Somers Town is a 75min Ad for Eurostar *SPOILERS*

[dankeane]

*SPOILERS*

I'm not a fan of the word sell-out. i think it's a word used too much by people with no success about people with some success. if a film-maker is very talented and he lands a job for a advertising company where he gets to show off his chops in style and narrative then more power to him i say. like the BMW ads by david fincher and ridley scott, are fine. But when what you're good at and loved for is an ability to exhibit scenes of emotional honesty and tackling real social issues, and then uses that ability to manipulate a completely soulless story, in an unbelievably contrived and cynical way to advertise Eurostar, they degrade the validity and of their previous films, take unfair advantage of their young actors and that person is a fucking sellout and should be ashamed of themselves. It's like a comedian pretending to spontaneously come up with their jokes, when you know that its all affectation. Shane Meadows knows well how easy it is for him to make a film that seems like a heartfelt ode to youth, he has the formula down, and now he's going to make money from it in the most cynical way possible. The film is literally a 75 minute advertisement for Eurostar (barely feature length, but you still have to pay as much). And it seems like he's fooled most people. Its like he was given a brief by Mother, of how may times he had to demonstrate how great it is being on a train (wow you get to meet nice people who'll buy you lunch if you get beaten up, and wow its so quick to get to paris where the girls are hot!), and then thought : "how do i disguise this piece of shit as some kind if socially responsible commentary as well as a right of passage? i know i'll make one of them polish! yeah immigration that's an issue! and i'll make his dad an alcoholic! they'll never see that coming! i know i can shoehorn all these ideas into this! i can fit all this around the ad! i can smell the paycheck!" I was a huge fan of Shane Meadows, until I saw Somers Town. Shane Meadows how do you sleep at night.

[Gareth]

I haven't seen Somers Town yet, gotta wait till october to see it up here in Cumbria,

but calling Shane Meadows a sell out is fucking ridiculous,

I can't wait to see what the forum members who've seen it have to say to you but I'll just say this:

why would someone whos avoided big budgets their entire career in order to have complete creative control of their projects (once upon a time in the midlands being the exception, which he's said himself in interviews almost ended his career) go and make a film like Deadmans shoes on a shoe string and then make a film like TIE
then fuck off his whole philosophy of film making and make a 75min advert?

At the moment he's editing a 20grand feature film

your talking aload of cod

[Dave]

It's an internet drive-by! Ker-pow! Take that Meadows!

Let's sign up to a site to show the world I have an opinion that choke-slams the Meadows into submission! I will look well cool and especially tough because I know Meadows frequents this 'hood'!

Not even sure it's worth directly responding to any of that post.
If any of us had a problem with the film in the same way he seems to, then we would have left long ago.
Actively signing up to a website about the director we are disgusted with only means one thing.. attention seeking.

[Tom]

Aug 25, 2008 23:54:12 GMT dankeane said:

I'm not a fan of the word sell-out. i think it's a word used too much by people with no success about people with some success. if a film-maker is very talented and he lands a job for a advertising company where he gets to show off his chops in style and narrative then more power to him i say. like the BMW ads by david fincher and ridley scott, are fine. But when what you're good at and loved for is an ability to exhibit scenes of emotional honesty and tackling real social issues, and then uses that ability to manipulate a completely soulless story, in an unbelievably contrived and cynical way to advertise Eurostar, they degrade the validity and of their previous films, take unfair advantage of their young actors and that person is a fucking sellout and should be ashamed of themselves. It's like a comedian pretending to spontaneously come up with their jokes, when you know that its all affectation. Shane Meadows knows well how easy it is for him to make a film that seems like a heartfelt ode to youth, he has the formula down, and now he's going to make money from it in the most cynical way possible. The film is literally a 75 minute advertisement for Eurostar (barely feature length, but you still have to pay as much). And it seems like he's fooled most people. Its like he was given a brief by Mother, of how may times he had to demonstrate how great it is being on a train (wow you get to meet nice people who'll buy you lunch if you get beaten up, and wow its so quick to get to paris where the girls are hot!), and then thought : "how do i disguise this piece of shit as some kind if socially responsible commentary as well as a right of passage? i know i'll make one of them polish! yeah immigration that's an issue! and i'll make his dad an alcoholic! they'll never see that coming! i know i can shoehorn all these ideas into this! i can fit all this around the ad! i can smell the paycheck!" I was a huge fan of Shane Meadows, until I saw Somers Town. Shane Meadows how do you sleep at night.

