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Talking Pictures

Started by Captain Crunch, May 13, 2018, 10:37:34 PM

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Ambient Sheep

Quote from: Ambient Sheep on May 08, 2020, 09:31:08 PMFinally, starting Tuesday week (19th) at 9pm, they're showing the four-part ITV Quatermass (1979), one per week... I'm really looking forward to watching this, not having seen it since it went out when I was 14.

Reminder about this, and I've made a dedicated discussion thread here in case anybody wants to chat about it without cluttering up this thread.

Ambient Sheep

Can't stop to add details now but tonight's a cracker:

9pm - the second series of the original Van der Valk starts with Patrick Allen as a wonderfully crooked banker.  A bit more about this here.

10pm - To the Devil a Daughter (1976) --  Christopher Lee, Nastassja Kinski, Denholm Elliott, Honor Blackman, Anthony Valentine, Richard Widmark

11.50pm - Christopher Lee again in Rasputin, the Mad Monk (1966)

Lordofthefiles

Sammy's Super T-Shirt 7th June 07:15am

Somewhere along the line over the last week, I recorded a italian language documentary on the history of the Lambretta off of Talking Pictures. Its wonderful, but somewhat niche, even for that channel.

kaprisky

Smashing Time and the LWT series Budgie are coming up but tonight, after Van Der Valk, is The Hand of Night.

On Monday night/Tuesday morning there is a short film called Vengeance (1986). It was directed by Shani Grewal who also made Double X: The Name of the Game and Guru in Seven, both of which have been on the channel before and will be on again. The film itself was supposedly a dry run for Double X but its history is interesting. It apparently supported the Schwarzenegger hit Commando in the UK and was later bundled along with two other shorts onto a VHS titled Frightmares, with John Hurt providing the linking material between the films. Noel Cronin was apparently the producer. The director's online profile claims that the film was considered for the live-action short Oscar but it was never nominated in the main category.

There was a thread on here a few months ago about Cry Wolf, which played as support to Airplane! That was a Paramount title and with the channel recently showing some of the Paramount back catalogue (Smashing Time included), who knows, it might turn up.

the science eel


Ambient Sheep

Three upcoming things I'd like to flag up:

Tonight (Sunday 31st May) at 10pm is the film to counteract all those who say Roger Moore can't act: the supernatural thriller The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970).

Then, on Wednesday (3rd June) at 9.15am there's 70s-childhood Saturday-morning-at-the-pictures film The Land That Time Forgot (1975), starring Troy Doug McClure and Susan Penhaligon.  Not seen it since childhood, so don't know how it will stand up now.

Finally, at 5pm the same day (Wednesday), famous 1970-1 children's TV series Catweazle starts a second run, this time one every weekday.  I've watched a few of these now from last year's weekend showings and they've been reasonably enjoyable, if not spectacular.

One of the things that did enthrall me about Catweazle though, was seeing rural England as it looked when I was a small child, before Dutch Elm disease ran rampant through the land.  In particular, the countryside that surrounds the abandoned water tower (including the tower itself) is hugely reminiscent of those long school holidays spent out exploring all day with friends, only having to be back home "by about five".  Gave me a nostalgia hit I didn't know I was even needing.  I forgot how it looked.

Anyway, I've since found a nice old thread about it here, although beware, the OP is dreadfully spoilery.

QuoteThen, on Wednesday (3rd June) at 9.15am there's 70s-childhood Saturday-morning-at-the-pictures film The Land That Time Forgot (1975), starring Troy Doug McClure and Susan Penhaligon.  Not seen it since childhood, so don't know how it will stand up now.

It was on a few weeks ago - one of my earlier lockdown watches. I like it and rather hope they dig out the sequel.

Ambient Sheep

Quote from: A Hat Like That on May 31, 2020, 03:46:15 PMIt was on a few weeks ago - one of my earlier lockdown watches...

Yes, it's been on a few times in fact.  I saw it go past last summer (which I think was its debut), but I missed it.  According to my notes I've recorded it twice since then (Wed 2019/12/11 13:20, Sat 2020/03/28 11:25) but both times had to sacrifice it for something rarer due to lack of box space.  Determined to hang on to it this time. :)


Quote from: A Hat Like That on May 31, 2020, 03:46:15 PMI like it...

