Marek piotr jagiello lives in somers town with his father, a polish immigrant who works at the site. With its uniformly upbeat tone and minimal plotting, brief running time and black and white photography, somers town is a modest film that feels like what it is. The film is a study of social environment in the somers town area of london, largely shot in black and white. Jul 17, 2008 somers town was funded by the rail company eurostar it features thomas turgoose, who starred in meadows last movie this is england the brit directors movies are often autobiographical and. Yet, in the hands of shane meadows, englands greatest sentimental. Shot in black and white, somers town is a slim whippet of a film that is set in the nether regions of kings cross and follows a friendship between two teenagers.
Shane meadowss film on 2 lads at the chunnels end the new. Does the fact that somers town is a featurelength eurostar advert make it a bad film. Marek, a pole, lives in the district of somers town, between kings cross and euston stations, where his dad is working on the eurostar link. Somers town has won awards at some of the most prestigious film festivals including the edinburgh international film festival and tribeca film festival. Sep 12, 2008 somers town started its filmic life as legacy project which a marketing firm pitched to eurostar. Jul 15, 2009 the title of shane meadowss somers town refers to the bleak, workingclass neighborhood that lies in the shadow of londons st. Somers town was funded by eurostar the train service to paris figures in at the end of the film. Jul 15, 2009 eurostar wanted to know, he continues, if i would make a featurelength project around the somers town area of kings cross, using kids from there, paris and possibly belgium. The residential mix is multiethnic, with an especially strong bangladeshi presence contrary to the monochrome impression given in shane meadowss eurostar funded film somers town 2008. At barely 70 minutes, its the length of a bmovie or the lowbudget, lowquality quota quickies churned out during the 1930s. Two teenagers, both newcomers to london, forge an unlikely friendship over the course of a hot summer. Somers town is set in a central london neighborhood between kings cross and st. The residential mix is multiethnic, with an especially strong bangladeshi presence contrary to the monochrome impression given in shane meadowss eurostarfunded film somers town 2008. His next project, somers town, which has just received its premiere at the berlin film festival, takes its name from the rather rundown area of london beside st pancras station.
Euston 1838, st pancras 1868 and kings cross 1852, together with the midland railway somers town goods depot 1887 next to st pancras, where the british library now stands. Directed by shane meadows, and written by his twentyfour seven and a room for romeo brass collaborator paul fraser, somers town is a gently humorous tale of two teenage boys in london marek piotr jagiello, a bored and lonely polish immigrant, and. Somers town with thomas turgoose and piotr jagiello. Somers town is a 2008 film directed by shane meadows, written by paul fraser and produced by barnaby spurrier. With piotr jagiello, ireneusz czop, perry benson, thomas turgoose. Major construction work along the eastern side of somers town was completed in 2008, to allow for the eurostar trains to arrive at the refurbished st pancras station. As part of their move celebrations, eurostar worked with acclaimed film director, shane meadows, of this is england fame to produce somers town, a film shot in the local somers town neighbourhood. Id been wanting to see this film for 4 or 5 years, when i finally got the dvd as a gift this past christmas. Jan 06, 2009 now we have somers town, a film that started out life as a promotional feature for eurostar, gradually developed into a short film, and then finally found its feet as a fulllength production. Shane meadows, a bafta winner for his gritty and vivid this is england, is back with a new film that opens in a new york release.
Shane meadows, a bafta winner for his gritty and vivid this is england, is back with a. All its trains traverse the channel tunnel between england and france. Aug 25, 2008 shane meadows eurostar funded somers town sets a terrible precedent mon 25 aug 2008 19. Somers town gets at the heart of workingclass london the. This area, cut off from surrounding areas of london by two train stations, has perhaps the highest concentration of council estates in the country. A blackandwhite study of a social environment in london, concentrating on a pair of unlikely new friends and the girl they both fancy. The top prize at this years edinburgh film festival went to somers town, the tale of a runaway teen by the feted director shane meadows and paid for by eurostar. Because his new film, somers town, was financed by eurostar, theres been some suspicion that shane meadows has made an extended commercial for the rail link. Now we have somers town, a film that started out life as a promotional feature for eurostar, gradually developed into a short film, and then finally found its feet as. But nice things often come in small packages, as is the case here. To the north and west of the crick institute most of somers town s streets are filled with municipally built blocks of flats.
Jul 16, 2009 somers town is set in a central london neighborhood between kings cross and st. Somers town is a place name that appears on the london az street map, superimposed in capitals on the area around st pancras and kings cross, tending to. Originally started as a short film financed by eurostar as a promotional vehicle for travel, ended up being a semilong film barely. Set in the titular london suburb, shane meadows blackandwhite drama somers town chronicles the unlikely friendship between homeless midlands runaway thomas turgoose previously seen in meadows this is england and polish immigrant piotr jagiello. Pancras station, so its reasonable to scrutinize the film as clever marketing propaganda. Shane meadowss film on 2 lads at the chunnels end the. Its an odd fact that, taken with the short runtime, would seem to make somers town a difficult film to place in theaters, which is regrettable. Eurostar funds somers town by shane meadows the sunday. The young british director shane meadows was hired to make a short promoting the new eurostar terminal at st pancras, but the filmmakers decided somers town 12a the independent subscribe now. London brit filmmaker shane meadows is taking the train for his next job behind the lens as he embarks on producer tomboy films somers town. As part of their move celebrations, eurostar worked with acclaimed film director, shane meadows, of this is england fame to producesomers town, a film shot in the local somers town neighbourhood.
