London to Brighton (2006)

Director:

Paul Andrew Williams

Writer:

Paul Andrew Williams (written by)

Release Date:

1 December 2006 (UK)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Innocence has nowhere to hide

Plot:

It's 3:07am and two girls burst into a run down London toilet. Joanne is crying her eyes out and her clothing is ripped...

Plot Keywords:

Girl | Toilet | Pimp | Train Station | Crying

Awards:

6 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Lorraine Stanley	...	Kelly
Georgia Groome	...	Joanne
Johnny Harris	...	Derek
Nathan Constance	...	Chum
Sam Spruell	...	Stuart Allen
Alexander Morton	...	Duncan Allen
David Keeling	...	Charlie
Jamie Kenna	...	Tony
Chloe Bale	...	Karen
Claudie Blakley	...	Tracey (as Claudie Blakely)
Tim Matthews	...	Shane
Louise Appel	...	Debbie
Cat Meacher	...	Street Prostitute
Nick Ewans	...	Kerb Crawler in Car - Brighton
James Beirman	...	Kerb Crawler in Car - London
Andy Lloyd	...	Punter in Doorway - Brighton
Su Douglas	...	Gran
David Barker	...	David
Paul Andrew Williams	...	Punter in Bedroom #1
Torq Pagdin	...	Punter in Bedroom #2
Yasmin Pannell	...	Stoner Girl #1
Marianna Maniatakis	...	Stoner Girl #2
Chiqui	...	Exotic Dancer
Chris Carrick	...	Waiter
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Elisa Boyd	...	Woman in Toilets
Clint Crawford	...	Man Walking in Tunnel (uncredited)
Jack Deam	...	Paul (uncredited)
Tom Jude	...	Taxi Driver (uncredited)
Sid Karne	...	Icecream Man (uncredited)
Gillian Kearney	...	Kelly's next-door neighbour (uncredited)

Directed by
Paul Andrew Williams

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Paul Andrew Williams		written by

Produced by
Tony Bolton	....	executive producer
Alastair Clark	....	producer
Gisela Evert	....	executive producer
Ken Marshall	....	producer
Rachel Robey	....	line producer
Rachel Robey	....	producer
Paul Trijbits	....	executive producer
Paul Andrew Williams	....	producer

Original Music by
Laura Rossi

Cinematography by
Christopher Ross		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Tom Hemmings

Casting by
Tania Polentarutti

Production Design by
Jane Levick

Art Direction by
Lizzie Dixon

Costume Design by
Jane Levick

Makeup Department
Mel Davey	....	hair designer (as Melanie Davey)
Mel Davey	....	makeup designer (as Melanie Davey)
Paul Hyett	....	special makeup effects artist
Alice Nikalls	....	hair assistant (as Alice Nickalls)
Alice Nikalls	....	makeup assistant (as Alice Nickalls)

Production Management
Gisela Evert	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
James Chesterton	....	third assistant director
Ben Childs	....	third assistant director
Richard Jones	....	additional first assistant director
Kathy Leung	....	second assistant director
Sarah Mooney	....	first assistant director
Steve Truglia	....	second unit director

Art Department
Ashleigh Arrell	....	art department assistant

Sound Department
Paul Cornish	....	boom operator
Patrick Dodd	....	supervising sound editor
Mustafa Durma	....	foley editor
Dado Jehan	....	foley artist (as Dado Dzihan)
Dan Johnson	....	final sound re-recording mixer
Gareth Rhys Jones	....	foley artist
Andrea Kurpjel	....	foley facility coordinator: Zound
Srdjan Kurpjel	....	design editor
Srdjan Kurpjel	....	sound re-recording mixer
Mitch Low	....	sound recordist (as Mitch 'Wookie' Low)
Emma Pegram	....	assistant final sound re-recording mixer
Craig Rihoy	....	additional sound recordist
James Seddon	....	dolby consultant
Danton Tanimura	....	sound editor
Burak Topalakci	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
Graham Brooker	....	special effects senior technician: Pennicott Payne
David Payne	....	special effects supervisor: Pennicott Payne

