Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18145 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-01-27
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 117 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Beginning during the dawn of Factory Records--as Tony Wilson throws himself off a cliff for Granada TV--24 Hour Party People attempts to capture the essence of the ill-fated label which spawned Joy Division/New Order, The Happy Mondays and the venue that started modern Club Culture, the Hacienda in Manchester. Director Michael Winterbottom takes a very different approach to most music biographies, by making the film self-aware that it is a film and ironically looking at its own role within the history of the "Mad-chester" scene.

Inspired by Wilson's autobiographical musings, the film is narrated in character by Steve Coogan as Wilson. He offers sporadic moments from his life--his "career" as a presenter at Granada and his several marriages--which in turn influence the destructive nature of the label he founded. Coogan's Wilson gives monologues to camera which remind the audience that what they are watching is only his perspective. Yet with Coogan in the title role it's impossible to ignore the similarities between Wilson and Alan Partridge; and although this adds instant humour to the film it also instantly pins Wilson with the comic "Partridge" tag of fated fool. The cinematography, on the other hand, tries faithfully to embody the feeling of the times, from grainy celluloid for the punk-like Joy Division gigs to bright, clean-cut images for the birth of the Hacienda. The film also benefits from an amazing soundtrack and strong supporting characters. It all adds up to a picture that's purely British in character: imbued with irony, down-and-out inspiration, and a touch of the surreal.

On the DVD: 24 Hour Party People comes as a two-disc set, but there really is little need. Disc 1 is loaded with great extras, such as the deleted scenes, commentaries and Mad-chester musings, but the second disc is a little on the dull side. This really could have been just a single great DVD. There's an excellent screen and audio transfer that brings both the music and the lurid colours to life and the disc also offers that all-important function for hardcore clubbers: a hard of hearing option. --Nikki Disney

Special Features
1.85 Wide Screen
16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
DVD 9
DVD 5
English
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Dolby Digital 5.1
Tony Wilson Commentary
Second Commentary With Steve Coogan And Andrew Eaton
Artists Commentary From Peter Hook Rowetta Leroy Richardson Bruce Mitchell Miranda Sawyer Bobby Langley And Martin Moschop
Sleeve Notes
A Whos Who And Whats What White Rabbit Style Guide
24 Deleted Scenes
Pills N Thrills And Bellyaches Interviews
Portrait Of A Filmmaker Michael Winterbottom Documentary
Peter Saville Gallery Designs With Peter Saville Tony Wilson Commentary
Here To Stay New Order Music Video

Synopsis
Staggeringly versatile director Michael Winterbottom follows up his epic Western THE CLAIM with a period piece of a completely different variety. A sprawling, visceral tribute to the legendary Manchester music scene that flourished between the years of 1976 and 1992, 24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE recreates that influential era with reckless exuberance. In order to bring structure to the tale, Winterbottom and screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce focus their attentions on Tony Wilson (Steve Coogan), the man who was responsible for making it all happen. A television reporter by day, Wilson also led a notorious double life as band manager (Joy Division, the Happy Mondays, James), label president (Factory Records), and club owner (The Hacienda). Fiercely determined and dangerously stubborn, Wilson's energy gave an entire subculture of Manchester youths their place in the spotlight, forever changing the face of popular music in the process. Shot by acclaimed cinematographer Robby Muller in faded digital video, Winterbottom's pulsating film tears through its subject matter like an ecstasy induced history lesson. The performances are flawless from top to bottom, most notably Wilson, Sean Harris, Paddy Considine, John Simm, and Danny Cunningham. A must-see for music aficionados, Winterbottom's film is also worth viewing for its sheer sense of hyperkinetic entertainment.

Customer Reviews

The Chicken's still dancing.....
The story of Factory Records & the Hacienda is a long and complex one, full of urban myths and legends, humour, tragedy and some of the best music ever made.

Inevitably, the film struggles to contain its vast subject matter and was apparently edited down from 3 hours. In the end, Michael Winterbottom has made a film which reflects the myth and the truth of Factory in equal measures. The film leaps wildly from hyper-realism (The Hacienda interior is re-created down to the last brick, even inviting back the original punters to re-create the atmosphere for one last time) to pure fantasy (Happy Mondays trip to Barbados is re-created as a scene from Robinson Crusoe).

