David

Would like to see Jigsaw included on this site. A really excellent early 1960s thriller set on the south coast near Brighton. Well acted - Jack Warner with strong storyline. Also does anyone have information on the The Black Rider or is it the Night Rider, a shortish 1950s film with Kenneth Connor about smuggling? Finally can anyone tell me the the name of the light romantic comedy where two couples have a bike and sidecar, accidentally swap girls at a cafe and each falls for the other girl - made around 1960. I would also like to ask if anyone knows where it may be possible, if at all, to get hold of a copy on video of the 1972 Jack Bond/Jane Arden film, "The Other side of the Underneath", much of which was filmed in my home town of Abertillery?

welshpaul

I could'nt agree more about Jigsaw. Great atmospheric film, with a semi documentary feel to it. The film you are thinking of with Kenneth Connor in it is BLACK rider, made in 1954, and released through Butcher's Film Distribution. It starred Jack Warner's mate in the Blue Lamp - Jimmy Hanley, as well as Leslie Dwyer and Lionel Jeffries. What else did you want to know... I have a copy but have not watched it recently.
Paul

NappieB

Jigsaw was a superb movie - released under a different title in the USA (why do they do that??) and badly cut to boot

I remeber the movie about the two "bikers" where the girls get onto the wrong bikes during a torrential rainstorm. Starred Leslie (or George?) Chakiris... I saw it when it was first released circa 1964. A great, and very romantic, 60s clasic.

Steve Crook

Sometimes, just because they can. The US distributors want to show that they're actually doing something.
Sometimes it's for the silliest of reasons.
A Matter of Life and Death (1946) was released in the US as Stairway to Heaven because the US distributors thought that sudiences wouldn't like a film with the word "Death" in the title. Especially so soon after the end of WWII.
The Battle of the River Plate (1956) was released in the States as Pursuit of the Graf Spee because they thought that people in the US wouldn't know where the River Plate was (quite possibly true) and also that they might think that it was the River Platte and they might think it was a Western

Steve

Mr Cosmo

The best one is when the American distributors issued The Madness of King George III as The Madness of King George as they were afraid Americans would bypass it because they hadn't seen The Madness of King George I or The Madness of King George II

ChristineCB

I do think PURSUIT OF GRAF SPEE would have been the more correct title, but I'm glad Kenneth More wasn't signed on for THE BATTLE 650KM WEST OF BREST.

Steve Crook

It's a good story - but it's not true.
The film was only ever called The Madness of King George in both the UK & US. The original stage play was called The Madness of George III.

While not wholly true, director Nicholas Hytner has confirmed that it was "not wholly untrue" and it is now widely held that this almost certainly did play a part in the titling of the film. In the UK it would be obvious to anyone that "George III" referred to King George III, but it was felt that elsewhere this might not be so clear and that adding "King" to the title might help. While this explains part of the title change, it glosses over the dropping of the "III", adding renewed weight to the original theory.

Steve

Steve Crook

True, but The Battle of the River Plate was how that particular action was known to the public at the time and has been known to historians ever since.

But they don't teach history or geography in US schools

Steve

ChristineCB

It was only known to the public as BATTLE OF RIVER PLATE because that's the ONLY public information given out - at sea, where the real battles took place - the lack of local radio and TV coverage was APPALLING! CNN barely took time out from its commercials!

However, once GRAF entered port, the failure of the combatants to bottle up all public broadcasts were the only reason information about The River Plate was ever used.

The only battles going on IN there were political, and who was going to set the charges and who could run the fastest. Or tie the tightest knots.

This isn't a topic of Britain's oh-so-great world education system - it's an issue of where the local radio coverage came from. "Battle" indeed - just more pompousness that made one event seem far more important than all the dangers faced and lives lost elsewhere. Denigrating their efforts to cash in on some political cowtowing of "Battle Of River Plate" remains untruthful.

JIGSAW, however, is a great film!

Steve Crook

The battle at sea only took a few hours. Then the RN ships tailed the Graf Spee into Montevideo where the battle continued in the form of diplomacy and disinformation. It was all an essential part in defeating a serious threat to British survival.

But sea battles are often given a name which is actually the name of the nearest piece of land (or river). Like the Battles of Cape St. Vincent, the Nile, Copenhagen and Trafalgar to name Nelson's great victories.

Was there any attempt to bottle up public broadcasts? I'm not aware of any?
In what way was there any political cowtowing?

Steve

mel walton

Sam Boone
I like your sense of humor; what you say is as much true as funny. There was a time when Hollywood was somewhat more artistic, using Shakespearian titles and titles taken from novels but as Jiimmy Hatlo said 'them days is gone' Now, we get titles like 'I was a teenage axe murderer'. Wonder what audience they're aiming at? Incidently, it's not just Hollywood; everyone is leary about being misunderstood. I can think of one example, off hand, Noel Coward's 'Still Life'[ was a much better title than 'Brief Encounter" AlL the best mel

ChristineCB

Attempts to bottle of news of war actions going on? YOU ACTUALLY DOUBT THAT?!! No way you'd actually mean that!

I know "Battle of..." was far better than "Gamesmanship Of..." or "Disinformation Of..."

Like I said, "Battle Of 650km West Of Brest" was probably not chosen for some reason, but I'll never quite believe American title change was because of some striking slam at their education system as opposed to the name-recognition of the central ship involved.

Come to think of it, "Pursuit By Exeter" doesn't have the same ring to it either.

NappieB

The well-established trend seems to be easing off slightly - remember the 1964 pop-extravaganza movie hosted by Jimmy Savile called "Pop Gear"? It was released in the USA as "Go-Go Mania" (ugh!) and slightly cut.

It was shown on TV here in the US recently as "Pop Gear" and totally uncut!!

Steve Crook

This is history we're talking about, not contemporary. The real Battle of the River Plate was very well publicised here in great detail almost as soon as it happened. Partly because it was such a good story, the way that three small ships did such damage to one big one. Partly because it was the first naval battle of the war, and our side's first victory.

As well as the radio broadcasts it was all over the cinema newsreels, newspapers and photo magazines. As soon as the crews got back hope they had a big parade through the streets and a big dinner at the Mansion House with Churchill making a speech to them.

It was only me having a dig at the American educational system, which isn't renowned for its teaching of geography or history. I really don't know why the American distributors changed the title. The event was very well known here as The Battle of the River Plate and as the film was released just 17 years after it happened that was probably still in the memory of most people.

Steve