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Reviews
Air Outpost (1937)
Truly historic
It's amazing to think that the entire area is now under concrete! I doubt there are many films of this era.
Obviously before the discovery of oil. I wonder if the aircraft fuel was flown in when there were millions of litres right under their feet!
Were the staff truly in threat of losing a limb if they made a mistake?
The morse soundtrack is somewhat distracting. Note the British travellers always needed a bath wherever they journied.
Little else to say except I am required to put in a minimum number of characters.
Highly recommended even if you hate aircraft. I wonder what the fare was?
World of Sport (1964)
Serious errors in the "cast list"
While I am sure the names of many famous male wrestlers were entered with the best motives I can assure future researchers that women wrestlers were never featured on "World of Sport". They did appear in many (mostly regional) documentaries - it was partly my job to get these made for publicity purposes when I worked for the main UK female wrestling promoter, but the women were never a part of the Saturday afternoon shows. Neither did women feature on the evening wrestling shows which used to go out at 10.30 on Wednesday evenings. We were told there was a directive from "the very top of I.T.V." prohibiting women's wrestling matches from being shown. Sorry the shown female wrestlers simply did not appear on "World of Sport".
The Best House in London (1969)
Uses the same set as 'Oliver'
I don't know how to add items to the other sections of this site so I will put an interesting tit-bit (!) here! I played one of the extras in Oliver (NOT one of the boys) and was amazed to see many of the locations on the back lot used here. Not only that they also used many of the same vehicles, props and I even recognised some of the horses! Given that Oliver is a family movie and this is anything but it's an interesting fact. I'm told that the Oliver set was left to slowly moulder away for many years - what a waste! Oh yes this film? Well it's not THAT bad and is a dream for those who like to count the well known bit part players. Must have spent the money saved on scenery on extras! ;-)
Battle of the V-1 (1958)
Just plain wrong!
Thuis film is one of many that use an historical background for what is in fact a fictional story. Now there is nothing wrong in that except that scholars may in future take the films information as fact. You see the V1 (FZG-76 as it was known to the Germans) was never a rocket nor was it rocket powered! The film makers even use a rocket type sound effect when the engine is supposedly running. Yes there was a flying bomb and yes it was designed (but not built) in the Baltic, but that is where the facts stop. The V1 was in fact powered by a pulse jet, a sort of repeating explosion. Once heard never forgotten. The part at the end where a rocket is tested is inspired by the later V2, but never by the V1. If you are researching the German V weapons please do not take this film as factual. If you intend teaching the subject then please look elsewhere!
Savage Messiah (1972)
Worth seeing again
First I have to admit that I was directed by Ken Russell in this movie. He told me to "get out of the bloody shot" when I was watching the filming at Horsted Keynes station between shots while working as an extra! The movie itself has several excellent parts, many of them well and clearly shown on Helen Mirren's body as she descends the stairs all woman totally disablie! The most moving part (by far) is the last 10 minutes where we see the work of Gaudier-Brzeska after being told of his demise. Back to Russell as a director he was friendly, indeed charming to the cast and even we extras, but scathing to the crew when things went wrong. In one case almost throwing the camera operator off set when he switched off the camera before the director shouted "cut". Suppose Russell had a point, it wasn't for the man with the switch to decide when the scene was over! The sound man received a round of applause - led by Shirly Russell when he performed some sort of audio miracle. Certainly not the best Russell movie,but far from his worst either. Good film that I would have never ever watched had I not been an extra. Glad that I did.
Legend of the Witches (1970)
Interesting excuse for nubile full frontals. B&W.
UPDATE: Now available in BluRay from the BFI. Excellent transfer, worth watching.
This was obviously made in an era when full frontal nudity in the cinema needed an excuse. "Now what can we use to get some pubics past the censor? I know! Witchcraft!", seems to be what the director thought.
A quick trip to Wardour Street to hire a camera, 50 quid for a roll of neg, and off to the local church for some background shots. "Let's make a movie (even if we can only afford black and white). Yippee!" Next off to Hampsted Heath with some cronies from the local pub (note to self: make sure the girls don't mind taking their knickers down; pity I forgot to tell the blokes not to try covering up their naughties as they all look like they are playing with themselves, when in fact they are trying to stop the camera seeing who is the "best man"!) I must say the rostrum camera-work isn't too bad and it's a pity that the database doesn't have the crew named.
The commentary sounds, and let's face it is, straight from the 1970's. You can imagine creeping into a dingy cinema full of the Dirty Mac brigade who are only sitting there to see the tits and bums.
From the above you will think that I am taking the urine, actually this film is quite interesting, well researched and deserves a play to a wider audience if only for the lack of coyness. But comments such as "The women's branch of the armed forces is a source of images" is well, rather odd to say the least! Although I can't imagine a real coven having so many long haired, firm breasted 20 year olds who all look like singer Mary Hopkin, accompanied by slightly balding 40 year old men trying to copulate with them. What happened to all the wizened, warty old hags? Perhaps they didn't go down the pub that night! In short, it's all a bit staged.