Several Merseyside locations, including the historic village of Port Sunlight, which has an suprising connection to the birth of the Fab Four, are featured in a new film exploring the life and extraordinary career of Brian Epstein, the man often called the “Fifth Beatle”.
Midas Man stars Jacob Fortune-Lloyd as Epstein, who masterminded the Beatles’ rise to global superstardom alongside managing other iconic acts including Cilla Black and Gerry and the Pacemakers. Emma Watson, Eddie Marsan, and Suzy Eddie Izzard also stars in the biopic.
The film – coming to Amazon Prime Video on 30 October – is directed by Joe Stephenson and charts not only Brian Epstein’s ambitious rise to success, but also his personal struggles with searching for love and acceptance. It was filmed at locations across Merseyside, London, Blackpool and Los Angeles.
It comes as VisitLiverpool and Liverpool Film Office recently launched a new campaign – ‘Liverpool, The Ultimate Setting’ – showcasing the city region’s rich film history and its reputation as both a filming hub and destination for film tourism.
With its timeless feel, Port Sunlight was chosen as the backdrop for some of the film’s pivotal scenes. This included Brian Epstein’s loving family home, which saw the filmmakers transform the interior of the village’s historic Bridge Cottage back to the 1960s.
Fittingly, filming also took place at Hulme Hall, the Arts and Crafts-style venue which incidentally hosted the very first public performance by the Fab Four with Ringo Starr on 18 August 1962. It is known that Brian Epstein attended the concert.
The quaint village is no stranger to its leafy streets being taken over by filming productions, which in the past has included Peaky Blinders, Chariots of Fire, and Tolkien. The arrival of classic 1960s cars and Hollywood actors turned heads back in autumn 2021 however, when filming for Midas Man took place in the village.
Mike Ward, Chief Commercial Officer at Port Sunlight Village Trust, said:
“From Peaky Blinders to Tolkien, we’ve welcomed some incredible film & TV productions to Port Sunlight over the years. However, it was special to welcome Midas Man, as the village has a such a strong link with the Beatles as the first place they ever performed as the Fab Four with Ringo Starr.
“By transporting parts of the village back to the 1960s, it must have been like stepping back in time to that evening when the Beatles and Brian Epstein arrived to Hulme Hall, just on the cusp of taking over the world.”
Port Sunlight residents and visitors also took notice of what was happening and word quickly spread that something special was being filmed in the village.
David Thomas, who grew up in the village and actually attended the Beatles’ concert in Port Sunlight back in 1962, happened to be visiting the village in October 2021 when he spotted a large crowd of camera crew. He said, “I live in Lancashire and was just visiting for the day with my daughter, so it was certainly a nice surprise. I took a few photos of the filming but couldn’t get too close.
Reminiscing about the night he saw the Beatles playing at Hulme Hall, David said:
“I had seen them for the first time a few weeks before at The Cavern when Pete Best was still their drummer; seeing them at Hulme Hall, I couldn’t believe the difference. Their appearance was so different, wearing smart suits and being very professional. I remember they sang a cover of the Tommy Roe song, Sheila, and I was so impressed with Ringo’s excellent drumming. I remember seeing their new manager, Brian Epstein standing to the right of the stage in a dark overcoat.”
Mike Ward, Chief Commercial Officer at Port Sunlight Village Trust, continued:
“It’s occasions like this that we’re reminded of how special Port Sunlight is, not only as an important place in Merseyside’s heritage, but also as a fantastic filming location. We regularly receive filming enquiries and look forward to seeing many more Port Sunlight appearances on the silver screen.”
Pamela Carroll, Head of Marketing at Marketing Liverpool said:
“It’s great to see the beautiful village of Port Sunlight used for yet another major film production, adding to the ever-growing list of filming that takes place across the region.
“We understand the importance of attracting these productions to Liverpool City Region, for not only showcasing the destination on screen but also the jobs they create and the tourism they generate for the region. Through projects like this and our current campaign, ‘The Ultimate Setting’ which focuses on ‘set-jetting’ experiences across the region, we will hopefully see more productions and visitors pick Liverpool City Region as their next film destination.”
Midas Man will be available to stream on Amazon Prime Video from October 30 2024.
For more information about filming in Port Sunlight, you can visit the website.
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