Shane Meadows' documentary The Stone Roses: Made of Stone

30 January 2013

Film4, 4DVD and Warp Films are excited to announce details of Shane Meadows’ The Stone Roses: Made of Stone, an intimate and personal documentary following one of the most revered and influential bands in British music history as they embark on their long-awaited reunion tour.  

Life-long Stone Roses fan Shane Meadows was granted unprecedented access to The Stone Roses for almost a year: from the palpable excitement at the press conference in October 2011, to the intimacy of private early rehearsals in a remote barn; from the secret comeback gig at Warrington Parr Hall to the triumphant exhilaration of the Heaton Park homecoming – Shane journeyed with the band to capture the intimate moments of a resurrection no-one believed possible. 

The Stone Roses: Made of Stone features the only official footage of the Manchester band’s live performances from their worldwide tour, capturing Ian, John, Mani and Reni on-stage and on the road in Barcelona, Amsterdam, Lyon, Hamburg, Belfast, Japan and Heaton Park. 

The Stone Roses: Made of Stone also documents the anticipation and ecstasy of the band’s loyal fans, for whom the influence of the Stone Roses goes well beyond the music.  The resulting film is a passionate, personal snapshot of a remarkable milestone in this seminal band’s history, imbued with Shane’s unique directorial style, humour and emotional depth.

Shane Meadows says: “When Ian Brown rang me to tell me my favourite band of all time was getting back together again, it was like every Roses fan’s wildest dreams were coming true.  People tell you that you can’t recapture your youth, it won’t be the same.  I don’t believe that.  I’m going to make up for the nightmare of a lifetime at 17 years old, being sat in a flat having a bad trip when I could have been at Spike Island, being part of one of the most momentous things ever.”

A breakthrough success in England with their debut eponymous album, The Stone Roses went from playing small clubs in the mid-1980s to the celebrated Spike Island concert by the decade’s end, scoring hits with singles including I Wanna Be Adored, Fools Gold and She Bangs the Drums.  After legal battles with their record label, and original band members leaving the line-up, The Stone Roses dissolved in 1996 after just two albums.  In 2011 The Stone Roses announced they would be reuniting after a 15 year split to embark on a world tour, with tickets selling out in record time. 

The Stone Roses: Made of Stone has been fully financed by Film4 and 4DVD, who previously partnered to fully-finance The Inbetweeners Movie, which became the second highest grossing British independent film of all time at the UK box office.  The film continues Channel 4’s long-term collaboration with Shane and Warp Films following Film4-backed titles This is England and Dead Man’s Shoes, and Channel 4 series This is England ’86 and ’88.  The production company is Warp Films with Mark Herbert producing.

Katherine Butler, Film4 Senior Commissioning Executive and Executive Producer on the film says:  “It’s hard to think of a film that could be any more exciting – a combination of Shane’s wonderfully insightful directorial eye, the seminal genius of The Stone Roses, and our brilliant friends at Warp – what else is there to say?  We’re thrilled.”

The film is currently in post-production, with Revolver Entertainment releasing the film in cinemas late spring/early summer.   Altitude Film Sales are handling international sales on the film and hoping to secure international distribution at the forthcoming Berlin Film Festival.