24 Hour Party People (2002)

Director:

Michael Winterbottom

Writer:

Frank Cottrell Boyce (screenplay)

Release Date:

5 April 2002 (UK)

Genre:

Biography | Comedy | Drama | Music

Tagline:

The unbelievably true story of one man, one movement, the music and madness that was Manchester.

Plot:

In 1976, Tony Wilson sets up Factory Records and brings Manchester's music to the world.

Plot Keywords:

Sex | Factory Records | 1976 | Record Label | Granada TV

Awards:

1 win & 12 nominations

Cast

Steve Coogan	...	Tony Wilson
John Thomson	...	Charles
Nigel Pivaro	...	Actor at Granada
Lennie James	...	Alan
Shirley Henderson	...	Lindsay
Martin Hancock	...	Howard
Mark Windows	...	Johnny Rotten
Paddy Considine	...	Rob
John Simm	...	Bernard
Ralf Little	...	Hooky
Dave Gorman	...	John the Postman
Andy Serkis	...	Martin
Danny Cunningham	...	Shaun
Paul Popplewell	...	Paul
Ron Cook	...	Derek
Raymond Waring	...	Vini
Peter Kay	...	Don Tonay
Mark E. Smith	...	Punter
Naomi Radcliffe	...	Twitchy Girl
Sean Harris	...	Ian
Tim Horrocks	...	Steve
Rob Brydon	...	Ryan Letts
Howard Devoto	...	Cleaner
Collette Cooper	...	Sadie
Tracy Cunliffe	...	Other Girl in Nosh Van
Enzo Cilenti	...	Saville
Duncan Whitworth	...	Jez
Michael Mitchell Jr.	...	Simon (as Michael Mitchell Jnr.)
Claire Lever	...	Assistant
Neil Bell	...	Aspiring Singer
Aidan Cross	...	Goth
Simon Pegg	...	Journalist
Elizabeth Kelly	...	Ian's Gran
Darren Tighe	...	Mike Pickering
Chris Coghill	...	Bez
Anna Tyborczyk	...	Gillian
Peter Gunn	...	Farmer
Dan Hope	...	Mark
Nick Clarke	...	Gaz
Margi Clarke	...	Actor in Corridor
Mani	...	Sound Engineer
Smug Roberts	...	Railway Guard
Clint Boon	...	2nd Railway Guard
Toby Salaman	...	Sir Keith Joseph
Conrad Murray	...	Bailey Brother
Martin Coogan	...	Chris Nagle
Rowetta Satchell	...	Herself (as Rowetta)
Kieran O'Brien	...	Nathan (as Keiran O'Brien)
Kate Magowan	...	Yvette
Paul Ryder	...	Pel
Roger Kennedy	...	Doorman Sam
Sean Cernow	...	Little Pel
Fiona Allen	...	Cloakroom Girl
Helen Schlesinger	...	Hilary
Joshua McNicholas	...	Oliver
Tony Wilson	...	Studio Director (as Anthony H. Wilson)
Keith Allen	...	Roger Ames
Dino	...	Wise Guy
A. Bowser	...	Wise Guy (as Mr. A. Bowser)
Gary Roberts	...	Wise Guy
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dave Haslam	...	Himself
Mike Pickering	...	Himself
Terri Seymour	...	Wheel of Fortune Co-Host
Kenny Baker	...	Zookeeper (uncredited)
Michael Biggam	...	Sex Pistols Fan (uncredited)
Jean-Jacques Burnel	...	Himself - The Stranglers (archive footage) (uncredited)
Martin Nigel Davey	...	Partygoer (uncredited)
John Lydon	...	Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Sean McKenzie	...	Man at Sex Pistols Gig (uncredited)
Iggy Pop	...	Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Siouxsie Sioux	...	Herself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Paul Weller	...	Himself - The Jam (archive footage) (uncredited)

Directed by
Michael Winterbottom

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Frank Cottrell Boyce		screenplay

Produced by
Gina Carter	....	co-producer
Andrew Eaton	....	producer
Robert How	....	line producer
Fiona Neilson	....	assistant producer
Henry Normal	....	executive producer

Cinematography by
Robby Müller		(director of photography) (as Robby Muller)

Film Editing by
Trevor Waite
Michael Winterbottom		(uncredited)

Casting by
Wendy Brazington

Production Design by
Mark Tildesley

Art Direction by
Paul Cripps		(supervising art director)

Set Decoration by
Lucy Howe

Costume Design by
Stephen Noble
Natalie Ward

Makeup Department
Janita Doyle	....	makeup designer
Neill Gorton	....	prosthetic makeup designer (as Neil Gorton)
Jane Oakley	....	assistant makeup artist
Jill Sweeney	....	makeup designer