I loved it as a kid, saw it more than once and was happy to do so.  Was one of those really big "event" films.  I only didn't hype it more in my previous post as it only seems to get middling ratings these days.

I have just discovered though that the screenplay was co-written by Michael Moorcock, it also stars Anthony Ainley (as well as Keith Barron!), and that there's a nice Guardian article about "How We Made" it here.


Quote from: A Hat Like That on May 31, 2020, 03:46:15 PM...and rather hope they dig out the sequel.

Which one? :-)

They've shown At The Earth's Core (1976) a few times; my own copy is from Wed 2020/04/08 07:40.  Not watched it yet.  Desperately wanted to see it as a kid, the cinema trailer fascinated me (especially as I'd always loved The Mole from Thunderbirds), but somehow managed to miss it both at the cinema and on numerous terrestrial TV repeats.  I gather it's not very good, though, which is why I've not rushed to dash my childhood anticipation by actually watching it. :-)

Until now, I don't think I'd ever heard of The People That Time Forgot (1977) in any way.  Not seen it on Talking Pictures but then I may not have registered the title going past.  I'll look out for it!




Meanwhile I really should have boosted tonight's The Man Who Haunted Himself a bit more.  It's a really good film that left its mark on me as a 13yo viewer, and I've enjoyed it again as an adult.  Really recommended if anybody's not seen it.

Blumf

Quote from: Ambient Sheep on May 31, 2020, 08:19:03 PM
Meanwhile I really should have boosted tonight's The Man Who Haunted Himself a bit more.  It's a really good film that left its mark on me as a 13yo viewer, and I've enjoyed it again as an adult.  Really recommended if anybody's not seen it.

Meant to thank you for the heads-up as I keep on meaning to watch it, but always miss it. Got it on record now, but hopefully will watch it direct.

Ambient Sheep

If you've not seen it before then I think you're in for a treat. :)

Blumf

Yup, very nice bit of pre-Tales-of-the-Unexpected style mystery. Comes a close second to North Sea Hijack in the non-Bond Moore film line up for me.

Hum... didn't realise Moore played Inspector Clouseau in Curse of the Pink Panther, may have to pull together the whole Pink Panther series at some point, and battle my way through increasingly worse entries just for that.


Ambient Sheep

Quote from: Blumf on June 02, 2020, 10:49:55 AMYup, very nice bit of pre-Tales-of-the-Unexpected style mystery. Comes a close second to North Sea Hijack in the non-Bond Moore film line up for me.

Glad you enjoyed it!

I've never seen (or heard of!) North Sea Hijack, I'll have to look out for that.


Quote from: Blumf on June 02, 2020, 10:49:55 AMHum... didn't realise Moore played Inspector Clouseau in Curse of the Pink Panther, may have to pull together the whole Pink Panther series at some point, and battle my way through increasingly worse entries just for that.

Now now, there's dedication, and then there's insanity...

QuoteI've never seen (or heard of!) North Sea Hijack, I'll have to look out for that.

It's been on once or twice quite recently.

It is ... definitely interesting

Endicott

Quote from: Ambient Sheep on June 02, 2020, 05:00:32 PM
I've never seen (or heard of!) North Sea Hijack, I'll have to look out for that.

Sunday afternoon fodder.


I had the distinct memory that the final scene was mental. And it actually is.

What a joy.

Shit Good Nose

Quote from: Blumf on June 02, 2020, 10:49:55 AM
Hum... didn't realise Moore played Inspector Clouseau in Curse of the Pink Panther, may have to pull together the whole Pink Panther series at some point, and battle my way through increasingly worse entries just for that.



Literally the only decent bit in Curse Of...

Moore is genuinely very funny in it.

To be honest you really are best off just watching that scene on its own on YouTube.

Ambient Sheep

#167
BBC done a 2 minute behind the scenes clip with interviews.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/video_and_audio/headlines/53111684/talking-pictures-tv-channel-a-lockdown-hit

Nice to see two of the three people behind it, but a shame that the Beeb gave the impression it ONLY runs positively-ancient black-and-white films, omitting colour and TV reruns entirely, but I'm sure that wasn't on purpose at all.

