Film Fatale: Letters to Brezhnev and the Love for Liverpool
Make it stand out
Growing up as a film lover, I gazed to America for escapism. My Merseyside town didn’t hold much mystique to me at the time. The pubs, Betfred’s and gloomy skies never struck me as a place which could hold up a cinematic scene. It was no place for a desertscape road trip or a stylish coming of age drama. Particularly with the representation of Northwest England in the media being so crass, I didn’t want to see a caricature of a working class scouser. Even the attempts in the media with showing a ‘real’ story with ‘real’ people, it almost always still feels like it was made for people on the outside looking in.
With these thoughts in mind, I didn’t do too much film watching from my own region. It was only until recently when I began to shift my attention away from places I can only dream of and onto places I’ve lived, that I discovered that I was wrong about a lot of things.
Letter to Brezhnev (1985) directed by Chris Bernard introduces us to Liverpool in a misty dusk from the perspective of two Soviet sailors, outsiders who are mystified by this port city. As the aerial shots and the classic 1980’s droning music plays, we’re introduced to Liverpool in a new way. There’s no initial jump to tell the audience how deprived and falling apart the city is (or England as a whole in the 80’s). Instead, Bernard celebrates the place and the people. He shows us that although the people lack money and opportunities, they are rich in life and passions.
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Elaine (Alexandra Pigg) and Teresa (Margi Clarke) are two typical Kirby girls, they like a drink, a laugh and are always up for seeing where the night will take them. Teresa works in chicken factory and Elaine lives with her mum, dad, and sister. The two women complain about having no money and set off one night to make sure to have fun anyway. Once away from their jobs and their frustrating reality of having very little expense, they flourish into themselves.
“The people and the culture are not the enemy, but rather the looming British government that has failed a generation.”
The film really kicks off once the ladies get to the Sate nightclub, free from their drab day jobs. The legendary scene of Teresa changing from her apron and hair net into a bold red dress and heels in the club’s toilet says it all, they are dedicated to having a good time and nothing will get in the way of that. Through the music, the pints, and the spontaneous encounters, they have a chance to finally enjoy themselves and clock out of a harsh reality.
Whilst Teresa is going with the flow of the night, Elaine is struck by romance and unable to shake it off. She’s tired with the everyday, and yearns for something more and Peter, the sailor who is leaving the country in less than 48 hours, is just that. As the film goes on, although Elaine expresses her desire to be with Peter, it’s clear that her heart is set on the idea of moving away, even if its to somewhere she knows very little about like Soviet Russia. Despite the warnings and shuns, she wants nothing more than to leave and explore. As she tells her family; ‘Going to live in Russia can’t be any worse than living here.’
Even though the film tells the story of a young woman who wants to leave Liverpool and see the rest of the world, Bernard doesn’t create a negative or ugly picture of the city. The people and the culture are not the enemy, but rather the looming British government that has failed a generation. Teresa and Elaine are the epitome of Girls Just Want to Have Fun. They steal a wallet, miss work after a night out and, particularly Theresa, is very casual and open about sex. None of these things are used against them, although they could have been. The narrative is framed to give the girls a break. We’re shown that they’re tired and disappointed with the world and they deserve the night to be theirs.
The simplicity of the film is what makes it great. It’s a classic tale of a long-lost love that the audience has come across before, but not with characters or locations they’re used to seeing in this films case. The film doesn’t try to be anything other than what it is, and that’s a homage to the city of Liverpool and the working people who seek out enjoyment where they can. The ambiguous ending of Elaine getting on the plane to Russia is a frustrating one but the best way to finish. We want to know how it will play out for Elaine, but we never will. The theme of uncertainty and impulsive ‘now or never’ decisions is not just in outlandish stories of moving away for a lover, but rather a daily reality for working class people when money and opportunities are scarce.
Words: Charlotte Amy Landrum
