' " filleist.co.uk .
FRANK HARPER is as believable playing mean bastards (Lock Stock. . . ), as he is being endearing (A Room For Romeo Brass). Kaleem Aftab talks to the cockney hardman about playing a soccer hooligan in The Football Factory.
t‘s either going to be dads
or gangsters. isn‘t it‘."
reveals llarper in a I)artl‘ord college where he teaches Acting for Camera. to eager sixth I'orm pupils. ‘Stick to what you know —‘ that‘s my way ol‘ working. In my head. I’ve got a library ol‘ real people that I‘ve come across and I take one or two people and think about them when I do a part.‘
Being a .\'Iillwall season ticket holder the still can't believe that they are in the I‘A cup linal either) he did not haye to look too liar to find models for Billy an ageing l'ootball hooligan whose reputation was built on the Violence he inflicted in the 80s. It is a role IIarper claims he was born to play. 'Where I grew up in South London is a hotbed I’or Millwall supporters. You see all the characters over the years. people who are inl‘amous. Look at Seorcese -~ he grew tip on Mulberry Street in New York and I think there is a similar connection. you are drawn to them characters and stories because they are. in some respects. close to your heart and I think it’s nice to haye a lilm that shows these people.‘
llarper jokes that he became an actor to avoid becoming a l’ootball hooligan but on the set of Thy I'im/lm/l l'iu'rury he inspired a Millwall reyolution. ()i‘iginally The Football l'iir'lm'y cast included l)ougray Scott. Sean Bean. Andrew Harrison and (‘ristian Solimeno and was to be directed by Keith Boak with lirank lIarper in a minor role. Then. after eight days ol l'ilming. l’rank Ilarper l’ell out with Keith Boak oyer ‘artistic dil'l‘erences‘.
'lt was not just me and the producer Alan .\'iblo but .lon King (who wrote the noyel) as well. It was not the way to make a film about this subject matter] claims
WOULDN'T BE Ilarpei'. ‘l‘or me especially I had to To GO get this right because I live in
South London. I have these people around me all the time — 2—1/7 so I can‘t mess this film up otherwise I wouldn‘t be able to go out. I tell responsible.‘
H00
‘I COULDN'T MESS THIS FILM UP OTHERWISE I
igan
push for fellow .VIiIIwalI l‘an Nick Love to direct. l.o\‘e had pt‘ey‘iotlsly directed IIarper in (him/bye ('liur/iv Brig/ii. 'It is not even a biased opinion because he is a friend of mine. He is the only director I know that has an insight into that culture. My greatest fear was inisrepresentation ol' the people that we were making a lilm about.’
Also brought in to star is I)anny l)yer. another
.\Iillwall I'an. Ironically. they all play (‘helsea l'ans. "l‘his I'ilm goes some way to understanding l‘ootball hooligans. 'l‘he adrenaline people get. I think basically it is inbred in most male cultures particularly the linglisli they like lighting. 'l‘heir l‘orel'athers defeated
Napoleon. built an empire and won two World Warsf Whatever happens with the film it seems Ilarper got the result he wanted.
Harper's solution. one that earned him a producer credit and more on-screen time. was to
22 THE LIST ' a M2.
The Football Factory is on selected release from Fri 14 May.
ROUGHCUTS
Lights. camera. action . . .
THERE ARE MOMENTS WHEN classic cinema and general world disorder come together so spectacularly that it reaffirms one’s belief in properties and possibilities of political cinema. Such a moment happened recently with the re-emergence of Gillo Pontecorvo’s truly brilliant 1965 film The Battle of Algiers. It focuses on one specific phase of the Algerian guerrilla struggle against the French in the years between 1954—1957, and the US military has recently realised (duh) that here they had a blueprint guide to the inner machinations of an early cell- based freedom fighter group (they call it terrorist but we shan’t do that). More importantly for us non-military folk, the film has just been given a spanking new score by the righteous Asian Dub Foundation (even though the original by Ennio Morricone is a major work). The newly scored print has already appeared at various mini festivals in the south of England (it is as also getting a screening at Cannes), but apparently plans are afoot to bring it to Scotland so keep your fingers crossed.
TARTAN SHORTS APPLICATION forms for 2005 are available now on the Scottish Screen website on www.scottisl'iscreei‘icom and hard copies of the applications are available directly from Scottish Screen. The closing date t )r entry is {3 July. so pull your finger out. shorty!
ARE YOU A FILM FESTIVAL whore? But also like to see good films? Well, if you have any sense you will be avoiding Cannes like the plague right now and booking your ticket for the Marseille 15th International Documentary Festival (2-7 July). Advance word of the line-up has been leaked and it looks like it’s going to be a fantastic year. Check www.fidmarseille.org for details
The Battle of Algiers