadrophenia would have shown anyone what the original Mod Culture was all about. Campari Parkas, shit tunes, Sting with a punky haircut. I even remember kids in the queue to get in with white plimsolls with "the Who" scribbled on them in biro. We can but hope.

[Tony A]

Will watch it,

Anythings got to be better than watching copulation street and other soaps on telly

[Guest rasfoz]

Your daughter is right. The NORTHERN SOUL scene is quaint and twee. Thats the staunch, oldies only, lets sit in a time warp brigade, that have garnered that image and claimed it as their own. This film will certainly add to the twee factor...it was directed and written by totally twee people!

It features the 'TWEE BEFORE EIGHT'

Humour as never been one of your strong points Paul

Never or less still made me laugh

[Guest JIM BARRY]

Not sure Quadrophenia would have shown anyone what the original Mod Culture was all about. Campari Parkas, shit tunes, Sting with a punky haircut. I even remember kids in the queue to get in with white plimsolls with "the Who" scribbled on them in biro. We can but hope.

yes agreed, but we all watched it just the same, i suppose the original mods thought it was shite, and again i suppose a lot of soulies will think the new film will be shite, there will be some in sight though as kids their age will be portrayed in the film ,they wont get that in sight going to niters and seeing soulies with an age group from 40 to 60 bopping away, we would have pissed our self watching old mods when we were 17

[Agentsmith]

PLEASE dont miss the point here.....this film is about our innocense and naivety in the 70's....NOT NOW,...IF ITS GOING TO LOOK PLASTIC AND MAKES YOU CRINGE, THEN ITS BECAUSE THATS HOW THE 70'S DECADE PANNED OUT....THATS WHY WE ALL GOT INTO NORTHERNSOUL....TO ESCAPE REALITY AND DWELL IN "THE IDEAL WORLD" WE HAD CREATED. its taken 35 years for our scene to evolve, which it is still doing but in the begining it was still very much experimental. movieland has to make things a little glossy to sell, so the perception that some things simply didnt happen this way or that are irrelevant....you have to take it with a pinch of salt, so to speak.

AT THE END OF THE DAY....AND WHEN ALL'S SAID AND DONE.....ITS STILL A BLOODY FILM!!! WHEN IN YOUR LIFETIME OR DREAMS, DID YOU EVER THINK YOU WOULD SEE THAT?

IT WILL BE OF SIGNIFICANTLY VAST IMPORTANCE TO THE GENERATIONS COMING BEHIND US, WHO WILL TAKE THE MANTLE OF NORTHERN SOUL AND WILL POINT TO THIS FILM AS THEIR DRIVING FORCE, JUST LIKE QUAD ENGAGED THE NEW LEGIONS OF MODS....EMBRACE IT BECAUSE IT WONT GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS.

ROB.H

[Wiggyflat]

If I can watch "Life on Mars" I am sure I can watch this.

I was waiting for the life on Mars bods to bust an allnighter after chasing Simon Soussan for bootlegging and the lead actor going up to the decks and saying you cant play this ...this is an oldie and the dj saying its a new release.An argument ensues about the merits of the Shrine label and the current unreleased stuff Adey is releasing while the Jack Reagan cop is kicking in the doors in the bogs.The young lead then walks over to the record bar to bump into a young Adey!!

[macca]

This has become so protracted that I've forgotten who the good guys and bad guys are. Could someone remind me or will I have to go trawling through all that bile from last year? Now we have a finished product, I think it's incumbent on us all to see it and then pontificate at length once we've drawn the necessary conclusions. I will ask one question though, are a film-makers connections to the subject matter of vital importance in regard to the veracity of the plot? Clint Eastwood 'Letters From Iwo Jima' and Ken Loach 'Land & Freedom' spring to mind. Who's at fault here?

The director for having the audacity to tell the tale, or his advisors for leading him up the garden path? Or is it that this is a tale that can't be told in this particular medium?

[Wiggyflat]

That was some post.......Brilliant!

As long as they are not running around with those John Inman plastic soul holdalls with Northern soul fists on........

[Wiggyflat]

Think I got it wrong again...........Clarence (Hello Honky Tonks) with his soul holdall.

[JOHNNYBETCHA]

dont want to get angry bout it and ive said it many times but im gonna turn strange on these nobs comercializing my scene

they've already tried it mate - loads of times - remember them clowns on top of the pops - some of the exploiters reside on this very site!!!

[Little-stevie]

they've already tried it mate - loads of times - remember them clowns on top of the pops - some of the exploiters reside on this very site!!!

Who are the exploiters Johhny????

Or would that open a can of worms?????

Maybe send me a pm if you don't mind, always like to know who the bad guys are

There have been a few different gropups trying to put a soul film together, this one as won the race but i really hope it is not the only one we see.. I got to read a script after Function of the Junction short film that blew me away in the first two pages, it had the power and feeling to set my heart racing at the thought of this coming to big screen, not sure its gonna happen but can't help but feel this film will fall wayyyyyy short, but i am only going off mates who have seen the teaser last year and the few clips on here...

