Rank Film DistributorsClassic British movie stars Trevor Howard and Jean Simmons gave audiences a look at Fifties Newcastle in thriller The Clouded Yellow. The intriguing story, named after a type of butterfly, saw a retired intelligence man escaping to a seemingly quiet life studying winged critters. This would have made a pretty boring film in itself, so he soon became caught up in a murder case (involving a human as opposed to an insect). The production chose the urban landscape of the north east as one of its main settings, when Howard and the wrongly-accused Simmons took to the heavily-populated area in a bid to avoid the authorities and clear her name. Above Us The Waves director Ralph Thomas waved a megaphone at the action. The tangled tale probably isn't of much note these days, but stands out thanks to its various glimpses at the region's bygone age. So if you want to know what the quayside or the train station were like over half a century ago, this is the DVD you want to be looking for on eBay.
I am a journalist and comedian who enjoys American movies of the 70s, Amicus horror compendiums, Doctor Who, Twin Peaks, Naomi Watts and sitting down. My short fiction has been published as part of the Iris Wildthyme range from Obverse Books.
