Son of Rambow

'We wanted to make a film that wasn't a gritty slice of childhood but rather one that really captured the way that life seemed to us as kids in the 80s. It was a time when days were long and sunny, school corridors were endless and French exchange students seemed like they were from another planet.' - Garth Jennings, 2007.

Son of Rambow was the second feature film made by Director Garth Jennings and Producer Nick Goldsmith's creative partnership Hammer & Tongs. The duo made their name making music videos in the 1990s for the likes of Blur and Supergrass and made the move into feature films in 2005 with The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Son of Rambow had actually been in Pre-Production for several years and was at the casting stage when Hammer & Tongs were asked to make Hitchhikers. As the scale of the film was much smaller and the budget more modest they were able to strip back their working methods and work with a smaller crew, using a hands on approach that they had refined over years of making music videos.

Set during a long hot summer in the early 1980s Son of Rambow is the story of two schoolboys from very different backgrounds who form an unlikely friendship and, armed with just a camera and their imaginations, team up to make their own home-made sequel to the Sylvester Stallone classic Rambo: First Blood.

The story and the characters were all based on director Jennings own childhood experience of growing up near Epping Forest. Seeing First Blood for the first time blew his 12 year old mind and inspired him and to borrow his dad's video camera and make an action film in the woods with his mates.

For the roles of the two lead boys Jennings cast first time actors Will Poulter and Bill Milner. Both received unanimous praise for their performances and have since established themselves as up and coming stars of the future, Milner starring as a young Magento in X-Men: First Class and Poulter receiving the BAFTA rising star award in 2014.

In order to get the film made they had to get Sylvester Stallone's blessing. Luckily he loved the film and was happy to endorse it, even going so far as to agree to trailers for the film being shown before his 2008 Rambo reboot.

Son of Rambow is a warm hearted film that oozes charm, it's gentle tone a match for the innocent times it succeeds in evoking. It manages the rare feat of universal appeal, equally enthralling for those 30-40 somethings who grew up in the 70's and 80's as it is to their own kids.

Portable Pictures are screening Son of Rambow on Saturday 26th July at The Saltcellar, Totterdown Baptist Church, Wells Rd, Bristol BS4 2AX. Doors open at 7.30pm, film starts at 8pm. Tickets are £5 on the door or can be purchased in advance from here: //Portable Pictures// Upcoming Events