This subject matter could fall well short because of budget among other things, cutting corners may not show up so much for the public outside the scene but could fall well short for many people who have lived this for many many years....

As i said before, just a feeling i have but will wait to see the finished product, if it falls short then i can't help feel its a great chance lost...The subject matter was always there just waiting for a great script and team behind it, lets hope this film can deliver, i really really hope it can

[ImberBoy]

Little Stevie

You should be very carful when asked by Londoners to go and make any kind of movie! I was asked once and stupidly accepted their invitation, I found my self wined and dined and taken to a show, Cats.

I couldn't wait to see it. After the show I was asked if I wanted to go meet some of the performers backstage. Man, I was thrilled. But when I got back there, they were drunk and out of control. Rumpus Cat and Macavity kept feeling up my leg. I tried to leave, but, Rumpleteazer held me down, and... I was raped by Mr. Mistoffelees.

[Little-stevie]

Little Stevie

You should be very carful when asked by Londoners to go and make any kind of movie! I was asked once and stupidly accepted their invitation, I found my self wined and dined and taken to a show, Cats.

I couldn't wait to see it. After the show I was asked if I wanted to go meet some of the performers backstage. Man, I was thrilled. But when I got back there, they were drunk and out of control. Rumpus Cat and Macavity kept feeling up my leg. I tried to leave, but, Rumpleteazer held me down, and... I was raped by Mr. Mistoffelees.

You should have just got in touch with your feminine side and go with the flow... Them lot do like a bit of rough

[macca]

You should take to the stage Simon.

I don't think this is exploitation. What is there to exploit?

How can anyone relate a bunch of kids clapping along to Tainted Love on a film set with the sheer diversity of today's Rare Soul scene? The Northern Soul scene, as portrayed in the film (and I've only seen the trailer) is merely a period piece, a costume drama that captures a mere parenthesis in the lives of the film's characters. Nothing lasts forever, Wigan was a fleeting moment for many, and 8 years, when compared to what's been and what's to come is exactly that, a fleeting ephemeral moment. I visited a paleoarcheology exhibition yesterday and had the opportunity of peering into a very life-like (it's thought) reconstruction of the face of Atapuerca Man, Homo Antecessor. I speculated on his life 800,000 years ago, his triumphs, his failures and his ultimate destiny, that of extinction. Whether the director of this particular film manages to capture or not the essence of the Wigan era is largely irrelevant, he's not exactly going to challenge anything in the process, is he? Those that 'came out of the cave' remember what it was like inside, the damp, the baby's poo colour scheme, the ultra-violet lights, the flooded areas where one risked life and limb, the balcony that allowed us a glimpse of the cave's dome, stimulating our primitive minds into imagining herds of long extinct bovines etc. I can remember scoffing at the implausability of Quest For Fire. Three different Homo species sharing the planet at the same time? Absurd, but at the end of the day it's cinema, an imaginary world, a parenthesis (that word again) from the real world, an escape of sorts, for the want of a better word.

Edited March 14, 2010 by macca

[Agentsmith]

You should take to the stage Simon.

I don't think this is exploitation. What is there to exploit?

How can anyone relate a bunch of kids clapping along to Tainted Love on a film set with the sheer diversity of today's Rare Soul scene? The Northern Soul scene, as portrayed in the film (and I've only seen the trailer) is merely a period piece, a costume drama that captures a mere parenthesis in the lives of the film's characters. Nothing lasts forever, Wigan was a fleeting moment for many, and 8 years, when compared to what's been and what's to come is exactly that, a fleeting ephemeral moment. I visited a paleoarcheology exhibition yesterday and had the opportunity of peering into a very life-like (it's thought) reconstruction of the face of Atapuerca Man, Homo Antecessor. I speculated on his life 800,000 years ago, his triumphs, his failures and his ultimate destiny, that of extinction. Whether the director of this particular film manages to capture or not the essence of the Wigan era is largely irrelevant, he's not exactly going to challenge anything in the process, is he? Those that 'came out of the cave' remember what it was like inside, the damp, the baby's poo colour scheme, the ultra-violet lights, the flooded areas where one risked life and limb, the balcony that allowed us a glimpse of the cave's dome, stimulating our primitive minds into imagining 100 strong herds of long extinct bovines etc. I can remember scoffing at the implausability of Quest For Fire. Three different Homo species sharing the planet at the same time? Absurd, but at the end of the day it's cinema, an imaginary world, a parenthesis (that word again) from the real world, an escape of sorts, for the want of a better word.

very articulate macca, and in summing up totally correct, no need for all of us to be falling over oneanother like a herd of dehydrated wildebeast scrambling for the watering hole....whats the rush to drink it up and spit it out like its something turgid?. ITS ABOUT THE 70'S.....NOT NOW. realistically this post ought to be adjourned until we all see the film....THEN we can debate its merits as a reference to the 70's.

rob.h

[Pete S]

Not sure Quadrophenia would have shown anyone what the original Mod Culture was all about. Campari Parkas, shit tunes, Sting with a punky haircut. I even remember kids in the queue to get in with white plimsolls with "the Who" scribbled on them in biro. We can but hope.

