Telstar (film)
| Telstar: The Joe Meek Story | |
|---|---|
UK cinema poster
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| Directed by | Nick Moran |
| Produced by | David Reid Adam Bohling Simon Jordan |
| Written by | James Hicks, Nick Moran |
| Starring |
Con O'Neill Kevin Spacey Pam Ferris JJ Feild James Corden Tom Burke Ralf Little Sid Mitchell |
| Music by | Ilan Eshkeri, with songs by Joe Meek and others |
| Cinematography | Peter Wignall |
| Edited by | Alex Marsh |
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Production
company |
Aspiration Films
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| Distributed by | G2 Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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119 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Telstar: The Joe Meek Story is a 2008 film adaptation of James Hicks' and Nick Moran's play Telstar, about record producer Joe Meek, which opened at the New Ambassadors Theatre in London’s West End in June 2005. The film is directed by Nick Moran and stars Con O'Neill, who also played Joe Meek in the original play, while Kevin Spacey plays Meek's business partner, Major Wilfred Banks.
The film tells the story of record producer Joe Meek, the songwriter-producer behind the 1960s hits "Have I the Right?", "Just Like Eddie" and "Johnny Remember Me". The film charts Meek's initial success with the multi-million selling record, "Telstar", his homosexuality which was illegal in the UK at the time, and his struggles with debt, paranoia and depression, which culminated in the killing of his landlady Violet Shenton and himself, on 3 February 1967.
Some of those portrayed in the film assisted with the production, or appeared in minor roles playing older characters alongside the actors portraying their younger selves. Singer Chas Hodges, who appears as Meek's enraged neighbour, complaining about the noise by banging a dustbin lid, recommended Carl Barât of the Libertines for the role of Gene Vincent, whilst Tornados drummer Clem Cattini appears in a scene as John Leyton's chauffeur and provided advice on set design. Leyton himself plays the fictional "Sir Edward", and singer-actor Jess Conrad plays pop manager Larry Parnes. Meek's young protégée Patrick Pink (now known as Robbie Duke) appears as a stagehand.
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