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Mancunian Man: The Legendary Life Of Cliff Twemlow
Synopsis
What kind of man grabs the Hollywood Dream by the bollocks?
Go back to the 1980s and discover the extraordinary true story of Cliff Twemlow! You’ve never heard of him… but polymath Twemlow was a nightclub bouncer, novelist, composer, singer, screenwriter, producer and actor who was the most prolific indie filmmaker in the UK for a decade! Witness how this 20th-century Renaissance man created his own innovative micro-film industry in Manchester. Shooting his feature films on clunky early pioneering video technology, G.B.H. (1983) was even branded a Video Nasty! A warmly hilarious portrait that will take you back to an era where literally anything could happen. And did!
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Premiere
27 Aug 2023
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UK
Frightfest
UK
More
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The name Cliff Twemlow may draw some blanks from most. He was a granite faced renaissance man; a former bouncer turned writer, novelist, actor, song writer, musician and film making Mancunian legend, and this loving documentary from Jake West tells his incredible story.
Twemlow (1937-1993) was responsible for a raft of extremely low budget, violent and stunt heavy (he did all of his own) exploitation movies shot in and around his native Manchester in the 1980s and 90s, with titles such as GBH, GBH 2: Lethal Impact, Moonstalker aka Predator: The Quietus, The Blind Side Of God, The Eye Of Satan, Firestar: First Contact, and The Ibiza Connection, to name but a few. As a writer, he first came to prominence with his memoir about his days as a doorman, Tuxedo…
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The 2024 Catch-Up Project
I feel like I've never seen enough of Manchester and Mancunians in cinema.
I know I could certainly remedy that by seeking out more from my neck of the woods, but it's never been a city that has had a burgeoning film scene compared to its music and television. So the celebration of Cliff Twemlow's life and career in Mancunian Man might seem like the lifting up of someone who wouldn't be seen as notable if he'd been from elsewhere.
Jake West is a superb documentarian, though, and does a really good job of covering Twemlow's life and career(s) to illustrate why he should be regarded as a figure of great interest anywhere. Something also struck…
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Cliff Twemlow is going to be a brand new name for a good 90%, if not more of viewers. Having been a fan of his for many years now, I'm so happy that his name is getting out there a bit. I have actually only seen two of his films as they are so bloody hard to find and the fact that I just know Severin will be putting out a boxset, which I'll be first in line for. Those two films were just great fun though and the character of Cliff just explodes off the screen.
This is just such a great look at his life, filled with people that knew and worked with him that could not have been easy to get hold of. There's some really stunning behind the scenes footage too, which makes me extra excited for a box set. God I wish he made that killer pike movie with Joan Collins.
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"Mancunian Man combines several strands of West’s work. It’s a heartfelt salute from one proud British trash auteur to another, it’s fearsomely well-researched, and it’s genuinely evocative to boot. When West illustrates Twemlow’s business plan to target the video market with a dense montage of early ’80s VHS commercials, you realise you’re watching the joyous fruits of a wasted youth renting anything with a Vipco label."
Read more at The Geek Show.
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Documentary that seems to only scratch the surface of its subject. But then, this was released 30 years after Cliff Twemlow died. I’d like to more about the music side TBH.
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Where To Watch: gets a Manchester screening on November 12, 2023, at Cultplex, then plays at The Abertoir Festival in Wales (www.abertoir.co.uk), The Bristol Cube Cinema 20th Nov, and The Derby Quad 24th Nov; it will receive its digital release in early 2024 from Severin Films
RAVING REVIEW: MANCUNIAN MAN takes us on a winding path through the life of Cliff Twemlow, whose relentless pursuit of cinematic creation led him to craft a legacy from the shadows. In Jake West's documentary, the streets of Manchester are not just a backdrop but a character for the film, integral to the story of a man whose environmental roots fertilized his artistic ambitions.
Nestled in the heart of Britain lies a story not…
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Feature-length documentaries about films or filmmakers that you're interested in are one thing. But what if there was a two hour plus movie about a not-especially talented chancer who you don't care about very much? Turns out that can be pretty amusing too, because Cliff Twemlow's 10-year career in cheap, barely-released, mainly shot-on-video thrillers is a pretty wild story about a bloke who clearly thought he had more to offer the world than people appreciated.
The funny thing is, if he'd stuck to what he was good at - composing library music - he might well have been able to keep up a luxurious lifestyle off the royalties. He was lucky enough that one of his pieces was put onto…
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This is why Severin Films exists and deserves a MacArthur Genius Grant. I can’t believe it’s on Tubi before Severin even issues a disc, but I’m ready to buy one.
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Fascinating exploration of the larger than life story of Mancunian bon vivant and underground video icon Cliff Twemlow.
Inspirational
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I could watch endless versions of these very lovingly made documentaries about cult figures. Lots of laughs and sadness in this one.
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Developed from what was going to be a DVD extra this is a really enjoyable look at one of those people who sit outside the industry (in this case Manchester) but through sheer love for film create something distinctive. Having seen the film with a Q&A with people involved in the proxy tion, I can't wait for the box set of Twemlow's films.
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Man, Jake West's documentaries are great. Love a good grassroots indie filmmaking story, and this was a pretty bonkers and compelling one.
