Recommended Television Programmes

[Nick Armstrong]

Talking Pictures TV have acquired the rights to Thames TV's contributions to 'Armchair Theatre', starting at 2210 tomorrow night.

Interesting!

Thanks for the tip. It should be fascinating to watch some of these over 50 years later. (Also memories of Armpit Theatre on Round the Horne).

[Conchis]

Is it just me, or is the soundtrack slightly out of sync with the picture on Talking Pictures?

Currently watching A Severed Head - a film I'd never seen before with my favourite actor, Ian Holm.

[ardcarp]

Peter Jackson's They Shall Not Grow Old, first shown last November, was aired again on BBC2 last night. It is an incredible achievement in movie-making, and for me as moving on the second viewing as on the first.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0brzkzx

[Tevot]

Peter Jackson's They Shall Not Grow Old, first shown last November, was aired again on BBC2 last night. It is an incredible achievement in movie-making, and for me as moving on the second viewing as on the first.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0brzkzx

Certainly agree with you there Ardcarp. I think it is a remarkable achievement.

Best Wishes,

Tevot

[Serial_Apologist]

Peter Jackson's They Shall Not Grow Old, first shown last November, was aired again on BBC2 last night. It is an incredible achievement in movie-making, and for me as moving on the second viewing as on the first.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0brzkzx

A stupendous achievement - which I watched for the first time last night - and truly humbling, for what we were made to see. Given that humanity seems hell bent on assuming more warlike postures than I have ever known in my lifetime, this should be compulsory viewing as part of our secondary education syllabus. If this is what people think they want or can handle, take a look at this!

[ardcarp]

humanity seems hell bent on assuming more warlike postures than I have ever known in my lifetime

I feel the same, SA.

[Conchis]

A stupendous achievement - which I watched for the first time last night - and truly humbling, for what we were made to see. Given that humanity seems hell bent on assuming more warlike postures than I have ever known in my lifetime, this should be compulsory viewing as part of our secondary education syllabus. If this is what people think they want or can handle, take a look at this!

What about the man who commented: 'We wouldn't have missed it for the world!' ?

[ardcarp]

What about the man who commented: 'We wouldn't have missed it for the world!' ?

I think the film maker was at pains to represent all shades of opinion. That one source (undoubtedly a very old man, possibly wearing rose-tinted specs) did nothing to alter the powerful message of the film which portrsyed false hope, dashed expectation. the horror of the trenches, the scale of death and horrendous wounding, and...for me...the tragic situation in which those who survived and returned found themselves in an uncomprehending (and financially disrupted) 'Great' Britain. At no stage did I feel any sense of 'the glorification or war'.

[LMcD]

2 very different programmes last night:
'Les Miserables' finished as strongly as it began, with David Oyelowo magnificent to the end.
Greatly enjoyed the first 'Armchair Theatre' on Talking Pictures TV, written by and starring Donald Churchill.

[vinteuil]

.


... very much enjoying Ride upon the Storm (channel 4 Sundays, and available for binge watching on All 4). By the makers of Borgen, and with the wonderful Lars Mikkelsen as a charismatic, deeply flawed, alcoholic patriarch priest; a tale of family love and hate, peril, moral jeopardy, redemption, warfare, corruption, love, shattered hopes, death, adultery ... all in the improbable setting of the workings of the Danish National Church. But this is not Trollope : it has more than a hint of Tarkovsky - with a dash of Kierkegaard...

https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/ride-upon-the-storm-channel-4-episode-1-review-walter-presents-lars-mikkelsen/

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[oddoneout]

A Slow Odyssey: The Great Wall of China
'Slow' is relative - 13000 miles in hour and a half...., and no soundtrack(too high up to get anything apart from about 4 or 5 instances, unlike for instance the reindeer herder journeys), so could be an interesting exercise in compiling a playlist. The occasional onscreen bits of text gave the impression of being translated directly and not always happily from the Chinese. Using aerial(must have been a challenge for the drone operators in some cases I would imagine) filming is an excellent way to get an idea of the size and contrasting topography of China, and some sense of the difficulties of trade(Silk Road) in such challenging conditions. Also a reminder that the images of the Wall we are familiar with are only a small part of the whole and are largely the result of tourism(both internal and international) making repair and maintenance worthwhile.
I hadn't intended to watch it all, but got sucked in, and would be happy to watch it again - but preferably with a map to follow progress as the onscreen version wasn't much help, even once I'd realised it was being shown briefly at the top of the screen as the different stages were reached.

[kernelbogey]

Peter Jackson's They Shall Not Grow Old, first shown last November, was aired again on BBC2 last night. It is an incredible achievement in movie-making, and for me as moving on the second viewing as on the first.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0brzkzx

This film has a thread of its own from when it came out in November in cinemas.

IIRC the makers were reported here to have sent a DVD to every secondary (?) school in the country.

[vinteuil]

.

... fans of Spiral may want to know that series seven is about to start in France, so with any luck it should be with us here before too long :

https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2019/02/04/engrenages-a-l-age-de-raison_5418751_3246.html

O, Laure, Guillou, Roban - we've missed you!




.

[HighlandDougie]

A Slow Odyssey: The Great Wall of China
'Slow' is relative - 13000 miles in hour and a half...., and no soundtrack(too high up to get anything apart from about 4 or 5 instances, unlike for instance the reindeer herder journeys), so could be an interesting exercise in compiling a playlist. The occasional onscreen bits of text gave the impression of being translated directly and not always happily from the Chinese. Using aerial(must have been a challenge for the drone operators in some cases I would imagine) filming is an excellent way to get an idea of the size and contrasting topography of China, and some sense of the difficulties of trade(Silk Road) in such challenging conditions. Also a reminder that the images of the Wall we are familiar with are only a small part of the whole and are largely the result of tourism(both internal and international) making repair and maintenance worthwhile.
I hadn't intended to watch it all, but got sucked in, and would be happy to watch it again - but preferably with a map to follow progress as the onscreen version wasn't much help, even once I'd realised it was being shown briefly at the top of the screen as the different stages were reached.

Having had - last May - one of the best days of my life, climbing up to and then walking along a completely unreconstructed section of the Wall (no-one else to be seen but the group I was with, who were mostly locals out for a hike), suddenly there it was on TV, from the air. Just as steep, rough and mountainous as I had remembered. Agree very much with Oddoneout's point about mapping - but well worth watching.

[Nick Armstrong]

.

... fans of Spiral may want to know that series seven is about to start in France, so with any luck it should be with us here before too long :

https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2019/02/04/engrenages-a-l-age-de-raison_5418751_3246.html

O, Laure, Guillou, Roban - we've missed you!