On a Clear Day (2005)

Director:

Gaby Dellal

Writer:

Alex Rose

Release Date:

8 July 2005 (Ireland)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Sport

Tagline:

Anything is possible.

Plot:

Frank determines to salvage his self-esteem and tackle his demons by attempting the ultimate test of endurance - swimming the English Channel.

Plot Keywords:

Swimming | Swimming The English Channel | Secret | Self Esteem | Love

Awards:

3 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Peter Mullan	...	Frank
Brenda Blethyn	...	Joan
Sean McGinley	...	Eddie
Jamie Sives	...	Rob
Billy Boyd	...	Danny
Ron Cook	...	Norman
Jodhi May	...	Angela
Benedict Wong	...	Chan
Anne Marie Timoney	...	Michelle
Shaun Dingwall	...	Observer
Tony Roper	...	Merv the Perv
Paul Ritter	...	Mad Bob
Andrew MacLennan	...	Andrew
James MacLennan	...	James
Irene Ann Burt	...	Vera
Nigel Lindsay	...	Sharp Suit
Stevie Hannan	...	Gus
Ann Scott-Jones	...	Danny's Ma (as Ann Scott Jones)
Michelle Rodley	...	Shop Girl 1
Carolyn Calder	...	Shop Girl 2
John Yule	...	Driving Instructor
Jay Manley	...	Man in Job Centre
James Martin	...	Old Man in Library
Mark McDonnell	...	Dough Belly 1
Robert Read	...	Dough Belly 2
Eric Barlow	...	Delivery Man
Aaron Wilkie	...	Aaron
Eleanor McKinlay	...	Water Therapy Carer
Cameron Coyne	...	Water Therapy Child
Michael Love	...	Water Therapy Child
Martin Forry	...	Lifeguard
Hamish Johnson	...	Boy on Beach
Penny Dyer	...	Self-Help Coach (voice)
Raf Fellner	...	Young Stuart (as Rafael Fellner)
Phillip Carse	...	Young Rob
Ella McGee	...	Young Joan
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mae McDougall	...	Mother
Alan Marsh	...	Walk on (uncredited)

Directed by
Gaby Dellal

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Alex Rose

Produced by
Bill Allan	....	executive producer
Hilary Benson	....	line producer
Dorothy Berwin	....	producer
Steve Christian	....	executive producer
Martha Coleman	....	co-producer
Leonard Crooks	....	executive producer (as Lenny Crooks)
Sarah Curtis	....	producer
Emma Hayter	....	executive producer
Nick Hill	....	executive producer
Amy Lo	....	associate producer
Andy Mayson	....	executive producer
Keith Evans	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Stephen Warbeck

Cinematography by
David Johnson		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Robin Sales
John Wilson		(uncredited)

Casting by
Gail Stevens

Production Design by
Mark Leese

Art Direction by
Caroline Grebbell

Costume Design by
Kate Hawley

Makeup Department
Karen Brotherston	....	additional makeup artist
Lizzie Judd	....	makeup artist
Dorka Nieradzik	....	hair designer
Dorka Nieradzik	....	makeup designer
Rosie Octon	....	makeup trainee (as Rose Octon)
Emma Sheldrick	....	makeup artist
Deborah Hyde	....	creature effects coordinator (uncredited)

Production Management
Polly Duval	....	post-production supervisor
Jim Edge	....	unit manager: Isle of Man
Peter Gallagher	....	production supervisor: Glasgow
Ingrid Litman	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Martin Harrison	....	first assistant director
Michael Queen	....	second assistant director
Charlie Waller	....	third assistant director
Stuart St. Paul	....	second unit director (uncredited)

Art Department
Brian Adams	....	carpenter
Mat Bergel	....	stand-by props
Alexander Borthwick	....	painter
Phil Bowen	....	construction manager
Christopher Breslin	....	carpenter
Paul Campbell	....	dressing props
Tristan Carlisle-Kitz	....	stand-by props
Jim Carns	....	dressing props
Paul Connelly	....	construction stagehand
Stewart Cunningham	....	dressing props
Gordon Farlow	....	painter
Robert Gee	....	stand-by painter
Richard Hassall	....	stand-by carpenter
John Hughes	....	painter
Martin Kelly	....	assistant art director
William Maxwell	....	chargehand
Clare McDonald	....	art department assistant (as Claire MacDonald)
Jim O'Donnell	....	stand-by painter
Bob Orr	....	property master
Lee Porter	....	production buyer
Alex Robertson	....	chargehand
Anna Sheard	....	assistant prop buyer
Lorraine Tolmie	....	assistant prop buyer
Derek Welsh	....	stand-by carpenter

