Clockwise (1986)

Director:

Christopher Morahan

Writer:

Michael Frayn (original screenplay)

Release Date:

10 October 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

If you've ever been late... you'll know what this film is all about!

Plot:

An uncompromising British school headmaster finds himself beset by one thing going wrong after another.

Plot Keywords:

School | Headmaster | England | Hospital | Detective

Awards:

1 win

Cast

John Cleese	...	Brian Stimpson
Penny Leatherbarrow	...	Woman Teacher
Howard Lloyd-Lewis	...	Ted
Jonathan Bowater	...	Clint
Stephen Moore	...	Mr. Jolly
Alison Steadman	...	Gwenda Stimpson
Mark Bunting	...	Studious Boy
Robert Wilkinson	...	Streaker
John Bardon	...	Ticket Collector
Mark Burdis	...	Glen Scully
Nadia Sawalha	...	Mandy Kostakis (as Nadia Carina)
Dickie Arnold	...	Man at Station
Angus MacKay	...	First Class Passenger (as Angus Mackay)
Peter Needham	...	Porter
Peter Lorenzelli	...	Taxi Driver
Chip Sweeney	...	Paul Stimpson
Sharon Maiden	...	Laura Wisely
Joan Hickson	...	Mrs. Trellis
Constance Chapman	...	Mrs. Wheel
Ann Way	...	Mrs. Way
Ann-Marie Gwatkin	...	Petrol Station Cashier
Mohammed Ashiq	...	Manager
Pat Keen	...	Mrs. Wisely
Geoffrey Hutchings	...	Mr. Wisely
Geoffrey Greenhill	...	Policeman with Mrs Wheel
Richard Ridings	...	Policeman at Crash
Geoffrey Davion	...	Policeman at Crash
Charles Bartholomew	...	Man in Telephone Box
Sheila Keith	...	Pat's Mother
Penelope Wilton	...	Pat
Christian Regan	...	Pat's Son
Alan Parnaby	...	Policeman at Telephone Box
Tony Haygarth	...	Ivan with the Tractor
Michael Aldridge	...	Prior
Ronald Sowton	...	Monk
Alan Granton	...	Monk
Susan Field	...	Woman in Lane
Leslie Schofield	...	Policeman Arresting Pat (as Leslie Scofield)
Mike Glynn	...	Policeman with Black Eye
Benjamin Whitrow	...	Headmaster
Geoffrey Palmer	...	Headmaster
Nicholas Le Prevost	...	Headmaster (as Nicholas le Prevost)
Peter Cellier	...	Headmaster
David Conville	...	Headmaster
Patrick Godfrey	...	Headmaster
Rupert Massey	...	Headmaster
John Rowe	...	Headmaster
Philip Voss	...	Headmaster
Jeffrey Wickham	...	Headmaster (as Jeffry Wickham)
Nick Stringer	...	Det. Sgt. Rice
Graeme Green	...	Detective Constable
Sidney Livingstone	...	Porsche Driver
Michael Percival	...	Man in Wood
Peter Jonfield	...	Det. Insp. Laundryman
Brian Portsmouth	...	Detective Constable

Directed by
Christopher Morahan

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Michael Frayn		original screenplay

Produced by
Michael Codron	....	producer
Nat Cohen	....	executive producer
Gregory Dark	....	associate producer
Verity Lambert	....	executive producer

Original Music by
George Fenton

Cinematography by
John Coquillon		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Peter Boyle

Casting by
Priscilla John

Production Design by
Roger Murray-Leach

Art Direction by
Diana Charnley

Costume Design by
Judy Moorcroft

Makeup Department
Kezia De Winne	....	chief makeup artist (as Kezia de Winne)
Michael Morris	....	chief makeup artist
Stephen Rose	....	chief hair stylist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Tim Coddington	....	third assistant director
Tony Hopkins	....	first assistant director
Crispin Reece	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Bruce Bigg	....	property master
Brian P. Harris	....	supervising props (as Brian Harris)
Les London	....	supervising props
Bill McMinimee	....	construction manager
Lucy Morahan	....	art department runner
Michael G. Ploog	....	storyboard artist (as Mike Ploog)
Brian Read	....	production buyer
Tom Jung	....	poster designer (uncredited)

Sound Department
Pat Gilbert	....	assistant footsteps editor
Ray Merrin	....	sound re-recording mixer
Chris Munro	....	sound recordist
Rocky Phelan	....	footsteps editor
Bill Rowe	....	sound re-recording mixer
David Sharpe	....	assistant dubbing editor
Don Sharpe	....	dubbing editor
John Stevenson	....	boom operator

Camera and Electrical Department
Tony Breeze	....	focus puller
Douglas Dawson	....	still photographer
Wick Finch	....	gaffer
Gary Hutchings	....	grip
Dickie Lee	....	grip
George Parrish	....	best boy
Gary Spratling	....	clapper loader
Alan Taylor	....	electrician
Malcolm Vinson	....	camera operator
John Ward	....	Steadicam operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Karen Hore	....	wardrobe assistant
Keith Morton	....	wardrobe master

Editorial Department
Keith Mason	....	second assistant editor
Kant Pan	....	first assistant editor

