Anal observations: brass eye

[BJB]

Just had my brass eye DVD on in the background and coulden't help noticing some stuff.

1. In "decline", just before the fade to ballakreen theres a brief shot of morris chuckling to himself. Do you think this was on purpose or a rare out of charachter moment?

2. When the camera zooms in on ted maul in the "cow hate campaign", he is standing in a differnt field (no fence).

3. That jas mann is a cunt.

4. In close up shots of newspaper headlines was the text cut-up or written esspacialy?


You lot probobly know far more about brass eye then i do. Feel free to add some of your own.

[Purple Tentacle]

1. In "decline", just before the fade to ballakreen theres a brief shot of morris chuckling to himself. Do you think this was on purpose or a rare out of charachter moment?

ABout, oooh, two years ago we had quite the debate about this. I THINK the majority decided it was a deliberate out-of-character moment, in that Morris probably saw it and decided to leave it in.

Cross-dissolves are a bit tricky on tight cuts, they always include a few frames after your cut for the fade, unless you plan ahead. An amateur editor would make that mistake quite easily, although the people who worked on Brass Eye were nothing of the sort, so it's a bit hard to believe it's a schoolboy error.

It's almost certainly a 'genuine' laugh though, I reckon.

[AC]

I THINK the majority decided it was a deliberate out-of-character moment, in that Morris probably saw it and decided to leave it in.

That was always my take on it. I think it's a nice momment, especially for the final episode.

[Brutus Beefcake]

1. In "decline", just before the fade to ballakreen theres a brief shot of morris chuckling to himself. Do you think this was on purpose or a rare out of charachter moment?

It never even occured to me that that might be a genuine mistake, it's one of my favorite gags of the show.

[Morrisfan82]

4. In close up shots of newspaper headlines was the text cut-up or written esspacialy?

Do you mean the articles? They were written specially, in fact years ago someone on this site very diligently typed-up all of the articles featured and posted them. I think they even got someone to translate the German one(s). Are they still floating about?

[Pepotamo1985]

1. In "decline", just before the fade to ballakreen theres a brief shot of morris chuckling to himself. Do you think this was on purpose or a rare out of charachter moment?

Most of the audio in the studio segments in Decline is, at times, utterly out of sync with Morris' mouth movements. I don't think it's poor audio/visual synchronisation, it's an entire overdub. I think Morris fluffed at one point towards the end of the spiel but liked the take. I think it's a genuine fluff. Never fails to bring a smile to my face.

2. When the camera zooms in on ted maul in the "cow hate campaign", he is standing in a differnt field (no fence).

If you've got a good pause button, you'll notice the clunking cut between the crash zoom and Maul's opening spiel.

3. That jas mann is a cunt.

He sure is.

4. In close up shots of newspaper headlines was the text cut-up or written esspacialy?
.

The newspaper articles and headlines (in both BE and TDT) were all created especially.

[depressed beyond tablets]

They changed the weasel fight anthem from Rush's "Spirit Of The Radio" to something else on the DVD.

I can just imagine Geddy Lee and Neil Peart debating on whether or not they should have their music represent a reformed weasel fighter.

Personally I think they made the wrong choice.

[Marvin]

Shouldn't you be writing an essay?

[depressed beyond tablets]

I'm doing it on Rush instead.

[Morrisfan82]

Most of the audio in the studio segments in Decline is, at times, utterly out of sync with Morris' mouth movements. I don't think it's poor audio/visual synchronisation, it's an entire overdub.

I believe most of the audio was redubbed because of a fault on the original sound recording. There are one or two links where they use the original audio track, and there are audible glitches all over the place.

[Panbaams]

Another anal observaion: on the very last page of the credits (on "Decline" and "Science", I guess on the others too) , it very briefly says "FOR CHANNEL 4 TELEVISION" with they year as 1996. This is replaced almost immediately by "FOR CHANNEL FOUR TELEVISION" and the year changes to 1997. Easier to see in slow-motion if you've got the DVD ...

