28 March 2010
A music video for Grand Union Canal can now be viewed on YouTube.
10 February 2009
Grand Union Canal screens at the Inn on the Green, Notting Hill, at the London Filmmakers Meetup.
22 January 2009
Grand Union Canal has an IMDb page, courtesy of Withoutabox.
25 December 2008
Grand Union Canal's title song plays on BBC Radio Northampton. Includes interview with filmmaker Mike Hallett.
12 December 2008
Hallett & Lang have pimped their MySpace page.
23 September 2008
Grand Union Canal included in Taya James' 2008 showreel.
7 September 2008
Grand Union Canal screens at the Crown & Two Chairmen, 31 Dean Street, Soho, at 7 PM.
3 September 2008
Grand Union Canal screens at Urban Minds' short film night at the Fox & Firkin pub, Lewisham.
24 June 2008
Grand Union Canal release party at the Crown & Two Chairmen.
24 June 2008
Cast and crew screening of Grand Union Canal at De Lane Lea.
18 June 2008
Film-makers and prop builders Squelen Productions have pimped their website.
18 June 2008
The trailer for Grand Union Canal is now online. Play trailer
6 June 2008
Taya James (Grand Union Canal) has her showreel on YouTube.
7 May 2008
West Coast Duplication delivers the DVDs of Grand Union Canal.
21 April - 17 May 2008
Scott Christie appears in Antic Disposition's Romeo + Juliet at the Jermyn St. Theatre, London.
11 April 2008
Spider Griffin delivers the artwork for Grand Union Canal.
News archive
Play trailer
Length: 10 mins
Format: High-Definition Video
Country: United Kingdom
Writer/director: Mike Hallett
Producers: Mike Hallett, Helen Flanagan
1st AD: Helen Flanagan
DoP: Chris Pratt
Editor: Mike Hallett
Main cast: Taya James, Elizabeth Crawford, Alex
Melia, Jessica Hancock
© 2008 Mica Films/Squelen Productions Full Cast & Crew
Conflicting ideals of beauty lead to a tragic friendship – with echoes of the 1950s noir classic Sunset Boulevard – between
two teenage girls on the banks of the Grand Union Canal.
struck by the tragedy that might lurk behind its still façade. The music has been composed by Adrian Lang and the song
will be the foundation of the finished film's soundtrack. This continues the precedent set with The Corpse Where White,
which successfully used Mike and Adrian's song Wide Wide Heaven . Samples of their work can be heard at their
MySpace page.
She was lying with her face down
And her arms stretched open wide
They fished her with a boathook
Where the quiet waters glide
Paper clung to her pale'n'pretty skin
They flung it back in the water again
Of the Grand Union Canal
The Grand Union Canal
Spread-eagled her on the towpath
For she was going nowhere fast
It was her Sunset Boulevard
Her Sunset Boulevard
I watched it on television
From the ringside of my seat
They said there was no motive
A sweet girl with no enemies
We shared some classes at my school
She came to my house a time or two
Near the Grand Union Canal
The Grand Union Canal
We watched a film 'til after ten
Gloria Swanson, William Holden
It was called Sunset Boulevard
Yeah, Sunset Boulevard
I left a poem
In the Grand Union Canal
I left a poem
In the Grand Union Canal
I left this poem
In the Grand Union Canal
The water is still and silent
No-one sees it pass on by
Don't think it has no feelings
'Cause you've never seen water cry
We shared some secrets after school
She came to my house a time or two
Near the Grand Union Canal
The Grand Union Canal
She just said that my poetry
Had no power, had no beauty
It was her Sunset Boulevard
It was my Sunset Boulevard
It was our Sunset Boulevard
Our Sunset Boulevard
of songs about Northamptonshire. Other artists included Fairport Convention, Roy Harper, Alexei Sayle
and Big Country.
and casting manager Kirsty Malyon with some interesting choices. But casting is a
cruel business, and from a number of highly-qualified applicants, Taya James and
Elizabeth Crawford were chosen for the leading roles of Portia and Joan. Both are
experienced actresses: Taya played the lead role in the feature film The Collector
and is also involved in the fashion industry (see Taya's Myspace page). Elizabeth
played the lead role in Tracey Emin's tele-feature Top Spot.
exterior shooting was blessed with constant light conditions and not overly cold temperatures. The result was a rich autumn
look, as the following slideshow reveals.
responsible for the editing and sound design – so he really has no-one to blame if the
film bombs!
Following on from The Corpse Wore White and My Favourite Time of the Day, the DVD
artwork is again courtesy of Spider Griffin →
A cast and crew screening at De Lane Lea in Dean Street, Soho, was followed by the
obligatory drinkies at the nearby Crown & Two Chairmen pub.
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2008 Crown & Two Chairmen, Soho, London A regular film screening night in the heart of London's film district. |
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2008 Urban Minds, Lewisham, London An independent short film screening night at the Fox & Firkin pub. |
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2008 BBC Radio, Northampton The title song airs on Christmas Day, with an interview with filmmaker Mike Hallett and concurrent web streaming from the film. |
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2009 London Filmmakers Meetup Group, Notting Hill, London A regular film screening night at the Inn on the Green. |
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without permission.