Can't understand anyone who's been into any sort of youth cult slagging off Quadrophenia.

Shit tunes like Louie Louie, Night Train, The Ronettes???

Best British film ever made.

[Pete S]

What did The Who have to do with being a Mod.....nowt!!

What the band that were original managed by the "ace face", dressed as mods, played mod music to an audience of mods, wrote a rock opera and a film about mods etc etc...obviously nothing to do with mods at all.

[Little-stevie]

Can't understand anyone who's been into any sort of youth cult slagging off Quadrophenia.

Shit tunes like Louie Louie, Night Train, The Ronettes???

Best British film ever made.

Maybe a imho after quote Pete

As you know Pete, a broad church of views on soul source... Maybe he can't see how you can say that Bobby Kline aint got soul

Its a struggle to understand views that are on a different planet to our own but that what give these topics a bit of spice IMHO...

Quadrophenia had a big impact on me, maybe it was the timing with us being 16 at the time and just getting into the mod/ soul scene/ scooters...

Its been said many times... Many many pages already about this film and it aint out yet ... Lets see and then the real talk can start...

[macca]

Mickyb has opened a can of worms.

[Guest MBarrett]

What did The Who have to do with being a Mod.....nowt!!

Not sure whether irony going on here or not.

But golden opportunity to show again exactly what the Who had to do with being Mods.

Any film that was good enough for them (Quadrophenia) - good enough for me!!

MB

[Pete S]

Maybe a imho after quote Pete

As you know Pete, a broad church of views on soul source... Maybe he can't see how you can say that Bobby Kline aint got soul

Don't think I ever said it hadn't got soul, I just said it was shit.

[ImberBoy]

Quadrophenia.

I think this movie set the bench mark and most others just hit the skid mark!

I'm racking my brain now to think of any other movie about youth cult that stands out, The Wanderers? Certainly well made but I'm no expert on that genre.

I have a theory that we are all a bit too ready to cringe over any thing produced about the Northernsoul scene because we have quite a bit of surface cringe worthy content, some of the fashion and a few of the records don't do us any favors and you have to strip away a few layers of the onion to get to the real and endearing content.

I think we are all a little miffed at some of the more hurried productions, not film, but musically, some productions proclaiming their slice of Northernsoul have not added to any kind of sincerity and smack of money making.

We had the "Young Birds fly free" hoax, yup that's what it was and we have argued that little badger before.

I also think that every time the press wants to show anything to do with Northernsoul it's either an old this is England clip or some wide eyed London based soulie.

When Quadrophenia was being made we, the scootering fraternity, had a number of well known faces such as ginger from Bolton Spartans, Julio and Guido from Sheffield and some of the Barnsley lads, all were more than happy with the way the film was progressing and they spoke of attention to detail and the use of people within the scene.

I think that is where we have a gap on this ne w film, I mean, how can it be really that good when no one has asked me to contribute? Don't these people know who I am!

[Liljimmycrank]

A lot of talk about commercialising and money making re this film on this and other related threads.

Anyone ever just thought that the script writer, like most script/story writers, just wanted to see their work put into a form of media and delivered to production for other people's viewing??

Isn't that what these guys n gals strive for? Their (sometimes life) work in the public eye? Or would that be too idealistic to be true!

Sure they stand to make a few quid, but I'm pretty confident there's more 'commercial' scenes and cults to actually make money out of

[ImberBoy]

LilJimmyCrank I think the original idea most likely starts as an artistic endeavourer but there are others who set out to make money, nothing wrong with either I suppose, that's the way the world goes around.

Film has always had its inner turmoil and angst between the independent film maker and the established company.

I think the struggle for artistic control is well documented and lots of movies get strained by the commercial machine.

I am not saying all of them do because some gems make it through unscathed while some really need an experts polish.

I think that here is the rub, we would all love to see a film made that didn't parody us or make our scene appear dated and sterile, and some would argue it is. I think we would all kinda love an epic made with a decent budget showing a sympathetic and well thought out approach toward what we love but I kinda suspect that what we want and what we will get are two very different beasts, however I haven't seen the movie and it may well end up to be the next best thing since Jaws 3.

[Little-stevie]

Don't think I ever said it hadn't got soul, I just said it was shit.

Ok Pete...

Does anyone have a release date for this film then??? were can we find out???

