Telstar Details

[Highly rated reviewer]

I agree with the last reviewer

I have been a live sound professional for 35 years so I know exactly who Joe Meek was and what he achieved. If I did not have that knowledge I would have learnt nothing from this silly confused film.

Even more annoyingly it is a nostalgia piece for a period that never existed in that form. It has been created by people whose understanding of the period is second-hand and based on advertising images.

Something black and white in a similar style to 'Prick up your ears' would have been more interesting than this glossy, over-bright rubbish.

Great performances

The film held my attention all the way through, although the stage-based nature of the setting was more than a little claustrophobic at times. (Just like Meek's flat, I suppose...) Joe Meek is a curious case - he was some kind of twisted genius, but he never made a really great record...they're redolent of their time, and bring back loads of memories (although 'Have I the Right' was a stinker in 1964 and it still is), but they don't stand up to the sort of things that Phil Spector was turning out at the same time. Anyway, lots of eye-catching performances brought it all back and made for an enjoyable viewing experience. It may be that the thing wasn't strictly accurate, but that's the nature of the biopic, and my enjoyment was in no way spoilt by the fact that the numberplates were wrong...the guitars were right!