Production Management
Cendrine Gady	....	assistant production manager
Neil Grimshaw	....	post-production supervisor
Jethro Harris	....	post-production manager
Sally Maynard	....	unit manager
Jackie Vance	....	post-production supervisor
Tommaso Vergallo	....	production manager (as Tommaso Vergello)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Tom Bruggen	....	second unit director
Michael Elliott	....	first assistant director (as Mike Elliott)
Richard Harris	....	crowd co-ordinator
Jonathan Leather	....	crowd co-ordinator
Nic Shearer	....	second assistant director
Anthony Wilcox	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Steve Branch	....	construction manager
John Bridge	....	carpenter
Damien Cleare	....	art department assistant
Michelle Day	....	prop hand
Mark Digby	....	stand-by art director
John Elsworth	....	painter
Steve Elsworth	....	painter
Rod Gorwood	....	draftsman
Paula Hickman	....	assistant stand-by props
Stuart Hudson	....	dressing props
C.A. Jackson	....	carpenter
Sami Kahn	....	trainee: FT2
Cat MacMillan	....	property master
Paul Mitchell	....	dressing props
Tony O'Hara	....	carpenter
John Price	....	laborer
John Roberts	....	carpenter
Mark Skitt	....	carpenter
Mike Syson	....	dressing props
Colin Worrall	....	painter
Paul Yarwood	....	carpenter
Philip Diggle	....	painter: paintings in Haçienda (uncredited)

Sound Department
Orin Beaton	....	sound maintenance engineer
Peter Burgess	....	foley artist
Peter Burgis	....	foley artist
Andie Derrick	....	foley artist (as Andy Derrick)
John Falcini	....	sound re-recording mixer
Robert Farr	....	foley mixer
Anthony Faust	....	foley editor
Zane Hayward	....	supervising sound editor
Mitch Low	....	sound assistant
Tom Piper	....	sound: Hacienda
James Seddon	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby
Joakim Sundström	....	dialogue editor
John Warhurst	....	foley editor
Stuart Wilson	....	sound recordist
Aad Wirtz	....	sound re-recording mixer
Orin Beaton	....	boom operator (uncredited)

Special Effects by
David Bryan	....	special effects director
Steve Tomkow	....	armourer: Firepower
Steve Scotton	....	special effects technician (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Peter Bach	....	digital effects consultant
Alice Coren	....	2D design
Simon Fallon	....	digital effects executive producer
Steve Garrad	....	digital effects producer
Rip Hampton O'Neil	....	technical manager
Tom Harding	....	Inferno operator
John Harvey	....	3D pigeon animation
Simon Hutala	....	digital effects supervisor (as Simon Huhtala)
Abdel Ali Kassou	....	imaging technician
Jim Parsons	....	Inferno operator
Adrian Russell	....	3D UFO animation
Matt Johnson	....	on-set visual effects supervisor (uncredited)
Courtney Vanderslice	....	head of production: Cinesite (uncredited)

Stunts
Nick Hobbs	....	stunt coordinator
Gareth Milne	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Phil Brookes	....	rigging gaffer
John Colley	....	gaffer
Dave Fowler	....	best boy (as David Fowler)
Philip George	....	camera operator: hovercam
Chris Greenwood	....	assistant camera
Chris Greenwood	....	clapper loader
Chris Greenwood	....	second focus puller
Steve Griffiths	....	electrician (as Stevie Griffiths)
Gifford Hooper	....	aerial camera operator
Chris Hughes	....	electrician
Jane Rousseau	....	camera operator
Jon Shard	....	unit photographer
Amelia Troubridge	....	stills: The Film Consortium
Marcel Zyskind	....	camera operator
Marcel Zyskind	....	focus puller

Casting Department
Sophie Gabszewicz	....	casting assistant
Robert Woodshaw	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Hilary S. MacDonald	....	costume assistant (as Hilary MacDonald)
Uta Thompson	....	costume assistant
Kate Towns	....	costume assistant
Esme Young	....	costume maker

Editorial Department
Chris Beeton	....	telecine colorist
Fizz Chaudhry	....	editor trainee: FT2
Martin Corbett	....	first assistant editor
Simon Giblin	....	digital on-line editor
Steve Harrow	....	post-production consultant
Scott Hinchcliffe	....	on-line editor
Steve Lee	....	on-line editor
Michael Nollet	....	editor trainee: FT2
Shane Warden	....	on-line editor
Llyr Wynn-Jones	....	second assistant editor (as Llyr Wynn Jones)
Cas Casey	....	on-line editor (uncredited)
Sam Mangan	....	post-production coordinator (uncredited)