And thats where meadows comes in or not as it actually turns out. It has been strongly influenced by the three mainline north london railway termini. But that, nonetheless, is the unlikely origins of this delightful, unassuming gem. It was this freedom that eventually lead to the original short film idea turning into a fulllength feature. Eurostar is a highspeed railway service connecting london with paris and brussels. Pancras in central london along with the relocation of the eurostar international terminus to the newly renovated st. This area, cut off from surrounding areas of london by two train stations, has. The title of shane meadowss somers town refers to the bleak, workingclass neighborhood that lies in the shadow of londons st. Somers town started its filmic life as legacy project which a marketing firm pitched to eurostar. Three words you dont expect to hear everyday especially when it involves a film directed by shane meadows. Despite their cultural differences, the boys are both infatuated with the same girl, and pass their days bickering over.
Pancras train station, where, in the fall of 2007, the eurostar. Somers town a retrospective 10 years after urban partners. Funding was provided by eurostar, but total artistic freedom was given to shane. Jun 05, 2009 directed by shane meadows this is england two teenagers, both newcomers to london, forge an unlikely friendship over the course of a hot summer. Directed by shane meadows this is england two teenagers, both newcomers to london, forge an unlikely friendship over the course of a hot summer. Somers town experienced ethnic tension between whites and bengalis in the early 1990s, climaxing in the murder of richard everitt in 1994. The film has received criticism for its source of funding, having been developed with the funding of eurostar from a promotional short to a fullyfledged feature. Somers town was funded by eurostar, the highspeed rail passenger service between london and paris and brussels via the chunnel. Somers townis only 70 minutes long, its almost entirely in black and white, and its a kind of upscale promo for eurostar. David moats thinks it through somers town is a very topical setting for a film. Feb 07, 2011 somers town mother londons film trailer for eurostar. Shane meadows eurostarfunded somers town sets a terrible precedent mon 25 aug 2008 19. The setting is somers town, a workingclass london neighborhood where marek and his dad reside in gritty council housing with a view of the st.
Aug, 2008 the top prize at this years edinburgh film festival went to somers town, the tale of a runaway teen by the feted director shane meadows and paid for by eurostar. Aug 22, 2008 shane meadowss somers town is a strange film. Bbc news uk magazine a hidden message from our sponsors. Somers town was funded by the rail company eurostar it features thomas turgoose, who starred in meadows last movie this is england the brit directors movies are often autobiographical and. Major construction work along the eastern side of somers town was completed in 2008, to allow for the eurostar trains to. It stars thomas turgoose, piotr jagiello, kate dickie, perry benson, and elisa lasowski. Eurostar wanted to know, he continues, if i would make a featurelength project around the somers town area of kings cross, using kids from there, paris and possibly belgium.
The lowbudget production was nominated for four british independent film. Somers town mother londons film trailer for eurostar. Aug 28, 2009 the setting is somers town, a workingclass london neighborhood where marek and his dad reside in gritty council housing with a view of the st. The chat is quite appealing, allowing the talent to explain themselves in detail, with meadows taking the lions share of the featurette. Aug 21, 2008 somers town is a place name that appears on the london az street map, superimposed in capitals on the area around st pancras and kings cross, tending to baffle those londoners who notice it.
The movie was originally conceived by screenwriter paul fraser as a short film that reflected the regeneration of the area of kings cross and st. Seldom can such a fine featurefilm have had such an unlikely genesis as the wonderful comingofage comedydrama somers town, initially commissioned as a 20minute short. Seldom can such a fine feature film have had such an unlikely genesis as the wonderful comingofage comedydrama somers town, initially commissioned as a 20minute short. Shane meadows eurostar funded somers town sets a terrible precedent mon 25 aug 2008 19. Jun 26, 2008 seldom can such a fine feature film have had such an unlikely genesis as the wonderful comingofage comedydrama somers town, initially commissioned as a 20minute short. The film was originally developed as a promotional short film for eurostar and their redevelopment of the somers town area. The film, remarkably, was commissioned as a short promo by the eurostar train company meadows does include passing references to highspeed trains running through the.
Yet, there is a problem in basking in authenticity of somers towns illustration of its locale and it comes in the form of the superfast, cashladen 9. Somers town gets at the heart of workingclass london. Somers town is an innercity district in north west london. The contract said that if shane was asked to put in a smiling train driver, he would take his name off the project. The film does shift to color for the videotaped last bit, a rather fantastical trip made by the two protagonists which may have been fit into the script as a sop to the. The film rights were sold to distributors in all of eurostars key markets including western europe, north america, australasia, asia and africa. Released in 2008, the largely black and white film follows 2 teenage boys as they come of age in the neighbourhood. The retrospective was a follow up to somers town, the award winning film directed by acclaimed film director, shane meadows, of this is england fame, commissioned as part of eurostars move celebrations from waterloo station to st pancras international. To the north and west of the crick institute most of somers towns streets are filled with municipally built blocks of flats. Eurostar film trailer somers town mother london youtube.