Sound Department
Owen Bleasdale	....	foley recordist
Owen Bleasdale	....	foley sound editor
Peter Brill	....	sound recordist
Tim Dyer	....	sound trainee
David Gerard	....	additional sound effects editor
Dan Green	....	dubbing editor
Mike Grimes	....	sound effects editor
Stewart Henderson	....	adr editor
Miha Jaramaz	....	additional sound effects editor
Hugh Johnson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Melissa Lake	....	foley artist
James Lantry	....	sound trainee
Gareth Llewellyn	....	assistant dubbing mixer
Miriam Ludbrook	....	dialogue editor
Alastair Mason	....	boom operator
Zak Melemendjian	....	dubbing editor (as Peter Melemendjian)
Bernard O'Reilly	....	additional sound effects editor
Rashad Omar	....	sound recordist: boat
Jeremy Price	....	supervising sound editor
Graeme Stoten	....	adr recordist
Jason Swanscott	....	foley artist
Nick Watson	....	sound consultant: Dolby
Paul Apted	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Jennie Evans	....	additional sound effects editor (uncredited)
Nick Foley	....	adr recordist (uncredited)
Tim Hands	....	supervising sound editor (uncredited)
Hal Levinsohn	....	adr supervisor: New York (uncredited)
James Perry	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Jennifer Ralston	....	assistant sound editor (uncredited)
Jonathan Rimas	....	adr mixer (uncredited)
Ted Swanscott	....	adr mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Harry Bryce	....	senior special effects technician
Nick Rideout	....	special effects supervisor

Visual Effects by
Phil Attfield	....	lead digital artist: Men From Mars
Paul Beard	....	visual effects line producer: Men From Mars
Robin Beard	....	digital artist: Men From Mars
Mark Dollery	....	digital imaging: Men From Mars
Simon Frame	....	visual effects producer: Men From Mars
Spencer Friend	....	visual effects supervisor: Men From Mars
Tom Hocking	....	digital artist: Men From Mars
Isaac Layish	....	digital artist: Men From Mars
Victoria McDowell	....	visual effects line producer: Men From Mars
Gruff Owen	....	digital artist: Men From Mars
Tom Pegg	....	digital artist: Men From Mars
Karl Derrick	....	creature effects supervisor/designer (uncredited)
Paul Shore	....	digital film supervisor (uncredited)

Stunts
Luke Aikman	....	stunts
Gabe Cronnelly	....	stunts (as Gabriel Cronnelly)
David Feakes	....	swimming double: Peter Mullan
Stewart James	....	stunts (as Stewart 'Tidd' James)
Greg Orphanides	....	additional swimming double
Alexander Rust	....	additional swimming double
Michael Scott-Law	....	stunt supervisor: Glasgow (as Michael Scott Law)
Stuart St. Paul	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Stuart Anderson	....	clapper loader: second unit, Glasgow
Joss Barratt	....	still photographer (as Joss Barrett)
Julie Bills	....	focus puller
John Corbett	....	electrician
Peter Davies	....	generator operator
Aaron Douglas	....	crane technician
Jaime Feliu-Torres	....	focus puller: second unit, Glasgow
Iain Harrison	....	stand-by rigger
Iain Johnstone	....	grip
Steve Kitchen	....	gaffer
Alison Lai	....	second clapper loader: Dover
Shu Lorimer	....	camera trainee
Adrian McCarthy	....	second grip
Ossie McLean	....	camera operator: second unit, Glasgow
Mark Milsome	....	second camera operator: Isle of Man
David Morrison	....	second grip (as Dave Morrison)
Mits Mumitswarra	....	camera assistant: second unit, Glasgow
Kevin O'Brien	....	steadicam operator: Glasgow
Rod Patterson	....	grip trainee
Terry Rob	....	electrician
Terry Robb	....	electrician
Julia Robinson	....	clapper loader
Sam Smith	....	underwater camera assistant
Mario Spanna	....	libra head technician
Steven Swannell	....	rigging gaffer: studio (as Steve Swannell)
John Taylor	....	steadicam operator: Isle of Man
Roger Tooley	....	steadicam operator: Dover
Mark Wolf	....	underwater camera operator
Peter Davies	....	electrician (uncredited)

