The Magdalene Sisters — it still delves into some dark areas. Notably. after lirank loses his job at the docks and is estranged from his son (played by Jamie Sives). he becomes a victim of panic attacks. When he wasn‘t getting wrinkled in a pool. Mullan spent time investigating the psychology behind
overcoming such seizures. ‘What a lot of
people do. they give themselves an inordinately difficult task just so they can live normallyf says Mullan. ‘So a lot of people climb iiverest to find themselves. To most of us. that‘s a rather extreme way of dealing with your demons — and Frank is one of those guys. He's swimming the Channel to light that which is within. His journey is one of the soul.’
Along with recent films Blinded. ('rinn’nu/ and Kiss o/‘ije — as well as the forthcoming ('urgo — ()n a Clear Day is one of live in a row Mullan has made with a first-time director. Aside from proving he is not tempted by the lure of Hollywood glamour (a fact backed tip when he recently dropped out of Martin Scorsese‘s forthcoming The Departed to spend more time with his kids). it's made him want to get behind the camera once more. ‘l‘m getting the itch again.‘ he says. ‘Time to do my own stuff and see where it leads me.‘ Hopefully. for his sake. not back to the Irish Sea.
Cineworld, 0131 623 8030, 20 Aug & Mon 22 Aug, 5.30pm, £7.95 (£5.20); GFT, Glasgow, 0141 332 8128, 21 Aug, 8.15pm, £7.95 (£5.20).
Not fade away
British actor LEO GREGORY tells Miles Fielder how he had to brush up on his Rolling Stones after being cast as founding member Brian Jones in Stoned.
hen young south London-born actor
I.eo (iregory flew home from l.os Angeles where he was putting the finishing touches on (ireen Street. a lilm about British football hooliganism — to audition for the role of Brian Jones in Stoned. he knew precisely nothing about the founding Rolling Stones member. Moreover. as far as the 26-year-old (iregory was concerned. the Stones ‘were the band with the tongue on the album cover that my mum had‘. Nevertheless. he won the lead role in producer- turned-director Stephen \Voolley’s film about ‘the wild and wycked life of Brian Jones' (the
film‘s original title) and his death under
suspicious circumstances on 3 July ION). just a few weeks after he had been sacked from the band. And then. says (it‘egot'y: ‘l immersed myself fully in early Stones. Brian and the 6(le Jones isn’t so much an enigma as an overlooked band member (something like the fifth Beatle). Marianne liaithfull says that Mick .lagger based his performance in the film
l’e/j/orniunee on Jones. "l‘hat was how Jagger
viewed Brianf says (iregory. ‘There's a scene in I’er/or/nonee where they‘re all in the bath and Mick starts talking abottt his hair. That was a dig at Brian.
"l‘he thing with Brian was he could be all these different people. 'l‘here's a great quote from Keith Richards where he calls Brian at little kid. He could be charming. bttt also a little terror. He was very talented. very intelligent and he could be very affable. That was the flipside. But he didn’t have the ability to look at a situation in hindsight and learn from it. liverything for him was of no consequence. And he was lacking in love and lacking the ability to give love.‘
Stoned. which was written by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade shortly before they turned their attention to another famous Briton. James Bond in (‘usino Rom/e. posits the theory that Jones was murdered at a party at his home. Cotcbford Farm. in Sussex. It‘s one of a number of theories (the Stones having him ‘offed' is one of the more outlandish). How much water does Gregory think the one put forward in the film holds‘.’
‘Bar a handful of people who are left alive. no- one knows what happened to Brian.‘ says Gregory. ‘But what we are saying was probably how it was. That said. we are also showing respect to the situation and the people involved. and we‘re not portraying Brian as a martyr.‘
Cameo, 623 8030, 19 Aug, 7.15pm, 20 Aug, 5.45pm, £7.95 (£5.20).
i i 18 Aug yous THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE 47