Telstar: The Joe Meek Story (2008)

Director:

Nick Moran

Writers:

James Hicks (writer)
James Hicks (play)

Release Date:

19 June 2009 (UK)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Music

Tagline:

Hit after hit... someone's going to get hurt

Plot:

A music-infused drama about Joe Meek, the flamboyantly gay, tone deaf, songwriter-producer behind the '60s hits "Have I the Right," "Just Like Eddie," "Johnny, Remember Me" and "Telstar." |

Plot Keywords:

London England | Lawyer | 1960s | Recording Studio | One Word Title

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Con O'Neill	...	Joe Meek
Kevin Spacey	...	Major Wilfred Banks
Pam Ferris	...	Mrs. Violet Shenton
JJ Feild	...	Heinz Burt
James Corden	...	Clem Cattini
Tom Burke	...	Geoff Goddard
Ralf Little	...	Chas Hodges
Sid Mitchell	...	Patrick Pink
Mathew Baynton	...	Ritchie Blackmore
Shaun Evans	...	Billy Kuy
Callum Dixon	...	John Leyton
Tom Harper	...	Alan Caddy
Jon Lee	...	Billy Fury
Nigel Harman	...	Jess Conrad
Carl Barât	...	Gene Vincent

Also Known As:

Telstar (UK) (DVD box title)

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Holloway Road, Holloway, London, England, UK

Company:

Aspiration Films

Trivia:

Ralf Little plays the part of musician Chas Hodges, whilst Chas Hodges himself appears in the part of Mr. Brolin.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: At the start of the film where Geoff Goddard first enters the Shenton's shop, the film is reversed. The shop name on the glass and the "Open/Closed" sign are back to front.

Soundtrack:

Isle of Capri

A Good Enough Film

I do know something about the mad genius that was Joe Meek. Enough to know that putting his turbulent life into one film is not easy, others have questioned why other formative elements of his life was missed out, if a film is good enough though, surely it will engage those who have seen and enjoyed it to look into it further, using the medium we are now, the internet?

Con O'Neill is excellent as the troubled Meek, he has to dominate the film and this he does. While it's true that others in the story were sometimes rather younger than the actors playing them, remember back in this period, the 'teenager' as we now understand it, was only starting to emerge, young people then still often looked, acted, dressed older.

They usually left school at 14-15, at around 18 (like Meek) many had to do military service, hand me down clothes from parents were common. All this was changing, as part of the social changes sign posted by the music, which Meek played a part in but, as shown by his dismissal of The Beatles he was doomed not to recognise fully and play a further part in.

Meek was the British Phil Spector. But he, as the film well shows, did not enjoy the financial rewards of hits, but both were innovative, reclusive, obsessive and dangerous around firearms. (Given just how many times Spector drew guns on some of the most famous music stars, as well as lovers, business associates, was anyone really surprised at the tragic events at Spector's home in 2003, I certainly thought 'he's finally done it'.)

Most music or music based biopics fail as films, while 'Telstar' is not up there with the stunning exception that is Ian Curtis biopic 'Control', it's way better than 'Great Balls Of Fire'.

I was certainly kept engaged by this film.