Battle of the Bone explained

Battle of the Bone
Director:George Clarke
Producer:
  • George Clarke
  • Andrew Mawhinney
Starring:
  • Shane Todd
  • Alan Murray Crawford
  • Laura Jenkins
  • Lindsey Mitchell
Music:Chris Logan
Cinematography:George Clarke
Editing:Jonny Kirk
Studio:Yellow Fever Productions
Distributor:Yellow Fever Productions
Runtime:90 minutes
Country:Northern Ireland
Language:English
Budget:£10,000

Battle of the Bone is a 2008 Northern Irish independent zombie film written and directed by George Clarke, and is claimed as Northern Ireland's "first ever" kung-fu zombie movie.[1]

Plot

As rival mobs battle it out on the streets of Belfast, three friends are caught in the middle and have to contend not only with the rioters but a horde of marauding zombies.

Production

Both the film's title and its plot timeline being set on 12 July, stem from King William III's 12 July 1690 Battle of the Boyne. Created on a budget of £10,000, the filmmaker chose The Troubles as the film's inspiration and stated that he saw the movie as a means to address the issue of division with a twist that shows the two sides of the Belfast community joining to deal with a common threat.[2] [3] [4] Filming took place in Belfast, Northern Ireland at locations such as the Downshire psychiatric hospital.[5] Per the Irish Times, the movie was "one of the biggest low-budget features to have been made in the city" and employed over 500 extras. Clarke and crew utilized various means to keep the film under budget, such as using a wheelchair as a makeshift dolly-rig and a cherry picker for aerial shots.[6]

Release

The film first screened in Belfast, on 17 July 2008,[1] [7] [8] and was followed by a DVD release on 23 October 2008.

Reception

Peter Dendle covered the film in the second volume of The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia, noting that it was "too low budget to come across to most general audiences as much more than friends having fun around some local buildings and streets, but George Clarke's impassioned zombie pic gained immediate attention both for some vivaciously choreographed action sequences and for its political overtones."[9]

The director later noted that the film did not go over well with mainstream critics but that it appealed to the genre fans that viewed it.[10]

Awards

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Zombies now set to rampage City Walls! . . 16 June 2008 . 12 September 2011 . staff . 14 June 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120614040750/http://www.derryjournal.com/news/local/zombies_now_set_to_rampage_city_walls_1_2126541 . dead .
  2. Web site: The zombie movie set at an Ulster flashpoint . https://archive.today/20130419195132/http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/film-tv/news/the-zombie-movie-set-at-an-ulster-flashpoint-13488801.html . dead . 19 April 2013 . . 29 October 2007 . 12 September 2011 . Lesley-Anne Henry .
  3. Web site: My Cultural Life: George Clark . Culture Northern Ireland . 12 September 2008 . 12 September 2011 . 13 January 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110113143218/http://www.culturenorthernireland.org/article/2406/my-cultural-life-george-clark . dead .
  4. News: UTV – Battle of the Bone premiere . 18 July 2008 . UTV . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081028105805/http://www3.u.tv/news/genEntertainment/index.asp?sel=3&sel2=1&local=1&id=13780&pt=e . 28 October 2008.
  5. Web site: Ireland. Culture Northern. 2008-03-10. Battle of the Bone. 2022-02-20. Culture Northern Ireland. en. 20 February 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220220093058/https://www.culturenorthernireland.org/features/film/battle-bone. dead.
  6. News: Munching season. 2022-02-20. The Irish Times. en.
  7. News: 18 July 2008. Belfast Zombies Unleashed in Cinema. Belfast Telegraph. dead. https://archive.today/20130420022439/http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/film-tv/news/belfast-zombies-unleashed-in-cinema-13912044.html. 20 April 2013. 23 July 2008.
  8. News: Zombies in 12 July rampage . . 22 May 2008 . 12 September 2011 . staff.
  9. Book: Dendle, Peter. Peter Dendle

    . The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia, Volume 2: 2000–2010. Peter Dendle. McFarland & Company. 2012. 29–30. 978-0-7864-6163-9.

  10. News: Hope and gory . https://archive.today/20130420062641/http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/film-tv/news/hope-and-gory-14658429.html . dead . 20 April 2013 . . 29 January 2010 . 12 September 2011 . staff .
  11. Web site: Freaky Award Winners 2008 . 10 January 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081030063221/http://www.freakshowfilmfest.com/2008freakywinners.html . 30 October 2008.

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