Soulboy - The Movie. You've Seen It So . .

[Guest PaulBrown]

I've given it 5 / 10.

Went to see it on Sunday, but already was fearing it was gonna be a "boy wants girl / gets / loses" etc etc film with the soul scene as a mere backdrop (!!) to it. And thats exactly what it was. The same story could have been told with ANY music scene as a theme, so I have to believe it's a cynical ploy to set it on the soul scene of the Casino's heyday to tap into that mythology & get more punters in...

I haven't read all the comments on this post, but I'm certain I'm not the first to make this observation. It is selling itself as a film about Northern Soul & the Casino, but it kinda bottled it & went for the aforementioned 'tried-and-trusted' filmic formula.

If it was to be a love story, why couldn't it have been a love story about the soul scene itself?? Thats how the majority of us got into it, a love for the music, not because we were chasing some skirt that happened to flap up at Wigan!

Also found the 'dance battle' a bit cringey....I know there were plenty of dance competitions, but did anyone ever see a 'dance battle'??

I'm being slightly harsh maybe, ( especially as I gave it 5) but I think any of us who've enjoyed the 'scene' over the years want a film to represent our experiences a bit more authentically.

Half decent soundtrack, bit too much use of the old This England footage, too many cliches (pills / talc / adidas bags) , but the missus liked it (non soulie).

Paul Brown

[Guest chorleybloke]

I've given it 5 / 10.

Went to see it on Sunday, but already was fearing it was gonna be a "boy wants girl / gets / loses" etc etc film with the soul scene as a mere backdrop (!!) to it. And thats exactly what it was. The same story could have been told with ANY music scene as a theme, so I have to believe it's a cynical ploy to set it on the soul scene of the Casino's heyday to tap into that mythology & get more punters in...

I haven't read all the comments on this post, but I'm certain I'm not the first to make this observation. It is selling itself as a film about Northern Soul & the Casino, but it kinda bottled it & went for the aforementioned 'tried-and-trusted' filmic formula.

If it was to be a love story, why couldn't it have been a love story about the soul scene itself?? Thats how the majority of us got into it, a love for the music, not because we were chasing some skirt that happened to flap up at Wigan!

Also found the 'dance battle' a bit cringey....I know there were plenty of dance competitions, but did anyone ever see a 'dance battle'??

I'm being slightly harsh maybe, ( especially as I gave it 5) but I think any of us who've enjoyed the 'scene' over the years want a film to represent our experiences a bit more authentically.

Half decent soundtrack, bit too much use of the old This England footage, too many cliches (pills / talc / adidas bags) , but the missus liked it (non soulie).

Paul Brown

Scheduled this into our holiday & glad we made the effort. I too have only read a few of the posts in this thread but had seen enough derogatory reviews to make me a bit apprehensive.

Yes of course the plot isn't profound or complex, and yes there might be a few innacuracies but FFS what was everybody expecting? Its a low budget British film about our youth and I'm actually quite pleased that someone has taken what must surely be a commercial risk.

Take it for what it is - a bit of fun (and yes that dance-off had a very high cringe factor)

Cheers..........Pete

[ImberBoy]

Scheduled this into our holiday & glad we made the effort. I too have only read a few of the posts in this thread but had seen enough derogatory reviews to make me a bit apprehensive.

Yes of course the plot isn't profound or complex, and yes there might be a few innacuracies but FFS what was everybody expecting? Its a low budget British film about our youth and I'm actually quite pleased that someone has taken what must surely be a commercial risk.

Take it for what it is - a bit of fun (and yes that dance-off had a very high cringe factor)

Cheers..........Pete

A bit of passion and effort?

[shuggie61]

Hi I'm not recommending the film but if you want to make up your own mind it's on in Liverpool at FACT on Slater St. Starts on Friday 24th then 25th/26th/28th/30th.

[Guest PaulBrown]

Also, is it true that there is ANOTHER film due out about the soul scene / casino?? is this still going ahead & will it be a carbon copy of "SoulBoy"?? Maybe there is hope yet....

Paul

[Kevinkent]

SoulBoy

I think its time for a cynical categorization of SoulBoy posters?

I think it's fair to say that we initially had a flurry of posts from some that had a vested interest in the film? This was then followed by an exited bout of posts from those who where going to be either included or asked for advise?

What followed was a painful wait until us lesser mortals had the chance to see the movie and we still have many finding it hard to locate a cinema showing the film so we now do still have two camps, those who have seen the movie and those that have not.

Those who have not seen the movie fall into categories of those who don't comment choosing to wait and those who air their concerns.

