Sceptical, but the presence of alfred molina and peter firth was somewhat reassuring. It was written by frank clarke and directed by chris bernard. Letter to brezhnev british board of film classification. It starred alexandra pigg, margi clarke, alfred molina, peter firth and tracy marshaknash credited as tracy lea. Elaine cant forget him and writes the letter to leonid brezhnev, the soviet leader, asking him to make it possible for them to meet again. The letter to brezhnev in the movie of that name is written by elaine, a 22yearold liverpool lass who one starry night falls in love with a. The letter to brezhnev in the movie of that name is written by elaine, a 22yearold liverpool lass who one starry night falls in love with a visiting soviet sailor. How liverpool has changed since thatcherera classic letter to. Liverpool shop for football magazine, lfc books, lfc subscriptions and looks like a must read book from working with the enigmatic tony wilson at granada in 1978, starring in one of the greatest independent films of all time, letter to brezhnev, in 1985, readers are invited to hitch a ride on a road movie with margaret bernadette clarke. Elaine cant forget him and writes a letter to leonid brezhnev, asking him to make it possible for them to reunite. Two soviet sailors, peter and sergei, go ashore in liverpool to spend one night. Read the letter to brezhnev plot and find out who is in the cast and crew at.
Teresa is a tough cookie who convinces her friend to write a letter to brezhnev explaining why she and peter should be together. Letter to brezhnev 1985 rotten tomatoes movie trailers. And that is the premise of letter to brezhnev, another one of those smallscale, intensely human movies that have come out of england in the last few years. Letter to brezhnevs political aspects arent always as immediately obvious as those that were found in other british dramas at this time, but the film is nonetheless a real winner when it comes to employing tropes relating to resistance and hope. Two girls bus it optimistically into liverpool one night. Low budget and disarmingly simple in its basic premise and execution much of its runtime is taken up by the events of just one night and the following day the film heralded the cinematic debuts of its director, its scriptwriter and most of its cast. Letter to brezhnev is a really quite remarkable little feature. Letter to brezhnev original trailer newly remastered youtube. Letter to brezhnev photos view all photos 2 movie info. The film has never looked or sounded better, the difference really is. And even if this sweet young thing did get her chance to get a letter through to brezhnev, he would surely be wondering how this sailor was able to free himself long enough to get into this situation in the first place, and i can tell you he wouldnt like it even if the propaganda value might otherwise be useful.
Letter to brezhnev 1985 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Chris bernards romantic comedy, set in liverpool, stars margi clarke and alexandra pigg as a pair of workingclass british girls who meet a pair of russian sailors while out on the town. The factories, pubs, clubs, hotels and streets of 1980s liverpool form the backdrop for this tale of love, friendship, sex and a letter to the soviet leader, leonid brezhnev. Us president richard nixon and leonid brezhnev talking outside at camp david, the official retreat of us presidents, in 1973 nikita khrushchev had initially supported north vietnam out of fraternal solidarity, but as the war escalated he had urged the north vietnamese leadership to give up the quest of liberating south vietnam. When the leader responds with an airplane ticket for elaine, she is stunned. As well as calling a letter to brezhnev the definitive liverpool film p. Two soviet sailors, peter and sergei, go ashore in liverpool to spend one night on the town. I remember watching this film at the pictures way back in 1985. Teresa is looking for sex and a smile, elaine wants love, romance. The director and the two female leads were completely new to me. Letter to brezhnevs political aspects arent always as immediately obvious as those that were found in other british dramas at this time, but the film is nonetheless a real winner when it. Despite the iron curtain now being long gone, the film has sharplyobserved and very funny dialogue, plus. Production companies, yeardream, film four international. Queueing up at the abc liverpool lime street to see the adventures of the girl who writes a letter to brezhnev for reasons i am not going to mention here in case i spoil the plot.