[Paul-s]

paul,

sorry if i disagree....people haven't exactly set about de-constructing your stage production which, was highly successful and full credit to you( i presume im corresponding with mr. sadot?) what you did was put a culture firmly in the spotlight, on a stage where, it was shown to be totally acceptable. people looked at it as a PLAY an interestingly different slant on 70's life, focusing on a musical trend previously unrecognised by the outside world. what we have here, is a transition to celluloid of basically the same concept.

paul, no-one's falling over theirselves to say what you did is twee because you saw the moment was right to connect with the theatrical world using something that following generations had not previously encountered, as a result the northern soul culture has been viewed in a different light and it has not suffered from adverse commercial exploitation, something we may well have been justified to fear.

if the stage production is such an acceptable concept, then the fact a film portrayal has never previously been licensed, should prompt enough people to give it a chance at the box office...it could become a cult hit. WEVE NEVER HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WATCH A FILM ( not documentary ), DEDICATED TO WHAT WE, THE BRITISH, CREATED. just that fact alone should make a person's hairs stand on the back of the neck.

as a playwright, your impartiality should be formost in your thoughts, these producers, whoever they are, are just trying to translate what THEY see....for all i know they could be 20 years younger than us and their parents may have been northern soul fans and as a result they wanted to voice their perspective on the scene.

theyve been out and experienced it , probably spending many hours pouring over film footage and travelling many miles to get what they want...we shouldnt rashly pull out the carving knives and slice up the dish before it has been served.

i like many, am just waiting to see it so ill reserve judgement and i suggest that in the case of everyone else, discretion is the better part of valour and as such, you should all do the same.

rob.h

AS i said, i went, and the play was based on MY experience (first hand) of those years. It was done as a one off, bUT took off. THE film (By shimy Marcus) is a pile of crap. As i said in other posts, it was originally a script that had nothing to do with the soul scene and then they saw a band wagon to jump on and did so. and squeezed the script into a WIgan film! Ive seen the script and the trailer (which is absolutely terrible)) so i dont need to reserve my judgement. A trailer is designed to show the best moments of a film to excite and intrigue you to go! So if thats it then really...its crap! But im sure loads of the people who went to Wigan for a week or two in the 70s will love it!

There parents or them were nowt to do with Northern soul, you assume i comment without any background knowledge ot the film, but, as i said ive known about it, read it, years ago...! Even some of the actors in it are embarassed that they did it!

[Guest clanger v2]

AS i said, i went, and the play was based on MY experience (first hand) of those years. It was done as a one off, bUT took off. THE film (By shimy Marcus) is a pile of crap. As i said in other posts, it was originally a script that had nothing to do with the soul scene and then they saw a band wagon to jump on and did so. and squeezed the script into a WIgan film! Ive seen the script and the trailer (which is absolutely terrible)) so i dont need to reserve my judgement. A trailer is designed to show the best moments of a film to excite and intrigue you to go! So if thats it then really...its crap! But im sure loads of the people who went to Wigan for a week or two in the 70s will love it!

There parents or them were nowt to do with Northern soul, you assume i comment without any background knowledge ot the film, but, as i said ive known about it, read it, years ago...! Even some of the actors in it are embarassed that they did it!

Not sure why this point has any significance.....are you suggesting that actors are supposed to enjoy and highly rate everything they have been in?

I personally think you need to let it go Paul.

This film is no threat, and will not make any significant impact on your scene, so I fail to understand your bitterness and hatred towards it.

[Chris L]

I expect a huge mass flooding of Northern Soul fans in the streets at cinemas that show the movie. the Police will

be hard pressed to control the crowds as they "push from the back" to get into the theatres. I predict dancing

in the isles, flooded toilets & loadsa hand-clapping. The makers will end up becoming millionaires and moving out to

the Cayman islands to bank their easily gotten gains..........becoming fat cats in a matter of hours.............

[Guest Simon]

What the band that were original managed by the "ace face", dressed as mods, played mod music to an audience of mods, wrote a rock opera and a film about mods etc etc...obviously nothing to do with mods at all.

Ha Ha....Absolutely spot on Pete, does make me chuckle peeps who try to reinvent history as though The Who & Quadrophenia were nothing to do with the Mod scene.

I know when i was a nipper the thing that got me into it was The Jam, Quadrophenia, Madness etc....then i went on to Tamla, Small Faces etc....then when i got really serious about it Northern Soul, Beat, Garage & R & B.......i don't believe anyone bypassed everything & got straight into rare R & B, maybe some of the kids today but that's a shame in my book as you need to build up to all that stuff

imo to have a solid grounding.

Simon

[Wiggyflat]

Ha Ha....Absolutely spot on Pete, does make me chuckle peeps who try to reinvent history as though The Who & Quadrophenia were nothing to do with the Mod scene.

