Wham! in China: Foreign Skies

Last updated
Wham! in China: Foreign Skies
Wham! in China - Foreign Skies cover.jpeg
Betamax release cover
Directed by Lindsay Anderson
Produced by
Starring
Edited byNigel Galt
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed by CBS/Fox Video (original)
Sony Music Entertainment (current)
Release date
Running time
60 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguagesEnglish, Mandarin
Budget£1 million [2]

Wham! in China: Foreign Skies is a 1986 documentary film about the English pop duo Wham! consisting of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. It follows Wham! on their historic 10-day visit to China during the 1985 world tour when they became the first Western pop act to visit the country. [3] [4] The film is a British venture produced by Big Boys Overseas Limited and CBS Records, with CBS/Fox Video serving as distributor. [5] [6]

Contents

The film was directed by Lindsay Anderson and produced by Jazz Summers, Martin Lewis and Simon Napier-Bell. Anderson originally made a film of the tour titled If You Were There; however this version was never released and Anderson was fired from the project while the film was remade into Wham! in China: Foreign Skies. [7] Wham! in China: Foreign Skies had its world premiere at the farewell concert held at London's Wembley Stadium on 28 June 1986. [8] [9]

Production

Development

Manager Simon Napier-Bell’s negotiation for the two performances took over 18 months. Napier-Bell used cunning tactics to sabotage the efforts of rock band Queen to be the first to play in China: he made two brochures for the Chinese authorities – one featuring Wham! [Michael] as "wholesome", and one portraying Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury in typically flamboyant poses. The Chinese opted for Wham!. [3] [10]

In December 1984 Wham! set out for their second concert tour, The Big Tour a commercial success, which promoted primarily their second studio album, Make It Big . The concept of filming Foreign Skies began when producer Martin Lewis was busy directing the 1985 documentary about Julian Lennon, titled Stand by Me – A Portrait of Julian Lennon. During a Wham! performance on 14 February 1985 at the Beacon Theatre in New York, he met the duo's co-manager Jazz Summers and discussed the possibility of filming the China tour. [11] When Lewis had permission for the film, it took two weeks to prepare the 35-member international crew, including transportation of a sound desk and super 16 camera equipment. [11]

British director Lindsay Anderson was engaged to accompany Wham! to China in April 1985. The second leg in East Asia began with two concerts in Hong Kong, before moving to China and a concert at the Workers' Gymnasium in Beijing on 7 April in front of a crowd of 12,000, who paid about $1.75 each. They also played a concert on 10 April in front of 5,000 in Canton where tickets cost about $5.50 each. The two concerts were played without compensation, however Wham's visit to China attracted huge media attention across the world. [12] Promotion of the project cost at least $1.5 million which was self-funded, due to Michael wanting artistic control over the film. [12] [13]

Post-production

The film created by Strathford Hamilton and Andy Morahan was shot over two weeks, was then edited over summer and autumn 1985 in London. Anderson called his one-hour and 18 minute film If You Were There. [14] Michael, however, was unimpressed with Anderson's edit which contains only four songs of the tour, only one of which is a full performance, and thought the film "scornful" of Wham!. [7] Anderson was dismissed in October 1985 by Wham!'s management, the editing team quit, and the film was entirely re-edited, renamed and released as Wham! in China: Foreign Skies. The original edit of If You Were There has never been screened to the public as public screening of this version was blocked by Michael and his estate. [14] [7] The film's original cut was finally screened publicly for the first time at the BFI Southbank twice, on 25 May and 31 May 2024, with the co-operation of George Michael Entertainment and Andrew Ridgeley. [15]

Music

The soundtrack used in the film was taken from the albums Fantastic and Make It Big . The documentary features some concert footage and studio cut excerpts of the following tracks: [16]

  1. "Bad Boys"
  2. "Club Tropicana"
  3. "Blue" (concert footage)
  4. "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"
  5. "A Ray of Sunshine"
  6. "Young Guns (Go for It)"
  7. "Careless Whisper" (concert footage)
  8. "Everything She Wants" (concert footage)
  9. "Like a Baby"
  10. "If You Were There"
  11. "Runaway"
  12. "Love Machine" (concert footage)

