A hoard of lovely girls, all dressed up to go clubbing, at midday on Saturday in London's Charing Cross railway station? What was going on?
In the true spirit of clubbing, Club Le Monde was shot entirely in a disused nightclub beneath the Adelphi Building, just off London's Strand. Every area was used to recreate that ever-so-slightly grotty feel of an early-90s club - the crew occupying whichever area was not being shot that day.
The main dancing scenes were rehearsed and shot over a couple of days and extras for these
were obtained by means of flyers outside students' unions in the London area. Hence the lovely
young ladies…
Simon Rumley's third feature captures the very essence of clubbing in the early 90's and the
characters who inhabited that scene - from the young innocents trying to score their first drugs,
to the sensitive bouncer with the sexual identity crisis, to the outrageous drag queens who have ended up at the wrong club by mistake. And wasn't there always some idiot who wore sunglasses even though it was dark? And thought it cool.
After his critically acclaimed films Strong Language and The Truth Game, Club Le Monde builds on Simon's ability to intertwine a kaleidoscope of characters and their stories to make a comedy with situations familiar even to those of us who missed out on the clubbing scene, whether by age or choice.
Originally, Simon intended Club Le Monde to be the first of his trilogy of London-based youth
films set at the end of the millennium, but when finance was pulled at the last minute, and not
wishing to waste time or the availability of London's most vibrant acting talent, he wrote Strong
Language and shot it on a microscopic budget in the summer of 1996. After Strong Language
attracted considerable notice, financing of The Truth Game was relatively straightforward despite having no 'star' names. This established Simon's relationship with Screen Production Associates' directors Douglas Abbott and John Jaquiss. It was SPA who again arranged finance for Club Le Monde. The rest, as they say, is clubbing history…
Led by main characters Ali Allison McKenzie, Jaqui Dawn Steele and Mike Brad Gorton we
are propelled through Club Le Monde meeting staff - the dodgy club-owner [just in it for the
money?], the customer unfriendly cloakroom attendant, the even less customer-focused barmaid - and a host of club-goers all out to have a great time. Many of the actors had worked with Simon before, including Tania Emery, present in all three films of the trilogy and spending a lot of time here in the loo, and Thomas Fisher, playing somewhat against type as the 6 foot plus and strapping with it transvestite Karina.
Despite recreating the vibe of the time, it wasn't all fun, fun, fun during the shoot. Extras had to
dance 'til they dropped while being sprayed with fake sweat and screaming for more at the
euphoric 'end' of the night. When in reality they'd been dancing for ten hours without the benefit
of an ecstacy-filled evening behind them. Many extras came to enjoy the live sets from top DJs
Brandon Block, Alex P and Mr C of The Shamen, and they weren't disappointed.
With Simon's love and knowledge of the music of that era he has assembled a superb
soundtrack featuring the cream of the clubbing scene - Atlantic Ocean, Dig the New Breed,
Alison Limerick, Bizarre Inc, 808 State…
To quote from the closing lines of the film…
You know, there's nothing to this clubbing game really. The kids, they do some drugs, have a
drink, have a dance, have a snog if they're lucky, and go back home again. I mean it's all pretty
harmless. I walk around my club, I see men and women, black and white, straight and gay, old and young, rich and poor, all getting along fine. That makes me feel glad to be alive, that does. It's a wonderful feeling.
My friends at Screen Production Associates and I hope that you've enjoyed your evening. See
you for another happening night at Club Le Monde.