For those that have seen the movie I think we have three camps, those who are blown away and loved the film giving marks out of ten such as high sevens, the score you would normal see for epics such as The Godfather and The Deer Hunter.

We then have those who are bitterly disappointed at a wasted opportunity and leave the cinema deflated and a little underwhelmed.

The final third are the staunch denialists who I think confuse the topic with the content and mindlessly refuse to see any perceived attack on their youth.

If I'm going to be even more cynical I think that the final third fall into two categories, those who where actually there and those who sort of pretend they where there. Six or seven Wigan Casino visits during the long hot summer of your misspent youth would be a very potent image, potent enough for rose colored glasses?

The final third would be the real deal, the Wigan Casino regulars who actually shaped the genre along with the DJ's?

The problem is that no one wears a badge, well some do but they are most likely as the result of e-bay?

Every one is entitled to their opinion and it is only a film, I think it could have been so much more than just a film, it could have been a reference point for futre generations giving a full on look at our culture but sadly it is not.

I can see why so many are emotional about this film, and emotional for much different reasons with some very different emotions indeed.

I think those who missed out on being involved with this film have had a narrow escape.

And I think it's time you stopped worrying yourself about other posters.

Pretty audacious IMO to go categorising peeps who bothered to post . Individuals posting their views on the film is what the thread is about.

Go buy some long trousers Simon.

[Guest Dave Turner]

Also, is it true that there is ANOTHER film due out about the soul scene / casino?? is this still going ahead & will it be a carbon copy of "SoulBoy"?? Maybe there is hope yet....

Paul

https://www.northernsoulthefilm.com/

[Eddie Hubbard]

I went with my 19 year old son [ who isn't into Soul ] loves Dubstep etc ...he thought it was great .I thought it was quite good really , bit of a cheesy script ...but quite funny in parts , and the soundtrack was pretty ok too .I'd only just returned from 100 Club , but on hearing " Exus Trek " it made me want to go to another nighter straight away .......Ok it wasn't a world beater , but a good way to spend a sunday evening .Cheers ,Eddie

[Mike]

stumbled across this bit of film industry news on my travels

https://uk.artsgrantsfinder.com/review/comeback-kid-will-ferrell-leaves-devil-in-the-dust-for-top-spot-in-uk-cinemas-charles-gant/

The comeback kid

These days, if a film fails to catch fire on its opening weekend, it's rare for it to stick around long enough in cinemas to get a chance to bounce back.

SoulBoy, the romance rooted in the 1970s Northern Soul scene of the Wigan Casino, is that rare exception. Having debuted at seven cinemas with a modest £9,000, the film played at five venues in week two. But with strong takings in the north and Midlands, SoulBoy was able to play 14 cinemas at the weekend (albeit not every day at all sites), posting its best result to date - £11,650 - with a cume to date of £43,500. From this Friday, it will play at 13 sites, including a fourth week at the Empire Wigan and a third week at the Tyneside Cinema. The film is no longer playing in London - again, unusual, since the West End typically delivers a big chunk of any arthouse film's total haul. SoulBoy stars Martin Compston, Nichola Burley and Felicity Jones.

[Steve G]

SoulBoy

I think its time for a cynical categorization of SoulBoy posters?

I think it's fair to say that we initially had a flurry of posts from some that had a vested interest in the film? This was then followed by an exited bout of posts from those who where going to be either included or asked for advise?

What followed was a painful wait until us lesser mortals had the chance to see the movie and we still have many finding it hard to locate a cinema showing the film so we now do still have two camps, those who have seen the movie and those that have not.

Those who have not seen the movie fall into categories of those who don't comment choosing to wait and those who air their concerns.

For those that have seen the movie I think we have three camps, those who are blown away and loved the film giving marks out of ten such as high sevens, the score you would normal see for epics such as The Godfather and The Deer Hunter.

We then have those who are bitterly disappointed at a wasted opportunity and leave the cinema deflated and a little underwhelmed.

The final third are the staunch denialists who I think confuse the topic with the content and mindlessly refuse to see any perceived attack on their youth.

If I'm going to be even more cynical I think that the final third fall into two categories, those who where actually there and those who sort of pretend they where there. Six or seven Wigan Casino visits during the long hot summer of your misspent youth would be a very potent image, potent enough for rose colored glasses?

The final third would be the real deal, the Wigan Casino regulars who actually shaped the genre along with the DJ's?

The problem is that no one wears a badge, well some do but they are most likely as the result of e-bay?

Every one is entitled to their opinion and it is only a film, I think it could have been so much more than just a film, it could have been a reference point for futre generations giving a full on look at our culture but sadly it is not.

