Rent A London Trilogy: The Films of Saint Etienne 2003-2007 (2007)

3.8 of 5 from 5 ratings
2h 38min
Rent A London Trilogy: The Films of Saint Etienne 2003-2007 Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
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Synopsis:
From a beautifully conceived film-poem and an imaginative exploration of the Lower Lea Valley to an uplifting documentary on a London landmark, the collaborations between much-loved electronic indie trio Saint Etienne and filmmaker Paul Kelly (Lawrence of Belgravia) document London's ever-changing environment and landscapes accompanied by music from the band. Available together for the very first time, this loose trilogy is supported by a selection of rare and previously unavailable short films.

Finisterre (2003) is a homage to London featuring a host of well-known voices who've made the capital their own, sound tracked by songs from the Saint Etienne album of the same name.

What Have You Done Today Mervyn Day? (2005) follows paperboy Mervyn Day on his round, tracing the fascinating hidden history of East London's Lower Lea Valley in the years before it was redeveloped to become the Olympic Park.

Commissioned by the Royal Festival Hall to mark its renovation and reopening, This is Tomorrow (2007) lovingly records the immense labour that went into the refurbishment of one of London's most distinguished concert venues.
Actors:
, , , , , , , , , , James Cocker, Billy Gathercole, Deborah Gathercole, , Sheena Naylor, Keith Quinlan, Nick Parrish, ,
Directors:
,
Producers:
Andrew Hinton, Jason Hocking
Voiced By:
David Essex, Linda Robson
Writers:
Kieran Evans, Kevin Pearce, Bob Stanley
Studio:
BFI Video
Genres:
Documentary
BBFC:
Release Date:
15/07/2013
Run Time:
158 minutes
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Subtitles:
English Hard of Hearing
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 1.78:1 / 16:9
Colour:
Colour
Bonus:
  • Banksy in London (2003,3 mins): outtakes from Finisterre that document the artist's work, some of which is no longer in situ
  • Today's Special (2004,9 mins in total): a series of three shorts about London's disappearing cafes
  • Monty the Lamb (2006,12 mins): a day in the life of Monty, mascot for north London's Hendon FC
  • The Other South Bank (2008,9 mins): a look at Teesside's South Bank area
  • Seven Summers (2012,10 mins): Sarah Cracknell narrates this follow-up to Mervyn Day, which revisits the Lea Valley seven years on from the making of that film

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Reviews (1) of A London Trilogy: The Films of Saint Etienne 2003-2007

A poetic set of movies - A London Trilogy: The Films of Saint Etienne 2003-2007 review by Sandy

Spoiler Alert
06/04/2018

There are three films on this disc. Of the three Finisterre is the strongest. The last is a documentary of the South Bank Centre which is pretty superficial - the BBC has made a better one more recently about the Festival of Great Britain and the restoration work.

Both Finisterre and What have you done today Mervyn Day take nostalgic looks at London life. Finisterre flits around different districts and people tell stories about what London used to be like - or you get a film of a train pulling into a station with some atmospheric music. Both these films pretty much fall into the realm of Psychogeography where fragments of history and current events are blended together. As such, the films work more as atmospheric landscapes rather than traditional movies or documentaries with a firm story to tell you. You feel your way through this movie, and you don't get into the groove, the chances are the movie will leave you cold, or non-plussed.

If you like this style of movie, then Robinson in Space and Swandown are movies in a similar vein which would be worthwhile exploring.

1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.

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