(To be fair, finding clips of those without rights issues would probably have been more tricky, but it could at least have mentioned the other stuff.)


Ambient Sheep

Just want to flag up a couple of short films tomorrow (Sun 5th July), neither are first showings, but I feel they're worth noting.


Firstly, at 7.50am, a repeat of Blue Pullman which is...

Quote from: Harry Badger on November 21, 2019, 12:30:33 AM...a 30 minute, narration-free account of the titular train's first journey in 1960. A fascinating look at a bygone age with a beautiful, specially commissioned score by Clifton Parker.

I caught some of this a few months ago, looked wonderful.


Later on, at 20:05, they're showing a little 20 minute film from 1974 called Dial-a-Bus in Harlow, about a pioneering travel scheme in the Essex New Town.  They've been showing it for a couple of weeks now, last showing for now will be Wed 15th July at 16:35.

Currently watching the 1988 Jack the Ripper. Micheal Caine hollers 90 % of his lines. Micheal Gothard is good. Lewis Collins is Lewis Collins with a 'tache. Solid. Entertaining.

Ambient Sheep

May I just thoroughly recommend The Mind Benders (1962/3) at 11.35pm tonight (Sun 16th Aug).  A wonderful bit of cold-war science-fiction, apparently based on real research carried out by an American university.

I caught it a few months ago and can only agree with the reviews that were quoted by Wikipedia:

QuoteTV Guide called it "a strange movie that leaves a deeper impression than one might expect due to the originality of the plot and the tense direction. It is the direct predecessor of Altered States."

Movie Magazine International wrote, "as directed by the great Basil Dearden, it plays in an eerily realistic way and what you see lingers in the mind long afterwards."

Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings called it, "a compelling and memorable movie."


Also on tonight, at 10pm just before the above, is The Naked Civil Servant again.

Recorded The Mind Benders. Cheers for the heads up.

Also recorded Widows (1983) which at least looks intriguing.

Also spotted, 0900 Saturday and Sunday next week.


Blumf

Been on the last month or so. Apparently Leslie Crowther presented for a bit.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runaround_(British_game_show)

Ambient Sheep

There now follows probably the strangest recommendation I've ever given (with apologies for its lateness, this afternoon and evening having proved unexpectedly hectic).

It's the 1980-1 Southern TV soap opera Together, being shown every weekday at 2pm starting later today (Monday 24th August).  There's 53 episodes (of which 51 survive) over two series, the second of which was actually performed and broadcast live.

It was first shown by TPTV in the afternoons back in 2016, then again at 5am earlier this year which is when I first caught it.  Tried it out for no other reason than it replaced Rooms (which I enjoyed) in the schedule.

Inexplicably -- especially given that soap operas aren't my thing -- I found myself hooked almost immediately.  A great cast, simple but compelling storylines, and virtually no bleedin' Eastenders-style shouting.

It's set in a three-storey housing association apartment block designed for both retired folks and young people just starting out, thus contains an unusual mix of famous old actors giving seasoned -- and in one or two cases their final -- performances, and up and coming youngsters before they were famous (of which more below).

Although the pace is quite gentle, that doesn't mean the plots are wishy-washy.  Yes, there's the infamous[nb]On Twitter, which is about the only place I've ever found discussion on it.[/nb] but quite funny storyline about who's going to help out with the flower-arranging today, but then the very first episode (which I guess most people reading this won't catch now) is unexpectedly dark, telling the story of a widowed old chap who, having been dumped there by his daughter as she goes to live in Germany, contemplates ending it all.

Another surprising storyline that runs for a good chunk of Series 1 is the story of one resident wanting his boyfriend to move in with him, against both the Housing Association's rules and the opprobrium of some of the other residents, none of whom had realised that the other resident was gay in the first place.

I say it's surprising because it's fascinating to see how such a sensitive-for-the-time storyline was handled.  (It's been claimed that the character was probably the first regular gay soap character in the UK, and that he and his beau were certainly the first gay couple in UK soaps.)  The characters are as far away from 1970s camp (or butch) stereotypes as you can get, the writing is sympathetic to the gay characters' cause, but the homophobic abuse directed their way by a couple of the other characters is quite shocking (and audio-blanked on transmission).  My (limited) lipreading skills reminded me of horrible words I hadn't heard in over 30 years.  Overall, a fascinating study of changing attitudes and just where the world was in 1980.

