A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Utopia.
An experimental mix of thriller and documentary exploring the scandal centred on the one-time Newcastle Council Leader, aka The Mouth of the Tyne, who was sentenced to six years imprisonment in 1974 for corruption. A dynamic and visionary politician, Smith collaborated closely as Amber unpicked the story of a leftwing group of ex-war resisters who took control of the city council in 1960, the socialist and civic ambitions and the betrayals; the claims of MI5 involvement, of ministerial cover-ups and the unseen role of the Privy Council. With Smith appearing as himself and filmmakers Murray Martin and Steve Trafford as two journalists, the film interrogates the interviews and archive footage, weaving them together with a fictional scandal unfolding on the streets around them…
T. Dan Smith
Self
Dennis Skinner
Self
Murray Martin
Self
Jack Johnson
Self
Ken Skethaway
Self
Dave Hill
Jack Cross
Art Davies
Councillor Alan Deal
Christopher Northey
Jeremy Maudsley-Long
Steve Trafford
Steve
A Plastic Ocean75%
Maternal Instinct71%
Directed by John Ford70%
McQueen74%
Voyeur59%
Tricked: The Documentary61%
Public Speaking70%
Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story62%
180° South72%
The Crash69%
The Class of ‘9271%
John Candy: I Like Me78%
Unknown Number: The High School Catfish67%
ReMastered: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke69%
Lionel Messi: Destiny78%
Out of Thin Air59%
Spider-Man: All Roads Lead to No Way Home67%
Sidney70%
The Green Prince72%
Harmontown66%
