Pirate Radio (2009)

A band of rogue DJs that captivated Britain, playing the music that defined a generation and standing up to a government that wanted classical music, and nothing else, on the airwaves.

Director:

Richard Curtis

Writer:

Richard Curtis

Stars:

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Nick Frost

1 win & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Hadley	...	Mr. Roberts
Charlie Rowe	...	James
Lucy Fleming	...	Mrs. Roberts
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	The Count
Tom Sturridge	...	Carl
Ian Mercer	...	Transfer Boatman
Bill Nighy	...	Quentin
Will Adamsdale	...	News John
Tom Brooke	...	Thick Kevin
Rhys Darby	...	Angus Nutsford
Nick Frost	...	Dave
Katherine Parkinson	...	Felicity
Chris O'Dowd	...	Simon
Ike Hamilton	...	Harold
Stephen Moore	...	Prime Minister

Storyline

This movie is an ensemble comedy in which the romance takes place between the young people of the '60s and pop music. It's about a band of rogue DJs that captivated Britain, playing the music that defined a generation and standing up to a government that wanted classical music, and nothing else, on the airwaves. The Count, a big, brash, American god of the airwaves; Quentin, the boss of Radio Rock - a pirate radio station in the middle of the North Sea that's populated by an eclectic crew of rock and roll DJs; Gavin, the greatest DJ in Britain who has just returned from his drug tour of America to reclaim his rightful position; Dave, an ironic, intelligent and cruelly funny co-broadcaster; and a fearsome British government official out for blood against the drug takers and lawbreakers of a once-great nation.

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Plot Keywords:

pirate radio station | pirate radio | pirate broadcasting | jumping from height | loss of virginity | 

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Taglines:

On air. Off shore. Out of control.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, and some sexual content including brief nudity

Details

Country:

UK France Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 November 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Pirate Radio

Filming Locations:

Gambardella's Cafe, Blackheath Standard, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$50,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,804,773 (United Kingdom), 5 April 2009, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,904,380, 15 November 2009, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$7,994,115, 1 January 2010

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, StudioCanal, Working Title Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

135 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS (as dts)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The scene with Midnight Mark and all of his naked groupies (cut from the U.S. release) is an homage to the U.K. album cover of Jimi Hendrix's album "Electric Ladyland", even down to the placement of the girls.

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Goofs

Although set in 1966, many of the songs in the soundtrack were released later in the 1960s. At least two songs are from the early 1970s.

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Quotes

Quentin: Thank you gentlemen, lady, strange bearded thing.

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Crazy Credits

There is an additional scene after the credits have ended.

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Alternate Versions

US distributor, Universal have chosen to re-title the film as "Pirate Radio" and release it under Focus Features in US territories. This new version will be edited for length by director Richard Curtis after some European reviewers cited its 135 minute running time as a factor in its diminished success.

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Connections

References Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)

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Soundtracks

98.6
(1967)
Written by George Fischoff, Anthony Powers
Performed by The Bystanders
Courtesy of Sanctuary Records Group Ltd
Under license from Universal Music Operations Ltd

User Reviews

wikipedia entry ...

Great ol' good clean fun! I got interested enough to see what the real-world inspiration might be.

Funny how familiar the wikipedia photo looks:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Caroline

I was quite surprised to see that the first pirate station was like 1928. That's pretty cool. It would also be good to find out about some of the characters the DJ-s were modelled on.

I have to recommend the 'Deleted Scenes' on the DVD. There's probably a whole 2nd movie there. One of the clips shows how the station managed to stay 'afloat' when the boys get out and about on the town. Won't spoil it, just watch the out-takes!

There is also an explanation for why Dave did the dirty on young Carl. He's a bastard!