[Morrisfan82]

I spotted that too. I'm guessing they had to re-date the credits because of the delay before the series was eventually transmitted...?

[trotsky assortment]

Maybe so, but maybe not.  The last two films in the Comic Strip box, 'Demonella' and 'Jealousy' are both dated 1991 on the credits, but they didn't air until two years (I think) later.

I never caught the original broadcasts of Brass Eye. I had no idea that weasel fighting scene had been accompanied by 'Spirit Of Radio'.  That's excellent.

[BJB]

Doese anyone else feel a "Brass Eye Directors Cut" is long overdue?

[TC Raymond]

On the DVD 'The Spirit of Radio' has been replaced by 'I Surrender' by Rainbow.

[RHX]

Doese anyone else feel a "Brass Eye Directors Cut" is long overdue?

If it doesn't happen next year (the 10th anniversary), it most likely won't ever happen. Which is a shame, to be honest. There's loads of stuff they could put on the disc, which will never (officially) see the light of day.

[BJB]

Speaking of deleted material why was that peter tatchell interveiw censored like that? I mean, i know morris was alluding that portillo was gay but hes done that before.

" "portillo" means look beheind you"

[DJ One Record]

"Look behind you" was a bit more oblique though. The Tatchell interview was pretty explicitly declaring that Portillo was gay.

[BJB]

i like the idea that the censorship became part of the joke, esspecialy near the end.

"come on (beep) your obivously (beep) (beep) your a big (quack)"

[Entropy Balsmalch]

Secondly, not only are they protecting themselves against libel writs with the cencorship of the Tatchell interview - they obviously over-egg the whole thing because it then becomes a thousand times funnier. (Edit: person above beat me to it)

My favourite spoddy observation about Brass Eye, and something which isn't often discussed, is Channel 4's obvious over-sensitivity about the chance of a prosecution for blasphemy in its original run - far more so than worries over the Sutcliffe sketch in my opinion.

Several bits and bobs have been cencored, including "No room at the inn" being missing, as is the "He farted on my balls" and the incredibly odd cencorship of "blowjob" in the original transmission of Decline.

Basically, anything which connects sex or violence in a religious context has been cut.

[Paul Dee]

i like the idea that the censorship became part of the joke, esspecialy near the end.

"come on (beep) your obivously (beep) (beep) your a big (quack)"

Yeah, when you watch the uncensored footage it just doesn't come across as being as funny. Bleeped swearing is often funnier than when its uncensored, especially if it's a non-stop tirade (like Buster's expletive-laden outburst against his mother in the Arrested Development "'Bringing up Buster" episode)

[BJB]

I had this idea for a brass eye DVD extra. After you play the series 100 times you will begin to see the deleted material as they should be in the episodes.

Or instead of the above, waiting on the extras menu for a minuete before GRADE IS A CUNT flashs on the screen and pressing enter.

Who else has any good ideas for other stuff that should have been on the DVD?

[Entropy Balsmalch]

Nay mind.

[Darrell]

Several bits and bobs have been cencored, including "No room at the inn" being missing, as is the "He farted on my balls" and the incredibly odd cencorship of "blowjob" in the original transmission of Decline.

And why the Granada region transmission of the 2001 re-edit of Decline still had a censored "blowjob from the Pope"...

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Who else has any good ideas for other stuff that should have been on the DVD

Full commentaries from Chris Morris and Peter Baynham would've been nice.

[Morrisfan82]

Oh yeah, what's the deal with the "You stinking [car horn sound]!" from that Ted Maul report about the organ harvesters? What's the car horn covering up? 'Cunt'?

Also, were the phone numbers/addresses shown on the personal organiser real?

[Sexton Brackets Drugbust]

Seems to be "You stinking rat cunt" although I may be wrong.

[m...wW(wwMww)Ww...m]

he is standing in a differnt field (no fence).

None taken.

[Purple Tentacle]

I've always heard it as "You stinking rat's cunt" as well, so it must be true.

[TC Raymond]

Am I alone in thinking the woman who does the "I'm going inside...like a bad boy" report on the borstal is a proper minx?