Release

The world premiere of Wham! in China: Foreign Skies was shown at London's Wembley Stadium on large video screens on Saturday 28 June 1986 before The Final began. [8] With an audience of 72,000; this set a record for the largest audience at a film premiere. [8]

Home media

It was released on VHS, Betamax and LaserDisc in October 1986. The documentary has yet to be issued on DVD and only one track "Blue (Live in China)" from the film has been officially released on their studio album Music from the Edge of Heaven . In the United States the video retailed at $19.98 and debuted at number 8 on Billboard's Top Music Videocassettes chart, for the week ending 25 October 1986 and climbed to number 4, two weeks later. [17] [18] As the video started to climb up the chart, and for the week ending 6 December 1986, it reached number 1, replacing The #1 Video Hits by Whitney Houston. [19] Wham! in China: Foreign Skies was the sixteenth best-selling music videocassette for 1986. [20] It was present on the top 20 chart for a total of 17 weeks until February 1987. [21] The video was certified gold in April 1987 by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipment of 50,000 copies. [22]

Charts

Chart (1986)Peak
position
US Top Music Videocassettes ( Billboard ) [23] [24] 1

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [25] Gold50,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Credits

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lindsay Anderson</span> British feature-film, theatre and documentary director, and film critic (1923–1994)

Lindsay Gordon Anderson was a British feature-film, theatre and documentary director, film critic, and leading-light of the Free Cinema movement and of the British New Wave. He is most widely remembered for his 1968 film if...., which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival in 1969 and marked Malcolm McDowell's cinematic debut. He is also notable, though not a professional actor, for playing a minor role in the Academy Award-winning 1981 film Chariots of Fire. McDowell produced a 2007 documentary about his experiences with Anderson, Never Apologize.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Michael</span> English singer-songwriter (1963–2016)

George Michael was an English singer-songwriter, record producer and philanthropist. Regarded as a pop culture icon, he is one of the best-selling musicians of all time, with his sales estimated at between 100 million to 125 million records worldwide. Michael was known as a creative force in songwriting, vocal performance, and visual presentation. He achieved 10 number-one songs on the US Billboard Hot 100 and 13 number-one songs on the UK Singles Chart. Michael won numerous music awards, including two Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards, twelve Billboard Music Awards, and four MTV Video Music Awards. He was listed among Billboard's the "Greatest Hot 100 Artists of All Time" and Rolling Stone's the "200 Greatest Singers of All Time". The Radio Academy named him the most played artist on British radio during the period 1984–2004. Michael was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Ridgeley</span> English musician, singer, songwriter and record producer (born 1963)

Andrew John Ridgeley is an English musician, best known for his work in the 1980s in the musical duo Wham! consisting of Ridgeley and George Michael. Associated with the MTV-driven Second British Invasion of the US, they were one of the most successful pop acts during the 1980s, selling more than 30 million certified records worldwide from 1982 to 1986. Their singles "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go", "Everything She Wants" and "Careless Whisper" all topped the US Billboard Hot 100. In 2019, Penguin Random House published Ridgeley's memoir Wham! George & Me.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wham!</span> English pop duo

Wham! were an English pop duo formed in Bushey in 1981 consisting of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. They were one of the most successful pop acts during the 1980s, selling more than 30 million certified records worldwide from 1982 to 1986. Associated with the MTV-driven Second British Invasion of the US, the singles "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go", "Everything She Wants" and "Careless Whisper" all topped the US Billboard Hot 100.

MPI Media Group is an American producer, distributor and licensor of theatrical film and home entertainment. MPI's subsidiaries include MPI Pictures, MPI Home Video, Gorgon Video, and the horror film distributor Dark Sky Films. The company is located in Orland Park, Illinois, and was founded in 1976 by brothers Malik & Waleed Ali.

<i>Make It Big</i> 1984 studio album by Wham!

Make It Big is the second studio album by English pop duo Wham!, released in 1984. In comparison to their earlier work, Wham! had more control over the album's production and Michael would also be credited as a producer. The album was a commercial success, hitting number one in both the US and the UK and spawning four singles, all reaching the top three in the US and the UK. Make It Big was certified 4× platinum in the US during the time of its release, and has since been certified 6× platinum in the US. In March 2024, Make It Big was reissued on vinyl for the first time in 30 years.

