Clubs & Styx

Tales to tell? The matter of fact ramblings of a deluded mind or subversive truths dancing from the loose tongue of an enigmatic gentleman whose stories of a debauched elite controlling our very lives seems to echo its way through the tobacco smoke of centuries? Filmed on location at the Denis Severs House in London’s Folegate Street, actor David Bailie plays a mysterious man. Alongside him, Delia Edwards, his house keeper, Poly, joins him in a home of faded elegance peppered with the intrigue and memories of copulating aristocrats, politicians and spies whose corrupt antics our story explores as though the viewer is with him, drinking hot chocolate and eating Poly’s biscuits as the fire pops in anticipation of each uttered morsel of erotic mischief. An historical drama exploring the extraordinary lives of the Bonnie Prince, Sir Francis Dashwood and his fellow Hellfire Club members whose blasphemy laden coven colluded to cause as much mayhem as possible during a time of famine and starvation amongst the greater population. Carving out deals for their own gain whilst hiding away in gated homes dripping with the privilege their class had so cleverly teased from the public purse. David Bailie tells the story in such a way that you can almost smell the pipe smoke. In the style of fireside story telling, Clubs & Styx endeavours to explore the the stories that shaped the world in which we live today.

  • Andrew Blackall
    Director
    Antique Secrets, Srine of the times
  • Andrew Blackall
    Writer
    Antique Secrets, Shrine of the times
  • Andrew Blackall
    Producer
    Antique Secrets, Shrine of the times
  • David Bailie
    Key Cast
    "The enigmatic man "
    Pirates of the Caribbean, dr Who, The Beyond
  • Seb Gates
    IT
  • Colette Hodges
    Editor
    Bafta winning Wonderland– The Man Who Eats Badgers And Other Strange Tales on Bodmin Moor
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    8 minutes 56 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 31, 2012
  • Production Budget:
    5,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Andrew Blackall

Born in St John’s Wood, Andrew first entertained aged seven, playing a tree. Thereafter he worked relentlessly until temporarily slowed down by a diagnosis with carcinoid cancer, following which he underwent colon resection, further treatment and surgery. He additionally overcame sepsis and pneumonia, recovering well and has developed several productions under the i-media-tv ltd. umbrella and has separately developed two further projects with Italian writers Paolo and Mario. Andrew has a passion for storytelling and attributes this to his late father Gordon, whose tales of life in Africa and the Netherlands entertained him during his childhood. He has supported both cancer and dementia charities, having cared for his mother during the final stages of this challenging illness.
Andrew originally trained as an actor and fronted the last Midland Bank mortgage campaign, modelled an extensive photographic series for XL Magazine, appearing in a myriad of commercials and corporate films too. On the popular ALL NEW ALEXEI SAYLE SHOW Andrew appeared as a character whose catchphrase was “I’m not happy!”.
He has contributed to Media Fairs at Oxford Brookes University and has recently judged a student film festival for Best Western at Anil Puri’s Grimsdyke House. He has three children whom he refers to as his worst critics and his greatest achievements and currently lives in Flora’s Temple, in the grounds of the Dashwood estate.

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Director Statement

Clubs & Styx was envisioned as a window on a rarely considered yet pivotal era of the past but also as a story of parallels with the so-called “modern world” and the reality that through all the twists and turns of revolution, society is still controlled by a minority elite playing with vast sums of money as the populace struggles. Imagine, for a moment, the global political landscape had this era of subversive actions against an empowered elite never taken place. If the Bonnie Prince had succeeded, America might well be the “The Greater United Kingdom”. The mockery of religion championed by a sexually debauched pleasure seeking “club goers” may well have appeased France, the French Revolution never occurring and by effect the demise of Royalty stemmed with a Tsar ruling Russia in the 21st century. Imagine a time when the population starved and chased death with an endless binge of fornicating and intoxication; were they so different in life to our instant gratification and pleasure seeking today? The Jacobites and Hanovarians may well have sought ultimate power, but the populace cared hardly a jot as to whom held the purse strings and indeed whom so ever “controlled”. Just like today the world was a divided place full of ambiguities and disillusionments.
I wanted to create a story that identified with today’s news, to express the hope that a few enlightened souls might illuminate a path through uncertainty. David, as the enigmatic man is the conduit, his story shining out from a dark home of contrasts, hopeful that this is the catalyst of a series of films, each exploring the stories that have a vague familiarity through the eyes and lives of some of histories most confused individuals. By weaving such contrast into the project, I sought to tell a story, as though the enigmatic man is an old acquaintance telling us a remarkable tale that draws us in and strikes the reality that all is never quite as it seems. Through her empowered silence, I wanted Poly to exude her social strength whilst submerged in a misogynistic era that chased the darker recesses of human greed in a way that evoked an echo towards the “oh we mustn’t talk about that” dilemma that society is facing today. Clubs & Styx may be subversive, but it tells a tale that we should all listen to.