I know when i was a nipper the thing that got me into it was The Jam, Quadrophenia, Madness etc....then i went on to Tamla, Small Faces etc....then when i got really serious about it Northern Soul, Beat, Garage & R & B.......i don't believe anyone bypassed everything & got straight into rare R & B, maybe some of the kids today but that's a shame in my book as you need to build up to all that stuff

imo to have a solid grounding.

Simon

There werent any real mods around when they did the filming which is why they had to recruit from the ranks of the northern scooter Clubs.York were one of the clubs and you can see Tom Petch's My Generation it it which was a customised GP(1970).You can also see a cutdown and the rider with a greatcoat on in the clifftop scene.Most of the northern clubs had been riding scooters and into northern soul from the early seventies and the fashions had changed which is why you will see beards, baggies, greatcoats,scooter club patches and GP's.There were no revival mods because there was no revival!!.The revival mods arrived with the first rally to Brighton which was organised by Mark Brough from Scunthorpe Pathfinders to celebrate the Quadrophenia release. The revival mods came from London on the train and the northern clubs arrived on scooters.They both looked at each other with suspicion ie (where did they come from !!).History has been rewritten ever since by mainly southern based journalists who think it all started again in 79.Heres Tom Petch's GP and some other pics......I got worried when I saw that bag on the cover of the DVD....Here we go a plastic bag with northern soul written on it........not a good start

[Paul-s]

PLEASE dont miss the point here.....this film is about our innocense and naivety in the 70's....NOT NOW,...IF ITS GOING TO LOOK PLASTIC AND MAKES YOU CRINGE, THEN ITS BECAUSE THATS HOW THE 70'S DECADE PANNED OUT....THATS WHY WE ALL GOT INTO NORTHERNSOUL....TO ESCAPE REALITY AND DWELL IN "THE IDEAL WORLD" WE HAD CREATED. its taken 35 years for our scene to evolve, which it is still doing but in the begining it was still very much experimental. movieland has to make things a little glossy to sell, so the perception that some things simply didnt happen this way or that are irrelevant....you have to take it with a pinch of salt, so to speak.

AT THE END OF THE DAY....AND WHEN ALL'S SAID AND DONE.....ITS STILL A BLOODY FILM!!! WHEN IN YOUR LIFETIME OR DREAMS, DID YOU EVER THINK YOU WOULD SEE THAT?

IT WILL BE OF SIGNIFICANTLY VAST IMPORTANCE TO THE GENERATIONS COMING BEHIND US, WHO WILL TAKE THE MANTLE OF NORTHERN SOUL AND WILL POINT TO THIS FILM AS THEIR DRIVING FORCE, JUST LIKE QUAD ENGAGED THE NEW LEGIONS OF MODS....EMBRACE IT BECAUSE IT WONT GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS.

ROB.H

It will be of significantly vast importance? What a load of absolute tosh. So ANY film good or bad is a reference for the inspiration of future generations? I can only assume IPSO facto have hired you as some sort of evangalistic press officer or is this a wind up? Nice one if it is mate! Im pmsl

On that basis the crap TV film that came out in the 70s was of significantly vast importance? Even though it was a pile of innacurate crap and ALL on the scene distanced themselves from it for fear of being mis represented and associated with it. Your advocating that the fact that it was done, was an inspiration ? YOU may have had no taste or feel a film has to be tacky (see trailer for reference) to sell, but many films have managed to avoid this and represent accuuurately a period of history. Whilst i know your 'Carry On Up The Casino' approach will probably be popular, it makes me cringe. 'It Wont Get Better Than This'? Very bold statement...SO no one else will make a better film about it?mmmmm? I dont think so...

[Paul-s]

Not sure why this point has any significance.....are you suggesting that actors are supposed to enjoy and highly rate everything they have been in?

I personally think you need to let it go Paul.

This film is no threat, and will not make any significant impact on your scene, so I fail to understand your bitterness and hatred towards it.

My My, do you know the worst thing about SS sometimes is the growing "hey man live and let live" attitude to ANYTHING, good or bad thats done. My friend just because YOU let everything go and dont give a f--k, have run out of zest or care for anything, doesnt mean that i have . SO, "let it go mate", some people still do care...let them. You can still put your feet up and endorse every Northern Soul product, dont worry...enjoy your dotage!

The fact that the actors (some) have distanced themselves from it, is a very good indicator of its quality. You see, thats what THEY do for a living and therefore, like any job you do alot, they are pretty good judges of its quality.

[Guest Simon]

There werent any real mods around when they did the filming which is why they had to recruit from the ranks of the northern scooter Clubs.

I wasn't saying there were real Mods around when the filming was done, what i was saying is the film influenced people to be Mods, the same way as The Who did in the sixties.

They may both have been flawed but my point is it's inaccurate to say they didn't have an influence or weren't in any way Mod, they were.

Simon

[Wiggyflat]

I wasn't saying there were real Mods around when the filming was done, what i was saying is the film influenced people to be Mods, the same way as The Who did in the sixties.

