The Full Monty
Year: 1997
Director: Peter Cattaneo
Cast: Robert Carlyle , Tom Wilkinson, Mark Addy, Lesley Sharp, Emily Woof, Steve Huison, Paul Barber, Hugo Speer, Deirdre Costello.
Set Locations:
Northern England: Filmed entirely on location in Sheffield, South Yorkshire
Peter Cattaneo’s 1997 film ‘The Full Monty’ caused quite a sensation when it was released in Britain. Prior to that it was felt the male Striptease was the domain solely of the ‘Chippendale’ type. After ‘The Full Monty’, however, men of all shapes and sizes could been seen baring all at Christmas parties up down the country to the immortal sound of Hot Chocolate’s ‘I Believe in Miracles (You Sexy Thing)’.
Robert Carlyle, Mark Addy, Steve Huison, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Barber, and Hugo Speer star as a bunch of unemployed guys from Sheffield, who see little hope for work following the collapse of the Sheffield steel industry. In desperation Gaz (Robert Carlyle) forms a male striptease act. The story mixes the sadness and despondency of the depressed city with some hilarious moments as the guys prepare their act, all the while having to conceal what they are doing from their loved ones.
Gaz himself faces a battle to maintain access to his son as his wife threatens to sue over child payments, yet is not happy about her son seeing a Dad who is planning to become a male stripper! The film features one of the most bizarre chase scenes in film history as the police observe their rehearsal at an abandoned factory on security cameras. Not surprisingly, the police misinterpret the strange goings on and end up chasing a bunch of men clad only in orange leather thongs! In the end, the lads overcome all the odds (including their own hang-ups!) and strip off in front of a packed house of adoring fans.
The action was filmed on location in Sheffield. The canal scene in the film was shot at Bacon Lane, the graveyard is Crookes Cemetery. Mandy’s factory is represented by Eversure Textiles in Sheffield and the Job Club is actually at Langsett School in Burton Street. The climax of the film, the strip scene itself, takes place at Shiregreen Working Mens Club. The city was once famous for being ‘the beating heart of the industrial north ’, most of the cutlery in Britain once came bearing the mark of Sheffield Steel. Nowadays Sheffield is famous for the enormous indoor shopping complex ‘Meadowhall’. When the complex was opened, it was the second largest in terms of floor area in Britain. It is still among the largest in the country with over 280 stores, including the iconic Apple Store, and ample parking onsite. There is easy access from the M1 motorway which passes right next to Meadowhall. The shopping centre also benefits from a dedicated railway station and a comprehensive bus and tram service.
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