| Angels in Notting Hill | |
| Director: | Michael Pakleppa |
| Studio: | Continent Film |
| Runtime: | 99 minutes |
| Language: | English |
Angels in Notting Hill is a 2016 independent fantasy film written and directed by Michael Pakleppa. An international co-production of the United Kingdom and Germany, it stars Selma Brook, Ryan Mercier, Tina Gray and Stefanie Wallis; it also features the voice of Christopher Lee, in one of his last film roles following his death in 2015.[1] The film's plot follows an angel named Joy (Brook) who falls in love with a lonely human widower, Geoffrey (Mercier).
Prior to the production of Angels in Notting Hill, actor Christopher Lee was attached to appear in a live-action film adaptation of the 1968 novel The Last Unicorn.[2] According to director Michael Pakleppa, the adaptation, which was to be produced by Continental Film, "didn't work out in time". Instead, Lee and Pakleppa collaborated on the Continental Film-produced Angels in Notting Hill, in which Lee has a dual voice role as The Boss, an off-screen character, and Mr. President, a plush toy dog. For the latter character, puppeteer Mark Jefferis performed to Lee's pre-recorded voice lines. Pakleppa later stated:
It surely wasn't meant as a farewell [for Lee], but as a funny little intermezzo between his next big jobs. But I always wanted to see, or at least hear, him in roles that were not the usual villain horror stuff, but as ironical, sarcastic, warm-hearted, philosophical, and in many ways deep and wise as he really was. So, I took the chance to have in the film, since he was incredibly wide and open for experiments.
Angels in Notting Hill was filmed in London, England, between 2012 and 2015.[3] Shooting took place in Notting Hill, Bayswater, Little Venice, the Grand Union Canal, Hackney, Brighton and Abney Park.[4]
Angels in Notting Hill premiered in London on 29 October 2016.
The film was made available on video-on-demand (VOD) services in the United Kingdom, United States and Germany.[5] A "collector's edition" DVD release, featuring an extended director's cut of the film that runs 11 minutes longer than its theatrical cut, was released by Absolut Medien.