Pedants' Paradise

[Roger Webb]

Eric Fenby swore by its authenticity, however!

Well Eric certainly swore, as Ken had promised not to put in the scene in the church where the local priest gropes 'Girl next door' (Geraldine Sherman) observed by Fenby (Christopher Gable).

I think that that period of Delius's life was well documented by Russell, but it led to many thinking Delius was an invalid all his life. I remember a TV music quiz c. Mid-70s where the panel was shown the famous picture of Holst and VW hiking, all the panel got VWs portly figure, but no one Holst...but when someone suggested Delius he was shot down in flames with the comment by, I think, Richard Baker, 'that can't be Delius, he was an invalid all his life'!

[Serial_Apologist]

Well Eric certainly swore, as Ken had promised not to put in the scene in the church where the local priest gropes 'Girl next door' (Geraldine Sherman) observed by Fenby (Christopher Gable).

I think that that period of Delius's life was well documented by Russell, but it led to many thinking Delius was an invalid all his life. I remember a TV music quiz c. Mid-70s where the panel was shown the famous picture of Holst and VW hiking, all the panel got VWs portly figure, but no one Holst...but when someone suggested Delius he was shot down in flames with the comment by, I think, Richard Baker, 'that can't be Delius, he was an invalid all his life'!

[smittims]

Forgive my pedantry , but I'm sure the woman under the priest is not Geraldine Sherman but a fair-haired actor. I love the way Christopher Gable says in best Yorkshire . 'will you 'ear my confession, father?'

[Roger Webb]

Forgive my pedantry , but I'm sure the woman under the priest is not Geraldine Sherman but a fair-haired actor. I love the way Christopher Gable says in best Yorkshire . 'will you 'ear my confession, father?'

You might be right Smittims, I remember Geraldine Sherman (very dark hair in a 'bob') as the gossipy 'girl-next-door', and probably misremembered her as the 'victim' of the priest's attention. Annoyingly whenever I visit the actual church in Grez-sur-Loing (not used in the film - most of the locations were in the Lake District) I can't help but replay that scene in my minds' eye!

I have the DVD, I'll have a look later.

Edit. Just put the DVD on and winding forward to the cast list.....tells me nothing - except that Ken Russell, in one of his cameo roles à la Hitchcock, played the priest! The only female role not 'accounted for' is played by Penny Service...a regular in Ken's films, incl. The Debussy Film (she played Lily Texier) and Isadora....so it may be her.

[smittims]

Thanks, Roger. The house in the film is beautiful though it is obviously not the actual Delius house (I'm going by photographs) which I understand was boght by Balfour Gardiner so Delius and Jelka could live there when their money dried up .

[Roger Webb]

Thanks, Roger. The house in the film is beautiful though it is obviously not the actual Delius house (I'm going by photographs) which I understand was boght by Balfour Gardiner so Delius and Jelka could live there when their money dried up .

I think that the house in the film is Ken and Shirley Russell's own house in the Lake District.

I visited Grez-sur-Loing many times, but had never been inside as it was owned by a rather formidable lady, Madame d'Aubigné who had bought it from Balfour Gardiner. She wasn't particularly keen on Delians just turning up, but one day I happened to mention why we had come to Grez so many times to the owner of the little bar opposite (no longer there), she promptly marched across the road and hammered on the big double doors that gave on to the garden and a chap opened them, and after a brief conversation she returned to say the gardener would meet us at lunchtime and take us round! We turned up midday and bought him a drink...he explained that Madame d'A was in her Paris flat for the week. We spent a wonderful hour there walking round the garden and sitting by the river. The gardener told us he didn't have keys to the house but showed us Jelka's studio which has (had, as it is now demolished) steps going up from the garden.

Staying in the Chateau de Gué a long time after this a little away from Grez, I mentioned our visit only to find our host was a friend of Jean Merle d'A, the son who now owned Delius's house, and she related how an incident had been the talk of the area recently, where after a furious row Jean Merle had chased his son from the house, down the Rue Wilson and fired off both barrels at him....don't know what has happened to the house since - except that it was flooded a few years ago like all the houses in that part of Grez - the village was chosen by BBC news to show the extent of the floods!

