Glorious 39, the sinister thriller of one family’s dark secret that threatens to tear them apart, filmed on location in Norfolk and is released nationwide on November 20th
Acclaimed writer director Stephen Poliakoff’s British Thriller, Glorious 39, is set in London and the idyllic Norfolk countryside when Britain stands on the very brink of war. The story is centred around the formidable Keyes family who are determined to preserve their very traditional, English way of life in the midst of political upheaval. Anne (Romola Garai), the eldest adopted sibling of the Keyes family comes across secret recordings of a potential conspiracy hidden in the out-buildings of the family home. As war breaks out Anne attempts to confirm her growing suspicions. It is then that she begins to discover the true extent to which she has been betrayed. The star cast that joins Romola Garai includes Bill Nighy, Julie Christie, Eddie Redmayne, Juno Temple, David Tennant, Charlie Cox and the legendary Christopher Lee.
Glorious 39 was co-financed by Screen East’s Content Investment Fund, an award of funding from the European Regional Development Fund Objective 2 Programme administered by GO East, Government Office for the East of England. Screen East’s locations team assisted the production throughout filming, helping to secure locations in Norfolk which included Castle Acre Priory, Cley Marshes, Holkham Hall, Houghton Hall, St Nicholas Church, and the Walsingham Estate.
Producer, Martin Pope said: “As the film was set in Norfolk, and the locations of the abbey and house were vital to Stephen, we made an early approach to Screen East, who were delighted to welcome Stephen back (as he shot a good deal of the Lost Prince in the region). UK Film Council were very interested by the script, by a key director such as Stephen making a return to cinema and by the amazing cast which were gathering around the project… Having assembled a really great set of partners were able to set the film up to allow Stephen to do what he does best.”
Glorious 39 marks the long awaited return of Stephen Poliakoff to the cinema after an absence of a decade. Poliakoff is widely acknowledged as a powerful voice in British culture thanks in part to his acclaimed UK television successes which include impressive credits such as Gideon’s Daughter, Shooting The Past, The Lost Prince, Capturing Mary and Joe’s Palace. Poliakoff was born in London and attended King’s College in Cambridge where he read history. However he decided to leave prior to graduation to concentrate on writing. Glorious 39 provided Poliakoff with an opportunity to indulge his interest in a period of history which has had little screen presence to date.
The release of Glorious 39 coincides with the recent launch of Scene on Screen - www.sceneonscreen.co.uk - an interactive movie map promoting accessible locations that have appeared in popular film and television programmes. From the early silent and first ‘talkies’ produced by Directors such as Hitchcock to well know war time classics such as 633 Squadron and the Battle of Britain, leading attractions in the East of England have appeared on both big and small screens around the globe. Blockbusters such as George Lucas’ Indiana Jones trilogy and the first four Star Wars movies have all been filmed here. As a result leading locations have played host to some of the world’s best known screen characters including James Bond, Batman, Bridget Jones, Blackadder, Dr Who, Harry Potter, Del Boy and even Dracula!
Head of Locations & Inward Investment for Screen East, the regional screen agency, Kerry Ixer, said: “Popular film and television programmes provide an unparalleled opportunity to showcase filming locations around the globe. Production companies pay the location owners a fee to use the location after which they can experience free, and potentially worldwide, advertising for their location if they are accessible to the public. The Scene on Screen website aims to show visitors where filming occurred enabling them to follow in the footsteps of popular screen characters."
If you would like to see your property appearing on the big or small screen, please contact Screen East for a free entry onto the Location Library by calling 01923 495051, emailing locations@screeneast.co.uk or by visiting www.screeneast.co.uk. They’d also like to hear from companies that could supply services such as those offered by dry cleaners, florists, wood suppliers and cleaning companies as well as crew who reside in the region.
Visit Glorious 39 production page