Animation Department
Ben Bradley	....	digital artist

Casting Department
Victoria Beattie	....	additional casting
William Davies	....	casting associate: Gail Stevens Casting (as Will Davies)
Juliette Robson	....	additional casting
Vanessa Baker	....	adr voice casting (uncredited)
Brendan Donnison	....	adr voice casting (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Elisa Cunningham	....	costume trainee
Arnalie Harper Gow	....	stand-by wardrobe (as Amelie Harper Gow)
Anna Lau	....	assistant costume designer
Michael Weldon	....	wardrobe master

Editorial Department
Jonathan Sales	....	first assistant editor
Cliff Thomas	....	color grader
Greg Barrett	....	senior digital grade producer (uncredited)
Michael Nollet	....	first assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Chris Barrett	....	assistant scoring engineer
James Bellamy	....	auricle operator: The Music Department
Becky Bentham	....	music supervisor: Hothouse Music
Paul Clarvis	....	musician: percussion
Steve Donnelly	....	musician: guitar
Martin France	....	musician: drums
Andrew Green	....	music preparation
Isobel Griffiths	....	orchestra contractor
Tim Harries	....	musician: bass guitar
Nick Ingman	....	conductor
Lewis Jones	....	music mixer assistant
John Parricelli	....	musician: guitar
Sonia Slany	....	musician: fiddle
James Stone	....	assistant scoring engineer
Stephen Warbeck	....	musician: piano/accordion
Stephen Warbeck	....	orchestrator
Steve Watts	....	musician: bass guitar
Rolf Wilson	....	orchestra leader
Nick Wollage	....	scoring engineer
Chris Dibble	....	scoring mixer (uncredited)
Andrew Glen	....	music editor (uncredited)
Paul Kegg	....	musician: cello (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Malcolm Corlett	....	unit driver: Isle of Man
Paul Dunphy	....	head unit driver: Glasgow
Angus Finlayson	....	unit driver: Glasgow
Adrian Holland	....	unit driver: Isle of Man
Geoffrey Hook	....	driver: costume truck, Movie Makers (as Geoff Hook)
Sean Jones	....	unit driver: Glasgow
Mike Lewis	....	transportation captain: Isle of Man
Bill McKeller	....	driver: generator and makeup truck, Movie Makers (as Bill McKellar)
Ronnie Morrison	....	action vehicle coordinator
Chris Parker	....	driver: support truck, Movie Makers
Finn Parker	....	driver: support truck, Movie Makers
Fiona Singer	....	unit driver: Isle of Man
Clive Smith	....	driver: camera truck, Movie Makers

