The Official Network Thread

[Ste7en]

Good to know, many thanks. No idea how I missed that

That'll no doubt explain why I got a shipping notification for an item with the same order number this morning.

Shame I missed the limited slipcase, but I do like that clear Amaray case it comes in.

[Se.Vero]

Originally Posted by justwannaboogie

This guy's in for a shock if he's getting duplicates

I'm actually a bit bummed I didn't get doubles. Would have been nice to do some trading in the forum.

I'm sure that's not gonna happen. My order went through normally, checked out with PayPal, took a few moments to process, but received an order confirmation email right after, and exactly one shipping notification a couple of days later. Not bummed at all, the prices were great, so I'm happy with what I'm getting for a 40% discount.

[Si Parallel Universe]

Given the number of Ealing/Micheal Balcon/Basil Deardon titles Network have released I am left wondering if there is any possibility of there being a release soon of a Blu ray of Sapphire (in the correct aspect ratio naturally) then I could retire my Criterion Eclipse DVD set of Basil Dearden London Underground.

[Aclea]

Not great, though since it's coming on for ten years since Strawberry Media put out the DVD there's a faint hope their license has expired.

[Si Parallel Universe]

Originally Posted by Aclea

Not great, though since it's coming on for ten years since Strawberry Media put out the DVD there's a faint hope their license has expired.

I did wonder. Seeing as that DVD was in the wrong aspect ratio and considered to be quite a poor transfer.

[Aclea]

It's a terrific movie and, like most of Earl Cameron's early films, it's not been well served on home video (Flame in the Streets is clumsily panned and scanned from Scope to 1.33:1), so it's a prime candidate, but... ITV.

[Si Parallel Universe]

Originally Posted by Aclea

It's a terrific movie and, like most of Earl Cameron's early films, it's not been well served on home video (Fame in the Streets is clumsily panned and scanned from Scope to 1.33:1), so it's a prime candidate, but... ITV.

I do understand that ITV have improved albeit only a little in the last few years and were authoring through Dragon Digital in Bridgend (They have their wetgate equipment on display even) so maybe there's an outside chance.

I wonder if Ben Stoddart at BFI would know what the state of play on it is.

[Modman]

Did anyone else listen to the Empire podcast with Edgar Wright and Quentin Tarantino the last 90 minutes was a conversation about British movie favourites, they could have name checked Network a dozen times.

[Si Parallel Universe]

Originally Posted by Modman

Did anyone else listen to the Empire podcast with Edgar Wright and Quentin Tarantino the last 90 minutes was a conversation about British movie favourites, they could have name checked Network a dozen times.

Nope.

I hope Tarantino isn't thinking of plagerising any of those British Films though.

[Modman]

Originally Posted by Si Parallel Universe

Nope.

I hope Tarantino isn't thinking of plagerising any of those British Films tough.

He was a big fan of Green for Danger and wondered why the other novels were not filmed, apparently he's read some of the other Cockrill novels.

[Si Parallel Universe]

Originally Posted by Modman

He was a big fan of Green for Danger and wondered why the other novels were not filmed, apparently he's read some of the other Cockrill novels.

I wonder who he would cast in an Alistair Sim type role..

Please not Tim Roth.

[Modman]

Originally Posted by Si Parallel Universe

I wonder who he would cast in an Alistair Sim type role..

Please not Tim Roth.

Probably Gary Oldman

They talked a lot about Guns of Batasi (I know Signal One), Tarantino said that movie made him change his view of Attenborough, who he hadn't really rate based on this later movie performances.

[Si Parallel Universe]

Originally Posted by Modman

Probably Gary Oldman

They talked a lot about Guns of Batasi (I know Signal One), Tarantino said that movie made him change his view of Attenborough who he hadn't really rated based on this later movie performances.

Well if he's re-evaluated Attenborough it might mean he's seen 10 Rillington Place and would have Roth in mind due to the remake but yes Gary Oldman is the other 'obvious' choice for him.