Proof (if ever it were needed) that you can carve up a story anyway you want it and use it to your own ends.

No point even trying to give this a balanced response - but seriously, those who have seen it will know this is so far from the mark it was choking to read. Not because I'm mad on Meadows, but because I know the facts are blurred. The most straight up thing is that there was no monster paycheck to be made. Simple as. So we know it wasn't a sell-out gig at all.

Mother saw this as a 'legacy' project for Eurostar, Shane and co. saw it as an opportunity to make a small film with no interference. Problem?

Dankeane, if I were you I'd stop hitting the movies or watching TV, because those damn ad-men are sneaking their money into films all over the place... Remember that spoof of it in Wayne's World way-back-yonder? Well it's based on fact! And it seems that no filmmaker can keep his integrity unless he earns so little for his work that he can't afford to switch the radiators on... Which must make me the most noble 'success story' you've heard of eh? But no. Truth is, people slinging 'sell-out' at Shane need to consider his short retirement after the 'mainstream' Once Upon a Time In The Midlands... As Gareth says, the guy came back with a movie that cost barely more than a corned beef sandwich, so I don't think he's got to worry about his integrity too much.

Daft sideswipes by people mixing their confused facts with a boner-complex become an industry hazard. But man, get over it - because Shane's trilogy of feature length Asda adverts is on the way...

[shanemeadows]

I used to actually care when people ripped my work to pieces but to be honest, i rather enjoy it now. Somers Town has had so many fantastic reviews that reading these poisonous little rants help break the monotony on what has been a pretty amazing few months for the short film gone long.

Welcome to the site mate, It wouldn't be the same without guys like you. ;D

My own review of Somers Town is below:

Shane Meadows is a greedy pig. He is too Short by far and has not gone to College properly. He is a lucky bastard who is a wanker and he wasn't ever a proper Skinhead plus I know people who said he ignored them once and they also said he mistreats animals and they also said he has a rotten soul. Oh and it's 'Black and White!'

Could others please post their negative reviews in this thread. Just let it all out...

[Tom]

Oh yeah - and it's got subtitles. Which makes it seem like it's smart. Which it's not. Delusions of grandeur.

[shindig]

If it's an ad for Eurostar, why is the only French person over here stealing wor valuable waitressing jobs? Where's the booze cruise?

From what I've heard, the overriding message of Somers Town is not 'come to France, then gan back the way you came.'

[Chewbaxter]

Well it's convinced me - I'm going to burn all my Meadows DVDs... and the 'Romeo'script and 'Dead Man's Comic' too - I can't be having 'em in the house in light of this revalation!

Black and White? Here - that's too much also - he's done that once before, surely Shane ain't allowed to do it again... he's ripping off his own material by doing that (although I reckoned that 24/7 was a rip-off of Citizen Kane anyway,just by being b&w alone).

What next Mr. Meadows? Catchprases? Wigs and glasses? "Are you havin' a laugh?"

"Is he havin' a laugh?"

Thanks dankeane for your post - it's made me see the light! Who'd have thought a total stranger could change my views by just one post - yer better than Jesus!



Neil.

[jill]

Nah. I purposely avoided reading the ST thread, plus any reviews floating about before seeing the film. I was aware of the funders beforehand, but if I hadn't been I doubt I would have really noticed it. Objectively, where are the allusions to Eurostar? Where's the 'product placement' even? A few shots of the new terminal at St. Pancras. Billy made a valid point about the passport mystery, but that's about it really. In an ideal world, film makers wouldn't need commercial backers, in reality there is always compromise. Shane had to make a judgement about how far possible interference would compromise the work and then decide whether or not to make the film. The film succeeded on it's own merits.