I can see why so many are emotional about this film, and emotional for much different reasons with some very different emotions indeed.

I think those who missed out on being involved with this film have had a narrow escape.

Simon,

This really is a load ot talking loud and saying nothing fella......Plenty of us were there at WC and plenty of us seemingly enjoyed the film as a film, innacuracies and all. If you want a documentary you have:

This England - but that got messed up didn't it. And we were campaigning against it at the time - if you were there you would remember how controversial it was

The Strange World of NS - but others criticise that

Loads of TV clips from over the years - good bad and indifferent

Trouble is whoever makes a documentary about NS it is only ever going to be from their perspective and others will say it's not how it was, it missed the 80s whatever. If you think you can do better, then go for it!

Anyway it's Wigan it's nearly 40 years ago, frankly many of us have moved on a bit. Reference point indeed! Please be realistic.

Steve

[Little-stevie]

https://www.northernsoulthefilm.com/

The other films coming up will start to get a little more spotlight i guess... Any are welcome to start a new topic with regards to others projects, lets just keep this clear for feeback and reviews on the Soulboy film.... Plenty more reviews to come as the film picks up more shows around the country..

Its the reviews that i look for.. There are scores of 1 and scores of 10 ... Would like to see a review from any who have scored 9/10, would be of great interest to me that you had a cinematic moment that rates among the greatest of all time.....

cheers....

[Ian Dewhirst]

stumbled across this bit of film industry news on my travels

https://uk.artsgrants...s-charles-gant/

The comeback kid

These days, if a film fails to catch fire on its opening weekend, it's rare for it to stick around long enough in cinemas to get a chance to bounce back.

SoulBoy, the romance rooted in the 1970s Northern Soul scene of the Wigan Casino, is that rare exception. Having debuted at seven cinemas with a modest £9,000, the film played at five venues in week two. But with strong takings in the north and Midlands, SoulBoy was able to play 14 cinemas at the weekend (albeit not every day at all sites), posting its best result to date – £11,650 – with a cume to date of £43,500. From this Friday, it will play at 13 sites, including a fourth week at the Empire Wigan and a third week at the Tyneside Cinema. The film is no longer playing in London – again, unusual, since the West End typically delivers a big chunk of any arthouse film's total haul. SoulBoy stars Martin Compston, Nichola Burley and Felicity Jones.

Yep, it's interesting the way that this film is being rolled out. It dropped off the B.O. charts completely in week 2 but looks like it's bounced back strongly in Wk 3. If they keep rolling it out provincially it could sustain pretty well. Still almost nil mainstream PR and marketing though - if there is any going on then I'm not seeing it.............

Ian D

Edited September 22, 2010 by Ian Dewhirst

[ImberBoy]

And I think it's time you stopped worrying yourself about other posters.

Pretty audacious IMO to go categorising peeps who bothered to post . Individuals posting their views on the film is what the thread is about.

Go buy some long trousers Simon.

Nowt wrong with my shorts Kev!

[Guest alanbonthrone]

Is It In 3D.

[Guest soulmaguk]

Not seen it yet, but there is a bloke at work who can get me the DVD for £2, I always feel better when i've paid very little for Northern Soul related items. Unamusingly enough his name really is Nigel.

[AlanB]

Its the reviews that i look for.. There are scores of 1 and scores of 10 ... Would like to see a review from any who have scored 9/10, would be of great interest to me that you had a cinematic moment that rates among the greatest of all time.....

cheers....

Surely the review ratings on here are just about personal enjoyment from a soul-fan perspective, not about how Soulboy compares against Citizen Kane or Battleship Potemkin.

Alan

[Guest MBarrett]

Surely the review ratings on here are just about personal enjoyment from a soul-fan perspective, not about how Soulboy compares against Citizen Kane or Battleship Potemkin.

Alan

Alan

When I set this thread and poll up that's exactly how I assumed people would mark it.

i.e. on an overall enjoyment basis.

Much the same as you would judge a record.

Average mark at the moment is 6.5 from 49 votes.

Would be nice to get it up to 100 votes which i think would give a good cross section of Soul Source members.

Quite a few cinemas showing it for the first time this weekend. So if you go along - please come back and vote - and tell us what you think.

MB

[Pete S]

Not seen it yet, but there is a bloke at work who can get me the DVD for £2, I always feel better when i've paid very little for Northern Soul related items. Unamusingly enough his name really is Nigel.

Think he's bullsh*tting you, it's not on any download site yet

[manus]

It's on in Brighton for one night next Tuesday the 28th at the Duke of Yorks - really looking forward to seeing it .

