Directed by John Mackenzie (The Long Good Friday, Just Another Saturday), this acclaimed and long-unseen BBC TV Play for Today from 1978 is adapted by Alan Garner (The Owl Service) from his own complex and enthralling sci-fi fantasy novel. It will be released on DVD for the first time on 13 October 2014 as part of the BFI’s SCI-FI: DAYS OF FEAR AND WONDER, a 3-month nationwide celebration of Sci-Fi film and TV.
Red Shift takes the viewer on a beguiling voyage through English history, spanning three distinct time periods: Roman Britain, the English Civil War and 1970s modern day. Garner’s story follows three troubled young men, Tom, Thomas and Macey, who occupy these different eras and are haunted by shared visions. They are also linked by a common location (Mow Cop in south Cheshire) and by the discovery of a mystical talisman: an ancient axe-head.
Exploring themes of mysticism, folklore and geography that are common in Alan Garner’s fantasy novels, Red Shift is a uniquely compelling Play for Today from the golden age of BBC drama.
Alan Garner has contributed a new essay to the accompanying booklet.
