I'm kind of obsessed with Richard Lester's films, which may be all I have in common with Steven Soderbergh, but at least it's something.
Having achieved an Oscar nomination for the short The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film (1960), shot in a field over a couple of weekends with a cast of friends including comic geniuses Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers, Lester shopped his can of film around and was told, basically, "Very nice: when we want a feature length version of that we'll let you know." Since the film was a plotless, abstract series of surreal jokes, Lester quickly surmised that the phone might not ring anytime soon.
But a fellow American in London, Milton Subotsky, offered Lester the job of making a low-budget pop musical, and the rest would have been history if this had been A Hard Day's Night. But that was two years away: Lester's first...
Having achieved an Oscar nomination for the short The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film (1960), shot in a field over a couple of weekends with a cast of friends including comic geniuses Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers, Lester shopped his can of film around and was told, basically, "Very nice: when we want a feature length version of that we'll let you know." Since the film was a plotless, abstract series of surreal jokes, Lester quickly surmised that the phone might not ring anytime soon.
But a fellow American in London, Milton Subotsky, offered Lester the job of making a low-budget pop musical, and the rest would have been history if this had been A Hard Day's Night. But that was two years away: Lester's first...
- 2/7/2013
- by David Cairns
- MUBI
In 1963, the Beatles became the biggest band in Britain. Here are some authentic slices of the hysteria that greeted their concerts, courtesy of the British Pathé newsreel archive
Along with much of the mainstream British media, Pathé came to the Beatles comparatively late in 1963. Its October feature Tribute to Disc Stars is the first clip I've found that mentions the group, and that's in the context of a Variety Club bash at the Savoy – a 60s equivalent of today's BPI awards.
Here is the British music establishment of the day. The run-down of the guests gives you an idea of what the Beatles were up against in 1963: Frank Ifield, Joe Brown, Pearl Carr and Teddy Johnson, Acker Bilk, Cyril Stapleton, Anne Shelton, Eddie Calvert, Charlie Drake, Dickie Valentine. Apart from Joe Brown and Frank Ifield, nary a hint of pop flash among the lot of them.
The point of...
Along with much of the mainstream British media, Pathé came to the Beatles comparatively late in 1963. Its October feature Tribute to Disc Stars is the first clip I've found that mentions the group, and that's in the context of a Variety Club bash at the Savoy – a 60s equivalent of today's BPI awards.
Here is the British music establishment of the day. The run-down of the guests gives you an idea of what the Beatles were up against in 1963: Frank Ifield, Joe Brown, Pearl Carr and Teddy Johnson, Acker Bilk, Cyril Stapleton, Anne Shelton, Eddie Calvert, Charlie Drake, Dickie Valentine. Apart from Joe Brown and Frank Ifield, nary a hint of pop flash among the lot of them.
The point of...
- 11/28/2012
- by Jon Savage
- The Guardian - Film News
From from the British Pathé newsreel archive, Jon Savage unearths footage of the hip young band who rode the trad jazz wave in 1962, inspired by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band
Reading this on mobile? Watch clip here
This is a charming period piece, from March 1962. The colour makes it seem at once vivid and time-locked. It shows the travelling arrangements and a performance of a young, Dixieland jazz group called the Original Downtown Syncopators – who featured as pianist the future polymath Ron Geesin, best known for his collaboration with Roger Waters on The Body film soundtrack and with Pink Floyd on the Atom Heart Mother suite.
That would occur nearly a decade later. In early 1962, the Original Downtown Syncopators were a young and enthusiastic outfit riding the trad wave with a little more authenticity than some of their peers. As the clip shows, they took their cues from the source,...
Reading this on mobile? Watch clip here
This is a charming period piece, from March 1962. The colour makes it seem at once vivid and time-locked. It shows the travelling arrangements and a performance of a young, Dixieland jazz group called the Original Downtown Syncopators – who featured as pianist the future polymath Ron Geesin, best known for his collaboration with Roger Waters on The Body film soundtrack and with Pink Floyd on the Atom Heart Mother suite.
That would occur nearly a decade later. In early 1962, the Original Downtown Syncopators were a young and enthusiastic outfit riding the trad wave with a little more authenticity than some of their peers. As the clip shows, they took their cues from the source,...
- 10/4/2012
- by Jon Savage
- The Guardian - Film News
The Wurzels musician Reg Quantrill has died, aged 77. Quantrill was one of the last surviving original members of the Somerset folk band, who were known for their self-described 'Scrumpy & Western' style of music. The band were best known for their 1970s hits 'I Am a Cider Drinker' and 'Combine Harvester'. Reg Quantrill played the banjo and guitar for the band until 1974, when he left months before the death of original leader Adge Cutler. He was known for being the butt of several on-stage jokes made by Cutler and other members of the band. He also performed as a jazz musician, and was a close friend of skiffle performer Lonnie Donegan and clarinet player Acker Bilk. Quantrill later turned to acting, and had appeared on Maid Marian and Her Merry Men (more)...
- 6/12/2012
- by By Tom Eames
- Digital Spy
An art deco oasis with a warm personality in the heart of Letchworth Garden City is the subject of our ninth cinema review
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On location: The last building at the end of a high street containing – among other things – a Wilkinsons, Poundstretcher and Pizza Hut. You get to City Kebab and Pizza, and suddenly, towering above you on your left, is the magnificent art deco Broadway Cinema.
It's walkable from the train station, and has plenty of parks and other green areas on hand to demonstrate Letchworth's garden city status. It's only a couple of minutes' walk from the local Morrisons, should you fancy a pre- or post-screening scotch egg.
Crowd scene: A typical daytime weekend queue at the box office will consist of some students, a family of four, two early teens deciding whether or...
• Check out our Google map and flickr group
• Tell us where to go next
On location: The last building at the end of a high street containing – among other things – a Wilkinsons, Poundstretcher and Pizza Hut. You get to City Kebab and Pizza, and suddenly, towering above you on your left, is the magnificent art deco Broadway Cinema.
It's walkable from the train station, and has plenty of parks and other green areas on hand to demonstrate Letchworth's garden city status. It's only a couple of minutes' walk from the local Morrisons, should you fancy a pre- or post-screening scotch egg.
Crowd scene: A typical daytime weekend queue at the box office will consist of some students, a family of four, two early teens deciding whether or...
- 8/16/2011
- by Stuart Goodwin
- The Guardian - Film News
LONDON -- Irish rocker Van Morrison and jazz clarinetist Acker Bilk received standing ovations as they picked up honors Tuesday night at the BMI 2004 European Awards. Morrison was lauded as a BMI Icon for what the royalty collection organization's president emeritus Frances Preston said was his "enduring influence on generations of music makers" over his 40-year career. Local favorite Bilk received his applause as he picked up a "Million-air" award marking 4 million performances on U.S. radio and television of his tune "Stranger on the Shore". BMI annually honors the European songwriters, composers and publishers it represents along with the United Kingdom's Performing Right Society. The prizes were handed out during a banquet at the Dorchester Hotel by BMI president and CEO Del Bryant and senior vp Phil Graham.
- 10/7/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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