Cheers

Manus

[Godzilla]

Not seen it yet, but there is a bloke at work who can get me the DVD for £2, I always feel better when i've paid very little for Northern Soul related items. Unamusingly enough his name really is Nigel.

Think he's bullsh*tting you, it's not on any download site yet

It's not a download. It's one of those 'shot from the back of the cinema' jobbies. Only rather than heads bobbing up and down at the bottom of the screen, people keep jumping out of their seats doing ill-judged back flips and clapping...

...in the wrong place.

Edited September 22, 2010 by Godzilla

[Guest GARV]

I was choosing DVD`s from love film today & guess what popped up as a forth coming release, i think it can be watched online too.

No date for release on DVD but they are taking pre orders

[Nige Brown]

I was choosing DVD`s from love film today & guess what popped up as a forth coming release, i think it can be watched online too.

No date for release on DVD but they are taking pre orders

AMAZON says Feb 2011 Release!

[Guest]

AMAZON says Feb 2011 Release!

The DVD release was set for January : looks like it has been rescheduled .

Malc

[Pete S]

It's not a download. It's one of those 'shot from the back of the cinema' jobbies. Only rather than heads bobbing up and down at the bottom of the screen, people keep jumping out of their seats doing ill-judged back flips and clapping...

...in the wrong place.

No you misunderstand me. You download pirate copies of films from certain sites. This film is definitely not on any of the sites.

OH hang on, you're joking aren't you

[Mattbolton]

Not sure how qualified I am to comment on this since we looked at each other in horror after 40 mins and walked out in shock.

But i'll relate my experience with it as honestly as I can.

This film has without doubt the worst script I've ever seen. The actors had no chance to shine against such dreadfully uncomfortable phrasing and Martin Compston's character seemed way overacted. I've seen homemade, no-budget, fanboy Sci-Fi films with more pizazz and attention. I really felt for the actors since there appeared to be so little room to add any realism in such a donkey of a script.

It was painfully British looking. And not in a good way. This Is England is the right way to make a British film. Stark and crisp. Soulboy plumped instead for cheap shooting (from bizarre angles) with not even a glimmer of style or substance. It looked shallow, like no extras wanted to be part of it. I wasn't expecting Ben Hur, but I'm sure there were people on the streets in 1974.

Whoever did the research needs to go back to Manship's Price guide. Was I the only one to see that cringingly inaccurate UK Cameo Parkway 'white label' get stomped on by the overzealous 'baddie'? It was shocking and even my girlfriend who has no interest in records looked at me with an expression of bewilderment. That's only a minor gripe but one that highlights the fact that using soul as a focus was just a cheap (and ill-advised) shot at trying to sell a bad plot. By someone with no interest in the subject matter whatsoever.

I'm glad I didn't stay for the 'dance-off'. I'd have asked for my money back. And I got in for free!

All money they were gifted appeared to have been spent on an admittedly breathtaking recreation of the front of the Casino. That and paying umpteen digital artists to hand ink the This England footage they bought after their inevitable fiasco with filming in Stoke.

Terrible. This film simply didn't need to be made. There are better romantic comedies and much richer ways of interacting with our cultural heritage. As coming of age films go, it might as well have taken one look at Quad' and admitted defeat.

I find it alarming that the Arts Council are funding rubbish like this.

I'd rate it a 4. And I'm feeling generous.

Soulboy 'Retro' hoodie anyone? Not even Plan B is interested........

Edited September 25, 2010 by mattbolton

[Guest andyrattigan]

It wasnt the worst film Ive ever seen but it was a bit boring to be honest it just about kept my interest.. In terms of plot and character development there wasnt much.

From a Soul lover's perspective I thought the film lacked a lot in terms of the dancing. The dance off was extremely awful and if that was suppoused to exemplify good dancing then Im lost for words.

There wasnt enough footage in my opinion of good dancing but there was some.

On a positive note it was a good attempt and apart from the dance off at the end I dont think it wreaked of cheese and the soundtrack was mostly superb particularly the Porgy and The Monarchs Track "If its for real Baby."

[Guest Phoenix8049]

Is it only me that went along to see this film, and not expect it to be for the northern soul purists on the scene.

I never expected a drama documentary on Northern Soul, or to portray Northern Soul how it was for the younger people on the scene.

I don't think the writers were trying to do that anyway.

What is good about this film is it helps to explain Northern Soul a little better for the people out there,that have not got a clue what its all about.

Have you ever tried explaining to somebody,who does not know our music and scene,what its all about.

Hopefully it might make at least a minority of people a bit more curious about northern soul,and that can only be a good thing surely.