By the way when I first moved to Clifton, Bristol, Shirley still had her vintage clothes shop in Princess Victoria St in Clifton. If you look at the credits of Ken's films she is invariably listed for Costumes.

Perhaps we should rename this thread Pedants' Paradise Garden!

[Serial_Apologist]

I think that the house in the film is Ken and Shirley Russell's own house in the Lake District.

I visited Grez-sur-Loing many times, but had never been inside as it was owned by a rather formidable lady, Madame d'Aubigné who had bought it from Balfour Gardiner. She wasn't particularly keen on Delians just turning up, but one day I happened to mention why we had come to Grez so many times to the owner of the little bar opposite (no longer there), she promptly marched across the road and hammered on the big double doors that gave on to the garden and a chap opened them, and after a brief conversation she returned to say the gardener would meet us at lunchtime and take us round! We turned up midday and bought him a drink...he explained that Madame d'A was in her Paris flat for the week. We spent a wonderful hour there walking round the garden and sitting by the river. The gardener told us he didn't have keys to the house but showed us Jelka's studio which has (had, as it is now demolished) steps going up from the garden.

Staying in the Chateau de Gué a long time after this a little away from Grez, I mentioned our visit only to find our host was a friend of Jean Merle d'A, the son who now owned Delius's house, and she related how an incident had been the talk of the area recently, where after a furious row Jean Merle had chased his son from the house, down the Rue Wilson and fired off both barrels at him....don't know what has happened to the house since - except that it was flooded a few years ago like all the houses in that part of Grez - the village was chosen by BBC news to show the extent of the floods!

By the way when I first moved to Clifton, Bristol, Shirley still had her vintage clothes shop in Princess Victoria St in Clifton. If you look at the credits of Ken's films she is invariably listed for Costumes.

Perhaps we should rename this thread Pedants' Paradise Garden!

What a wonderful story! I hadn't known about Balfour Gardiner having apparently been the owner of that house! I have to thank Smittims for that bit of info. Gardiner was another of those little known British composers of the Edwardian era who composed little - the 1908 Shepherd's Fennel Dance sounds Graingeresque - and is better known possibly for his conducting. He was one of the "Frankfurt Group" group that included Grainger and Cyril Scott - high time Radio 3 did a programme on them, come to think of it.

By the way, do you happen to be the Roger who used to run a record shop above a restaurant on "the triangle" at the top end of Park Street? If so, small world and that, we know each other!

[Roger Webb]

What a wonderful story! I hadn't known about Balfour Gardiner having apparently been the owner of that house! I have to thank Smittims for that bit of info. Gardiner was another of those little known British composers of the Edwardian era who composed little - the 1908 Shepherd's Fennel Dance sounds Graingeresque - and is better known possibly for his conducting. He was one of the "Frankfurt Group" group that included Grainger and Cyril Scott - high time Radio 3 did a programme on them, come to think of it.



By the way, do you happen to be the Roger who used to run a record shop above a restaurant on "the triangle" at the top end of Park Street? If so, small world and that, we know each other!

I remember I had an Lp of Gardiner's piano music, which is just about the only album I can remember devoted solely to his music....he was much more of a farmer than composer.....unlike his nephew, who is more a conductor than farmer....or was!!!

No, not that Roger! In fact I knew the co-owner of Revolver Records, Mike Chadwick very well, and we always drank in the Smiles Brewery Tap on a Saturday lunchtime - Mike went on to head-up one of the big independent distributors....without his astute acquisition we wouldn't have that melodious (or was that malodorous?) 'death metal' combo, Napalm Death!

My shop (the first one that Pulcinella worked in) was in Christmas Steps (handy for the Brewery Tap!) and called Pastoral Music. In '92 I opened Bristol Classical Discs.

[oddoneout]

A new plan to broker disagreements between developers and government agencies...

From a Guardian article about development of new towns.