Starring a young David Essex in the role that launched his film career and featuring a who’s who of British music in a supporting cast including Ringo Starr, Keith Moon, Billy Fury, Marty Wilde, Dave Edmunds and Adam Faith, That’ll Be The Day recreates perfectly the experience of being a young music fan in the late ‘50’s and early ‘60’s and is a unique insight into a time where the world was changing so rapidly.
Produced by the great David Puttnam (Melody, The Mission, Chariots of Fire), the film boasts a soundtrack that capture the music of the era perfectly and feature timeless music by David Essex, Billy Fury, Bobby Darin, the Everly Brothers, Jerry Lee Lewis,
Nominated for two BAFTAs on release in 1973, That’ll Be The Day tells the story of Jim MacLaine (David Essex – Stardust, Silver Dream Racer). Abandoned by his father when he was young, Jim, a suburban school dropout, leaves home and drifts through a succession of dead- end jobs until he finds an outlet for his frustration in rock ‘n’ roll. Tossing away the chance of a university education much to the consternation of his mother (Rosemary Leach – A Room with a View, Turtle Bay), alienated MacLaine becomes a lowly deckchair attendant before streetwise friend Mike (Ringo Starr – A Hard Day’s Night, Help!) gets him a job firstly as a barman and then with the fun fair. The initially shy MacLaine quickly becomes a heartless fairground Romeo leaving a trail of broken hearts in his wake.
