Northern Soul

Dir: Elaine Constantine

2014

*****

Photographer and filmmaker Elaine Constantine has a well-documented interest in youth culture, her big break coming after being noticed for her contributions to Face magazine when she had her first solo show at the Marion de Beaupre's Gallerie 213 in Paris entitled Tea Dance - an exhibition that documented the Tea dance culture of Northern England. Her work has since been exhibited around the globe and she's had much success working for many top name brands, but it was Northern Soul that was her real labour of love. She struggled for fifteen years to go get the film made, all the major funding bodies rejected her, none of the key film festivals or institutional production partners in the UK were interested (which really surprises me) and in the end it was funded by a mix of private investors and largely by Constantine herself. Blood, sweat and tears (and lots of personal investment) clearly went into the production of the film and I believe it was blood, sweat and tears (and money) well spent. The film looks as glorious as you'd hope from a photographer of Constantine's stature, the use of colour aside, every frame is perfect, the composition is refreshingly refreshing and although it is set in 1974 - and really looks it - there is something rather contemporary about it. Maybe it’s because it feels so authentic. Many films based back in 70 England look the part, or at least look like they look the part but very few of them really look how it really looked, many of them get it wrong, mix too much of the 60s and even some of the 80s with the reality of the 70s. Constantine knows her stuff, she experienced it and had an endless catalogue of images to work from and authenticity was everything. This meticulous attention to detail doesn't just apply to the visuals though, the heart of the film's story is as real as it was too many inspiring teenagers of the era. Many films that deal with youth culture seem to delve into the darker sides but I found Northern Soul to feature real scenarios, the whole thing felt extremely believable, like it could have been a remastered copy of a 70s film, a documentary even. The big dance hall scenes are brilliant and the actual dancing is spectacular and spectacularly filmed. It made me sad that I wasn't around for it and had me tapping me toes to music that I don't even like that much. It's an incredibly infectious film, captivating from the start with some great performances as well as the typical cameos you'd expect, although I think these were largely unnecessary. It is by far one of the best English films of the decade and one of the best for some time. It's a great exploration of a very British chapter of lost history, lost no more.