How liverpool has changed since thatcherera classic letter. May 02, 1986 the letter to brezhnev in the movie of that name is written by elaine, a 22yearold liverpool lass who one starry night falls in love with a visiting soviet sailor. It was written by frank clarke and directed by chris. Letter to brezhnev 1985 r 1h 34min comedy, drama, romance 2 may 1986 usa two soviet sailors, peter and sergei, go ashore in liverpool to spend one night on the town. Two liverpool lasses, teresa and elaine meet two russian sailors, sergei and peter and hook up for a night of fun and frolics. Penned by frank clarke and directed by chris bernard, letter to brezhnev was filmed on location in liverpool in 1985. Cast includes margi clarke, alexandra pigg, peter firth, alfred molina, neil cunningham, ken campbell. Teresa works as a frozenchicken packer, wrapping the giblets in plastic and shoving them back where they came from. Its generally presumed that firth and molina who were already established film actors and pigg who had acted in the liverpoolset television. Resistance and hope in letter to brezhnev popmatters. Margi clarke and alexandra pigg in letter to brezhnev 1985 peter firth and. Written by frank clarke and directed by chris bernard and starring a fresh and young cast it remains a hilarious and uplifting tale of how love and.
Chris bernards romantic comedy, set in liverpool, stars margi clarke and alexandra pigg as a pair of workingclass british girls who meet. The circumstances surrounding letter to brezhnevs production, and the resourcefulness demanded of its makers, speak as much of the time and place from which it was sprung a 1980s liverpool blighted by unemployment and industrial decline as the characterisation of the city represented in the film itself. Jan 24, 2007 as well as calling a letter to brezhnev the definitive liverpool film p. This comes through a little in the film and it is really enjoyable. I had never heard about this film until visiting fopp. One works as a chicken stuffer, the other is unemployed. Letter to brezhnev is a film directed by chris bernard with peter firth, alfred molina, tracy marshaknash, alexandra pigg, year. One of the key british films of the 1980s letter to brezhnev is set against the backdrop of thatcherism, liverpools club scene, onenight stands and a europe still in the grip of the cold war. The original trailer for letter to brezhnev 1985 starring margi clarke.
Jan 27, 2017 letter to brezhnevs political aspects arent always as immediately obvious as those that were found in other british dramas at this time, but the film is nonetheless a real winner when it comes to employing tropes relating to resistance and hope. Letter to brezhnev is a film made, in director chris bernards words, with super 16mm, three lights and fuck all budget. Elaine cant forget him and writes a letter to soviet general secretary leonid brezhnev, asking him to make it possible for them to reunite. Us president richard nixon and leonid brezhnev talking outside at camp david, the official retreat of us presidents, in 1973 nikita khrushchev had initially supported north vietnam out of fraternal solidarity, but as the war escalated he had urged the north vietnamese leadership to.
Apr 25, 2017 letter to brezhnev is a film about many things. A film emboldened by the strength of its contrasts, letter to brezhnev combines its earthy humour with a bitter depiction of urban deprivation, illuminating the hope at the heart of a neglected city and imparting the belief that human contact can counteract the prejudices of international politics. Elaine and peter immediately fall in love, but in the morning the two boys must leave with their ship. For full details of the film soundtrack, which was released on london records, see monthly film bulletin, 52, 621, oct. Directed by chris bernard with a scenario by frank clarke.
Despite the iron curtain now being long gone, the film has sharplyobserved and very funny dialogue, plus a wonderful unmannered charm that transcends its. Peter can speak a bit of english but its enough to pull two local lassies, elaine and theresa. Letter to brezhnev, released in 1985, was a delightful curio with sharp edges. The first name after the title in the opening credits is that of writer frank clarke, and its his script, backed up with highly engaging lead performances, that makes the film overcome the obvious budgetary. When one of the girls falls in love, she misses him so much that she writes to the leader of the soviet union, requesting to go and live with her lover. The circumstances surrounding letter to brezhnev s production, and the resourcefulness. Like mona lisa, it was financed by channel 4, the british tv operation that is open to unusual projects such as this. Comedy drama about two liverpool girls who meet a pair of russian sailors during one day and night of shore leave. Letters to brezhnev is fresh, gritty, humorous, and winning in every way. Peter can speak a minimal amount of english but its enough to make contact with two liverpudlian natives. Elaine and teresa may be down but they are by no means out. Peter can speak a minimal amount of english but its enough to make contact with two. A transcultural riff on romeo and juliet, it told of the sudden romance that erupts between a kirkby girl and a visiting soviet sailor one night on the tiles in liverpool.
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