London 1939. In the weeks before the beginning of the Second World War, the Say When jazz club keeps London's Shoreditch swinging. Run by Thomas (Richie) and his wife Massie (Natasha Wightman), it's a place where gangsters and aristocrats, home office gents, and loose women can kick back and relax. Thomas' job is to keep everything running smoothly. But when he starts having an affair with singer Butterfly (Joely Richardson), this carefully balanced world disintegrates into blackmail, drugs, and suicide.
Production
Say When club set genuinely evokes pre-war London grime.
Costume
Period details that almost justify the runtime.
Director
Malcolm Needs
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shane Richie was primarily known as a game show host and sitcom actor; this was his dramatic 'prestige' era.
The film attempts to capture 'end of an era' anxiety but was largely ignored upon release, possibly because it resembles a pilot for a never-made ITV period drama.
US