Music Department
Keith Grant	....	music recording engineer

Other crew
Julie Baines	....	production coordinator
John Bernard	....	location manager
Vicky Burton	....	production runner
Jeremy Child	....	cutting room runner
Diana Dill	....	script supervisor
Graham Easton	....	production executive
Cherry Fiddaman	....	cashier (as Cherry Taylor)
Pauline Granby	....	assistant accountant
Bob Mercer	....	production associate
Catherine O'Brien	....	publicist
Terry Pearce	....	location manager
Krystyna Plater	....	secretary to producers
Iona Price	....	secretary to producers
Arthur Tarry	....	production accountant

Production Companies

• Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment (presents)
• Moment Films

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1986) (USA) (theatrical)
• HBO/Cannon Video (1986) (USA) (VHS)
• Republic Pictures Home Video (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Video Film Express (1999) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Studio Canal (2006) (UK) (DVD)
• Acteurs Auteurs Associés (AAA) (1986) (France) (theatrical)
• Europa Vision (1987) (Finland) (theatrical)
• América Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Future Film (2001) (Finland) (DVD)
• Showtime (1980s) (Finland) (VHS)
• TV3 (1989) (Finland) (TV)
• Thorn EMI Video Australia (19??) (Australia) (VHS)
• Thorn EMI (19??) (UK) (VHS)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1997) (2009) (Finland) (TV)

Other Companies

• Geoff Axtell Associates Ltd.  titles
• Cinefocus  cameras and lenses by Moviecam supplied by
• Kodak  film stock supplied by (as Kodak Ltd)
• Technicolor  processed by (as Technicolor Ltd)
• Lee Lighting  lighting (as Lee Electric [Lighting] Ltd)
• Bickers Action Enterprises  car rigs and action vehicles supplied by (as Bickers Action Enterprises Ltd)
• Willie's Wheels  transport
• Midland Film Services  transport
• Olympic Studios  music recording at (as Olympic Sound Studios)
• Thorn EMI Elstree Studios  post-production and re-recording at
• Take Five Catering  catering
• Staff and Pupils of Menzies High School, West Bromwich, The  the producers wish to thank the following for their invaluable contribution to the making of this film
• King Edward's School Edgbaston  the producers wish to thank the following for their invaluable contribution to the making of this film (as King Edward's School Edgbaston Birmingham)
• British Horological Institute, The  the producers wish to thank the following for their invaluable contribution to the making of this film (as The British Horological Institute Newark Notts)
• Porsche Cars (G.B.)  the producers wish to thank the following for their invaluable contribution to the making of this film (as Porsche Cars [G.B.] Ltd)
• Seiko Time (U.K.)  the producers wish to thank the following for their invaluable contribution to the making of this film (as Seiko Time [U.K.] Ltd)
• Tannoy  the producers wish to thank the following for their invaluable contribution to the making of this film (as Tannoy Limited)
• WWAV Computer Division  the producers wish to thank the following for their invaluable contribution to the making of this film
• People and Authorities of Edgbaston, The  the producers wish to thank the following for their invaluable contribution to the making of this film
• People and Authorities of Grimsby, The  the producers wish to thank the following for their invaluable contribution to the making of this film
• People and Authorities of Kingston Upon Hull, The  the producers wish to thank the following for their invaluable contribution to the making of this film
• People and Authorities of Much Wenlock, The  the producers wish to thank the following for their invaluable contribution to the making of this film
• People and Authorities of Shrewsbury, The  the producers wish to thank the following for their invaluable contribution to the making of this film
• People and Authorities of Stourport, The  the producers wish to thank the following for their invaluable contribution to the making of this film
• People and Authorities of West Bromwich, The  the producers wish to thank the following for their invaluable contribution to the making of this film
• Cannon Screen Entertainment  VHS package design
• Sapex Scripts  post-production script services (uncredited)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:S | Norway:A | Sweden:Btl | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | Iceland:L | Singapore:PG | Australia:G | Netherlands:AL | Denmark:A | Norway:7 (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

Cottingham Road, Kingston-upon-Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, UK

Company:

Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment

Trivia:

Screenwriter Michael Frayn based the character of Brian Stimpson on Peter Dawson, the headmaster of his daughter's school: Eltham Green Comprehensive.

Goofs:

Continuity: The headrests in Gwenda's car disappear then reappear between shots as she is leaving the railway station.

Quotes:

Brian Stimpson:[repeated line; last lines] LEFT, no RIGHT, no LEFT...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Futurama: Overclockwise (#6.25)" (2011)

Soundtrack:

He Who Would Valiant Be

Right! Left? Right! No, left!

A scrupulously punctual headmaster in an English comprehensive school sets off for the Headmaster's Conference to deliver a keynote speech. One little slip sees him boarding the wrong train, which leads to a chain of consequences conspiring to keep him from his goal. This is one of the finest farces I've ever seen brought to the screen, written naturally enough by theatre farce-meister Michael Frayn. The frenetic energy of John Cleese in his prime really lifts this above the norm, as he hitches a ride with a student, bumps into and kidnaps an ex-girlfriend and winds up naked in a monastery. The climactic scenes at the HMC amount to perhaps the finest pay-off seen in farce. This is, indeed, a historic moment.