Northern Soul

I was really looking forward to seeing this film. I am and always have been a Soul music lover and Northern Soul fanatic. I was hoping to see how the Northern Soul culture developed alongside the pop scene in the 1970's. The beginning certainly started like this and reminded me of my youth club days. It showed how the music and scene became infectious and more and more people wanted to be involved. Unfortunately, for me, it went downhill very quickly. It is basically a film about the drug scene, with a Northern Soul theme running in the background. I went to Wigan several times and many other all nighters. I accept that some people did take drugs but in my opinion it was nothing like what was portrayed in the film. Having said that, the music and dancing scenes were terrific, although there are some of my favourite songs on the released CD set that were not in the film. At the end of the day it is a fictional film, based on facts from individuals from the time and if it was a film purely based upon the music and culture, then I suppose it would not have a very wide audience. Well done Elaine and thank you for allowing me to fondly reminisce about the wonderful memories of my younger days.

John Clark lives in the working class North West of the 1970s. Just as he is feeling disillusioned with school and falling out with his parents he is caught up in the new music vibe of Soul imported vinyl from America, soon him and his friend Matt are starting their own music night, swinging hip moves on the dance floor and embracing the new Northern Soul scene but drugs seem to play a major part of it all too, will that take over from the music?

Having seen the trailer for this movie, I was quite excited. I grew up in the 1970s and remember everything about the era and was hoping this might be similar to Good Vibrations which covered the rise and fall of a record label of the same era.

What I got was a realistic depiction of working class Northern England, with new music giving young people an outlet away from their dull lives which was great but then quickly became a story about drugs dominating the scene and their lives. Though I was a kid at the time my older friends who were on that scene never embraced the drug aspect of it which seemed to me far less dominant than as portrayed in the movie. The production design and depiction of the old school dance halls of the North are spot on and the acting all round by an energetic cast very worthy indeed with special mention going to newcomer Josh Whitehouse whom I am sure has a successful career ahead of him. Antonia Thomas is also very believable giving another effortless performance.

Where the film disappointed was in the drugs subplot which almost anchored the whole film. It began to fell more a film about drugs, drug taking and the extreme characters within that world rather than a film about the period, the halls, the Soul and the music. This wouldn't be such a bad thing but certainly from the PR for the film I was not expecting the 1970s version of Human Traffic. The film also felt as if it needed more humour - but these gripes aside, this is still an extremely well made and well acted piece which I am sure will gain a cult following over time.

If 1970s Northern Soul was your thing, then you really do need to check it out.

This was a long time coming and rumours that it was going straight to DVD point to the level of expectations by the industry and producers. Thankfully the film largely delivers .. and the Soul fraternity pushed the distribution industry into showing it . it certainly portrays the sense of excitement and adrenalin that came with the scene. Sadly by the time the lead characters get to Wigan they become emersed in a drug fuel binge and feuds and rather dark , rather than celebrating the joys of embracing such a powerful force . The female characters are sadly rather superficial but there is no denying the quality of the new young acting talent. As a committed Soulie for over 20 years I loved it .. but Im biased. I so much wanted the general public to embrace this film in the way they did with ... say The Commitments , sadly Im not sure they will. There will always be arguments about the sound track..personally I would have liked a touch more diversity and some Jackie Wilson,Major Lance ,.Congratulations Elaine on getting more recognition for one of the few truly grass roots led music scenes often overlooked in this country.

It's 1974 Lancashire in northern England. John is a meek student bullied at school. Mr. Banks (Steve Coogan) is his teacher. His parents force him to attend the youth club where outgoing DJ Matt is dancing to northern soul. When the school bully attacks, John joins Matt to stand up against him. The two fast-friends rebel against the small town ways and lose themselves to DJ for a growing audience. John falls hard for black nurse Angela.

The two guys are not the most engaging. I think the characters are suppose to be 18. One guy looks like he's trying to be younger while the other isn't even trying. There is a danger of too young that is missing from these guys. The drama isn't really here and the plot is pretty thin. There is subplot of drugs that isn't that appealing. There is still some fun. I love the music and the flare pants. I love that the dance hall audiences struggling to figure out Matt's wild dancing. I applaud the commitment. It's not as much fun as one wants in a movie of this nature.

Like her contemporaries, Anton Corbijn (Control) and Sam Taylor-Johnson (Nowhere Boy), Constantine has moved effortlessly from photography to film making, and like those directors has chosen to create a story around a moment in the British pop music scene. Constantine however has created a traditional story of friendship focusing on musical obsession, and the darker side of of a scene that has now become legendary.

What makes this movie different from the work of the other directors is its obsessive attention to detail. Just read the credits at the end to see how much work was out into creating the authentic feel of the northern soul scene and its music and fashion. Shoes and clothes sourced from original manufacturers, dance teachers and dance sponsors. The cinematography reflects the grimness of 1970s England, post power cuts and pre- punk. The acting is top notch and to be fair the cameos from the likes of Coogan and Tomlinson are a bit of a distraction.

The narrative flow is a bit uneven and characters sometimes having little or no backstory, and the predictability of the story arc is somewhat uninspiring. However, this is definitely one of the best British films of recent years. A fun if rather safe British drama, it entertains and I left the cinema with a smile on my face and a few dance moves in my head.