Stunts
Steve Truglia	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Emma Assin	....	camera trainee (as Emma Brown)
Chris Boyce	....	still photographer
James Chesterton	....	camera trainee
Elliott Day	....	camera trainee
Ferris Ferhat	....	key grip
Steven Grant	....	lighting assistant
Christian Hayes	....	electrician
Sally Low	....	focus puller (as Sally Lowe)
Iain Mackay	....	clapper loader
Iain Mackay	....	focus puller
Clive Mackey	....	focus puller
Andy McBrearty	....	gaffer
Will Petty	....	camera trainee
Ang Richards	....	clapper loader
Ang Richards	....	focus puller
Duncan Riedl	....	electrician
Amanda Smith	....	still photographer
Barnaby Sweet	....	electrician
John Watters	....	camera operator: "a" camera
John Watters	....	focus puller
Nathan Wiley	....	focus puller
Miles Willis	....	still photographer
Sophie Wilson	....	focus puller

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Beatrice Fairclough-Adams	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
Andrew Dearnley	....	digital intermediate technician: Molinare
Joss Flores	....	assistant digital intermediate colorist: Molinare
Richard Hart	....	digital intermediate operations director: Molinare
Hannah Madden-Plant	....	post-production assistant
Connan McStay	....	digital intermediate on-line editor: Molinare
Lara Zoe Northway	....	digital intermediate assistant: Molinare (as Lisa Z Northway)
Gareth Parry	....	digital intermediate on-line assistant editor: Molinare
Katie Shahrokh	....	digital intermediate operations assistant: Molinare
Nic Smith	....	digital intermediate technician: Molinare
Tim Waller	....	senior digital intermediate colorist: Molinare
Kristian Whitlock	....	digital intermediate on-line assistant editor: Moliare
Darren Woolfson	....	digital intermediate technical director: Molinare
Jonathan Yau	....	telecine colourist
Matt James	....	digital intermediate technician (uncredited)
Andy Richards	....	digital intermediate technician (uncredited)

Music Department
Kotzman Cenda	....	assistant music engineer (as Cenda Kotzmann)
The Filmharmonic Orchestra Prague	....	musicians
Lol Hammond	....	music supervisor
Adam Klemens	....	conductor
Jaromir Klepac	....	musician: piano
Petr Pycha	....	music contractor
Petr Pycha	....	music recording manager
John Timperley	....	music sound engineer

Transportation Department
Paul Padfield	....	driver: low loader (as Paul 'Taff' Padfild)

Other crew
Sally Bailey	....	caterer: Skyecooks
Jon Baker	....	armourer
Christie Barraclough	....	runner
Chris Boyce	....	electronic press kit
Beth Charlesworth	....	runner
Andrew Curtis	....	legal services: Drew & Co
Julia Delmas	....	script supervisor
Simon Drake	....	runner
Robert Dunstone	....	runner
Birgit Elsaesser	....	unit nurse (as Birgit Elssaeser)
Will Evans	....	head of business affairs: UK Film Council
Durrant Glace	....	security
Louise Goodson	....	runner
Lucy Groome	....	chaperone
Carolyn Hazzard	....	financial consultant
Casey Herbert	....	production assistant
Nick Jeffries	....	armourer (as Nick Jefferies)
Kerinne Jenkins	....	production coordinator
Himesh Kar	....	executive: UK Film Council, New Cinema Fund
Joe Kotroczo	....	production coordinator
Fiona Morham	....	head of physical production: UK Film Council
Torq Pagdin	....	runner
Katherine Palmer	....	location manager
Joel Quinn	....	runner
Alexander Shepherd	....	runner
Linzi Small	....	runner
Jack Suckling	....	location assistant
Fiona Watson	....	chaperone
Nick Watson	....	chaperone
Maximilian White	....	script supervisor (as Max White)
Ben Wood	....	caterer: Skyecooks

Thanks
Dan Clark	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Steel Mill Pictures
• Wellington Films
• LTB Films Limited
• UK Film Council (presented by)

Distributors

• Ascot Elite Entertainment Group (2008) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• MK2 Diffusion (2007) (France) (theatrical)
• Outsider Pictures (2008) (USA) (theatrical)
• Paradiso Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Paradiso (2007) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Seven Films (2007) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Tour de Force (2007) (Norway) (theatrical)
• Vertigo Films (2006) (UK) (theatrical)
• Ascot Elite Home Entertainment (2008) (Germany) (DVD)
• E1 Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• Future Film (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• Koch Entertainment
• Momentum Pictures Home Entertainment (2007) (UK) (DVD)
• Paradiso Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Siren Visual Entertainment (2008) (Australia) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Pennicott Payne Ltd. (special effects) (as Pennicott Payne)