I'd personally go for Bill Nighy in any adaptation of a Cockrill novel or were he well enough Richard Wilson

[Aclea]

Nighy was who I'd have thought they'd go for as the obvious choice, but when he's off his game he's terrible (it's not that often, but he certainly made a real pig's ear of Sergeant Wilson in Dad's Army). I think Stephen Fry would be a better fit. Failing that, though he'd take it in a different direction, Hugh Laurie. The perfect choice would have been Peter O'Toole, who in his later years had the same sense of casually eccentric vagueness and ability to turn a single word into a comic monologue (cf his delivery of the word 'masonry' in High Spirits) as Sim, but that ship has also sailed.

[Modman]

Originally Posted by Aclea

Nighy was who I'd have thought they'd go for as the obvious choice, but when he's off his game he's terrible (it's not that often, but he certainly made a real pig's ear of Sergeant Wilson in Dad's Army). I think Stephen Fry would be a better fit. Failing that, though he'd take it in a different direction, Hugh Laurie. The perfect choice would have been Peter O'Toole, who had the same sense of vagueness and ability to turn a single word into a comic monologue (cf his delivery of the word 'masonry' in High Spirits), but that ship has also sailed.

I doubt he's seriously planning a remake, a few other Network titles mentioned The Man in Grey, Murder Without Crime, Hell Drivers, Passport to Shame and Station Six Sahara.

Non Network titles mentioned included Sapphire, Yellow Balloon, Strongroom, So Long at the Fair, The Sound Barrier and Nowhere to Go.

[Aclea]

I know that, it's just that Nighy has become the obvious go to guy for eccentrics these days. If someone does decide to do them for TV (the obvious choice with the traditional Sunday night cosy period murder mystery slot) he'd probably be the first one they'd call.

Passport to Shame is a surprisingly good looking British noir that hides its limbo low budget well: no Hell Drivers but still well worth picking up. Strongroom is a goodie, but with the wrong label to get a blu. Be interesting to see if SC ever upgrade their DVD of Nowhere to Go.

[Modman]

Originally Posted by Aclea

Passport to Shame is a surprisingly good looking British noir that hides its limbo low budget well: no Hell Drivers but still well worth picking up. Strongroom is a goodie, but with the wrong label to get a blu. Be interesting to see if SC ever upgrade their DVD of Nowhere to Go.

Re Strongroom, Darren Nesbitt was always a reliable often twisted villain, remember seeing him in an episode of Gideon's Way with John Hurt and even in Special Branch i got the impression he was the kind of cop who would stab a fellow officer in the back if there was advantage in doing so.

[Si Parallel Universe]

Originally Posted by Modman

I doubt he's seriously planning a remake, a few other Network titles mentioned The Man in Grey, Murder Without Crime, Hell Drivers, Passport to Shame and Station Six Sahara.

Non Network titles mentioned included Sapphire, Yellow Balloon, Strongroom, So Long at the Fair, The Sound Barrier and Nowhere to Go.

There's definitely something in the air if Sapphire got a mention. It's almost like I sensed it without having access to the podcast. I in fact mentioned it earlier in this very thread as did Aclea.

[Aclea]

Originally Posted by Modman

Re Strongroom, Darren Nesbitt was always a reliable often twisted villain, remember seeing him in an episode of Gideon's Way with John Hurt and even in Special Branch i got the impression he was the kind of cop who would stab a fellow officer in the back if there was advantage in doing so.

You should check out British quota quickie The Man in the Back Seat, which is on one of Network's Edgar Wallace Mysteries DVD sets (volume five). It's a real surprise – a simple idea nicely executed with plenty of one-damn-thing-after-another twists courtesty of Malcolm Hulke and Eric Paice’s tight script and the role of a lifetime for Derren Nesbitt. Vernon Sewell made some pretty awful movies in the tail-end of his career (constantly remaking the same movie didn't help: he actually made four versions/variations of a French play) but this one really works. I'm not too wild about the final twist, which harks back to those damn remakes, but in this case you don't have to take it literally. While it admittedly sounds like damning with faint praise considering the competition, it's got a reputation as pretty much the best of the 60s quota quickies (or ‘One of the finest features of its type ever produced' as one of the posters rather more grandly yet awkwardly put it) and it actually lives up to it. Not much chance of it being upgraded to Blu, I'd expect.

[Vault of Horror]

The Man in the Back Seat is a great film.

His last crack at the play Aclea mentions (L'Angoisse) called House of Mystery is worth a look too.