Stu.

[Linda4me]

Went with my missus last night to the Light House In Wolves and watched the film,Inever went to Wigan but have been into the music/scene for over 35 years a bloke said "Load of Boll****" as the film ended but im sure that most people on here can relate to the film in some way ?? ok the dance off was cringeworthy and naff more original dance footage would have been good ,the dying fly routine?? i remember going to Civic/Wulfrun hall some years ago and a bunch of knob heads did the pogo in a dance comp an won lps as a prize Anyway it aint a film for the purists just a love story with a genre of music wrapped around it.

Edited September 25, 2010 by linda4me

[Guest]

Ahoy!

Went to see this yesterday in Manchester at the Cornerhouse (4.05 showing). The cinema was about a third full (about 50 in). I wasn't expecting to see The Seventh Seal or Battleship Potemkin and didn't. Instead a saw a warm hearted 70's love story that used as a plot vehicle the Northern Soul scene. It wasn't a documentary about Wigan and it wasn't a film just about the 'scene'. Fine! why should it be? Why do some people think the world owes them a film??? If you want a film about that go and make one yourself!

I actually thought the dance scenes had some energy, the clothes looked great and the segued sequences from This England worked surprisingly well. I frankly couldn't give a toss about what record was on the wrong demo label, the cinema going public is not going to notice. All I could say is that all of the dance floor action (including the much maligned dance off) was considerably more exciting than anything you would see in the main room at a contemporary all nighter.

So there! I liked it so did the other people in the cinema (I asked a lot of them on the way out) and I will probably buy the DVD.

Comrade Moustache

[Pete S]

If you look at the poll results the overwhelming majority liked the film, we ought to leave it at that now and say it's been a major success and enjoyed by 80% of the people on here who saw it, much to the annoyance of one or two nay-sayers.

[dthedrug]

Dear Barry Normans

I would like to comment on a film review, called "Soul Boy" for Christ sake, give it a chance for Heaven sake, God only knows where you are coming from with your comments of old testament, what whee you expecting, Walking on water??

I would value a review by 17 to 23 year olds, not some old pensiones....Come on Daddy "O", GET HIP! AND BE GROOVY BABY? CAN YOU DIG!.

Mister Normans Do you know what makes a cult film, I like the film SCUM! thats cultism, but trust me it ain't a patch on the real Borstals, many who were also Boot Boys, as well as Football Hooligans, the early RARE SOUL SCENE was made up by this SUB CULTURE, Only a very few All Nighter goers where not Pill Heads, So my point is do you think the producer and Director did not know this? and do you think it would be fair to try and portray the real truths about the Scenes Roots as a den of Vice and thieves, Another low budget film is Del Davis "BRONCO BULLFROG" I remember a time when only when people like myself had seen the Film, to me it has a quantum jump feeling, a bit like hearing "Out on the Floor" played on Steve Wright in the Afternoon or finding a copy of "Bok to Bach" in a OXFAM Shop, The Soul Scene should be praising the efforts of "SOUL BOY"

and encourage that as a Scene to engage with young people and Introduce them to SOUL, as the records are timeless.

On a positive MISTER NORMANS at least your comments have a point, unlike your fellow wanker Johnathan Woss, who does he think he is? he acts like and has the manners of a London Barrow Boy, with his smutty and Uncouth Manner, GOON!

DAVE (69} KIL PS I have origanal posters of BRONCO BULLDOG, if any one wants to purches copies, and the Large Posters for the Film now sell at £500+ sadley I ain't got one, I think Ady C, Jim S, and the Spanish Reggae collector are the only poeple that own them, there was a smaller Repro put out by the film makers about 5 years ago at £10 each, they may still be some left???

[Guest LEICSSOULIES]

Saw this at Leicester Phoenix, bout 60 people in for time we went.

mostly 40 plus age.

7/10 for me... overall

Music score - 6/10

Enjoyed reminicing and thought the old shots were put in with the newer one quite well

However have to say didnt like the dance off at the end, spoilt what i thought was a decent storyline...

Ali

[Steve G]

Dear Barry Normans

I would like to comment on a film review, called "Soul Boy" for Christ sake, give it a chance for Heaven sake, God only knows where you are coming from with your comments of old testament, what whee you expecting, Walking on water??

I would value a review by 17 to 23 year olds, not some old pensiones....

Hee hee! I agree with your sentiment on the critics who are unable to see the film for being a film (and from what i remember the smashed record looked more like a US CP demo - but I might be wrong and what do I know about rare records anyway?). But poor old Barry Norman was a very good film critic who wasn't up his own whatever.

