The Murder of Stephen Lawrence
| The Murder of Stephen Lawrence | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | True crime |
| Written by | Paul Greengrass |
| Directed by | Paul Greengrass |
| Starring | Marianne Jean-Baptiste Hugh Quarshie Leon Black Ashley Walters Millicent Gezi Joseph Kpobie Brian Bovell Jo Martin |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Jeff Pope Yvette Vanson |
| Producer | Mark Redhead |
| Cinematography | Ivan Strasburg |
| Editor | Clare Douglas |
| Running time | 120 minutes |
| Production companies | Granada Television, Vanson Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | ITV |
| Release | 18 February 1999 |
The Murder of Stephen Lawrence is a British television true crime drama film, written and directed by Paul Greengrass, that first broadcast on ITV on 18 February 1999.[1] It won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Single Drama.
The film, based on the murder committed on 22 April 1993, follows Stephen's parents' Doreen and Neville's quest for justice as a gang of racist teenagers are tried for their son's murder. Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Hugh Quarshie star as Doreen and Neville, with Leon Black playing Stephen, and Ashley Walters, Millicent Gezi, Joseph Kpobie and Brian Bovell also amongst the main cast.[2]
Production
[edit]The film was first conceived in 1997, with then head of drama at ITV, Nick Elliott, commissioning the project before a script had even been written. Producer Mark Readhead said a key part of the film was to "concentrate on the personal, rather than police, procedures", in order to create a "true story".[3] The film was notable for being actress Jean-Baptiste's first British screen role since her Oscar nomination for Secrets and Lies.
Cast
[edit]- Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Doreen Lawrence
- Hugh Quarshie as Neville Lawrence
- Leon Black as Stephen Lawrence
- Ashley Walters as Stuart Lawrence
- Millicent Gezi as Georgina Lawrence
- Joseph Kpobie as Duwayne Brooks
- Brian Bovell as Uncle
- Jo Martin as Cheryl Sloley
- Shaun Chawdhary as Imran Khan
- Kenneth Cranham as Michael Mansfield QC
- David Calder as Sir Paul Condon
- Stafford Gordon as DAC Ian Johnston
- Michael Feast as DCS Ilsley
- David Schaal as DS Bevan
- Jenny Tarren as WDC Holden
- Natasha Williams as Clara
- Dona Croll as Ros Howells OBE
- Ricci Harnett as Neil Acourt
- Lee Colley as Jamie Acourt
- Darren Morfitt as Luke Knight
- Neil Maskell as Gary Dobson
- Dominic Power as David Norris
Home media
[edit]The film was released on VHS in the United States on 23 April 2002, but this remains the only home release.[4]
Legacy and sequel
[edit]In the wake of various Black Lives Matter protests, and as part of ITV's "Black Voices" strand, the drama was repeated on ITV in July 2020, immediately after an hour-long debate programme titled Stephen Lawrence: Has Britain Changed?[5]
In July 2020, it was announced that a new, three-part sequel to the 1999 drama had been commissioned by ITV. The series will be set 13 years after Lawrence's death and will depict his parents’ fight for justice.[6] The series, entitled Stephen was broadcast from 30 August to 13 September 2021.
References
[edit]- ^ "The Murder of Stephen Lawrence". ITV Studios.
- ^ "ITV to screen Lawrence drama". BBC News. 10 February 1999.
- ^ "The justice game". The Guardian. 15 February 1999.
- ^ "The Murder of Stephen Lawrence [VHS]". Amazon.
- ^ "Stephen Lawrence: Has Britain Changed?". ITV Press Centre. July 2020.
- ^ "New ITV drama about murder of Stephen Lawrence to follow parents' fight for justice". ITV News. 13 July 2020.
External links
[edit]- 1999 films
- 1999 television films
- 1999 crime drama films
- BAFTA winners (television series)
- British crime drama films
- Television shows produced by Granada Television
- ITV television dramas
- Television series by ITV Studios
- Films shot in London
- Films directed by Paul Greengrass
- Crime films based on actual events
- 1990s English-language films
- 1990s British films
- British drama television films
- English-language crime drama films