Other Companies

• CNSO Studios  music recording and mixing studio
• Drew & Co.  legal services
• Fatts  post-production script services
• Kodak U.K.  film stock (as Kodak)
• Lee Lighting  lighting equipment
• Media Insurance Brokers  insurance services
• Molinare Studio  telecine: digital intermediate and video mastering (as Molinare Limited)
• Nine Nine Cars Ltd.  action vehicles (as Nine Nine Cars)
• Panavision UK  camera equipment
• Skyecooks  catering
• Videosonics Cinema Sound  final sound mixing facility (as Videosonics)
• VooDooDog  trailer
• Zound  foley recording facility
• Zound  sound post-production

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for disturbing violent and sexual content, and strong language

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Ireland:16 | UK:18 | Sweden:15 | Finland:K-15 | France:-12 | Norway:15 | Australia:R | Australia:R (2007) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (Alberta/Ontario) | USA:R | Singapore:M18 | New Zealand:R18

Filming Locations:

Brighton, East Sussex, England, UK

Company:

Steel Mill Pictures

Trivia:

The main characters are from Paul Andrew Williams' short film Royalty (2001). Johnny Harris and Lorraine Stanley reprised their roles as Derek and Kelly, respectively, whilst Nathan Constance and Chloe Bale, who are both featured in the short, took new roles for this film.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: For the exterior shot and interior scenes, the sun is shining from the wrong side for a morning southbound train journey.

Movie Connections:

Remade as Train to Kandy (2012)

Soundtrack:

Shadow Man

Gritty gem with strong, committed performances

In a run-down public toilet in London at 3.07 am, the middle-aged prostitute Kelly takes on the 11-year-old runaway Joanne. Together they take the train from London to Brighton to escape Kelly's hard-edged pimp. The film explores the mother-daughter-like bond that forms between the girls as they are left to fend for themselves in the gritty underworld of South London.

Paul Andrew Williams has done something remarkably cool here that he did not realise until his film started receiving praise and wider distribution (it even made its way to the Stockholm International Film Festival, where I saw it). Nevertheless, we can easily tell that this is a quality film with excellent performances by its two leads Lorraine Stanley and young Georgia Groome. Although the seedy underground and hierarchies of bad guys, johns and pimps channel Guy Ritchie and Matthew Vaughn, director Williamsm stresses that London to Brighton is "not a gangster movie", but an unflinching look at the two aforementioned characters and how they cope under pressure.

The plot is left best unspoiled because it is gradually unfolded through well-positioned flashbacks, arguably the goldmine of the film. The first half of the film has a few pacing problems as nothing truly jumps out and grabs you – but when the unspeakably effective background segments are interjected London to Brighton receives a well-deserved jumpstarting kick up the arse, continuing down a perfectly-paced path. One of the most poignant scenes sees Kelly's pimp ask 11-year-old Joanne if she is a virgin, and subsequently telling her to have sex with an older man. The amount of smoking, cursing, screaming and beating that goes on around her is heartbreaking.

This would not be the case with a lesser actress. The fact is that Georgia Groome inhabits Joanne so effortlessly and deeply that it is a sight to behold. Her crying performances wrenches your heart. Other than the perfectly-cast Groome, the director told us that he applied no seriousness to finding the 'perfect people' for the respective characters: the guy in the green jeep, for example, was cast because "he had a green jeep". In this way a gritty, unpleasant and plain cast presents itself – an ordinary pack of South London criminals. Better yet, they truly emote. When Kelly and Joanne down the sour rum & coke that the older man has given them, you can feel the bitter aftertaste of the drink.

'London to Brighton' has been likened to Mike Leigh's Naked, and perhaps this is an apt comparison. What remains clear, however, is that Williams has served up a deliciously gritty and unflinching drama in the midst of chaos, which he occasionally pauses with wonderful slow-motion captures and dreamy shots of the windy barren boardwalk of Brighton. It's bruised, realistic, harrowing and compelling – a very good watch.

8 out of 10