Themes: Twins and Lookalikes, Musician's Life, Rags To Riches
Main Cast: Harry Treadaway, Luke Treadaway, Bryan Dick, Sean Harris, Tania Emery
Release Year: 2006
Country: UK
Run Time: 92 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Brothers of the Head was adapted from Brian Aldiss' novel by screenwriter Tony Grisoni, and marks the narrative feature debut of Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe (Lost in La Mancha), who have structured Aldiss' story as a mock documentary. Twins Luke and Harry Treadaway star, respectively, as conjoined twins Barry and Tom Howe, joined at the torso. They were essentially purchased from their family as teens in the 1970s by a sleazy showbiz impresario, Zak Bedderwick (Howard Attfield), who planned to turn them into rock stars. Manager Nick (Sean Harris) kept the volatile Barry in line, sometimes violently, while musician Paul (Bryan Dick) taught the introspective Tom how to play the guitar, and helped the brothers write their songs. A documentary filmmaker, Eddie (Tom Bower), was hired to record the process. Their first live performance was a near disaster, as the rowdy pub crowd didn't welcome the sight of the two young men coming on-stage with their arms around each other, but Barry, the charismatically angry frontman, shocked the crowd by exposing the joint between them as he ripped into a snarling performance of their first single, "Two-Way Romeo," and the legend of their group, the Bang Bang, was born. As the proto-punk group's fame grew, Laura (Tania Emery), a young journalist, came to write an article about them, and quickly developed a romantic relationship with Tom, causing friction between the brothers. The film features interviews with some of the characters in the present day, and clips from an imagined unfinished Ken Russell film about the twins, starring Jonathan Pryce and Jane Horrocks. The music of the Bang Bang, performed by cast members and the band Crackout, was written and produced by Clive Langer. Brothers of the Head was shown at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
Review
Brothers of the Head is an adeptly made and consistently fascinating fictional rock documentary. The word "mock" doesn't really apply, as the filmmakers clearly venerate both the cinematic form and the music. The power of the film's proto-punk performance scenes, and the convincingly chaotic, off-the-cuff way in which they're captured, goes a long way toward selling the film's bizarre story of the Bang Bang, a 1970s rock band fronted by conjoined twins, Barry (Luke Treadaway) and Tom Howe (Harry Treadaway). The film opens cannily, with a gothic clip from a (purely fictional, but wholly convincing) unfinished Ken Russell film about the brothers, "Two-Way Romeo," and an interview with the director about what drew him to their story (the theme of "innocence exploited"). This naturally sets the stage for writer/directors Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe to tell the "real" story of the Howe brothers and their tragic journey from sheltered shut-ins to decadent budding rock stars. If the bones of the tale are a bit familiar, it's intriguingly fleshed out with the specificity of the brothers' personalities (excellent performances from the young leads as the charismatically petulant Barry and the introverted, creative Tom) and a very well-rendered simulation of both the mid-'70s British pub-rock scene, and the vérité style of documentary filmmaking popularized during that era. The film even has its own "Altamont" moment, which is perhaps the one moment where the filmmakers seem to wink a bit too blatantly at their audience. Beyond that, it has a great soundtrack (mostly composed by Clive Langer) and a surfeit of period atmosphere. Brothers of the Head is engagingly weird, and despite outlandish subject matter that might lend itself to something more lurid or camp, it treats its characters and their story with refreshing restraint and seriousness. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
