Take It Or Leave It, originally released in 1981, is the highly entertaining and brilliantly nostalgic story of how Madness, one of the most successful and enduring British bands of all time, originally got together.
Filmed after Madness enjoyed a bunch of Top 10 singles, endearing themselves to the British public with the humour of their iconic music videos, the film travels back in time, chronicling how seven mates living in 1970s Camden Town formed a band. It details the jobs they left behind, the line-up changes, the rows, the laughs, and how their distinctive ska-pop ‘Nutty Sound’ evolved.
Featuring classic songs including One Step Beyond, Night Boat to Cairo and Embarrassment.
Credits
UK 1981
86 min
Certificate 12A
Dir Dave Robinson
With Graham McPherson (Suggs), Mark Bedford (Bedders), Lee Thompson (El Thommo), Carl Smyth (Chas Smash), Dan Woodgate (Woody), Chris Foreman (Chrissy Boy) and Mike Barson (Barzo)
Screenings
Previews
September
30 September
BFI Southbank, London (Restoration premiere)
October
1 October
Picturehouse Cinemas
More screenings to be confirmed.