Music Department
Liz Gallacher	....	music supervisor
Martin Moscrop	....	music coordinator
Joakim Sundström	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Jeff Hewitt	....	driver
Christine Mavron	....	driver: rushes
Paul Sargeant	....	driver: rushes
Pat Ward	....	driver: second unit

Other crew
Catherine Brice	....	researcher
Ian Buchan	....	web site designer
Caroline Chapman	....	floor runner
Floriane Charles	....	runner
John Eccleston	....	production accountant
Candice Fonseca	....	production coordinator
Alex Fuller	....	web site designer
Tarn Harper	....	post-production accountant
Lindsey Hughes	....	assistant: Steve Coogan
Alex Knight	....	second unit assistant
Kate Lee	....	publicist
Matthew Long	....	production runner
Rachel McClelland	....	assistant: Michael Winterbottom
Sarada McDermott	....	production secretary
Dan McTiernan	....	runner
Paul Monaghan	....	runner
Julia Phillips	....	location scout
Barney Pilling	....	location scout
Anna Raynsford	....	publicist
Emma Smith	....	production runner
Sam Taylor	....	location manager
Jane Trower	....	assistant accountant
Tony Wilson	....	special consultant
Pauline Burt	....	risk manager (uncredited)
Wayne Docksey	....	animal master (uncredited)
Heather Mansfield	....	risk manager (uncredited)
Rachel McClelland	....	researcher (uncredited)
Roger Phillips	....	end titles (uncredited)

Thanks
Chris Auty	....	special thanks
Luke Bainbridge	....	special thanks
Julie Baines	....	special thanks
Roy Barraclough	....	special thanks
Mark 'Bez' Berry	....	special thanks (as Bez)
Clint Boon	....	special thanks
Stuart Boreman	....	special thanks
Rebecca Boulton	....	special thanks
Bowser	....	special thanks
James Cartwright	....	special thanks
Debbie Curtis	....	special thanks
Natalie Curtis	....	special thanks
Dino	....	special thanks
Christopher Eccleston	....	special thanks
Alan Erasmus	....	special thanks
Paul Fallon	....	special thanks
Fine Time Fontayne	....	special thanks
Gillian Gilbert	....	special thanks
Lesley Gilbert	....	special thanks
Dave Haslam	....	special thanks
Shan Hira	....	special thanks
Peter Hook	....	special thanks
Mark Jackson	....	special thanks
Trevor Johnson	....	special thanks
Ben Kelly	....	special thanks
Jez Kerr	....	special thanks
Paul Mason	....	special thanks
Graham Massey	....	special thanks (as Graeme Massey)
Nathan McGough	....	special thanks
Sean McKenzie	....	special thanks
Bruce Mitchell	....	special thanks
Stephen Morris	....	special thanks (as Steven Morris)
Martin Moscrop	....	special thanks
Graeme Park	....	special thanks
Mike Pickering	....	special thanks
Lindsey Reade	....	special thanks
Vini Reilly	....	special thanks
Derek Ryder	....	special thanks
Paul Ryder	....	special thanks
Shaun Ryder	....	special thanks
Rowetta Satchell	....	special thanks (as Rowetta)
Peter Saville	....	special thanks
Phil Saxe	....	special thanks
James Sherlock	....	special thanks
Bernard Sumner	....	special thanks
Johnny Vegas	....	special thanks
Tony Wilson	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Baby Cow Productions (in association with) (as Baby Cow)
• Channel Four Films (uncredited)
• Film Consortium, The
• Film Council (in association with)
• FilmFour (in association with)
• Revolution Films (as A Revolution Films Production)
• Wave Pictures

Distributors

• Pathé Distribution (2002) (UK) (theatrical)
• Film Consortium, The (2002) (UK) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corporation (MGM) (2002) (USA) (theatrical)
• United Artists (2002) (USA) (theatrical)
• Compañía General de la Imagen (CGI) (2004) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Filmmuseum Distributie (2003) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Future Film (2002) (Finland) (theatrical)
• GAGA (2003) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Les Films du Paradoxe (2003) (France) (theatrical)
• United King Films (2003) (Israel) (theatrical)
• DeA Planeta Home Entertainment (2003) (Spain) (DVD)
• Filmfreak Distributie (2003) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Future Film (2003) (Finland) (DVD) (VHS)
• GAGA (2003) (Japan) (all media)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2008) (Germany) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (VHS)
• Nelonen (2007) (Finland) (TV)
• Officine UBU (2009) (Italy) (all media)

