Stephen Poliakoff's "Dancing on the edge."

[Nick Armstrong]

I won't be able to watch this till next weekend so am temporarily ignoring this thread (he said, trying to keep his eyes from flickering up to Global's post... )

[Flosshilde]

Loads of inconsequences & loose ends, and I tend to agree that there was a lot of strong style not supported by similar strong content; but a pleasant few hours with some elegant moving wallpaper.

I only saw the first two episodes, & I'd say that it was very nice to look at, with a plot interesting enough to keep the attention but not enough to make me want to see more. A bit of light entertainment for a Sunday night. But Stanley's smiles were worth seeing

[Serial_Apologist]

I only saw the first two episodes, & I'd say that it was very nice to look at, with a plot interesting enough to keep the attention but not enough to make me want to see more. A bit of light entertainment for a Sunday night. But Stanley's smiles were worth seeing

In earlier times, I'd always had Poliakoff down as an intellectual heavyweight - but not nowadays: he's too obsessed by/attracted to the glitterati, the comings and goings of the bourgeoisie.

[Globaltruth]

I won't be able to watch this till next weekend so am temporarily ignoring this thread (he said, trying to keep his eyes from flickering up to Global's post... )

Aargh - apologies Caliban, should have put up a spoiler alert. Look out for the butler though...

[Nick Armstrong]

Aargh - apologies Caliban, should have put up a spoiler alert. Look out for the butler though...

No worries, Gt: I avoided reading it. I'm assuming the butler thing is a false direction...

[Ian Thumwood]

I must admit that my initial enthusiasm waned by the last two episodes. The conclusion didn't really produce any surprises and my initial suspicion that the enthusiasts for Louis Lester's band were communists. In the end the reaction of the protagonists seemed totally detatched and the story became more detached from reality. I didn't realise that Poliakoff had also been responsible for the excellent thriller "Glorious 39" which covers much of the same era but recasts the storyline in to a conspiracy thriller. This all-star film was exceptional and ultimately proved to be quite disturbing with the film moving towards a conclusion that was extremely shocking with a young girl going to an abortoir to have her dog put down only to find that she was lined up for the same fate! "Dancing on the edge" ended very conventionally with the thought that the it seemed to have no been worth following crossing my mind especially during the last half hourwhen it became clear what was going to happen. I thought that "The lost Prince" was a exceptional piece of film making too but "Dancing on the edge" seemed to be style over substance and din't really go anywhere whilst leaving too many unexplained incidents.

As for the Louis Lester band, it has been curious to read the fulsome praise for this band on the Amazon site albeit the band became less and less a feature as the programme progressed and the music similarly divorced from the kind of jazz played n that era. Equally curious has been the fact that the Ken Johnson band on which this orchestra seems to have been modelled seems to have left behind a decidedly mixed set of recordings amonst the 16 sides it cut. I've heard "Tuxedo Junction" in the past and been hugely impressed but the large bulk of their recordings seem to have featured dodgy singers like the woeful Al Bowlly as well as Hawaiian guitars. It seems odd that ex-sideman Carl Barriteau also led a band which now seems totally forgotten. Wonder if this faired any better in the jazz stakes?

http://www.swingtime.co.uk/Reviews/kenjohns/kencarl.html

[Serial_Apologist]

As for the Louis Lester band, it has been curious to read the fulsome praise for this band on the Amazon site albeit the band became less and less a feature as the programme progressed and the music similarly divorced from the kind of jazz played n that era.

Too true, Ian - and that also added to the general air of unreality as the plot progressed.

As an aside, I wonder how many of our jazzers here spotted two well-known British jazz musicians in that line-up - both original members of the Jazz Warriors: Steve Williamson and Brian Edwards?

[Anna]

I was going to leave posting about this until all had caught up but I have to say I agree totally with Ian's post above so there is no need for further comment from me except that I just felt such a sense of disappointment, having stuck with it and the slow start, then gathering pace, that is was swiftly wrapped up in the last ten minutes for a happy ending for Louis yet failed to explore so many aspects which it initially raised.
Indeed it was style over substance (as predicted by many)

[vinteuil]

Indeed it was style over substance

... sadly now this seems to be all we get from Poliakoff

[Resurrection Man]

In earlier times, I'd always had Poliakoff down as an intellectual heavyweight - but not nowadays: he's too obsessed by/attracted to the glitterati, the comings and goings of the bourgeoisie.

So what you are saying is that only Communists can be intellectual heavyweights? Bizarre.

[Anna]

... sadly now this seems to be all we get from Poliakoff

Well, I thought The Lost Prince was absolutely superb as was Shooting the Past, but, he ain't no Dennis Potter! I'm not sorry I watched it, it was a visual delight and there's not a lot which delights the senses on tv these days but basically, it was very shallow.

[Barbirollians]

Well, I thought The Lost Prince was absolutely superb as was Shooting the Past, but, he ain't no Dennis Potter! I'm not sorry I watched it, it was a visual delight and there's not a lot which delights the senses on tv these days but basically, it was very shallow.

Agreed .

[Resurrection Man]

But does everything that we watch on TV have to have 'meaning'? Lots of hand-wringing and angst? Surely the news is full of all that. Why not sit back and enjoy the visual feast?

[Flosshilde]

True.

[eighthobstruction]

I hope that in 50 years time there is a Pollywhatsit type playwright who writes a really detailed overblown empty play about Stephen Pollwatsit writing an empty highend '£' budget play....

....didn't watch this one, I have learned my lesson from before....

....My goodness Thurs really must be a desert,....I'm watching Close to the Enemy....obviously for the parady only, because it really is the most incredible load of loaded PANTS....who is it SP knows at Beeb, to keep getting to make these lavish loads of Tosh....( I do hope tosh isn't a rude word, some Public School parlance)....