Other crew
Ruth Atkinson	....	script supervisor
Sarah Bing	....	legal advisor: SJ Berwin
Lee Breasley	....	representative: The Royal Bank of Scotland (as Lee Beasley)
Mary Brehony	....	representative: Scottish Screen
Jennifer Brooks	....	production runner
Pauline Burt	....	risk manager: The Royal Bank of Scotland
Stephen Burt	....	location manager: Glasgow
Nick Cain	....	representative: Isle of Man Film
Neil Calder	....	completion guarantor: Film Finances
Michael Campbell	....	assistant location manager: Glasgow
Richard Carless	....	crew: Dover
Claire Chapman	....	representative: Scottish Screen
Dean Cooke	....	boat crew: Isle of Man
John 'Cookee' Cooke	....	assistant marine coordinator
Anita Cox	....	representative: Scottish Screen
Hannah Curtis	....	floor runner
Paul Curtis	....	crew: Dover
Lucie Day	....	production assistant
Paul Dix	....	location manager: Dover
Alex Downie	....	representative: Isle of Man Film
Hilary Dugdale	....	representative: Isle of Man Film
Dave Dunkley	....	marine crew
Yvonne Dunn	....	representative: Glasgow Film Finance
Graham Easton	....	completion guarantor: Film Finances
Jim Edge	....	security: Isle of Man
Cherry Fiddaman	....	production accountant
Richard Fiddaman	....	assistant accountant
Emily Field	....	assistant to director
Andrew Fingret	....	legal advisor: Isle of Man Film, Cains Advocates
Elaine Foster	....	stand-in
Stephen Foster	....	representative: Glasgow Film Finance
Jeremy Gawade	....	representative: Glasgow Film Finance
Barbara Gibson	....	tutor
Andy Greethan	....	title designer (as Andy Greetham)
Lee Groombridge	....	production assistant
Gwyneth Harrison	....	unit nurse: Isle of Man
Samar Ibrahim	....	floor runner
Faith Jenkinson	....	health and safety officer
Caroline Johnson	....	international marketing: Icon International Entertainment
Tim Johnson	....	legal advisor: SJ Berwin
Jessica Kantor	....	assistant: Dorothy Berwin
Mike Keegen	....	boat crew: Isle of Man
Tom Keegen	....	boat crew: Isle of Man
Alexandra Keen	....	business affairs: Icon Entertainment International
Mike Kingston	....	marine crew
Robbie Kirkpatrick	....	floor runner (as Robby Kirkpatrick)
Justin P. Lange	....	assistant: Dorothy Berwin (as J.P. Lange)
Justin P. Lange	....	assistant: Dorothy Berwin (as Justin Lange)
James Leitch	....	swimming coach: Peter Mullan
Richard Leyer	....	representative: Glasgow Film Finance
Emma Lightbody	....	representative: Gasworks Media
Anne MacLennan	....	chaperone
Ella Magee	....	assistant to director (as Ella McGee)
Sirish Malde	....	auditor: Malde & Company
Heather Mansfield	....	risk manager: The Royal Bank ofg Scotland
Anna McPherson	....	production secretary
Sharon Menzies	....	business affairs: Bakjer Street Media Finance
Christos Michaels	....	business affairs: Icon Entertainment International
Milo Miles	....	crew: Dover
Liz Miller	....	unit publicist: McDonald + Rutter
Richard Moore	....	insurance broker: Media Insurance Brokers
Richard Moxon	....	legal advisor: Baker Street Media Finance
Peter Naish	....	international sales: Icon Entertainment International
Ian Nicholls	....	diver
Tonia Pearson	....	assistant: Sarah Curtis
Burt Reynolds	....	crew: Dover
Dave Richards	....	boat crew: Isle of Man
Matthew Sanders	....	unit publicist: McDonald + Rutter
Roger Shannon	....	representative: Scottish Screen
Leonard Singer	....	representative: Isle of Man Film
Garry Smith	....	crew: Dover
Willie Spiers	....	stand-in
Kevin Stephens	....	marine crew
David Sutcliffe	....	health and safety officer
Sian Sutherland	....	location manager: Isle of Man
Paul Swann	....	laboratory liaison: Technicolor
Eve Swannell	....	production coordinator
Ron Taylor	....	laboratory liaison: Technicolor
George Tlatt	....	boat crew: Isle of Man
Tony Tucker	....	marine coordinator
Hamish Walker	....	representative: Glasgow Film Office
Andy Walton	....	crew: Dover
Suzanne Ward	....	chaperone
Hannah Wardale	....	legal advisor: SJ Berwin
Ross Waters	....	diver
Jenny Williams	....	representative: Glasgow Film Office
Brian Wilson	....	stand-in
Jackie Wylie	....	location assistant: Glasgow
William Butler Yeats	....	poet: "To a child dancing in the wind"
Tony Rolink	....	location maintenance (uncredited)

Thanks
Jeremy Thomas	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Baker Street (in association with)
• Forthcoming Productions
• Glasgow Film Finance (in association with)
• InFilm Productions
• Isle of Man Film (in association with)
• Scottish Screen (in association with)
• Take Film Partnerships

Distributors

• Icon Film Distribution (2005) (UK) (theatrical)
• A-Film Distribution (2006) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Focus Features (2006) (USA) (theatrical)
• Frenetic Films (2005-2006) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• MK2 Diffusion (2005) (France) (theatrical)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD) (retail)
• Paradiso Home Entertainment (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD) (rental)

Special Effects

• Men From Mars (digital visual effects) (as Men-From-Mars)