Special Effects

• Cinesite
• Clear
• Duboi

Other Companies

• Central Station Technicolour  main titles
• Freud Communications  publicity
• Hover-Cam  aerial cameras
• Interact Sound Ltd.  sound re-recorded at
• Lee Lighting  lighting equipment
• Pepper  digital post-production
• Sapex Scripts  post-production script
• Steeple Post Production Services  post production consultant
• Vehicles in Vision  action vehicles supplier

Also Known As:

Madchester (UK) (working title)
Twenty Four Hour Party People (UK) (DVD title)
24 Hour Party People (France) [fr]
24 Hour Party People (Spain) [es]
24 Hour Party People (Greece) [el]
24 ores gemates rock (Greece) (TV title) [el]
A Festa Nunca Termina (Brazil) [pt]
La fiesta interminable (Argentina) [es]
La nueva orden (Mexico) [es]
Manchester 1970-1990: La fiesta interminable (Argentina) [es]

MPAA:

Rated R for strong language, drug use and sexuality.

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:R(A) | Germany:16 | South Africa:16LV | USA:TV-MA (cable rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Brazil:18 | Canada:14A | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Iceland:12 | Japan:R-15 | Mexico:C | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Spain:18 | Sweden:11 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Chester, Cheshire, England, UK

Company:

Baby Cow Productions

Trivia:

Ralf Little plays Peter Hook in the film. Caroline Aherne, the writer of "The Royle Family" (1998), which Little also stars in, was once married to Hook.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The film shows Ian Curtis having hanged himself while watching the Werner Herzog film "Stroszek". He actually hanged himself after he finished watching the film, and while listening to the Iggy Pop album "The Idiot".

Quotes:

[first lines]
Tony Wilson: Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's the latest craze sweeping the Pennines, and I've got to be honest, I'd rather be sweeping the Pennines right now.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Control (2007)

Soundtrack:

Rowche Rumble

how did I miss seeing this movie till now?

24 Hour Party People is just one of those movies that has that click with the subject matter. The actual style of the film corresponds with the music, the irreverence, and the energy of it all. But there's more than just the unconventionality of the script and direction; the film has that sort of stream-of-thought, wry, distinct British humor to it, and a sincerity beneath the absurdist parts. It follows its main character down the line, in a surreal way like a documentary, if that makes sense- we move between Tony Wilson addressing the audience (played by Steve Coogan, who is so on target with the honesty of the portrayal you can't picture anyone else in the role), an almost behind-the-scenes filming of it (I think), and a dramatization shot on pure digital, independent vibes.

Wilson, who sees the Sex Pistols play in Manchester (his hometown, and the main base and heart in the location of this film), is also a journalist on television. He gets so enamored with what he sees as an extremely important part of history (the viewer will get a good idea of this), he gets involved with the bands, the locals, and goes from just bands, to maintaining the Hacienda, a club. Some parts of the film one might expect, if considering it includes the rise and fall of fame (or rather, in this film, a lot of times in the mind), and the drug scene coinciding with the music. One knows that Tony Wilson is the main character, the protagonist, basically in every scene, but somehow he does not become the only important part of the film's success. The music too is a huge factor, and the speed it sets for a movie like this.

As much biography as musical, 24 Hour Party People brings to light the scene of Manchester as a history lesson, but an entertaining one to boot. Bands like New Order (the form after Joy Division split) will be known to most who follow music, but unless if you're not really steeped in the new-wave/dance scene of the 80's and 90's, some of the bands may sound totally unfamiliar. Still, this is not an automatic deterrent- the music is what it is, and most who will want to see the film will know what they're getting (in truth, the ratio of British punk and new-wave vs. electronica is fairly balanced). But even when some of the music doesn't stand the test of time, it serves the story all the same (some of the more interesting and darkly funny scenes are when no one comes to the club the sort of 'mix-way' between the two musical eras).

And all through this, Coogan plays it like a pro. The Coogan Wilson, of course, is far from the real Tony Wilson (one of the DVD interviews says he's a 'Jerry Springer'-looking type), so it becomes more of being a character in this whole environment that springs up around and by him. In a way he's kind of like a British Andy Warhol with the idealistic, serious journalist instead of the painter/filmmaker. There's a sort of checked insanity that underlays some of his performance, and yet for most of the time, like a lot of the better British actors, he doesn't play it more for laughs than he needs, and when serious drama/tragedy comes up it's still kept to this reality. So, along with him, and the music, and the strange form of putting together a dramatized, documentary/musical/black comedy by director Michael Winterbottom and writer Frank Cottrell Boyce, it all gels. This is one of the finest sleepers I've seen in a while.