Also, Dankeane I think you're guilty of offering up a distorted review to help you make a pretty weak argument. Was Marek's dad an alcoholic then??? And the story was 'soulless' I don't think so.

[Morell™]

Sorry folks, I'm afraid I agree with dankeane. Meadows totally sold out with his blatant promotion of Toilet Roll and Polish apples. I also can easily see how Somers Town has been used shamlessly to increase awarness of NHS brand wheelchairs as 'Great Fun'.

Shame on you Mr. Meadows! Like Chewbaxter I shall be throwing away all my Meadows merchandise and booking my ticket to see 'RocknRolla' to cleanse my soul with some proper film making with it's ethics in the right place. Thanks for helping me see the light dankeane this Shane fella really must have a rotten soul.

[dude]

Bloody hell Meadows all of my enjoyment from your films/work has now gone forever for me. Just to think you got money from a big train that's it all your films now suck..

[Davros]

I used to think like dankeane when I was about 16.

Then you grow up, and realise how the real world operates.

Ive just driven a FORD FIESTA to work, I estimate 10 different cars sat behind me at the lights on the way this morning. I would then guess at least 5 of them looked at the back of my car and noticed the shit heap in front of them was a FORD FIESTA. I would then guess at least 2 of them had a shitter car than me and thought, 'those FORD FIESTA's are pretty sweet, I might go and buy one at the weekend'. I sleep pretty sweetly. I also wore LEVI's at the weekend, am I'd estimate at least 38 women checked my sweet ass out, and thought, im going to get my boyfriend a pair of them sweet assed LEVI's.

I'm afraid it never ends dankeane, you either learn to accept how the systems works or you spend your life bitching about. Do you have a job dankeane? Who's funding you?

To conclude. Who actually gives a shit. I for one think its pretty decent Eurostar handed over the budget to let the UK's best director have a go at making some more filmic delight. I'm sure i'll enjoy the fruits of his labour, regardless of where the funding came from.

Did you know he's also directed adverts? dankeane how do you sleep at night.

[deadmansrockports]

Entitled to your opinion DanKeane but I aint agreeing with it. Just seems like you're having a rant for the sake of it to be honest.

[Companero]

I could get all defensive but I won't, DanKeane is entitled to his opinion. Having seen SOMERS TOWN twice and without giving anything away to those that haven't seen it, I will say that Mr Keane's reading of the film is completely off. You can encapsulate a film's essence in any way you chose to but the points raised in the first post of this thread are really frustrating; it's almost as if the guy that wrote those words went into the cinema not wanting to like the flick.

Having read about the SOMERS TOWN project from the beginning, on this very forum, I was actually expecting to see a lot more of the film set in and around the St Pancras terminal and trains to have featured a lot more prominently. To be fair to Shane, Paul Fraser and everyone else involved, the references to Eurostar Do propel the plot but in my opinion do it in a very non-exploitative way. At the end of the day, the film is about the relationship between Tommo and Marek first and foremost, and it is a brilliant portrayal of friendship at that. It never struck me at any time during the film's brisk run time that the agenda at hand was to sell train tickets or gloat about how great the new St Pancras looks.

Also, to add that the filmmakers tacked on the immigrant angle as some kind of emotive exploitation also misses the point. Being that the film is set in one of the poorest areas of London, it would have been very unrealistic had Shane and co chosen to ignore the fact that it is home to a large population of Eastern European people. SPOILER! And while Marek's father is portrayed of being something of a heavy drinker, we're neither given the impression that he's an "alcoholic", nor does he fall into the cliche of being abusive. SPOLIER ends. So that argument holds no weight, neither.

Like I said, everyone is entitled to an opinion, but I do believe that DanKeane's remarks are somewhat misguided and it would appear written to cause a reaction on here.

[Davros]

blogs.guardian.co.uk/film/2008/08/you_review_somers_town.html

The people speak.. I like the Get Smart jibe.