Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1974 (2009)

A rookie journalist looks to solve the increasingly vexing case of a serial killer on the loose.

Director:

Julian Jarrold

Writers:

David Peace (novel), Tony Grisoni (screenplay)

Stars:

Andrew Garfield, David Morrissey, John Henshaw

4 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Andrew Garfield	...	Eddie Dunford
David Morrissey	...	Maurice Jobson
John Henshaw	...	Bill Hadley
Anthony Flanagan	...	Barry Gannon
Warren Clarke	...	Bill Molloy
Jennifer Hennessy	...	Mrs Kemplay
Mary Jo Randle	...	Eddie's Mum
Rachel Jane Allen	...	Susan Dunford
Rita May	...	Aunty Win
Graham Walker	...	Uncle Eric
Berwick Kaler	...	George Greaves
Katherine Vasey	...	Steph (as Katharine Vasey)
Danny Cunningham	...	Gaz
Michelle Dockery	...	Kathryn Tyler
Robert Sheehan	...	BJ

Storyline

In 1974, Eddie Dunford, comes home from South England and gets a job as a cub reporter for the Yorkshire Post. A schoolgirl has gone missing, and Eddie suspects it's one of several crimes dating back six years; the police think not and blame gypsies. Eddie digs; the police stonewall him then two of them beat him after he visits the widowed mother of one of the girls missing for a few years. When a child's body turns up at a construction site of local building magnate John Dawson, Eddie has another thread to pull. By now, he's begun an affair with Paula, the widowed mom, and he suspects collusion among Dawson, the police, and his newspaper - but what are they covering up?

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Plot Keywords:

testicles squeezed | missing child | gun held to head | threatened by police | extreme closeup | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Channel 4 [uk]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 November 2009 (France)

Also Known As:

The Red Riding Trilogy: 1974

Filming Locations:

England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Channel Four Film, Lipsync Productions, Revolution Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The title of the trilogy, "Red Riding", derives from two main sources - Yorkshire, the location of the crimes, and Red Riding Hood, the traditional tale. Yorkshire, a county of England, is divided into three sections or ridings. The action takes place in the West Riding. One of the girls who goes missing is wearing a red anorak or hooded jacket, and one of the attackers bears the nickname, Wolf.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Eddie Dunford: Little girl goes missing, the pack salivates. If it bleeds it leads, right? Eddie Dunford, crime correspondent, back home to take the north. Business first. Dad won't mind waiting.

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Connections

Followed by Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1980 (2009)

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Soundtracks

"In the Court of the Crimson King"
Written by Ian McDonald and Pete Sinfield
Performed by King Crimson

User Reviews

Phase One:The Dye Is Cast

The year is 1974. Great Britain has pretty much (all but) cast off the whole mellow,groovy hippie glow of the late 1960's (and is pretty much unaware of the punk movement that is to envelope "merrie old England" within the next couple of years),unemployment is rampant & most folk are listening to the likes of Mott The Hoople,T-Rex,David Bowie,etc. A pedophile murderer,that is being called the Yorkshire Slasher has been terrorizing the citizens of Yorkshire for the past five years,and it's up to newby journalist,Eddie Dunford to get the facts on the who,what,when,where & especially the why on why young schoolgirls are being murdered. What he gets in the interim of uncovering information is far more than what he expected:police corruption,political graft (with deep ties to organized crime),and other nastiness. 'Red Riding 1974' (or as it is better known in the United Kingdom as 'Red Riding:In The Year Of Our Lord 1974')is the first part of a three part series,which itself is a powder keg of a "who dunnit" that will keep you on the edge of your seat guessing what happens next (suggestion:hit the mens or ladies room before the film starts & avoid that jumbo soft drink,so that you won't have to miss out on anything,because you had to make a dash for the 'loo'). Julian Jarrold,who directed the superb 'Brideshead Revisited' & 'Becomming Jane',directs a very well paced thriller from a screenplay by Tony Grisoni,adapted from the celebrated novel by David Peace. Rob Hardy's,oh so fine cinematography goes for both gloss & grit, while Andrew Hulme's razor tight editing keeps the pace (and pulse)going. Andrew Gardfield plays journalist Eddie Dunford (who looks like he just stepped down from his other gig singing for Roxy Music),a young man who descends down a dark labyrinth where there is no escape. The rest of the cast is rounded out by the likes of David Morrissey, Warren Clarke,Jennifer Hennessy,Rachael Jane Allen,and others. I await the other two chapters with anticipation. Not rated by the MPAA,this film contains pervasive strong language,strong sexual content,nudity,violence,some of which is quite brutal & bloody,some rather lurid photographs that depict the Yorkshire ripper's dirty work on display,and much smoking & drinking of alcohol. Leave the little ones home for this one.