Other Companies

• Action Underwater Studios  underwater tank
• Air Studios  music mixed at
• Air Studios  music recorded at
• Angel Studios  music recorded at
• Barn Owl Picture Company  script clearances
• Cains Advocates  legal advisor: Isle of Man Film
• Clear Cut Hires  editing equipment - lightworks
• Clear Cut Pictures  post-production facilities
• Fatts  post-production script services
• Film Finances  completion guarantor (as Film Finances)
• Freeway CAM B.V.  world revenues collected and distributed by
• Fuji Photo Film  film stock
• Gail Stevens Casting  casting
• Gearbox Sound and Vision  additional ProTools systems supplied by
• Grip House North  grip equipment
• Hothouse Music  music supervisor
• Invicta Capital  in association with
• Malde & Co.  auditing
• McDonald and Rutter  unit publicist (as McDonald + Rutter)
• Media Insurance Brokers  insurance
• Midnight Transfer  post-production facilities
• Movie Makers  facilities vehicles
• Pepper Post Production  HD video mastering
• Reel Skill Film Cutting  negative cutting
• Royal Bank of Scotland  gap financing
• SJ Berwin  legal advisors
• Set Meals  catering
• Special Treats Production Company  as Special Treats Productions
• Stars Nurses  unit nurse: Glasgow
• TS Security  security: Glasgow
• Technicolor  color
• The Music Department  auricle operator
• VFG Hire  camera and lighting supplier
• Videosonics Cinema Sound  sound post-production
• Videosonics Cinema Sound  sound re-recording

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some language

Runtime:

98 min | France:105 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | France:U | Australia:PG | Malaysia:(Banned) | Finland:K-7 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Netherlands:AL | Singapore:NC-16 | UK:12A | Ireland:12A

Filming Locations:

Dover, Kent, England, UK

Company:

Baker Street

Trivia:

The toy that Rob takes away from his son at school is Thunderbird 2, based on the television series "Thunderbirds" (1965). Ron Cook played Parker in the theatrical remake Thunderbirds (2004).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Rob is in the café, the words on the front glass window are facing inside - not outside, towards the street.

Quotes:

Rob:I just don't understand why he is doing this. Swimming The English Channel will NOT bring Stuart back.
Joan:[as she leaves the kitchen, she turns back to her son] It's not Stuart he wants back, Rob.

Soundtrack:

For he is a jolly good fellow

Like a student's quilt, with great pieces that aren't quite put together very well. Huge promise for the future, though!

This movie has strengths and weaknesses. Some of the strengths are its attempt to tell a 'real' story, without recourse to shtick, cliché, or pop-star trickery so common on TV and in movies these days. It seems obvious that the writer and director had visions of something deep, meaningful, as well as entertaining. Another strength is the reliance on the humans, and their real-world behaviors, fears, and hopes (etc.) for the 'current' flow of the movie. The camera lingers, the dialogue is written to enlighten us about the emotions (pleasant as well as despairing) of the characters. It may be said this is a character driven movie, perhaps? And, all of the cast do a commendable job of providing us with the characters' humanity and depth.

Some of the weaknesses, however, are how all of the individual components of the writer and director's vision are executed. Many of the threads of the story simply go nowhere--- not that we necessarily need a big plot-ish conclusion to everything. But we do need some sense, anyway, of what various expositions mean. Sure, we could accept a bit of non-convention, and even artiness, but some of the elements of this story never were stitched together with any other parts of the movie. Worse, those orphaned parts were never really stitched up as themselves--- i.e., they never really completed themselves, nor made any real sense in and of themselves. Without discussing plot details, let me breezily mention the parts with Chan, the Chinese chippy guy, for example. These had neither a start, nor a finish--- we simply saw one brief middle, as it were.

Overall, this is a pleasant movie--- but it isn't a great one. I looked up the director and the writer online, and didn't find much. If they are young, or young-ish, this effort might bode well. That is, this movie resembled a good student-like product from young and promising film makers. Young, in their careers anyway, regardless of their actual calendar year age, but very talented. People to watch in the future.

'On A Clear Day' made me think of quilt makers. Imagine a master-to-be quilt maker; a quilt making artist whose work will be celebrated in the UK and America, and featured on PBS and BBC documentaries and featured in museums, etc. And then imagine this future master's last 'student' project, when she was 17 years old or so, before the magic clicked and she got great. This student work shows genius and promise, both undelivered as of now. That's what 'Clear Day' is like--- a quilt whose individual pieces are great, showing bright and future success, but not put together very well, showing immaturity and a student just beginning to blossom. Oh, the cast was great, and they obviously did everything they were asked to do, and they did it very well. The ill-fitting chunks weren't their fault--- they were just an artifact of the awkward and 'green' directorial efforts.

Go see it anyway--- support the growth of these folks! I gave this an encouraging 8 out of 10.