Remembrance

British film/tv fan here born in 1960.

In the 1970s I made a point of watching BBC tv Plays For Today.

Britain had 2 tv channels from late 1950s,then BBC2 from mid 1960s and Channel 4 started in the early 1980s.

In the early 1980s I made a point of watch the films on Film Four that were made for film 4.

Watching the Film Four films was not always educational or enjoyable but they were usually worth watching.

I recall seeing this film on Channel 4.

Broadly it is about British sailors shortly before they get sent on a big exercise.

By the time the film came out the Falkands war had started and the film became referred to as a tribute to the Royal Navy.

But after a short big screen release and a showing on tv the film was mainly forgotten.

There is smoking,drinking,sexism and swearing.

This is a film that has become a historical document due to the passage of time.

There are some great music of the period used in the film.

The cast is great,the always underrated Ewan Stewart is in it,Gary Oldman and Tim Spall also star.

The highlight for me is seeing Michelle Winstanley who was a rising actress at this period.

Frankly I always found her very interesting performer.

This film was made 1982,the level of public interest in the Royal Navy would have been low at this time,in 1983 we had the Falklands War and the navy were in the news and were heroes.

In the booklet with the blu ray someone mentions that during research for the film they interviewed serving sailors who explained they joined the navy for a career,it was unlikely they were going to be in a war.

But in 1983 this generation of sailors took part in the Falklands war.

I had never heard of Remembrance until it was screened during the graveyard slot a few months ago on Film Four (they partly financed the project back in its day). Set on the eve of a major NATO training exercise - with one or two ominous hints of war - and using a series of overlapping viginettes, the film tracks the progress of a group of young sailors on their final hours of leave in the naval town of Plymouth. By the time most of them are ready to sail, their lives and outlooks will have changed forever.

I must say, given the calibre of talent involved - a first time film role for Gary Oldman, early appearances for Timothy Spall and John 'Nasty Nick' Altman, plus a host of familiar character actors and bit players - it is surprisingly how this film has lapsed into obscurity. If only for the sake of reminiscence, local historians, veterans and naval buffs will love it; and remember, then as now, the odds of making a film in such a 'provincial' setting outside London were probably well stacked against the makers.

Remembrance is slow moving, a bit talky at times, but worth the watch. Like these young ratings, you will think about your own connections, with ourselves, our loved ones, even total strangers, and the most difficult task of all...how we ready ourselves to say goodbye.

This was one of the first tv made films on the newly created channel four that was broadcast days after coming on air in 1982. It was the Film on 4 series and this particular one called "Remembrance" about the exploits of a number of young royal navy sailors in Plymouth the night before they are about to embark on a six-month overseas tour starting in the USA. It has trouble with girlfriends, family issues, fights, power drinking, violence and arguments and disputes, you name it, so there is something for everyone. Plymouth is a great city and Plymouth Hoe' with Smeaton's tower and the Barbican part of the old town is all worth a visit. However, this drinking activities are located in the seedy Union Street with Diamond Lil's and the Two Trees being the most well-known night spots.

The production and story itself are typical British for that time, made on a shoestring with the dull 16mm film, gritty locations and a melancholy feel to it. It was watchable at the time, although not a particularly uplifting story and naturally has dated badly.

There a couple of things worth watching it for, because its basically a whose who guide to young British actors, some who were known at the time and others who would become well known as the years went by. Martin Barrass was in "Angels", Pete Lee-Wilson, had been seen on tv as had David John. Others like Ewan Stewart, Nick Dunning and of course John Altman who would appear regularly on British tv. You can see why Altman was easily cast as "Nasty" Nick Cotton in Eastenders, it could almost have been an audition for a role he'd become well known for only a few years later. Al Ashton would have a recurring role on London's burning during the 1990's, but it would be Timothy Spall and Gary Oldman that would be the film's most prominent actors, Spall on UK tv and Oldman in Hollywood. Oldman's character is completely drunk on the film, therefor he doesn't have a lot of dialogue, although one of the major stories in the film centers around him.

Another observation is that when this film was released in very late 1982 the Falklands war had come and gone (April 2nd -June 15th) where the Royal Navy played a big role. They lost two frigates and two destroyers, and many other ships took a battering down in the South Atlantic, yet the UK prevailed in that war. There was no reference to this in the film so obviously the filming and production had already been finalized for release, nevertheless still surprising something couldn't be squeezed in post-production as a tribute to the Navy and the sailors. Then again, perhaps the decision to omit that only reflected the political views of Channel 4 executives, because as a consequence of victory, Margret Thatcher was riding high at this time and her political fortunes took an upward curve.