Letter to Brezhnev

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MichaelB
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Letter to Brezhnev

#1 Post by MichaelB » Thu Jan 19, 2017 12:22 pm

Out on 24 April will be the first ever Blu-ray release of the celebrated, low-budget, British movie Letter to Brezhnev.

Set in 1980s Liverpool, it tells the tale of two local women who meet a couple of Russian sailors on a night out. Made by writer Frank Clarke and director Chris Bernard, this newly remastered comedy is an evocative portrait of Thatcher-era Britain with a wonderful cast including Margi Clarke, Alexandra Pigg, Peter Firth and Alfred Molina. The Dual Format Edition will feature a making-of documentary, new filmed interviews with actors Alexandra Pigg and Peter Firth, three audio commentaries featuring Alexandra Pigg, Margi Clarke and Chris Bernard, and a fully illustrated booklet that will include a new essay by Frank Clarke.

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colinr0380
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Re: Letter to Brezhnev

#2 Post by colinr0380 » Thu Jan 19, 2017 1:36 pm

Excellent to see this get a release! Here's the trailer and a BBC local news report on the filming.

I seem to remember it making Margi Clarke a well known name at the time, but unfortunately the later film in which she had the main role, 1991's Blonde Fist (also written by her brother Frank Clarke as with Letter to Brezhnev but in the case of Blonde Fist also directed by him too) didn't seem to make too much of an impact. Perhaps it was because it came along a decade before the female boxer film became popular with Girlfight and Million Dollar Baby?

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MichaelB
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Re: Letter to Brezhnev

#3 Post by MichaelB » Thu Jan 19, 2017 2:11 pm

And Aki Kaurismäki's I Hired A Contract Killer - interestingly, the one Kaurismäki feature that isn't available on DVD in the UK, despite it being his only "British" film - didn't make great use of her either. It's the kind of part that would normally have been played by Kati Outinen, and you have only to think about how different Outinen and Clarke are as personalities to see how well that worked!

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antnield
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Re: Letter to Brezhnev

#4 Post by antnield » Thu Jan 19, 2017 2:21 pm

colinr0380 wrote:I seem to remember it making Margi Clarke a well known name at the time, but unfortunately the later film in which she had the main role, 1991's Blonde Fist (also written by her brother Frank Clarke as with Letter to Brezhnev but in the case of Blonde Fist also directed by him too) didn't seem to make too much of an impact. Perhaps it was because it came along a decade before the female boxer film became popular with Girlfight and Million Dollar Baby?
There's a Blu-ray on its way, Colin.

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FrauBlucher
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Re: Letter to Brezhnev

#5 Post by FrauBlucher » Fri Jan 20, 2017 8:49 am

Image

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antnield
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Re: Letter to Brezhnev

#6 Post by antnield » Tue Mar 14, 2017 1:39 pm

SPECIAL FEATURES

- From Liverpool with Love (15 mins): making-of documentary
- Newly filmed interview with actors Alexandra Pigg and Peter Firth
- Newly filmed interview with actor Margi Clarke
- Three audio commentaries featuring Alexandra Pigg, Margi Clarke, and director Chris Bernard
- Fully illustrated booklet including new writings by writer Frank Clarke and Professor Juliet Hallam

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MichaelB
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Re: Letter to Brezhnev

#7 Post by MichaelB » Tue Mar 28, 2017 7:02 am

Full specs announced:
Letter to Brezhnev
Written by Frank Clarke
Directed by Chris Bernard
Starring Peter Firth, Alfred Molina, Alexandra Pigg, Margi Clarke


One of the most significant and influential British films of the 1980s, Letter to Brezhnev is a touching romantic tale set against the backdrop of Thatcherism, Liverpool’s club scene, one-night stands and a Europe still in the grip of the Cold War.

Written by Frank Clarke and directed by Chris Bernard, the film starred a fresh young cast. Now, more than 30 years on, it will be released by the BFI on Blu-ray (for the first time) and DVD in a Dual Format Edition on 24 April 2017. Special features include new interviews with cast members and a new audio commentary.

Two Merseyside girls escape their humdrum lives for a night on the town, where they meet two Russian sailors (Peter Firth and Alfred Molina) on shore leave. For Teresa (Margi Clarke), it's a welcome bit of fun, but for Elaine (Alexandra Pigg, who was nominated for a BAFTA Award) it turns into much more. Letter to Brezhnev remains a hilarious and uplifting tale of how love and idealism can help ordinary people realise their dreams.

Special features
• Presented in High Definition and Standard Definition
• An Interview with Margi Clarke (2017, 35 mins)
• An Interview with Alexandra Pigg and Peter Firth (2017, 14 mins)
• Audio commentary with actor Margi Clarke
• New audio commentary with director Chris Bernard and screenwriter Frank Clarke
From Liverpool with Love (2003, 16 mins): original making-of documentary
• Original theatrical trailer
• Stills and Collections Gallery
• Illustrated booklet including new writing by Frank Clarke and Professor Julia Hallam, and full film credits

Product details
RRP: £19.99/ Cat. no. BFIB1265 / Cert 15
UK / 1985 / colour / 94 mins / English language, with optional hard-of-hearing subtitles / original aspect ratio 1.66:1
BD50: 1080p, 24fps, PCM 2.0 stereo (48kHz/24-bit)
DVD9: PAL, 25fps, Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo (224kbps)
This Dual Format Edition will be launched in Liverpool with a special reunion screening followed by a Q&A with cast and crew, including Margi Clarke, Alexandra Pigg, Peter Firth, Frank Clarke and Chris Bernard, on Tuesday 18 April at 8.20pm at FACT Picturehouse, 88 Wood Street, Liverpool L1 4DQ. Tickets are on sale now.

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Lost Highway
Joined: Thu Aug 29, 2013 7:41 am
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Re: Letter to Brezhnev

#8 Post by Lost Highway » Sun Jul 09, 2017 3:34 pm

I haven't seen this since it came out, wonder how it holds up. I just remember that Margi Clarke stole the film, but then any sort of acting career never really took off. I'd be just as curious to see writer Frank Clarke's oddball follow up The Fruit Machine aka Wonderland, a truly odd magic realist film about two gay Liverpool teenagers on the run to Brighton from some gangster and one of them falling in love with a shape shifting dolphin.

rawlinson
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Re: Letter to Brezhnev

#9 Post by rawlinson » Sun Jul 09, 2017 5:14 pm

The Fruit Machine is available through Network.

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