And really Matt - as for "walking out of the cinema in shock after 40 minutes" - goodness me, it's the sort of reaction I'd expect from Mary Whitehouse on finding herself in the wrong theatre seeing "Last Tango in Paris"!. "Painfully British looking?" what a snobbish comment! Some of us love British looking films. Try "Coast to Coast" next.

Score wise probably a 7 from me.

[Ritchieandrew]

does anyone really give a sh&t if a track was played at the time or not? I don't see you giving Paul stick for using tracks which were not about at the time his play was set. Artistic license is used in practically every film which has some truth to it.

Whether the film is any good or not at the end of the day it's not a bad sound track is it? I can think of worse. Ok one or two a bit cheesy and would have been better if not used but there's some great Northern in there Trackdown, fantastic

YES I THINK IT MATTERS REGARDING WHEN A TRACK WAS FIRST PLAYED.......................Chalky, you go to the highest order when you review or give information on rare Northern records or the scene, so why accept a shambles of a sound track like this one. The reference to Paul Sadot was only that I cocured with his views in general regarding this film. There's a fine line between 'poetic licence' and making a total cock up of it. Yes there are some fantastic tracks in there, however they are in the Minority, so why accept second best.

Regards Ricardo.

[manus]

Dear Barry Normans

I would like to comment on a film review, called "Soul Boy" for Christ sake, give it a chance for Heaven sake, God only knows where you are coming from with your comments of old testament, what whee you expecting, Walking on water??

I would value a review by 17 to 23 year olds, not some old pensiones....Come on Daddy "O", GET HIP! AND BE GROOVY BABY? CAN YOU DIG!.

Mister Normans Do you know what makes a cult film, I like the film SCUM! thats cultism, but trust me it ain't a patch on the real Borstals, many who were also Boot Boys, as well as Football Hooligans, the early RARE SOUL SCENE was made up by this SUB CULTURE, Only a very few All Nighter goers where not Pill Heads, So my point is do you think the producer and Director did not know this? and do you think it would be fair to try and portray the real truths about the Scenes Roots as a den of Vice and thieves, Another low budget film is Del Davis "BRONCO BULLFROG" I remember a time when only when people like myself had seen the Film, to me it has a quantum jump feeling, a bit like hearing "Out on the Floor" played on Steve Wright in the Afternoon or finding a copy of "Bok to Bach" in a OXFAM Shop, The Soul Scene should be praising the efforts of "SOUL BOY"

and encourage that as a Scene to engage with young people and Introduce them to SOUL, as the records are timeless.

On a positive MISTER NORMANS at least your comments have a point, unlike your fellow wanker Johnathan Woss, who does he think he is? he acts like and has the manners of a London Barrow Boy, with his smutty and Uncouth Manner, GOON!

DAVE (69} KIL PS I have origanal posters of BRONCO BULLDOG, if any one wants to purches copies, and the Large Posters for the Film now sell at £500+ sadley I ain't got one, I think Ady C, Jim S, and the Spanish Reggae collector are the only poeple that own them, there was a smaller Repro put out by the film makers about 5 years ago at £10 each, they may still be some left???

Hello Dave - I saw Bronco Bullfrog a few weeks back on DVD it's taken me 39 years or so to finally get to see it. It was showing at the Tyneside Film Theatre around the end of 1970 maybe early 71 and myself and a few friends went to see it as we had heard that the main characters were skin/suedeheads. It was a half price for students night but open to the general public and the queue was made up mainly of students with long hair and wearing afghans and we were dressed in harringtons, sta prest trousers and loafers/royals. We stood in the queue quietly but it was fairly obvious that the afghan wearers were not happy with us being there and we watched as a couple went and asked for the manager spoke to him and he came over to us and told us we weren't getting in - we tried to reason with him but he wasn't having it. As we walked away the people in the queue cheered. We hadn't caused any trouble we'd just stood quietly in the queue and it was pretty ironic that these people were going in to watch a film about people like us but that they didn't want to actually have to sit in the same cinema as us. I'm not sure what the classifcation was for the film but I had managed to blag my way into the nearby Odeon to watch Soldier Blue around the same time and my mates were all older than me and had every right to go in and watch the film.

Sorry for going slightly off topic - going to see Soulboy tomorrow and looking forward to it.

