Stan & Ollie To World Have Premiere At BFI London Film Festival

Stan & Ollie, the new film starring Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly as the legendary movie comedy duo Laurel & Hardy, will have its World Premiere at the Closing Night Gala of the BFI London Film Festival Sunday 21 October, after filming in Bristol earlier this year.

Bristol's historic harbourside was a star attraction for filmmakers behind the British biographical film when it filmed major scenes along Princes Wharf in April. The preserved historic harbourside, which is a popular location for film and TV shoots, can be seen in the movie’s official trailer doubling for the Irish docks that the world's favourite comedy double act arrive at as part of their variety hall tour in 1953. The Balmoral ship stars as the vessel the pair alight from, greeted by crowds of cheering fans. Filming also took place at the Bristol Hippodrome, which features as the exterior of a variety hall on the tour. Bristol Film Office facilitated filming, working with Stan & Ollie’s production team to secure locations and set up a unit base at Lloyds Amphitheatre.

Stan & Ollie producer Faye Ward said: "The Balmoral was a gem of a find. Its conserved beauty was the perfect setting for a crucial moment in the film and we couldn't have done it without the wonderful support of Bristol."

Andy King of M Shed said: "Bristol made a brave and, at the time, controversial decision in the 1990s to conserve Princes Wharf as a working quayside. With the museum’s operational cranes, steam railway and transit shed, it now makes an ideal and animated backdrop for film productions like this, and one that is unique in the UK."

Natalie Moore of Bristol Film Office said: "Stan & Ollie was one of four films that Bristol welcomed in 2017-18, in what was a particular busy year for feature film shoots in the city. Our harbourside has so much to offer productions seeking a historic port backdrop like this. Not only does it look the part visually, it's also particularly well set up for filming, with key partners like the M Shed and The Balmoral lending their vital cooperation to make sure that such large crowd scenes can be staged successfully. Last year shoots like this generated more than £15 million to the city's economy, as well as putting Bristol, a UNESCO City of Film, on screen to audiences across the world. We're very proud to have been involved."

Inspired by actual events, Stan & Ollie is an original film based on one of the worlds most loved comedy duos and geniuses of their time - Laurel & Hardy. Penned by award winning screenwriter Jeff Pope (Philomena, Mrs Biggs) and directed by Jon S. Baird (Vinyl, Filth), Stan & Ollie stars stellar lead actors Steve Coogan (Philomena, Alan Partridge) as Stan Laurel and John C. Reilly (Chicago, We Need to Talk About Kevin) as Oliver Hardy. Stan & Ollie is the heart-warming story of what would become the pair’s triumphant farewell tour.

With their golden era long behind them, the pair embark on a variety hall tour of Britain and Ireland. Despite the pressures of a hectic schedule, and with the support of their wives Lucille (Shirley Henderson) and Ida (Nina Arianda) – a formidable double act in their own right - the pair’s love of performing, as well as for each other, endures as they secure their place in the hearts of their adoring public.

Other features made in Bristol in 2017-18 include Neil Marshall’s upcoming Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen, Mike Newell’s The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society and Iain Morris’s The Festival.

Stan & Ollie will be released in UK cinemas on 11 January 2019.

www.stanandollie.co.uk