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Peter Ewart


Joined: 31 Aug 2005
Posts: 1797
Location: Near Canterbury, Kent, England.
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Rich

I fear my cinematographic (is that the right word?) experience is woefully impoverished, at least for the last 40 years or so anyway. I've just looked again at Shaw's main output in his Wiki entry - and haven't seen any of them! Not Jaws, nor Sting, nor The Deep, nor From Russia with Love, nor can I recall seeing A Man for All Seasons, which slightly surprises me. I hereby promise to rectify that last omission shortly and I'm sure I'll enjoy it!

I have never seen a single James Bond film - Connery or anyone. (I've seen his son with my brother on the stage in Journey's End though!) Must have seen the trailers but they didn't tempt me away from football, cricket or caddying. I've never seen Gone With the Wind, nor Casablanca, Brief Encounter or even The Sound of Music, although obviously have often seen clips. I was once dragged, protesting vehemently, to see Mitzi Gaynor in South Pacific on the very same afternoon of the fifth day of the final Ashes Test against Australia at the Oval in Sept 1961, thereby missing the wireless commentary I'd been glued to all morning. The mere mention of said actress or film makes my hackles rise to this very day.

From the mid-50s to the late 60s I was a pretty regular picture-goer (saw The Man Who Knew too Much when it came out but was far too young to follow it); White Christmas when it came out or the following year; Spencer Tracey in The Mountain and, of course, the invasion of these shores by Fess Parker and racoon hats! All by 1956. Not sure why, but after Midnight Cowboy and The Battle of Britain I don't remember seeing many films. The late arrival of offspring has meant I've seen every Harry Potter film immediately on release! (Finally saw The Great Escape only a year or so back. Tell me, what were Yanks doing in that?) Wink

Saw - didn't have access to a TV in the '50s apart from Sunday visits to an aunt - for Robin Hood, Lone Ranger & William Tell. Remember talk from friends of Rawhide, Wagon Train, Man from Laramie etc., as well as several British sitcoms. The Buccaneers might just ring a vague bell - but I didn't see it. Instead of inventions like the gogglebox my mother "encouraged" us to sit up in high backed chairs in front of the fire and read the classics each evening. Not sure if it worked!

Peter
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Peter E.

You've always struck me as being a chess and/or bridge player when not reading, perhaps a high-quality chess set sitting on a table in the lounge/livingroom, or a study set out with Victorian era furniture, whilst enjoying various classical music, not on tape or cd, but on an actual vinyl record, logged and labelled on your music shelf with many other albums, with a decanter and a few crystal glasses sitting strategically nearby. Smile

Additionally, you read the Financial Times and enjoy crosswords.

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P.S. Then again, it might be Inspector Morse I'm thinking of. Wink
Peter Ewart


Joined: 31 Aug 2005
Posts: 1797
Location: Near Canterbury, Kent, England.
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Mostly wide of the mark, Coll. Bridge? Haven't played cards since I was a boy - and nothing more cerebral than knock-out whist I'm afraid. Chess? Never tried it. "Not reading"? What does that mean? Oh, when we're asleep or playing cricket, I s'pose.

Well, the furniture is hardly contemporary and certainly not modern. Not much Victorian stuff, I'm afraid. All has been progressively smashed by two boys playing football & cricket in all rooms, defying their father at every turn. (Not to mention a ruined garden, broken terracotta pots & interior & exterior windows). I'll murder the chap who introduced them to sport if I catch him. Music? Well, I thought Tommy Steele was good until I heard (& saw!) Marianne Faithfull (why that spelling?) sing As Tears Go By. But yes, nothing beats Kathleen Ferrier's Ombra Mai Fu. No vinyl left here - which doesn't mean I always know what to do with a CD, let alone a DVD. All these Itubes and Upods the rest of the family have are a closed book to me & I can't see that changing soon. Lots of cassette tapes (but is there a machine that works?) Nothing logged, but possibly labelled. A library of a few thousand books still awaiting cataloguing.

Decanters and crystal glasses? Well, a beer (English and warm, obviously) or a glass of red by my elbow while reading takes some beating, unless it's pocketing a rather athletic slip catch or outsprinting a batting partner a quarter of my age. The FT? Nope! The Times since I discovered it in the school library at 15, although as it's only a rag today and a Murdoch one at that, I'm abashed at not having kicked the habit by now. No crosswords either. A brother does The Times crossword every day. When he gets stuck he simply moves on to another pub & tries a different beer. Have a look at a picture of Charles Aubrey Smith (England cricket captain, knighted for services to Anglo-American relations in the 1940s). Imagine him snoozing by the wireless as he awaits the latest cricket scores. Then watch his blood pressure explode as another England batting collapse materialises. That's me.

