21/05/2002 - Once upon a time in the Midlands, a popular working-class comedy by Shane Meadows

Once Upon a Time in the Midlands, a working-class comedy by Shane Meadows, was acclaimed at Directors' Fortnight today. Meadows came to international attention after winning the prestigious Fipresci film critics' award at the 1997 edition of the Venice Film Festival for Twentyfourseven.
«This is a film about the place I come from, the Midlands, and I'm proud of it», said the director.
Produced on a shoestring budget by Britain's Film Four and The Film Council, with Germany's Senator Film, Once Upon a Time in the Midlands stars Robert (The Full Monty,Trainspotting) Carlyle as Jimmy, an immature petty thief from Glasgow who walked out on his wife Shirley ( Shirley Henderson) and daughter. Shirley has made a new life for herself with Dek (Ricky Tomlinson), but things turn hilarious after Jimmy decides he wants Shirley back.
Carlyle, who played the scar-faced baddie who felt no pain in James Bond's The World is not Enough, says he feels more at ease working on British and European films than he does in Hollywood. «It's wrong to think that every actor aspires to go to Hollywood. Hollywood is load of hype». Carlyle also remarked on the tendency of some English productions to copy Hollywood "while great films like the latest one by Ken Loach are having trouble finding a British distribution. A crying shame».

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

(Translated from Italian)