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	~~{{short description\|1985 film}}~~
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	* {{British Comedy Guide\|film\|no_surrender\|No Surrender}}		* {{British Comedy Guide\|film\|no_surrender\|No Surrender}}
	* {{Rotten Tomatoes\|no_surrender\|No Surrender}}		* {{Rotten Tomatoes\|no_surrender\|No Surrender}}

	~~{{Alan Bleasdale}}~~

	[[Category:1985 films]]		[[Category:1985 films]]

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{{short description|1985 film}}
{{EngvarB|date=May 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox film
| name = No Surrender
| image =
| director = Peter Smith
| writer = [[Alan Bleasdale]]
| starring = [[Michael Angelis]] [[Bernard Hill]] [[Joanne Whalley]] [[Ray McAnally]] [[Elvis Costello]]
| music = [[Daryl Runswick]]
| cinematography = [[Mick Coulter]]
| editing = [[Kevin Brownlow]] Rodney Holland
| producer = [[Mamoun Hassan]]
| distributor = Circle Films (US) [[Palace Pictures|Palace Pictures/Video]] (UK)
| released = {{Film date|1985}}
| runtime = 100 minutes
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| budget = £2.34 million<ref name="org">{{cite web|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-back-to-the-future-the-fall-and-rise-of-the-british-film-industry-in-the-1980s.pdf|page=26|title=Back to the Future: The Fall and Rise of the British Film Industry in the 1980s – An Information Briefing|publisher=British Film Institute|date=2005}}</ref>
}}

'''''No Surrender''''' is a 1985 British comedy film written by [[Alan Bleasdale]], directed by Peter Smith and produced by Mamoun Hassan.

Describing the commissioning process, Bleasdale said, "I went to the [[National Film Finance Corporation]] and told them I was never going to write ''Star Wars'' or ''Rambo Revisited'' or anything like that, so I just went ahead and wrote the film I wanted to write".<ref>{{cite web |last=Johnston |first=Trevor |title=Bleasdale Beyond the Blackstuff |url=https://archive.list.co.uk/the-list/1986-05-30/8/ |publisher=The List |accessdate=3 July 2019 |date=30 May 1986}}</ref>

The film is set in [[Liverpool]] during [[New Year's Eve]]. A man has been hired as the new manager of a function hall, and has to deal with the last arrangements made by his disgruntled predecessor. The hall has been simultaneously booked by rival groups of militant Catholics and Protestants, the entertainers hired for the night are inept and their acts are likely to infuriate the clients, and a [[marching band]] of the [[Orange Order]] starts playing sectarian tunes. When brawls break out within the hall, the manager has to find a way to defuse the situation.

==Plot==
On New Year's Eve in [[Liverpool]], Michael becomes the new manager of the Charleston Club, a run-down function hall on an industrial waste ground which, he later discovers, is owned by an organised crime syndicate. He also discovers that the previous manager, MacArthur, in an attempt to spite the hall's owners, has hired it out to two groups of senior citizens for New Year's Eve; one group are hardline [[Catholic]]s and the other are hardline [[Protestantism in Ireland|Protestants]], and the entertainment consists of a magician with stage fright, a gay comedian and his boyfriend, a talentless punk band, and a fancy dress competition with a non-existent prize.

The two parties arrive and are joined by another group of senior citizens who are suffering from senile dementia. After discovering MacArthur being tortured in a back room by the hall's owners, Michael, along with bouncer Bernard and kitchen porter Cheryl, attempts to keep things in order amid the threat of violence in the air.

As the night goes on, however, things start to go wrong; the comedian's routine is badly received, the magician has to pull out because of the death of his rabbit, and the band's poor performance prompts the groups to throw missiles at the stage while the band members fight amongst themselves. Meanwhile, things begin to boil over when former [[Ulster loyalism|Loyalist]] boxer Billy McRacken strangles on-the-run terrorist Norman Donohue to death in a toilet cubicle after Norman makes comments about McRacken's daughter [[Interfaith marriage|"marrying out"]], and an [[Orange Order]] marching band begins playing sectarian tunes, leading to a mass brawl in the toilets and the discovery of Norman's body. Meanwhile, Michael and Cheryl begin singing "[[If You Need Me]]" together on stage while Bernard phones the police, who arrive and defuse the situation.

The situation dies down by midnight, and the groups all go their separate ways peacefully. Michael and Cheryl share a kiss, before going back to Cheryl's house together. The film ends with McRacken phoning his daughter and asking to speak to his son-in-law, before wishing him a happy New Year.

==Cast==
* [[Michael Angelis]] as Mike
* [[Avis Bunnage]] as Martha Gorman
* [[James Ellis (actor)|James Ellis]] as Paddy Burke
* [[Tom Georgeson]] as Mr. Ross
* [[Bernard Hill]] as Bernard
* [[Ray McAnally]] as Billy McRacken
* Mark Mulholland as Norman
* [[Joanne Whalley]] as Cheryl
* [[J.G. Devlin]] as George Gorman
* [[Vince Earl]] as Frank
* [[Ken Jones (actor)|Ken Jones]] as Ronny
* [[Michael Ripper]] as Tony Bonaparte
* Marjorie Sudell as Barbara
* [[Joan Turner]] as Superwoman
* Richard Alexander as Smoking Kid
* [[Pamela Austin]] as Organist
* [[Elvis Costello]] as Rosco de Ville
* [[Ian Hart]] as Uncertain Menace
* [[Joe McGann]] as Second Policeman
* [[Mark McGann]] as Rock Group Leader
* [[James Culshaw]] as O'Gormans Taxi Driver

==Reception==
Walter Goodman of ''[[The New York Times]]'' called it "a funny movie about a desperate condition."<ref>{{cite news |date=6 August 1986 |first=Walter |last=Goodman |title=SCREEN: 'NO SURRENDER,' A COMEDY (Published 1986) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/08/06/movies/screen-no-surrender-a-comedy.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] }}</ref>

Paul Attanasio of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' wrote: "No Surrender" pretends to be a black comedy, but it really isn't -- it's just sour.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/nosurrenderrattanasio_a0ad59.htm|title='No Surrender' (R)|date=4 October 1986|first=Paul|last=Attanasio|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{IMDb title|0089697|No Surrender}}
* {{British Comedy Guide|film|no_surrender|No Surrender}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|no_surrender|No Surrender}}

{{Alan Bleasdale}}

[[Category:1985 films]]
[[Category:1985 black comedy films]]
[[Category:1985 LGBT-related films]]
[[Category:Films set in Liverpool]]
[[Category:British black comedy films]]
[[Category:Films about The Troubles (Northern Ireland)]]
[[Category:Films shot in Greater Manchester]]
[[Category:1980s English-language films]]
[[Category:1980s British films]]
[[Category:Films set around New Year]]
[[Category:Gay-related films]]
[[Category:Films about Catholicism]]
[[Category:Orange Order]]
[[Category:British LGBT-related films]]

No Surrender (film) - Revision history

Kurt at 23:39, 15 August 2024

Kurt: 1 revision imported

en>Bearcat: added Category:British LGBT-related films using HotCat