Imagine a film so bizarre, so uniquely Birmingham, that it almost ended the career of Sir Cliff Richard. That's the legacy of "Take Me High," a movie now celebrated as a 'cinematic love song' to the city, despite its initial reception. But here's where it gets controversial... Was it truly a disaster, or a misunderstood masterpiece?
Some say "Take Me High" marked the end of an era for Sir Cliff, nearly derailing his musical journey altogether. Released in 1973, this film, in the words of Birmingham author Catherine O'Flynn, attempts to blend "light musical comedy with the world of local government contract procurement processes." Sounds strange? It gets stranger.
The film features Sir Cliff piloting a hovercraft along Birmingham's canals and, most famously, inventing the "Brumburger," a culinary creation that leads to a "mildly surreal burger-related parade" through the city. Think a slightly off-kilter, very British version of a Hollywood musical.
But before you dismiss it as pure camp, consider this: On Friday night, the Mockingbird Cinema in Digbeth is hosting a screening of "Take Me High," now playfully rebranded as "Take Me High Bab" on posters and T-shirts. New artworks, presented by artists Tom Hicks and Dean Kelland, have also been created to celebrate the film's unique charm.
In the 1970s, Sir Cliff was a massive star, fresh off film successes like "The Young Ones," "Summer Holiday," and "Wonderful Life." He even had his own hugely popular Saturday night TV show. "Take Me High" was intended to be a step up, a more mature role. And this is the part most people miss... this wasn't supposed to be another teeny-bopper flick.
However, O'Flynn suggests it was a "really, really odd vehicle." She elaborates, "It's like a musical in which none of the songs became hits and a comedy in which there are no discernible jokes." Ouch.
According to Hicks, who works under the name Black Country Type, Sir Cliff plays Tim Matthews, a "quite unlikeable" banker who gets sent to Birmingham instead of his dream job in New York. In one particularly memorable scene, Matthews chooses his Birmingham residence by randomly pointing at a map, landing him in Gas Street Basin. He then buys a barge and transforms it into a "'70s luxury canal barge, which is just mad in itself." Hicks adds, "At one point he's in a Mini, just parked up drinking champagne and having a shave, like you do on an average Tuesday morning."
The plot thickens with Matthews becoming entangled in a power struggle between a left-wing council leader (played by the late George Cole, of "Minder" and "St Trinian's" fame) and an aggressively capitalist local businessman. Amidst all this, he decides to launch the Brumburger restaurant.
Upon its release, one critic called it a cheap and weird attempt to replicate the success of Sir Cliff's earlier musicals. Hicks notes, "When me and Dean were researching the film, he came across a quote about how it was supposed to resurrect his career, but almost ended up simultaneously finishing his film and music careers."
But here's another perspective: while it might not have revitalized Sir Cliff's career, "Take Me High" inadvertently serves as a time capsule of Birmingham's landmarks, including the former Brutalist library, which was nearing its opening when the film was shot. O'Flynn points out that the film offers a glimpse of the city's optimistic rise as a post-war Modernist hotspot, a stark contrast to the often-reductive portrayals in shows like "Crossroads" and "Pipkins." Kelland, who has created new art inspired by the film, echoes this sentiment.
City company Punks and Chancers has even produced a commemorative T-shirt. Zoe Darlington explains, "A film of such shonky brilliance demands its own shirt, one that, like the film, centres on Brum and Cliff's magnificent gnashers."
O'Flynn concludes that "Take Me High" was surprisingly prescient in predicting Birmingham's future. Matthews' "swanky bachelor pad" narrowboat, she argues, "kickstarts the entire process of re-purposing the city's industrial heritage for leisure use."
She further notes, "In the film the opening of the Brumburger restaurant is marked with an enormous parade, with marching bands and thousands of frozen-food-eating Brummies staring on open-mouthed... Now there are simply too many gourmet/artisan/dirty burger pop-ups opening every week in Birmingham to each warrant their own parade, and each new Brumburger-style offering is celebrated with lurid Instagram portraits instead."
So, is "Take Me High" a cinematic misfire or a hidden gem? A career killer or a quirky piece of Birmingham history? The screening at the Mockingbird Cinema offers a chance to decide for yourself.
Take Me High will be shown at the Mockingbird Cinema, in Digbeth, Birmingham at 20:00 GMT on Friday.
What do you think? Is "Take Me High" a so-bad-it's-good masterpiece, or should it remain buried in the annals of cinematic history? Share your thoughts in the comments below! Did it deserve the negativity or was it ahead of its time in celebrating Birmingham?