They may both have been flawed but my point is it's inaccurate to say they didn't have an influence or weren't in any way Mod, they were.

Simon

I'm making the point that Quad was done when there was no mod revival,no internet,no books on the subject (apart from a short chapter in Today There Are No Gentlemen-Nic Cohn),sixties clothes (must have been pretty hard to source), scooters in original pre 64 livery (hard) so they made the best from what they could get.There is no excuse these days not to get details correct. Theres a million books on Northern Soul Venues/internet/ websites.Don't they want to do it properly and project some sort of credible film!! Im sorry putting some cheap and tacky red plastic bag with northern soul written on it projects that image.. a cheap and tacky film.They could have sourced an original holdall with real patches on it and chose not to......doesn't that tell you something.Cheap and fake.Whatever happened to integrity.At least Quad had The Who as advisors.Who advised the people on Sold Out? .Do you really want to see legions of 15 year old kids in baggies and vests this summer at venues requesting footsee?? Heres another scooter/northern soul connection. Leeds Central

central scooters.bmp

central scooters.bmp

[Guest Simon]

I'm making the point that Quad was done when there was no mod revival,no internet,no books on the subject (apart from a short chapter in Today There Are No Gentlemen-Nic Cohn),sixties clothes (must have been pretty hard to source), scooters in original pre 64 livery (hard) so they made the best from what they could get.There is no excuse these days not to get details correct. Theres a million books on Northern Soul Venues/internet/ websites.Don't they want to do it properly and project some sort of credible film!! Im sorry putting some cheap and tacky red plastic bag with northern soul written on it projects that image.. a cheap and tacky film.They could have sourced an original holdall with real patches on it and chose not to......doesn't that tell you something.Cheap and fake.Whatever happened to integrity.At least Quad had The Who as advisors.Who advised the people on Sold Out? .Do you really want to see legions of 15 year old kids in baggies and vests this summer at venues requesting footsee?? Heres another scooter/northern soul connection. Leeds Central

Erm, i totally agree with you re the film, i was just making the point about Quad & The Who.

Yes, the film looks crap, i agree i don't want to see a load of divs walking around in wanabe NS garb, bad enough round here with fake people who wear fake clothes to their fake clubs.

Simon

[pikeys dog]

sixties clothes (must have been pretty hard to source),

Not at all - even as late as the late eighties/early nineties you could still pick up loads of decent quality, good condition second hand and deadstock 60s items - this was 30 years ago remember - Walk into an Oxfam now and count just how many late 80s - early 90s pieces you see...

[Little-stevie]

I'm making the point that Quad was done when there was no mod revival,no internet,no books on the subject (apart from a short chapter in Today There Are No Gentlemen-Nic Cohn),sixties clothes (must have been pretty hard to source), scooters in original pre 64 livery (hard) so they made the best from what they could get.There is no excuse these days not to get details correct. Theres a million books on Northern Soul Venues/internet/ websites.Don't they want to do it properly and project some sort of credible film!! Im sorry putting some cheap and tacky red plastic bag with northern soul written on it projects that image.. a cheap and tacky film.They could have sourced an original holdall with real patches on it and chose not to......doesn't that tell you something.Cheap and fake.Whatever happened to integrity.At least Quad had The Who as advisors.Who advised the people on Sold Out? .Do you really want to see legions of 15 year old kids in baggies and vests this summer at venues requesting footsee?? Heres another scooter/northern soul connection. Leeds Central

Maybe the impact of this film will depend on what kind of release we see, if as Paul says " it goes straight to dvd then a lesser impact than a big cinema release with the publicity that comes with it...

It looks like other projects are gonna happen, maybe a good thing to compare style and all the other attributes with regards to film..

Will we see legions of kids in baggies and vests outside venues soon, some would hope so and be sure to cash in while others will feel like the scene is diluted...

Very little impact to the rare soul scene but more of an impact on the established oldies events maybe...

Not much in the way of publicity behind this project, or maybe i just aint looking in the right places...

[Guest gordon russell]

the clip looks really authentic........the chicks,did we say that????........we mostly said "got any gear" or sorry mate l can,t lend you a quid,don,t hit me ............it,s probably more like STOKE...with big swirly skirts and baggy knickers atb dave

[Tai-pan]

AS i said, i went, and the play was based on MY experience (first hand) of those years. It was done as a one off, bUT took off. THE film (By shimy Marcus) is a pile of crap. As i said in other posts, it was originally a script that had nothing to do with the soul scene and then they saw a band wagon to jump on and did so. and squeezed the script into a WIgan film! Ive seen the script and the trailer (which is absolutely terrible)) so i dont need to reserve my judgement. A trailer is designed to show the best moments of a film to excite and intrigue you to go! So if thats it then really...its crap! But im sure loads of the people who went to Wigan for a week or two in the 70s will love it!