Simon Robert Napier-Bell is an English record producer, music manager, author and journalist. At different times, he has managed artists as diverse as the Yardbirds, John's Children, Marc Bolan, Japan, London, Sinéad O'Connor, Ultravox, Boney M, Sinitta, Wham!, Blue Mercedes, Alsou and Candi Staton, among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Careless Whisper</span> 1984 single by George Michael

"Careless Whisper" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter George Michael. Released as the second single from Wham!'s second studio album Make It Big (1984), it was written by Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, with Michael producing the song. Although the song was released as part of Make It Big, the single release is credited to either Wham! featuring George Michael or solely to George Michael.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Everything She Wants</span> 1984 single by Wham!

"Everything She Wants" is a single by the British pop duo Wham!, released in 1984 under Epic Records. The song was part of a double A-side release with "Last Christmas." Penned and produced by George Michael, a member of the duo, "Everything She Wants" garnered significant acclaim, marking Wham!'s third consecutive million-selling number-one hit in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freedom (Wham! song)</span> 1984 single by Wham!

"Freedom" is a 1984 song by English pop duo Wham! from their album Make It Big, released on 1 October 1984. It became the group's second number one hit on the UK Singles Chart and reached number three in America. It was written and produced by George Michael, one half of the duo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'm Your Man (Wham! song)</span> 1985 single by Wham!

"I'm Your Man" is a song by British pop duo Wham!, released in 1985 on Epic Records in the UK and most of the world, and Columbia Records in the US. It was written and produced by George Michael.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Edge of Heaven</span> 1986 single by Wham!

"The Edge of Heaven" is a song by English pop duo Wham!, released on Epic Records in 1986. It was written and produced by George Michael, one half of the duo, and was promoted in advance as Wham!'s farewell single.

<i>Madonna Live: The Virgin Tour</i> 1985 video by Madonna

Madonna Live: The Virgin Tour is the second video album and the first live release by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It was released by Warner Music Video and Sire Records on November 13, 1985 and contains the concert footage from The Virgin Tour, filmed at Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan on May 25, 1985. Director Daniel Kleinman, who presided over the shooting of the tour on video, submitted the footage to Warner Bros. Records, who decided to release it as a video album. Madonna wanted to have a proper introduction added before the concert footage and asked director James Foley to shoot one, which portrayed her with her first image makeover, reciting lines related to how she became famous.

<i>Ciao Italia: Live from Italy</i> 1988 video by Madonna

Ciao Italia: Live from Italy is a video album by American singer-songwriter Madonna and was released by Warner Reprise Video and Sire Records on May 24, 1988. It contained footage from a previous TV special of the Who's That Girl World Tour, Madonna in Concerto, broadcast in Europe in 1987, filmed at the Stadio Comunale in Turin, Italy. The video release also contained footage from shows recorded in Florence, Italy and Tokyo, Japan, the latter having previously been released as a Japanese TV special and home video release, Who's That Girl: Live in Japan. The decision to release Ciao Italia was spurred by the fact that this previous release became a commercial success in Japan. A re-release of the video took place in 1999, when it was released in DVD format, with a stereo soundtrack containing the songs only.

<i>U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky</i> 1984 concert film by U2

U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky is a concert film by Irish rock band U2. It was recorded on 5 June 1983 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado, United States, on the group's War Tour. Originally released in 1984 on videocassette, U2 Live at Red Rocks was the band's first video release. It accompanied a 1983 live album entitled Under a Blood Red Sky, on which two tracks from the film appear. The video was directed by Gavin Taylor and produced by Rick Wurpel and Doug Stewart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wham! discography</span>

English musical duo Wham! released three studio albums, four compilation albums, four video albums, 12 music videos, 14 singles, two remix albums and two documentary films.

Springtime! is a boutique entertainment company established in the UK in 1977 and based in the United States since 1983. The company's activities encompass film, TV, radio, record and stage show production, entertainment marketing & publicity and talent management. The company has produced and marketed audio recordings, films, TV specials and music videos. It is periodically active as a record company releasing its own audio productions and acquisitions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Big Tour</span> 1984–85 concert tour by Wham!

