Remembrance Blu-Ray

Memories (Blu-ray) Flipside #48 Directed by Colin Gregg BFI Flipside presents... Remembrance, a rarely seen British film that follows a group of young Royal Navy sailors during their last 24 hours ashore before their ship sets sail on a six-month naval exercise.

Set in the pubs and clubs of Plymouth's then-famous Union Street in the 1980s, and Colin Gregg's direction and Hugh Stoddart's screenplay skillfully cut between the stories of several characters that intertwine as they prepare for the coming months at sea. The ensemble cast includes early performances by Timothy Spall, John Altman, and Gary Oldman (in his big screen debut), among others. Remembrance was one of the first films produced by Channel Four, where it aired after a short theatrical run in the summer of 1982. It gained extra poignancy and relevance when the Falklands War broke out a few months earlier. The film has rarely been shown since then, and with this new 2024 restoration by the BFI, it is the first time this important British film is available on Blu-ray.

Extras

Newly remastered from the original camera material and presented in High Definition

Gary Oldman on Remembrance (2018, 2 min): an introduction recorded for a screening on Film 4

Vivid Memories (2024, 21 min): newly recorded interview with director and producer Colin Gregg

Working Away (2024, 21 min): newly recorded interview with Hugh Stoddart, screenwriter of Remembrance

Acting The Part (2024, 13 min): newly recorded interview with John Altman, one of the young stars of Remembrance

David Rose in Conversation (2010, 11 min): excerpt from a career interview with the former editor-in-chief of Channel 4 Television, conducted by Sir Jeremy Isaacs

Raleigh: The First Few Weeks (1986, 19 min): follows the daily life of new recruits to the navy, from their arrival at the training facility HMS Raleigh, the beginning of the first phase of their training, and on to the day of their farewell parade. this TV commercial was produced to promote the recruitment of ordinary personnel to the navy, because "everyone is someone in the Royal Navy."

Galleries - Hugh Stoddart's original handwritten script and a selection of press clippings, brochures, and other material related to Remembrance are presented in two galleries. Booklet with a new essay by screenwriter Hugh Stoddart, a new text about the film by Johnny Mains, an essay by BFI's Dr. Josephine Botting, and full film credits.The ensemble cast of mostly little-known or unknown actors is excellent." --Philip French, The Observer

"Fantastic acting" - Daily Mail

"A powerful film" - Charles Spencer Evening Standard