Diana Kent - Ashworth, Laura (Present); Tom Bower - Eddie Pasqua; David Kennedy - Paul Day (Present Day); Elizabeth Rider - Roberta Howe; Jane Horrocks - Roberta Howe (Two-Way Romeo); Jonathan Pryce - Henry Couling (Two-Way Romeo); John Simm - Boatman (Two-Way Romeo); Ken Russell - Ken Russell, The Film Director; James Greene; Brian Aldiss - James Greene. The Author; Luke Wagner - Young Zak; Anna Nygh - Rita Bedderwick; Howard Attfield - Zak Bedderwick; Ed Hogg - Chris Dervish; Nicholas Millard - Tubs; Ken Bones - Henry Couling; Roger Watkins - Old Howe (Two-Way Romeo); Steven Eagles - Spitz; Raymond Pickard - Druggy; Joe Van Moyland - Druggy Friend; Ray Cooper - Ray Cooper; Kenneth Hadley - Pub Manager; Isabel Skinner - Concert Vox Pops; Michelle Bayton - Concert Vox Pops; Gillian Farr - Concert Vox Pops; Roger Spottiswoode - Concert Vox Pops; Neil McKay - Concert Vox Pops; Matthew Pearson - Concert Vox Pops; Kieran Rushby - Concert Vox Pops; Kristel George - Concert Vox Pops; Brian 'Dawn' Chalkley - Stylist; Anne Lambton - Cilla; Jack Dunkley - Roadie; Jeffry Wickham - Sir Allardyce Stevens; Tom Sturridge - Barry Howe (Two-Way Rodeo); Barbara Ewing - Dr. Janice Marsden
Credit
Patrick Rolfe - Art Director, Nina Gold - Casting, Anna Nygh - Choreography, Tony Grisoni - Co-producer, Lisa Marie Russo - Co-producer, Marianne Agertoft - Costume Designer, Mike Elliott - First Assistant Director, Keith Fulton - Director, Louis Pepe - Director, Nicolas Gaster - Editor, Tony Grisoni - Executive Producer, Peter Carlton - Executive Producer, Lisa Marie Russo - Executive Producer, Tessa Ross - Executive Producer, Kate Ogborn - Executive Producer, Sarah Monzani - Hair Styles, Henry Woolley - Location Manager, Chris Eilding - Location Manager, Clive Langer - Composer (Music Score), Sarah Monzani - Makeup, Anthony Dod Mantle - Camera Operator, Curtis Radcliffe - Camera Operator, Jon Henson - Production Designer, Anthony Dod Mantle - Cinematographer, Andy Stebbing - Production Manager, Hemal Shah - Production Manager, Simon Channing-Williams - Producer, Gail Egan - Producer, Tim Barker - Sound/Sound Designer, Paul Herbert - Stunts Coordinator, Clive Curtis - Stunts Coordinator, Tony Grisoni - Screenwriter, Thomas Neivelt - Gaffer, Clive Langer - Music Producer, Alistair Hopkins - Post Production Supervisor, Imogen Bell - Production Coordinator, Nick Thomas - Properties Master, Maralyn Sherman - Prosthetic Makeup Effects, Andy Thompson - Re-Recording Mixer, Sylvia Parker - Script Supervisor, Anthony Wilcox - Second Assistant Director, Thomas Edwards - Steadicam Operator, Emma Fryer - Costumes Supervisor, Christine Gayford - Production Accountant, Framestore - Visual Effects, Michelle Day - Set Decorator, Brian Aldiss - Book Author, Chris Allies - Title Design
In the early 1970s, the twins are essentially purchased by sleazy manager (Howard Attfield) with plans to turn them into rock stars. The brothers form a punk rock band called the Bang Bang. As the band's success grows, a music journalist, Laura (Tania Emery), follows the band writing an article. A romantic relationship develops between Laura and Tom causing friction between the two brothers.
Brian Aldiss, the writer of the original novel, filmed a cameo, however it was cut out and replaced by an actor portraying him. Deleted scenes make it clear that in the continuity of the film, Aldiss based his novel on a real life case. In the backstory of the action, Ken Russell (who appears in the film as himself and makes references to a previous rock and roll-based film, Tommy), had attempted to make his own uncompleted film version of the "true" story.
Ex-Crackout members Steven Eagles, Nicholas Millard and Jack Dunkley also have cameos. They also provided the soundtrack to the movie.
All Bang-Bang music tracks featured in the film were actually performed live by actors Harry and Luke Treadaway themselves, along with the actors portraying the band members. The Treadaways, along with all the actors except Bryan Dick (Paul Day), recorded studio tracks for the soundtrack album.
