Chiwetel Ejiofor gives a "showstopping performance" as a cross-dressing cabaret singer in British comedy drama Kinky Boots. Ever since the success of The Full Monty, the UK film industry has championed quirky tales of working class folk rising above the daily grind - in this case wearing patent leather footwear. It scored well with the home crowd and has since made a promising US debut at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.
A Whole Lot Of Sole
Director Julian Jarrold shot part of the film at Trickers Shoe Factory in Northampton - the actual setting for this true-life tale. In a 14-minute featurette, factory owner Steve Pateman tells his version of the story, but cast and crew are also on hand to talk about their experience of making the film. Ejiofor confesses that he quite enjoyed being able to "let loose as Lola" although the stilettos were agonising, but not quite as bad as "the mind-numbing pain of clip-on earrings..." To add insult to injury, Jarrold explains that Ejiofor just seemed to "absorb a feminine quality from when we first met him".
Perhaps the most poignant of four deleted scenes is Lola's visit to the old folks home in Clacton where she finally comes face-to-face with his/her disapproving dad. There's also a subtly played heart-to-heart between Charlie (Joel Edgerton) and Nicola (Jemima Rooper) as they realise that the time may have come to sell the factory. In an optional commentary, Jarrold explains that most of these scenes were cut because they seemed to repeat things which were already understood. Likewise there's also an alternative final scene, but the director explains that, "It was felt there were too many endings."
Bootylicious
The art of making shoes is seen in snippets in the film, but Journey Of A Brogue dynamically reveals the full process. In essence it's an extended scene, shot with loving close-ups and rhythmically edited to a piano-based score and the clackety-clack of machinery. It's indicative of the romantic view that Jarrold puts across in conveying factory life (something which is talked about in the first featurette).
Ejiofor, Edgerton and Sarah-Jane Potts (Lauren) accompany Jarrold for a subdued but insightful feature commentary. The director reveals how they "improvised for hours" especially for an early scene where Charlie has to "let go" of some of his staff. He explains that the problem was in balancing the comedy and the drama of the situation and Edgerton echoes this, saying, "I found it difficult to work out how much to undermine the seriousness of it." In the end, Jarrold notes that there's "a little bit of The Office" in Edgerton's performance. He goes on to talk more about capturing the right tone as well as the usual notes on casting, production design and score.
It's not exactly bursting at the seams with extras (sadly, we don't get to see the bits where Ejiofor lost his balance), but this DVD does provide an engaging context for the film and neatly sums up Jarrold's approach.
EXTRA FEATURES
