Why only at Christmas? - Page 2 - Britmovie

julian_craster · 31-03-2008, 08:18 AM

Unless you have kids, or are interested in recent so called CGI 'blockbusters', I would say that the films on UK over Christmas/New Year are now of less intrest than those on offer for the rest of the year....

Unlike 22 years ago when BBC2 screened two classic French JEAN RENIOR titles on CHRISTMAS DAY morning !!!!

MrT · 31-03-2008, 12:31 PM

It has been mentioned before about the lack of pre 1960 films that get shown now, with endless repeats of the same titles on channels such as C4 and Film Four. I'm sure the digital revolution is partly responsible for this - all the films shown on Film Four seem to have had at least some digital restoration to produce sharper, cleaner images, and this can be a slow, expensive process. A lot of the prints shown on C4 in the 80s and 90s would be deemed to be of too low a quality to transmit now - with splices, scratches etc - and general signs of wear and tare. If you have old VHS tapes go back and look at the print quality of films such as Ths History of Mr Polly and Night train to Munich when they were broadcast then, and you will see how they were before restoration. Some of the prints shown on C4 were pretty poor quality wise, I can recall "The passing of the Third Floor back" and "She shall have music" as two particularly bad examples where very poor quality prints were transmitted. Sad though it may be, I suspect the audience of today has been "educated" to expect a certain quality and a film print showing signs of age would be unacceptable to them.

Mike (MrT)

zandycap · 31-03-2008, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AdrianTurner

Years ago, my hands would tingle at the thought of buying the Christmas Radio Times, marking off all the films I wanted to see and, in later years, record onto VHS. Now I really don't even bother to scan RT that closely and maybe the reason is - the reason why we think Christmas is pretty rubbishy - because we ALREADY HAVE THE FILMS WE WANT TO SEE. On DVD. In far better condition, in the OAR, without ads and without some voice-over on the end titles etc. And because of that, Christmas TV has got worse or irrelevant.

Indeedy Mr turner that is undoubtedly correct. We have had Too much of a good thing for a long time now, but it happened so slowly we didnt notice it. If someone were to show me as a 7 year old in 1970, what my everyday life would be like now, i would think it was science fiction. Especially all those hundreds of Tv channels at the press of a magic button called a "remote" I recal our old set couldnt even get BBC2. Or a massive library of our own to view whenever we liked, even the ability to record whatever we wanted. In fact the only things we dont have (admitedly rather large things) are: A base on the moon which we can visit as tourists. And of course that requisite of all "in the year 2000" tv progs we used to see. The Flying car..!

CaptainWaggett · 31-03-2008, 04:21 PM

I'm still waiting for the sliding doors in my flat and the vending machines with little protein pills.

Everett Sloane · 31-03-2008, 05:05 PM

When I first saw this thread title I thought that someone had been eavesdropping on a rather tetchy conversation I had with my wife recently. Anyway, enough of that ...

I remember seeing a TV interview once where Clive James and P J O'Rourke were discussing the deregulation of TV. O'Rourke said - very presciently, I now think - that when a nation's television is deregulated, you finally get to find out exactly how stupid you all are. In other words, like it or not, today's TV is a far more accurate reflection of the nation's mindset than the television of forty years ago. In 1961 a Harold Pinter play may have got an audience of 19 million, but only because there was nothing else on. If Dancing On Ice had been on the other channel, I think the viewing figures would have been rather lower.

Captain W is right that there is still plenty of good stuff on but you have to seek it out. And like Adrian Turner, I no longer look to the Christmas Radio Times with any anticipation, and know that if I'm going to find the movies I want to see, I'll have to buy or rent them off amazon. So yes, there are two sides to the coin: quality films (including old British ones) are actually far easier to find, but that's the point - you have to find them. What saddens me is that today's younger viewers are no longer going to stumble upon great films accidentally. In the 1970s I discovered all sorts of stuff - from Will Hay to Bunuel - which have become favourites, just by flicking channels when I was bored. The process accelerated when Channel 4 came along. But how on earth would you "stumble" upon Fellini or Powell and Pressburger today? Classic cinema has become a tiny niche market.

And of course, back in 1970, say, a huge proportion of the film back catalogue was in black-and-white. Nowadays the schedulers have got forty more years' worth of colour films to choose from, so of course they programme these instead. Research has shown (so I'm told) that nothing sets most punters reaching for their remote controls quicker than a glimpse of something in b/w.

glyn horton · 31-03-2008, 07:02 PM

Agreed it's now harder to fall upon classic films by accident. I remember back in the 70s and 80s that when a sport event was rained off BBC would often show an old film in it's place. Nowadays they show last year's match or a sports doc. Figures I suppose as that is what the target audience has tuned in for.