Cheers

Manus

Edited September 27, 2010 by manus

[Pete S]

Hello Dave - I saw Bronco Bullfrog a few weeks back on DVD it's taken me 39 years or so to finally get to see it. It was showing at the Tyneside Film Theatre around the end of 1970 maybe early 71 and myself and a few friends went to see it as we had heard that the main characters were skin/suedeheads. It was a half price for students night but open to the general public and the queue was made up mainly of students with long hair and wearing afghans and we were dressed in harringtons, sta prest trousers and loafers/royals. We stood in the queue quietly but it was fairly obvious that the afghan wearers were not happy with us being there and we watched as a couple went and asked for the manager spoke to him and he came over to us and told us we weren't getting in - we tried to reason with him but he wasn't having it. As we walked away the people in the queue cheered. We hadn't caused any trouble we'd just stood quietly in the queue and it was pretty ironic that these people were going in to watch a film about people like us but that they didn't want to actually have to sit in the same cinema as us. I'm not sure what the classifcation was for the film but I had managed to blag my way into the nearby Odeon to watch Soldier Blue around the same time and my mates were all older than me and had every right to go in and watch the film.

Sorry for going slightly off topic - going to see Soulboy tomorrow and looking forward to it.

Cheers

Manus

Sorry I know this is off topic but Bronco Bullfrog is terrible, it all looks ad-libbed and the actors in it were just ordinary kids, not actors, and it shows - the only reason anyone would want to watch that is to see the clothes.

[dthedrug]

Sorry I know this is off topic but Bronco Bullfrog is terrible, it all looks ad-libbed and the actors in it were just ordinary kids, not actors, and it shows - the only reason anyone would want to watch that is to see the clothes.

Hi PETE YOU ARE DEAD RIGHT, THATS WHAT MAKES IT A CULT FILM? . I LOVE THE CAFE SCENE WITH THE 2 GIRLS, HE HAS 1 LINE IN 4 MINUTES OF PIONTLESS FOOTAGE, NO PETE IT RATED MORE TO DO WITH THE STYLE, AND THE CLOTHS & THE pROMOTIONAL POSTERS, THE FILM IS BAD, DAVE

Edited September 27, 2010 by dthedrug

[manus]

Sorry I know this is off topic but Bronco Bullfrog is terrible, it all looks ad-libbed and the actors in it were just ordinary kids, not actors, and it shows - the only reason anyone would want to watch that is to see the clothes.

Maybe not a great film Pete - but I got a real sense of that era watching it - I didn't really think they were particularly well dressed either thats what made it feel quite authentic for me - genuine kids who hadn't quite got the style right - there were lots of them about. And I think if I had got to see it back then I would have had a few sleepless nights over Anne Gooding.

Edited September 27, 2010 by manus

[Alison H]

I thought it was ok & have given it a 7/10.

I never went to Wigan but can relate to some of it from attending other nighters.

It made me laugh, reminisce, sing, foot tap, gasp, gringe (dance off) & smile so all in all an ok watch. I personally thought the archive footage of Wigan worked really well. It was a nice touch.

Would I buy the DVD ? Certainly as I spotted a number of dancers that I knew but as they were only on for a nano second at a time I'd like to be able to pause it, slow motion it & rewind it so I can check out their acting skills in more detail

A quite enjoyable watch for me

[manus]

Saw Soulboy last night and really enjoyed it -OK it was a bit daft in places particularly the dance off but enjoyable all the same. I'd read all reviews on here and I just went with the idea of enjoying myself and like a lot of people on here I was going to Wigan in 74 so I was looking forward to a little walk down memory lane and I thought I got that albiet a slighty inaccurate one. I thought Wigan and the Soul scene were central to the plot and my partner who is into classical music said she thought it was a homage to the Soul scene with a love story added on.

What was interesting was there was large group of young people from work there as the girlfirend of one of them actually worked on the film and one young woman has just said how fantastic Wigan looked and how she thought the music was brilliant and wants to hear more. Now these youngsters are all in the 20s and normally when they are talking about music if I say anything I just get blanks stares cos they haven't got a clue what I'm talking about and now they seem to understand a bit more - so cheers to the filmakers for that.

Bit tired been up all night reminiscing.

Cheers

Manus

[Mattbolton]

And really Matt - as for "walking out of the cinema in shock after 40 minutes" - goodness me, it's the sort of reaction I'd expect from Mary Whitehouse on finding herself in the wrong theatre seeing "Last Tango in Paris"!. "Painfully British looking?" what a snobbish comment! Some of us love British looking films. Try "Coast to Coast" next.

Score wise probably a 7 from me.

To be honest Steve many of my favourite films are British. From Mike Leigh's 'Secrets and Lies' to 'Quadrophenia'. Both of these are great examples of British film-making that exhibit that stark realism in the way they are presented. It's not meant to be a snobbish comment, I promise. It's the way most British producers work, in antithesis to the hyper-real gloss of Hollywood overproduction. And it can work wonders onscreen.