There parents or them were nowt to do with Northern soul, you assume i comment without any background knowledge ot the film, but, as i said ive known about it, read it, years ago...! Even some of the actors in it are embarassed that they did it!

Hi Paul, hope you're well.

I was at Wigan a lot, I travelled on coaches, on the train, with friends and on my own. So know a little about back then, soul music and the scene in general.

I don't know about the embryonic life of this film or how Wigan became the canvas on which the film was painted.

For me the trailer looks at least interesting and does carry that nice 'British Made' feel to it. Sure, the accuracy will not be precise, and the details will be embellished, but it might just turn out to be a decent British film and a good watch. No harm in that whatsoever. Whether the final full length edited film will be good or not will only be known after it has been released.

I think overall, it is nice that its been done, whatever the outcome. As to the makers of the film and their background and motives, who cares!

This release, may not revitalise the scene for another fresh generation, but its hardly going to damage it now is it.

Take care

Andy

Edited March 15, 2010 by Tai-Pan

[Guest clanger v2]

My My, do you know the worst thing about SS sometimes is the growing "hey man live and let live" attitude to ANYTHING, good or bad thats done. My friend just because YOU let everything go and dont give a f--k, have run out of zest or care for anything, doesnt mean that i have . SO, "let it go mate", some people still do care...let them. You can still put your feet up and endorse every Northern Soul product, dont worry...enjoy your dotage!

The fact that the actors (some) have distanced themselves from it, is a very good indicator of its quality. You see, thats what THEY do for a living and therefore, like any job you do alot, they are pretty good judges of its quality.

Typical. The only time I have ever wanted to use the wanker smiley and it's no longer there.

Paul, you're obviously passionate about what you believe in. Fair play, I can't knock you for that. Perhaps today wouldn't be like it is if it were not for people like you. Perhaps.

Maybe I feel jealous of you because nothing has yet enveloped me to such an obsessive state that I would quite happily insult people I know fcuk all about because they dare to share a differing view to my own???

I'll go away and think about that, and you can carry on rocking slowly back and forth in a darkened room despising the very thought that someone has had the audacity to make a film with Northern Soul as it's backdop.

The film will come and go, and nothing will have changed.

Maybe then you'll wonder what all the fuss was about.

Peace man

[Phild]

It's a film. Meant to be entertainment, pure and simple. It will either be good or it won't. Either way it won't change the world. Why some folks get so het up about it all is totally beyond me.

Phil

[Agentsmith]

paul'

of course we dont know each from adam and i certainly haven't set out to rock your boat...i didnt go to see the stage play, but the fact you put your neck on the chopping block to restage the events of 3+decades ago when the northern soul scene was in the public eye, could have been, then, misconstrued as foolish bravado and a waste of money but you have witnessed the response just how much a vehicle like this was wanted....A STAGE PLAY?...ABOUT NORTHERN SOUL?....UNIQUE OR WHAT?.

but by the same measure, so is a film....people will want to watch it because....ITS DIFFERENT, yes its british as well and its a phenomenon that even the americans cant do a good job on BECAUSE THEY DIDNT CREATE IT....WE DID!,....so you can forget 3d,cd graphics, blue screen rehashes of 1920's,30's,40's50's60's films 3 or 4 times over and that there's no real imagination in hollywood, so lets all submerge in what we really love .....our music which is reality not science fiction.

quadrophenia was about the mods and it has stood the test of time, no matter what the film critics think, we should be proud that its british and we are!

now its our turn, roll-on a decade and its where we were,....lets not get crabby in our dotage because weve HAD to wait 30+YEARS for someone to put our scene on celluloid.....im not a bloody radio 5 live film reviewer and just for the record, he probably hasnt got a clue what northern soul is anyway, but from an independant view point, i bet even he would give it credit, based on the fact its BRITISH and its about YOUTH CULTURE and, if he could appreciate it has a simple- to- understand thread, its edited well, its relatively fast paced and the music is the constant that reminds him of exactly WHAT the film revolves round, he might just give it the thumbs up because ITS SOMETHING UNIQUE THAT HE HAS NEVER COME ACROSS BEFORE.

it dosnt matter if its excrement in the individual's eyes because for every one there will be ten who approve...WHY?...because its made a statement....weve had 7"singles, lps, cds t-shirts, the attire, the venues, the djs, the drugs, the travelling, the radio shows, the documentaries and.....YOUR STAGE PLAY....THE LAST PIECE OF THE JIGSAW IS THE FILM,....THEN WEVE ALL GOT THE FULL MONTY. OUR SCENE WILL BE UNIQUE BECAUSE IT WILL BE THE ONLY CULT MUSIC PHENOMENON TO HAVE COVERED ALL THE BASES.