In fact, the language throughout is remarkably fruity.  It's strange to think that this originally went out in a lunchtime slot on ITV.  There's quite a few blanked out bits, some of which I was a bit taken aback about when I managed to decipher them: "Sweet Fanny Adams" is surely euphemistic enough to pass modern daytime muster?  I guess that's Fear Of Ofcom for you.

The good news is that the recently-released DVD box-set from parent company Renown Pictures is completely uncut, and at £35 for a six-disc set isn't too badly priced, considering how niche a release it is.  I shall be buying it soon...

Series 2 is an oddity in that it was broadcast live, surely a real rarity for the time.  Apparently the idea was to enhance its topicality, although in practice only the first five or six episodes did this.  Remarkably few boom mics (just one I think, although a fair few shadows), and only one serious line fluff (again, a few minor ones), but a good few camera bumps, and most intriguingly -- when listening on headphones -- the sounds of camera cables being dragged across the floor, actors running round behind the set to get into their next positions, and at one point the crew chatting quite loudly in the background.  Plus a "Cue lift door!"

I was going to write more here about the cast, but to be honest I might as well steal the words from the above link as it's late and my phone-finger is getting tired:

QuoteOriginally broadcast from 1980-1981, Together was a daytime soap opera made by Southern Television. Rutherford Court was a modern block of sheltered accommodation flats run by a housing association – where each home had its own share of dramas, tensions, happiness and heartbreak.

The warden in charge was played by Sheila Fay, her husband was the odd-job man about the place, played by John Burgess, and their teenage daughter, who had countless problems with her love life, was played by future Blue Peter presenter Sarah Greene.

Other residents included a newly-wed couple who were having marital difficulties, with realistic scenes because the actors, Richard Everett and Gillian Bailey (who played Billie in Here Come the Double Deckers!), were married in real-life.

Two sisters shared another apartment, one enduring a messy divorce, a nervous breakdown and a battle with the bottle, providing ample gossip for the other characters, including a recently bereaved pensioner, a retired hospital matron and an ex-London cab driver with a roving eye, played by Victor Maddern.

The second series was broadcast live with a Cleo Laine recording for the theme tune.

Made with the intention of targeting a daytime audience, the series soon had dedicated viewers. Ground-breaking at the time, the scripts tackled current issues such as marital problems, divorce, mental illness and relationships, paving the way for future TV dramas and soaps.

Sadly, the series ended when Southern Television lost their franchise.

Regular Cast: Victor Maddern, Kathleen Byron, Hilda Fenemore, Margaretta Scott, John Burgess, Sarah Greene, Sheila Fay, Jonty Miller, Derek Harding, Richard Everett, Gillian Bailey, Paul Hastings, Sheila Gill, Christopher Burgess, Delena Kidd, Stephen Churchett, Carol Hawkins, Brian Jameson, Christine Pollon, John Malcolm, Wally Thomas, Gina Maher, Annie Leake, Ernest Hare, Raymond Francis.

Scriptwriters included: Rosemary Anne Sisson (Upstairs Downstairs), Adele Rose (Coronation Street, Robin's Nest), Barbara Clegg (Waggoners Walk), Phil Redmond (Sally Ann, Grange Hill) and Bill Baron (Angels).

Directors: Matthew Robinson, John Coxall and David Pick.

Not all the names might be familiar but many of the faces were... I did a lot of digging at the time to work out where I'd seen these people before, e.g. Hilda Fenemore often played mumsy types in old Children's Film Foundation type stuff, Stephen Churchett went on to be dodgy Eastenders solicitor Marcus Christie (and many more things), and Kathleen Byron was the infamous nun Sister Ruth in Powell & Pressburger's 1947 film Black Narcissus, and so on.