The Big Tour was the second concert tour by English pop duo Wham!, launched in support of their multi-platinum second studio album Make It Big, which sold over six million units in the US alone. The tour spanned 4 months between December 1984 and April 1985, comprising 39 shows across the UK, Ireland, Japan, Australia, United States, Hong Kong and China. Wham! made history in China and achieved worldwide publicity by being the first Western pop act to visit the country.

The Final was the farewell concert by English pop duo Wham!. It was held at Wembley Stadium, London on Saturday 28 June 1986. A total of 72,000 people attended the event, which included support artists and special guests, such as Elton John and Simon Le Bon. The concert was preceded by the release of the greatest hits album of the same name.

<i>Wham!</i> (film) 2023 documentary film by Chris Smith

Wham! is a 2023 documentary film about the English pop duo Wham! consisting of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. The film marks the 40th anniversary of their 1983 debut album Fantastic. Directed by Chris Smith it relies primarily on rare archive footage and audio interviews by the duo, including television appearances, concert footage, private home video, behind-the-scenes outtakes, and family comments all linked together using scrapbooks created by Ridgeley's mother. The film was co-produced by Ventureland / Passion Pictures, Nemperor Production, and Library Films with Altitude Film and Netflix serving as distributors.

References

  1. ↑ Kelbie, Paul (18 April 2006). "How Wham! made Lindsay Anderson see red in China". The Independent . Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  2. ↑ "The Wham! in China documentary George Michael didn't want you to see". 14 June 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  3. 1 2 "How Wham! brought the West to China". BBC News. 24 March 2005. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  4. ↑ Jovanovic, Rob (3 December 2015). George Michael: The biography. Little, Brown Book. ISBN   978-0-349-41124-8 . Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  5. ↑ "If You Were There: Wham! in China". University of Stirling Archives. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  6. ↑ "Wham! In China Foreign Skies". Lindsay Anderson. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 Tryhorn, Chris (7 July 2023). "Dead dogs, capitalist critique and only four songs: when Wham! squashed Lindsay Anderson's China film". The Guardian.
  8. 1 2 3 "How Wham! made Lindsay Anderson see red in China". The Independent. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  9. ↑ "Foreign Skies (1986)". British Film Institute . Archived from the original on December 29, 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  10. ↑ Napier-Bell, Simon (30 Jan 2006). I'm Coming To Take You To Lunch: A Fantastic Tale of Boys, Booze and how Wham! Were Sold to China. Ebury. ISBN   9780091897628 . Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  11. 1 2 "Wham! in China tour documentary to premiere at farewell concert". Billboard. 21 Jun 1986. p. 50. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  12. 1 2 Patrick, Al (April 28, 1985). "ROCK: East meets Wham!, and another great wall comes down". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  13. ↑ "If You Were There: Wham! in China". University of Stirling Archives. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  14. 1 2 "If You Were There: Wham! in China". University of Stirling Archives. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  15. ↑ "If You Were There…". British Film Institute . May 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  16. ↑ Wham! In China: Foreign Skies - (VHS (Video) - CBS/Fox #) Allmusic.com
  17. ↑ "Billboard Top Music Videocassettes New entry: #8 for week ending October 25, 1986" (PDF). p. 51. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  18. ↑ "Billboard Top Music Videocassettes Position: #4 for week ending November 8, 1986" (PDF). p. 48. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  19. ↑ "Billboard Top Music Videocassettes Position #1 for week ending December 6, 1986" (PDF). p. 49. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  20. ↑ "Billboard Top Music Videocassette Hit Chart best-selling videocassettes during August 2, 1986 to August 1, 1987 - August 22, 1987 (V-36)" (PDF). Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  21. ↑ "Billboard Top Music Videocassettes February 14, 1987" (PDF). p. 44. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  22. ↑ "RIAA Certified Awards". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on 2017-12-22. Retrieved 2018-12-28.
  23. ↑ "Top Music Videocassettes" (PDF). Billboard . 1986. p. 49. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  24. ↑ "Wham! in China, Top Videocassettes". Billboard. 6 December 1986. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  25. ↑ "American video certifications – Wham! – Wham! in China: Foreign Skies". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved April 26, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.