‘The Bruce McMouse Show’ Playing In Select Cinemas Around The World

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From paulmccartney.com, January 10, 2019:

Today Paul announced in partnership with Abramorama and MPL/Capitol/UMe to premiere The Bruce McMouse Show in select cinemas around the world on Monday 21st January. The Bruce McMouse Show is a previously never-before seen film that tells the story of how Paul and Wings came to meet the inimitable impresario Bruce McMouse. Part concert film, part animated feature, The Bruce McMouse Show  features footage from Wings’ 1972 European tour from Red Rose Speedway, interspersed with animated scenes that introduce a family of mice living under the stage.

After opening the film with ‘Big Barn Bed’, the camera takes us down through the floorboards into this charming animated world. We see Bruce McMouse regale his children with stories from his past, when son Soily rushes into the room in a whirlwind of excitement announcing that “The Wings” are playing above them. As the concert plays on, Bruce declares to his wife Yvonne that Paul and the band need his help. Bruce then proceeds to venture on stage to offers his services as producer. As the concert progresses, the animated scenes culminate with dozens of animated mice flocking to the venue to see Wings play. The Bruce McMouse Show has been fully restored in 2018 at Final Frame Post alongside a brand-new audio mix (stereo and 5.1) created at AIR Studios and mastered at Abbey Road.

The film was directed by Barry Chattington and produced by Roger Cherrill with the live elements taken from four shows in The Netherlands and Germany in 1972. Paul viewed the initial concert edit and realised there was great potential in the material captured. Prior to the European tour Paul had the idea of a family of mice and sketched the characters. Picking up the idea, Eric Wylam took Paul’s sketches and created the final McMouse family. This storyline was incorporated and used as a linking theme within the concert footage. The voice-overs for the animated mice took place at the end of 1973, recorded by Paul and Linda McCartney, Deryck Guyler, Pat Coombs and Derek Nimmo. Production stretched from 1972 through to 1977 when the film was complete, however with changes in the band’s line-up and music scene, the project was held in the MPL archives.

Evan Saxon, Head of West Coast Acquisitions and Business Development at Abramorama stated, “There’s no greater compliment than to be entrusted to oversee the global release a Paul McCartney film and continue our long-standing relationship with The Beatles family. Fans attending these special screenings of ‘The Bruce McMouse Show’ will be transported to a Paul McCartney & Wings concert with the best seat in the house, just above Bruce McMouse and his family.”

Cinemas where The Bruce McMouse Show is screening:

UK:
Liverpool: Everyman Cinema Liverpool
London: Everyman Cinema Hempstead

US:
New York: IFC Center
Los Angeles:  ArcLight, Hollywood
Bethesda: ArcLight Bethesda
Chicago: ArcLight Chicago
Dallas: ANGELIKA
Honolulu: Kahala 8
Nashville: Belcourt Theatre
Phoenix: FilmBar
Sacramento: The Tower Theatre
San Diego: ANGELIKA, Carmel Mountain
San Rafael: San Rafael Film Center
Seattle: SIFF Uptown

AUSTRALIA:
Melbourne: Rivoli Cinemas
Perth: Event Cinemas Innaloo
Sydney: Event Cinemas George Street

CANADA:
Montreal: Cinéma Banque Scotia Montréal
Toronto: Scotiabank Theatre Toronto
Vancouver: Scotiabank Theatre Vancouver

From brucemcmouse.com:

Never-before-seen, The Bruce McMouse Show is a concert film with a difference. Paul McCartney opens with the story of how the band came to meet the inimitable impresario Bruce McMouse. Featuring the original Wings line up, live concert footage from Wings’ 1972 European tour is interspersed with animated scenes, introducing a family of mice living under the stage. After opening the film with ‘Big Barn Bed’ – taken from Wings’ LP Red Rose Speedway – the camera takes us down through the floorboards into this charming animated world. We see Bruce McMouse regale his children with stories from his past, when son Soily rushes into the room in a whirlwind of excitement announcing that “The Wings” are playing above them.

As the concert plays on, Bruce declares to his wife Yvonne that Paul and the band need his help. Bruce then proceeds to venture on stage to offers his services as producer. As the concert progresses, the animated scenes culminate with dozens of animated mice flocking to the venue to see Wings play. The film was directed by Barry Chattington and produced by Roger Cherrill with the live elements taken from four shows in Holland and Germany in 1972.

Paul viewed the initial concert edit and realised there was great potential in the material captured. Prior to the European tour Paul had the idea of a family of mice and sketched the characters. Picking up the idea, Eric Wylam took Paul’s sketches and created the final McMouse family. This storyline was incorporated and used as a linking theme within the concert footage. The voice-overs for the animated mice took place at the end of 1973, recorded by Paul and Linda McCartney, Deryck Guyler, Pat Coombs and Derek Nimmo.

Production stretched from 1972 through to 1977 when the film was complete, however with changes in the band’s line-up and music scene, the project was shelved. ‘The Bruce McMouse Show’has been fully restored in 2018 at Final Frame Post alongside a brand-new audio mix (stereo and 5.1) created at AIR Studios and mastered at Abbey Road.

Last updated on November 8, 2023