Remembrance

BFI Flipside presents... Remembrance, a rarely seen British film that follows a group of young Royal Navy sailors during their last 24 hours ashore before their ship sets sail on a six-month naval exercise. Set around the pubs and clubs of the then-notorious Union Street in 1980s Plymouth, Colin Gregg's direction and Hugh Stoddart's script skilfully cuts between the interweaving stories of several characters as they prepare for the coming months at sea. The ensemble cast includes early performances from the likes of Timothy Spall, John Altman and Gary Oldman (in his big-screen debut). One of the first films produced by Channel Four, where it was broadcast after a short theatrical run in the summer of 1982, Remembrance’s initial release was given added poignancy and relevance by the outbreak of the Falklands War a few months earlier. Rarely screened since, this new 2024 restoration by the BFI marks the first time this important British film has been available on Blu-ray.