im 52, im bald 2 stone overweight with dodgy knees but i still like to dance, only i cant do what i did even 5 years ago, i wasnt a wiganite or a top dog, i went to the catacombs, not old enough for the wheel or torch and only came back to the scene after divorce 12 years ago and then it was lea manor, the ritz, 100 club, winsford, tony's empress, kings hall, keele and the tower to name a few so you see im ordinary joe, I QUQUE AND I DO PAY!. I SUFFER FROM ROAD RAGE IN MY JOB....TOO BAD!! but when it comes to the scene, ive learned to be impartial as life's too short to start a "for or against" war or get tangled up in it....same with the music, loved richard's soul sauce and cellar, love the crossover rooms and i have to make room for r n b and popcorn.

i dont have an agenda and i dont front for anyone and i havent knocked what you have achieved because i could never have accomplished anything like that, but there are people are out there like you who want to put it up on a pedastal because no matter how much every body rages against it, this is the ultimate act of defiance to say northern soul will never go away, its here to stay and now we have a film to prove it.

rob.h

[Simsy]

It's a film. Meant to be entertainment, pure and simple. It will either be good or it won't. Either way it won't change the world. Why some folks get so het up about it all is totally beyond me.

Het up? Geez from the first day I heard about the production of this film - whatever they're calling it this week, I NEVER thought of it as entertainment.

Perhaps there are some who care about the portrayal of this so called underground scene and how the young blood we so desperately crave will receive this film- dance off's n'all.

just because YOU let everything go and dont give a f--k, have run out of zest or care for anything, doesnt mean that i have .

[Guest Simon]

Het up? Geez from the first day I heard about the production of this film - whatever they're calling it this week, I NEVER thought of it as entertainment.

Perhaps there are some who care about the portrayal of this so called underground scene and how the young blood we so desperately crave will receive this film- dance off's n'all.

Must admit i'm of this viewpoint & totally with Paul Sadot on his view, maybe it's a personality thing & certain personalities just care about everything too much, maybe if we look at it in the cold light of day it means nothing in the wider world but if you have one of those personalities (like i do also) you want everything to be portrayed correctly.

IMO anything that is done under the name or connected to NS affects it's standing/the way it's viewed by the general public, you can't get away from it, people use lazy reference points to view & describe things, if this film is terrible as it appears it will be lazy people in the general public will assume this is what all NS is about.

Simon

[Liljimmycrank]

Something that I've always percieved from this scene though Simon is that people within it don't actually care what the general public thinks of it, and find that in most (not all) cases. You do have a valid point though.

For me, the film can be viewed as a success if it really captures the essence of the era.

I wasn't there, I'm only 26, but my old man was and a lot if his mates and friends on I've made across all sections of this scene were too. I've had all the stories about the shit jobs, krap lifestyle, nothing to look forward to, then bang! This music comes along and provides a release for life's depressing stresses.

Capture that in the sub plots and it'll be a good film.

Quad, this is England et all - all great cult films, but the cults and their activities were just the backdrop. The characters and their sub plots are what really make the films good. Would we have liked quad so much if we couldn't have related to jimmy with naff job and sense of belonging only when in his mod gang? Probably not.

Being a 'young en' (by age as opposed to the definition many hive that title on here) I don't think you'll see a mass influx of youth after the film. You will get some, but this will be more like the scooter crowd type young ens. Still, not a bad thing cos they can then either progress from an oldies environment or step outta their comfort zone into rare soul/nighters. Doesn't matter, the fact is they're in!!

Edited March 16, 2010 by LilJimmyCrank

[ImberBoy]

"It's only a film", not to me it isn't!

I appreciate that the producer can only go so far as to get authentic props and the like and the clip so far looks mega!

I think every ones fearful of The U-571 episode,

This movie sees the enigma code machine captured by a daring operation where the Americans board a German U boat and take the Enigma coding machine and breaking its code changed the course of World War II.

In reality it was the British!

Most of us can deal with small insignificant errors; let's hope we don't see too much poetic license.

[Maark]

"It's only a film", not to me it isn't!

I appreciate that the producer can only go so far as to get authentic props and the like and the clip so far looks mega!

I think every ones fearful of The U-571 episode,

This movie sees the enigma code machine captured by a daring operation where the Americans board a German U boat and take the Enigma coding machine and breaking its code changed the course of World War II.

In reality it was the British!

Most of us can deal with small insignificant errors; let's hope we don't see too much poetic license.

The problem is Simon, if a film doesn't use attention engaging artistic license, you end up with a documentary. I went to see 'Nowhere Boy' the story of John Lennon's adolescence recently and I thought it an excellent film but I couldn't tell you if it was historically correct or not . I googled a review of the film and according to the reviewer, there were some exaggerations but these were in some of the personal relationships rather than historical facts.

As a film, Northern soul is bound to be full of minor inaccuracies, just hope that the dancers are not heading off to Wakefield Casino.

P.S I tackled some American's about U-571 film and their answer was it was just a film. I replied, how would you feel if we made a film about how the British were the first people to land on the moon. They then saw why I was so miffed.