01
THE FILM
Based on real life events
The film tells the story of 'George', a young lad living one day at a time and waiting for his 'moment' to shine.
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Brought up in a strict household by a tyrant of a father, George's daily routine involves running errands, doing chores about the home, cooking, cleaning and generally being there to fetch and carry for his parents.
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At school George has no friends and is seen by the other kids to be 'strange', as a result he is bullied and mocked.
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George however has ambition and a dream. He hatches a plan to leave his abusive parents by joining the Royal Navy; a career that would go on to make a man of him.
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Filmed in Black & White and set in the 1970's, the film tells the wonderfully moving story of a boy who refuses to let his childhood determine his future.
02
THE FACTS
From a book to the screen
Wenlock Road is a road in South Shields, the small seaside town that sits at the mouth of the River Tyne & overlooking the North Sea.
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The town has several areas and was largely made up of Railway workers, Shipyard workers or Miners. Life in one part of the town was particularly working class and tough; Simonside, or 'Syma' as it is still know as!
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It was life in this part of town that inspired the book 'LIFE IN A BLUE SUIT' a book that despite never being published by the author, tells the full story of 'George's' life as a child growing up in a tough and challenging times of the 1970's in and around the lanes of Simonside.
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Wenlock Road will have you on the edge of your seat, tearful, joyful and a range of other stuff. With its own soundtrack, the story will remind many of what life was like in Simonside and beyond.
03
THE MISSION
Never let your past determine your future'
The author of the book & subsequent film wants us all to understand that despite hardship, poverty or domestic difficulty, there is always a way out, always hope and it is within us all to find the route that will inevitably lead us to a better life.
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Despite his early life, George did indeed Join the Royal Navy and spent almost 10yrs at sea, learning new skills, seeing the world and more importantly, learning to shed himself of his former life.
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George went on to become a police officer, right there in the North East of England, serving 25yrs before retiring in 2013. Since then he has written 2 books, scripted stage and screen performances and is now a successful actor having appeared in several TV dramas and films.
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So it is true that
"THOSE THAT CONQUER THEIR PAST,
COMMAND THEIR FUTURE"
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