But if you're gonna strip that slick visual element away you've gotta be certain there's a decent plot and strong dialogue. It's just like a soul record with terrible production that still shines because of the superlative efforts of the musicians playing on it.

Soulboy teamed that unglossy visual style with really awkward shots and uncomfortable dialogue. And that's what I felt made it so cringeworthy. It was an simple (read, boring) plot hung very badly on an ill thought out framework of Northern Soul.

Perhaps the film just wasn't for us. However, it was pointless for us to stay and watch it further merely for the sake of critical purposes.

If it helps any, I really wanted to enjoy it and was eagerly looking forward to a film based even loosely on our chosen culture.

[Mick Howard]

Ali & I saw it yesterday afternoon at the Glasgow Film Theatre & I've given it 7.

In general terms the plot it is the age-old 'boy wants unobtainable girl & can't see the one he eventually ends up with right under his nose' story but with the Soul scene as an aside. Fair enough.

It was amusing in parts and the lead actor wasn't at all bad although the actor playing his mate wasn't great to be honest.

Of course there were some inacuracies not least the dance-off which is what I call 'The Hollywood Moment' (there's usually one in every movie) but I thought that they did a pretty good job in recreating the external look of the Casino which Ali agrees with after having had a look at my photos.

Yeah, not bad but looking forward to the one that's in production at the moment.

Mick

[Ernie Andrews]

I havnt seen it yet so Im giving it (minus 8/10)

[Guest Carl Dixon]

I enjoyed the movie. I can appreciate any endeavour like this. What I did like were the credits that rolled at the end naming all the tracks, writers, publishers. Even better, over the years some of those names I have met and done work with. Frank Bendinelli told me last year that he had his track placed in a new UK production. He was over the moon. He will be receiving a nice royalty hopefully, and more appropritate recognition for the investment he made all those years ago.

[Guest]

Ahoy

New cinemas added this week! Including Stockton (if anybody needs any chewing gum just scrape it off the floor of the high street). At what point would this be considered a success (bearing in mind the straight to DVD predictions)????

Comrade Moustache

[Liljimmycrank]

Showing at York pucturehouse on Saturday 23rd October.

For those thinking of going then get yourselves to tadcaster for the Riley Smith Hall do after! Or before for the warm up do!!

Check them both out in events. Make a full day of it

[Mike]

Ahoy

New cinemas added this week! Including Stockton (if anybody needs any chewing gum just scrape it off the floor of the high street). At what point would this be considered a success (bearing in mind the straight to DVD predictions)????

Comrade Moustache

interesting point

though suppose there are many ways to judge if a film is a success

from a box office view

anyone out there who knows the uk film industry like to comment on what the actual box office figures are saying

https://www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk/article/17095/UK-Box-Office-1---3-October-2010

[Pete S]

interesting point

though suppose there are many ways to judge if a film is a success

from a box office view

anyone out there who knows the uk film industry like to comment on what the actual box office figures are saying

https://www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk/article/17095/UK-Box-Office-1---3-October-2010

Some people on here said it would show for one weekend then go straight to video - I'm amazed it's stayed on the cinemas for so long but am really pleased for the film makers to be honest, always nice to prove people wrong.

[Guest SoulNinja]

I went up to Wigan to see it last month and enjoyed it. Despite taking a passing interest in soul for years I've only recently just started doing something about it. I wanted to see the film to see what it had in common with clubbing today (Cream, Gatecrasher etc). As it turns out, quite a bit; long queues, posers hogging their 'spec' on the dance-floor, dodgy gear causing people loads of bother. I suppose the biggest change is the 'chase' for all the boss promos and rare tunes. New music is generally available digitally instantly so that buzz has died.

It must be difficult to pitch a film like this at an audience to gain as broad an appeal as possible, i.e. getting the right balance of fact and fiction to keep soulies and non-soulies entertained. I agree with the folks who point at the inaccuracies of the film but anyone who's committed enough to find out more will do so off their own bat anyway. Of course I'm gutted that I missed out on Northern the first time round (lucky sods, I was 8yo when the Casino closed), but it's a real privilege that people are keeping the scene alive with stuff like this.

Cheers all

Jem

Edited October 13, 2010 by SoulNinja

[Pauldonnelly]

watched it last night, 9/10...me and the Mrs enjoyed it simply because it sort of encapsulated when we were both kids.

I guess we are now in the eyes of the SS Police a couple of " right on brother" divs

Edited October 13, 2010 by PaulDonnelly