Studiocanal has announced the release of two British rock ’n’ roll cult-classics, That'll Be the Day and Stardust, on 21 October 2019 as part of the Vintage Classics collection.
Starring a young David Essex in the role that launched his film career and featuring a who’s who of British music in a supporting cast that includes Ringo Starr, Keith Moon, Billy Fury, Marty Wilde, Dave Edmunds and Adam Faith, these films vividly recreate the experience of being a young music fan in the late '50's and early '60's and are a unique insight into a time where the world was changing so rapidly.
Thanks to a brand-new restoration of Stardust and the opportunity to own That'll Be the Day on Blu-Ray for the very first time, audiences will be now able to enjoy these tales of the rise of a rock ‘n’ roll star looking and sounding better than ever when they are released on DVD, Digital Download and on Blu-Ray – complete with brand new extras material. Produced by David Puttnam (The Mission, Chariots of Fire), the films boast soundtracks that capture the music of the era perfectly and feature timeless music by The Beach Boys, Cat Stevens, The Animals, Everly Brothers and Little Richard.
That'll Be the Day (1973)
Nominated for two BAFTAs on release in 1973 and directed by Claude Watham (Buddy's Song), That'll Be the Day tells the story of Jim MacLaine (David Essex). Abandoned by his father when he was young, Jim, a suburban school dropout, leaves home and drifts through a succession of dead-end jobs until he finds an outlet for his frustration in rock 'n' roll. Tossing away the chance of a university education much to the consternation of his mother (Rosemary Leach – A Room with a View, Turtle Bay), alienated MacLaine becomes a lowly deckchair attendant before streetwise friend Mike (Ringo Starr – A Hard Day’s Night, Help!) gets him a job firstly as a barman and then with the fun fair. The initially shy MacLaine quickly becomes a heartless fairground Romeo leaving a trail of broken hearts in his wake.
DVD/Blu-ray special features:
- New Interview with producer David Puttnam
- New Interview with screenwriter Ray Connolly
- New Interview with author Bob Stanley
- Stills gallery
Stardust (1974)
Directed by Michael Apted (The World is Not Enough, Gorillas in The Mist), this British Musical Drama is the follow up to That'll Be the Day and, like its predecessor, features a wealth of British musical talent in the supporting cast, including Adam Faith, Marty Wilde and Keith Moon.
Aspiring rock star, Jim MacLaine (David Essex), is back with The Stray Cats (Paul Nicholas, Keith Moon, Dave Edmunds and Karl Howman) and is in desperate need of a road manager. He seeks out his old friend Mike (Adam Faith) who takes up the monumental task of keeping Jim on track whilst he rises to fame. The sweet taste of success begins to turn sour as Jim immerses himself in hedonism and loses sight of who he used to be.
For the 2019 restoration of Stardust, Studiocanal went back to the original camera negative where possible and alternative sources where severe damage that could not be repaired was encountered. These elements were scanned at 4K resolution in 16bit. The project involved over 200 hours of manual frame by frame fixes and resulted in the creation of a new DCP, and HD version which were produced with the same high technological standards as today’s biggest international film releases.
DVD/Blu-ray special features:
- New Interview with producer David Puttnam
- New Interview with screenwriter Ray Connolly
- New Interview with author Bob Stanley
- Stills gallery
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