The film features so many enigmatic characters, and several who deserve a bio-pic of their own. Shaun Ryder and the late Rob Gretton, Ian Curtis and Martin Hannett.
To narrow the scope, the film is “seen” through the eyes of Tony Wilson, although on the DVD commentary, Wilson points out that he has fought tooth and nail to have some scenes left out which he insists are entirely untrue. Bizarrely, Wilson still holds down a job as a respected newsreader on Granada TV despite the film depicting him romping with prostitutes and taking copious amounts of drugs. The film itself makes some playful contrasts between Wilson’s life as TV presenter, and that as director of a chaotic, anarchic record label and nightclub. We cut from Wilson living it up on the tour bus with Happy Mondays, to Wilson conducting a banal interview with a pensioner for local TV news.

Like Factory, the film is messy, inconsistent and bloody-minded. But like Factory, it looks great and the music is good. Coogan is great, if a little Partridge-esque as Wilson. Paddy Considine captures New Order’s late manager, Rob Gretton to perfection. There are funny little cameo appearances from everyone from Peter Kay to Howard Devoto, some wonderful period re-creations of 80s Manchester, and a few moments of genius.
Just to have a feature film on this subject is astonishing in itself.

And on the DVD, 8 hours of extras. Perhaps best is the commentary from Wilson himself, which is intelligent, funny and insightful. You also get a commentary from Coogan and the Director, short interviews with many of the people involved with Factory and the Manchester music scene, 24 clips from the cutting-room floor, trailers, a New Order video featuring John Simm. And on the second disc, Wilson conducts a fascinating interview Peter Saville, whose beautiful designs were such an integral part of Factory and influence the aesthetic of Manchester music, culture and clubland to this day. Also on the disc is a documentary about Michael Winterbottom and a video commentary from various associated persons such as New Order’s Peter Hook. This is a little bit hit & miss, as they really spend most of the film reminiscing about the Hacienda rather than commenting on the film itself. Its quite entertaining though, and it does feature the great Bruce Mitchell, drummer with Durutti Column and a man who wasn’t in the film despite the fact that he was present at every event featured. He even did the lighting for the Sex Pistols gig that opens the film.

All in all, a good value for money package. The extras really add to your enjoyment of the film, especially if you are unfamiliar with the context of the film and the whole Factory and Hacienda story.

A shocking but often inspiring story
This tells the story of Factory records, the record label started in the late 1970's by the enterprising Tony Wilson, whose death has recently reverberated through the music business. In this film, Tony is played by Steve Coogan, who manages to capture some of Wilson's Cambridge arrogance, yet also much of his childlike enthusiasm for music and less than perfect money-management skills.

Wanting to put Manchester on the musical map seemed to be Tony Wilson's main motivation right from the off, and shortly after the formation of factory records, signing various bands. Some of them aren't so well recognised today, such as 'A Certain Ratio', but some of them, such as 'Joy Division', went on to become one of the most influential bands of the post-punk era. A lot of this was down to the eccentric producer Martin Hannett, who worked in such a fearlessly authentic way that Joy Division's debut 'Unknown Pleasures', went on to become one of the most unique, distinctive and authentic records of all time. Which is just as well considering how difficult to please Hannett was - even going so far as to make Joy Division drummer Stephen Morris do his drumming on the roof.

The premise of Factory Records was simple: it was all about art, rather than profits. In this sense, Tony Wilson was a spectacularly inept businessman, but his commitment to music, nurturing new talent, and focusing on artistic output was unwavering.

After the tragic suicide of Ian Curtis in 1980, Wilson's next venture was 'The Hacienda', an ultra-modern nightclub in which Wilson got a whole host of musical acts from all corner of the music business to perform. These included The Smiths, Happy Mondays and various others.

It is at this point in the film that a lot of heavy drug use begins to occur, when Wilson takes the morally bankrupt Happy Mondays under his wing. Despite being warned against this, he is convinced that the Monday's lead singer Shaun Ryder is a genius. The Monday's go on to blow millions of pounds of drugs and a holiday in Barbados, nearly bringing Factory Records to it's knees on several occasions.

This film is superbly directed and skilfully acted. It features a whole host of great Manchester-based actors, all of whom add a certain Mancunian authenticity to the film. All in all, it beautifully explores the trials and tribulations of Tony Wilson, plus the failures and successes of his often naive business ventures, all of which were designed to make Manchester the centre of the music business. For many years, they succeeded.

24 Hour Party People
Fantastic portrayal of the manchester music scene, through to the establishment of Factory Records and the building of the legendary Hacienda. Funny, informative and touching. BUT buy the book too as that has some bits that really should have been in the film