About 2 out of 10, Coll. Could do better. What's this got to do with Robert Shaw?

P.


Last edited by Peter Ewart on Tue Mar 20, 2012 12:05 am; edited 1 time in total
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Peter E.

It was just a lighthearted attempt to see if I was right, though your reply was more detailed than I expected, instead of a 'totally wrong' or 'that's me exactly.' Smile

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P.S. Only 2 out of 10 ?
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Kiwi Sapper


Joined: 05 Mar 2009
Posts: 125
Location: Middle Earth & Home of Narnia; (Auckland, New Zealand)
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peterw wrote:
..................Robert Shaw was a fine actor; this was not his finest moment.Peter


I remember him from his role as the Sheriff of Nottingham in the 1976 film "Robin and Marian".......which for some odd reason does not appear in his Wiki "filmography Surprised

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There are several scenes in 'Jaws' that are good, but talking-wise, it has to be Shaw's telling the story about the U.S.S. Indianapolis.

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Additionally, with mentioning 'Custer Of The West', I found out that the tv movie 'The Court-Martial Of George Armstrong Custer' can be obtained on dvd, but apparently only in the U.S. Sad

Any of our American friends confirm this, though I expect it'd be an internet-based store, rather than in an actual shop ?

BTW, there is an intriguing 6mins of the beginning of the tv movie on youtube, showing the dead at Custer's stand, then the finding of him still breathing.

Thanks

Coll

P.S. It does make me wonder what a similar version would be like for Col. Durnford surviving Isandlwana, for a film or tv drama! Very Happy
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Further to the above.

'The Court-Martial Of George Armstrong Custer' dvd is available from mediaoutlet.com. It states that it is an 'All Regions Dvd', but I don't know if that means only regions in the U.S. or can be played here too. Confused

If anyone gets a copy, can you please give a review on the forum ?

Thankyou

Coll
Rob D


Joined: 01 Sep 2005
Posts: 93
Location: Melbourne Australia
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Coll
If it's marketed as "All Regions" then it should play on any DVD player.
Rob
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Rob

Thanks for that. I can never understand these things.

I'll just have to figure out how to acquire it from the company, as I've not ordered anything from the U.S. afore, as I tend to veer away from complicated processes. A job for my sister methinks.

Thanks again

Coll

P.S. If I get it, I'll give a review here if anyone is interested.
rich


Joined: 01 May 2008
Posts: 897
Location: Long Island NY USA
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Coll:

Just an fyi....I don't' think that film is in print so I'm wondering how the copy will look from that site (mediaoutlet). Don't expect blu-ray!... Wink

If you want it take a chance. I did yesterday with a 4.99 Titanic dvd. I bought it knowing it could be a bad print. But I was pleasantly surprised since it was pretty good. I'm going to use it to show my friend who told me his grandfather was on the Carpathia when it picked up the Titanic surviviors. They have a real good shot of the workers on the ship. Maybe it's a long shot but there's a one in a million chance that perhaps his grandfather just could be identified from those fellows!

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Rich
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Rich

Yes. From what I've read elsewhere (Little Bighorn forum) the quality appears to be okay, which'll do me, as I've never seen the film. Sad

I'm wondering if this company is similar in the way to 'Arrow Films', who did the dvd for 'Zulu Dawn' a couple of years ago.

Anyway, I'll be trying to get this Custer dvd soon, as it never ever appears on British television, unlike 'Son Of The Morning Star' which has, though broken up with adverts which is annoying.

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rich


Joined: 01 May 2008
Posts: 897
Location: Long Island NY USA
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Ah...Son of the Morning Star...did you try to get it? I believe it can only be had as a used video tape now. For some reason they haven't put it on dvd to my knowledge or have they?

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Rich

'Son Of The Morning Star' on dvd ? - Not yet, which surprises me, as it is a quality Custer/Little Bighorn tv movie, better than any film I've seen.

Copyright issues I expect. Rolling Eyes

I've ntoiced they cut out a couple of small scenes with horses falling, in the same way as with 'Ulzana's Raid'.

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rich


Joined: 01 May 2008
Posts: 897
Location: Long Island NY USA
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Yes, I thought so too. Fine film from my point of view. And I wouldn't be surprised about not seeing the film popularized on dvd since there could be other reasons besides copyright. Even today Custer polarizes. There are groups who are on one side or other when it comes to Indians, the 7th cavalry and Custer himself. Who knows maybe there's a lobby who didn't like the portrayals of Reno, Benteen or Custer himself?

And while we're on the subject of Westerns, check out the blu of John Ford's "Fort Apache". A great film and thematically there's a fellow in there who's just like Custer. Hell bent on killin' and gittin' Injuns. Gives us a little look of what went around here with our "Manifest Destiny." Ford gives us an intriguing look at our US history.

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