Obviously also a delight to see a pre-Blue Peter Sarah Greene[nb]Who said on Twitter a while back that she loved making it.[/nb] (with hair dyed red!) and an older Billie from the ...Double Deckers.  Funnily enough, these days the latter is Professor of Women's Performance Histories at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (I'd also never spotted that she was in the first-ever episode of Blake's 7... but I digress).

Meanwhile the director of many of the episodes, Matthew Robinson (older brother of musician Tom Robinson) went on to cast a lot of the original Eastenders actors (inc. Dirty Den, Pauline Fowler, Dot & Nick Cotton, and Ian Beale) and then set up and produced Byker Grove... oh and also cast Terry Molloy as Davros (not sure if that's a recommendation or not!)

Anyway, that's quite enough for now.  Thank you if you've managed to read this far.  I fully expect nobody else to bother with this... but if you do, maybe I'll even start a thread about it for us to waffle in.


Ambient Sheep

Quote from: A Hat Like That on August 23, 2020, 04:10:16 PMRecorded The Mind Benders. Cheers for the heads up.

Do let us know what you think of it, good or bad!


Quote from: A Hat Like That on August 23, 2020, 04:10:16 PMAlso recorded Widows (1983) which at least looks intriguing.

Yeah, I've heard good things about that one myself (mainly from people on the Digital Spy thread), but just haven't got the time available to add yet more to my viewing list.  For anyone reading this not aware, it's a TV series, written by Lynda La Plante, made by Euston Films for ITV, about the widows of three armed robbers who decide to carry on where their late hubbies left off...


Quote from: A Hat Like That on August 23, 2020, 04:48:53 PM

As for Runaround, I've recorded all seven episodes they've shown so far -- the first weekend only had one -- but haven't watched them as yet.

Sadly it seems there's only two more going to be shown, despite Wikipedia saying that 33 survive (out of 103 total).  From Sat 5th September the slot is being taken over by something I've not heard of called Whizzkids Guide.  The internet seems to have words about it, though, go read them, I'm done here for tonight. :)

More recommendations coming very soon though... there's some good stuff coming up (in fact quite a lot of good stuff's been on lately, just haven't had the time to come here and flag it up).

the

Quote from: Ambient Sheep on August 24, 2020, 01:06:53 AMthe 1980-1 Southern TV soap opera Together

Excellent post Sheepy, I enjoyed reading it. Thanks for taking the time to do a précis of such a curiosity.

Ambient Sheep

Thank you!  Took the best part of two hours, on and off.  Nice to know that at least one person appreciated my post whether or not you end up watching the show itself.

And a curiosity is exactly what it is.  In my opinion it's worth watching on several levels:

- as the intended entertainment (as I said, soaps are not my thing, but as you can tell I largely loved this, it's real comfort TV);

- as a social document (of both the storylines themselves and how soaps went at a much gentler pace back then);

- as a nostalgia piece for us older peeps who remember 1980[nb]I would've been 15 when it went out, and although I don't remember ever watching it or even hearing of it, two episodes did seem strangely familiar to me.  I checked the dates and yup, would have been shown in a half-term week.[/nb];

- to gawp at familiar faces young and old;

- to point and laugh, occasionally;

- and, especially in Series 2, as a technical curiosity too, including marvelling at some of the actors' abilities to perform some really quite complex stuff live: one husband-and-wife argument scene in particular stuck with me as being brilliantly done.

(The shift in style between S1 and S2 is quite pronounced, by the way, but more on that if anyone's interest ever gets that far.)

I also forgot to mention (as did TPTV) the obvious fact that part-writer Phil Redmond went on to found Brookside the year after this ended.

I do wonder how it would have gone on, if Southern hadn't lost their franchise.  Bloody Thatcher.


daf

Quote from: Ambient Sheep on August 24, 2020, 01:06:53 AM
Kathleen Byron was the infamous nun Sister Ruth in Powell & Pressburger's 1947 film Black Narcissus, and so on.

She was in another P&P film shown recently a couple of times by Talking Pictures - The Small Back Room - a slightly obscure entry in their ouevre (from 1949), but worth a look - if only for the gorgeous cinematography!

 

Also features David Farrar - giving a superbly tight-jawed performance. The theoretical main plot of some bomb disposal business is completely eclipsed by Farrar & Byrons on-off relationship and his battle with painkillers.