The Queen's Guards (1961) - CinemaScope?

[philly]

William Roache has written 3 volumes of autobiography , he has mentioned some of his film and tv roles prior to Coronation Street. On television he had roles in Emergency Ward 10, Ivanhoe, Knight Errant, Biggles and Skyport . He also acted in Play For Today - Marking Time , cast in the lead role . Aside from the aforementioned Behind The Mask (playing an anaesthetist) and The Bulldog Breed he had a role in The Queen's Guards. Here is the paragraph quoted " After that i got a small part in the film The Queen's Guards directed by Michael Powell. Here i was a wireless operator in a tent in the desert"

[Steve Crook]

William Roache has written 3 volumes of autobiography , he has mentioned some of his film and tv roles prior to Coronation Street. On television he had roles in Emergency Ward 10, Ivanhoe, Knight Errant, Biggles and Skyport . He also acted in Play For Today - Marking Time , cast in the lead role . Aside from the aforementioned Behind The Mask (playing an anaesthetist) and The Bulldog Breed he had a role in The Queen's Guards. Here is the paragraph quoted " After that i got a small part in the film The Queen's Guards directed by Michael Powell. Here i was a wireless operator in a tent in the desert"

Well there is a scene in a tent in the desert. That's where we see Tony Selby browned-up as a Libyan
I'll have to check it again to see if the radio operator appears and if it could be Bill Roache

Steve

[CaptainWaggett]

Excitingly The Queen's Guards is being shown at the NFT on 23rd Jan 2012. No doubt Martin Scorsese is already eyeing it up as his next restoration project

[dpgmel]

Excitingly The Queen's Guards is being shown at the NFT on 23rd Jan 2012. No doubt Martin Scorsese is already eyeing it up as his next restoration project

Let's hope he keeps it in bright crimson.

[CaptainWaggett]

Let's hope he keeps it in bright crimson.

It was a brave decision of Powell's to film in Scarlettovision and I'm surprised more critics haven't picked up on this as a reason for its commercial failure

[didi-5]

Excitingly The Queen's Guards is being shown at the NFT on 23rd Jan 2012. No doubt Martin Scorsese is already eyeing it up as his next restoration project

Well I will try and see it just to see what all this stuff about crimson is about. Crap or not. Kudos to the BFI for programming it.

[Expat]

I was 3rd & then 2nd asst director on 'The Queens Guards'-any news on this showing & a possible DVD release?

[narabdela]

I was 3rd & then 2nd asst director on 'The Queens Guards

Any views on the Cinemascope/Technirama issue then?

[Steve Crook]

I was 3rd & then 2nd asst director on 'The Queens Guards'-any news on this showing & a possible DVD release?

Very unlikely, but never say never. There are a lot of Powell's films that are a lot higher on the list for a possible DVD release than this one. But we would still be very interested to hear any memories that you have of making it. It might have been the worst film that Powell ever made (IMO) but it is still a Michael Powell film so that still puts it head and shoulders above most films by most other people.

The plot might have more holes in it than a Swiss cheese (Emmental), but there are still many points of interest in it

Steve

[Film Man]

Any views on the Cinemascope/Technirama issue then?

Yes indeed...even a tea-boy must have taken note of the camera used.
Film Man

[narabdela]

It might have been the worst film that Powell ever made (IMO) but it is still a Michael Powell film so that still puts it head and shoulders above most films by most other people.

I appreciate that you're a fan, but that assessment is wildly OTT.

[CaptainWaggett]

I appreciate that you're a fan, but that assessment is wildly OTT.

You've got more chance of getting Ray to own up that he really thinks Barbara Stanwyck is quite an average actress than you have of getting Steve to admit that Battle of the River Plate isn't actually the pinnacle of Western civilisation .

[Film Man]

Brilliant Captain!
Film Man.

[Steve Crook]

You've got more chance of getting Ray to own up that he really thinks Barbara Stanwyck is quite an average actress than you have of getting Steve to admit that Battle of the River Plate isn't actually the pinnacle of Western civilisation .

That's easily done. The Battle of the River Plate isn't actually the pinnacle of Western civilisation. There are a lot of other P&P films that are much better

Steve

[Steve Crook]

I appreciate that you're a fan, but that assessment is wildly OTT.

In what way is it wildly OTT? Any such statement of the relative merits of films and film-makers must be personal opinion, and that is my personal opinion. You might disagree with it, but how can an opinion be wildly OTT?

If you do disagree with it you're at liberty to list the "most films by most people" which are better. But as there are currently 270,908 feature films listed on the IMDb you would have to list a few hundred thousand of them

Steve

[didi-5]

I had a ticket to the recent showing of this film at the BFI but missed it as a/ wasn't that well on the day and b/ it was largely described on various forums and lists as total rubbish. Maybe I missed a forgotten gem but probably not ...

[narabdela]

In what way is it wildly OTT? Any such statement of the relative merits of films and film-makers must be personal opinion, and that is my personal opinion. You might disagree with it, but how can an opinion be wildly OTT?

If you do disagree with it you're at liberty to list the "most films by most people" which are better. But as there are currently 270,908 feature films listed on the IMDb you would have to list a few hundred thousand of them

Steve

facepalm.jpg

Okaydokey.

[CaptainWaggett]

I had a ticket to the recent showing of this film at the BFI but missed it as a/ wasn't that well on the day and b/ it was largely described on various forums and lists as total rubbish. Maybe I missed a forgotten gem but probably not ...

I'm not a fan myself but very few reviews you read before the screening would have been from people who had actually seen it in the past 30 years. Here's one audience member's opinion

[julian_craster]

My theory is that Fox gave MP Technirama cameras to shoot the ceremonial scenes, as they originally thought TQG would make a 70mm epic (Zulu was released in 70mm, shot in Technirama). Fox then read the script again, cut the budget and took these cameras away !

It seems that Steve has changed his mind about this film as his early reviews were very negative....MP (without EP) can now be seen as an 'auteur' after all... !

(an auteur being a director whose entire output (even the duds ! ) receives priveleged status, whose films rise above the levels of mere mortals (the non-auteurs...)

[CaptainWaggett]

It seems that Steve has changed his mind about this film as his early reviews were very negative....MP (without EP) can now be seen as an 'auteur' after all... !

(an auteur being a director whose entire output (even the duds ! ) receives priveleged status, whose films rise above the levels of mere mortals (the non-auteurs...)

Indeed. Who'd have thought that the phrase 'What a mess!' would appear in a review by Mr Crook of a Michael Powell film? Shortly followed by the phrase ' I was giving up the will to live by then'