Official synopsis: The life and obscure career of Cliff Twemlow, an actor, composer, screenwriter, and novelist from Manchester, who was a pioneer in the production of independently-made low-budget British action films made for the home video market.
I hadn’t seen any Cliff Twemlow shot-on-video films until this week, and I’d venture to guess that not many folks outside of the U.K. have had that opportunity until this week’s U.S. release of Bloody Legend: The Complete Cliff Twemlow Collection (details below). Jake West’s documentary Mancunian Man: The Legendary Life of Cliff Twemlow does a terrific job of introducing neophytes to the wild world and bold ambitions of Twemlow and his filmmaking associates.
First-person accounts of working with, living with, and hanging out with the late Twemlow come from family, friends, collaborators, crew members, and ex-wives. Those who worked on his filmmaking attempts — some successful, such as violent crime thriller and video nasty GBH and others that were never completed — share memories fond and funny, with most never having received payment, merely working for the infectious joy of filmmaking that Twemlow radiated.
Clips from both finished films and proof-of-concept showcases are plentiful, as are behind the scenes snippets. Twemlow made action, crime, horror, and science fiction movies. Between learning about the sometimes troubled Twemlow — who, as one associate told him, did more in a year than others do in a lifetime — the affection that those who knew and worked with him still hold, and the verve of the clips on display, Mancunian Man: The Legendary Life of Cliff Twemlow is sure to make new converts of many a genre-film aficionado.
Mancunian Man: The Legendary Life of Cliff Twemlow is available from July 29, 2025 as part of the U.S. nine-disc release BLOODY LEGEND: THE COMPLETE CLIFF TWEMLOW COLLECTION from Intervision Picture Corp. — Severin’s showcase label for shot-on-video classics. The physical set will not get a U.K. specific release, but the set is multiregion and available to buy on import. For British fans, the company has announced that a collection of 10 films including Mancunian Man: The Legendary Life of Cliff Twemlow will be available to view on U.K. digital platforms on July 28, 2025. You can view the trailer here.