I've always been a bit puzzled with the research that suggests most punters switch over if confronted by b/w. If so, why do so many pop groups/artists film videos in b/w? (eg Madonna's Vogue). Their agents wouldn't let them do that if it turned off the fans!

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31-03-2008, 08:18 AM	#16
julian_craster Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Isle of Foula, UK Posts: 1,413 Country: iTrader: (0)	Unless you have kids, or are interested in recent so called CGI 'blockbusters', I would say that the films on UK over Christmas/New Year are now of less intrest than those on offer for the rest of the year.... Unlike 22 years ago when BBC2 screened two classic French JEAN RENIOR titles on CHRISTMAS DAY morning !!!!

31-03-2008, 12:31 PM	#17
MrT Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Portsmouth Posts: 263 Country: iTrader: (24)	It has been mentioned before about the lack of pre 1960 films that get shown now, with endless repeats of the same titles on channels such as C4 and Film Four. I'm sure the digital revolution is partly responsible for this - all the films shown on Film Four seem to have had at least some digital restoration to produce sharper, cleaner images, and this can be a slow, expensive process. A lot of the prints shown on C4 in the 80s and 90s would be deemed to be of too low a quality to transmit now - with splices, scratches etc - and general signs of wear and tare. If you have old VHS tapes go back and look at the print quality of films such as Ths History of Mr Polly and Night train to Munich when they were broadcast then, and you will see how they were before restoration. Some of the prints shown on C4 were pretty poor quality wise, I can recall "The passing of the Third Floor back" and "She shall have music" as two particularly bad examples where very poor quality prints were transmitted. Sad though it may be, I suspect the audience of today has been "educated" to expect a certain quality and a film print showing signs of age would be unacceptable to them. Mike (MrT)

31-03-2008, 04:21 PM	#19
CaptainWaggett Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: London Posts: 1,828 Country: iTrader: (0)	I'm still waiting for the sliding doors in my flat and the vending machines with little protein pills.

31-03-2008, 05:05 PM	#20
Everett Sloane Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: London Posts: 51 Country: iTrader: (0)	When I first saw this thread title I thought that someone had been eavesdropping on a rather tetchy conversation I had with my wife recently. Anyway, enough of that ... I remember seeing a TV interview once where Clive James and P J O'Rourke were discussing the deregulation of TV. O'Rourke said - very presciently, I now think - that when a nation's television is deregulated, you finally get to find out exactly how stupid you all are. In other words, like it or not, today's TV is a far more accurate reflection of the nation's mindset than the television of forty years ago. In 1961 a Harold Pinter play may have got an audience of 19 million, but only because there was nothing else on. If Dancing On Ice had been on the other channel, I think the viewing figures would have been rather lower. Captain W is right that there is still plenty of good stuff on but you have to seek it out. And like Adrian Turner, I no longer look to the Christmas Radio Times with any anticipation, and know that if I'm going to find the movies I want to see, I'll have to buy or rent them off amazon. So yes, there are two sides to the coin: quality films (including old British ones) are actually far easier to find, but that's the point - you have to find them. What saddens me is that today's younger viewers are no longer going to stumble upon great films accidentally. In the 1970s I discovered all sorts of stuff - from Will Hay to Bunuel - which have become favourites, just by flicking channels when I was bored. The process accelerated when Channel 4 came along. But how on earth would you "stumble" upon Fellini or Powell and Pressburger today? Classic cinema has become a tiny niche market. And of course, back in 1970, say, a huge proportion of the film back catalogue was in black-and-white. Nowadays the schedulers have got forty more years' worth of colour films to choose from, so of course they programme these instead. Research has shown (so I'm told) that nothing sets most punters reaching for their remote controls quicker than a glimpse of something in b/w.

31-03-2008, 07:02 PM	#21
glyn horton Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: newport Posts: 126 Country: iTrader: (0)	Agreed it's now harder to fall upon classic films by accident. I remember back in the 70s and 80s that when a sport event was rained off BBC would often show an old film in it's place. Nowadays they show last year's match or a sports doc. Figures I suppose as that is what the target audience has tuned in for. I've always been a bit puzzled with the research that suggests most punters switch over if confronted by b/w. If so, why do so many pop groups/artists film videos in b/w? (eg Madonna's Vogue). Their agents wouldn't let them do that if it turned off the fans!