Movielogr
T. Dan Smith: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Utopia (1987)
Overview
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…
Length 85 minutes
Actors
Dave Hill | Ralph Nossek | Jack Johnson | Amber Styles | Brian Hogg | Murray Martin | Cilla Mason | Dennis Skinner | Harry Herring | Gwen Doran | Norma Day | Elizabeth Mansfield | Christopher Northey | Mike Mason | Dick McCullough | Art Davies | T. Dan Smith | Martin Murray | Steve Trafford | Ken Skethaway | Kay Wight | Joseph Neatrour | Max Roberts | Bob White | Lee Ross | Paul Heslop | Alan Twelvetree | Nigel Stanger | Ray Stubbs