Telstar

Nick Moran (1968) is a British actor, writer and producer. He first hit the big screen in 1990, and is probably best known for his role in Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels (1998). Moran co-wrote the play Telstar with James Hicks, which was staged in 2005. Three years on, he has adapted it for the screen, resulting in this wonderfully engaging, fascinating and moving cinematic experience by the same name, and also with the charismatic Con O’Neill starring as Joe Meek.
The film is essentially a biopic about eccentric music producer Joe Meek, who, by developing new techniques in recording, made a number of groundbreaking hit singles and became the premier independent pop producer in Britain during the late 50s and early 60s. His biggest successes were Johnny Remember Me, Have I The Right, Just Like Eddie and of course the classic Telstar, all titles which are played out in the film with great enthusiasm, pathos and impact (the sound design is impeccable).
Telstar covers the early beginnings of his career, when he did his recordings from a ramshackle flat on Holloway Road, London, right through the years of fame, and ends with the tragic last years of his life, when his paranoia and lack of success got the better of him. The film excels in gifted performances, true-to-life dialogue and an incredible feel for the period and all its details. (EH)