The Boat That Rocked
The Boat That Rocked (titled Pirate Radio in North America) is a 2009 comedy-drama written and directed by Richard Curtis about pirate radio in the United Kingdom during the 1960s. The film has an ensemble cast consisting of Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans, Nick Frost and Kenneth Branagh. Set in 1966, it tells the story of the fictional pirate radio station "Radio Rock" and its crew of eclectic disc jockeys, who broadcast rock and pop music to the United Kingdom from a ship anchored in the North Sea while the British government tries to shut them down. It was produced by Working Title Films for Universal Pictures and was filmed on the Isle of Portland and at Shepperton Studios.
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| Written by | Richard Curtis
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| Running time | 135 minutes
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| Language | English
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| Budget | US$50 million
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| Box office | US$36,348,784
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![Pirate Radio - Filmvalley Magazine Cover [Netherlands] (April 2009)](http://img3.bdbphotos.com/images/130x130/d/d/ddwd852zb9yy9d2d.jpg?skj2io4l)
- The scene in which Young Carl sulks about Marianne was originally supposed to be about eight seconds long and contain nothing but Tom Sturridge sitting on a bench and looking sad. Will Adamsdale and Ike Hamilton happened to be there, so Richard Curtis told them to have a go at what they would have done if their friend was in the same situation. He put on 'So Long, Marianne' and they came up with everything that remains in the scene.
- While the historical character who was responsible for shutting down pirate radio was Tony Benn (the Postmaster General at the time), Alistair Dormandy, Kenneth Branagh's character, appears to be a synthesis of uptight and mean spirited and outdated 1950s Tory patriarchs.
- The album Bob grabs at the end is the 1967 record, The 5000 Spirits Or The Layers Of The Onion by Incredible String Band.
- The scene with Midnight Mark and all his naked groupies (cut from US release) is an homage to the UK album cover of Jimi Hendrix's album 'Electric Ladyland', even down to the placement of the girls.
- Hans Zimmer wrote the film's score, which consists of only one six-minute cue during the finale, without being credited as composer. He did this as a favor to Working Title, with whom he had worked during the beginning of his career in the 1980s. The score track is listed in the closing credits among the numerous songs used as "Sink or Swim" and Zimmer is listed, in the fine print, as the writer of this particular "song" along with Lorne Balfe.
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