Day of the Triffids

[Jim]

Just watched 'Day of the Triffids' again - by cranky, can't Janet Scott scream? She almost shattered a vase standing on top of our tele!!



Just imagine what they could do with special effects today with DOTT?



By the way, is John Wyndham still going?

[sanndevil]

No - died a long time ago, in 1969. However, the lovely Janette Scott is still going strong, and despite being a little more comely these days, was radiant at her mother's funeral (Dame Thora Hird) last year.

[Jim]

sanndevil:

No - died a long time ago, in 1969. However, the lovely Janette Scott is still going strong, and despite being a little more comely these days, was radiant at her mother's funeral (Dame Thora Hird) last year.

You're right sanndevil! She's still a 'corker'.

[DB7]

JIM:

Just imagine what they could do with special effects today with DOTT?

28 Days Later was reminiscent (Alex Garland acknowledged it was part homage to Wynham) of Day of the Triffids; even recreating the desolate Westminster Bridge scene. Both have their salvation strongholds, the Isle of Wight in the book and Manchester in Boyle's film.



Maybe somebody should adapt Night of the Triffids.

[Marky B]

Having never seen 28 Days Later,I didn't know it was of homage to Day of the Triffids.

However,a remake no doubt will soon be on the cards.

Steven Spielberg is supposed to doing a remake of The War of The Worlds with Tom Cruise,so perhaps he will log DOTT in his diary in a couple of years or so.

Ta Ta

Marky B

[DB7]

[ican]

Watched Day of the Triffids again last night. Does anyone have any information as to why the print that is always shown is so bad? The BBC have distributed the film on DVD and its the same shoddy print. I'd say its the worst print of any film I've ever seen shown on terrestial TV.

I'd much sooner have seen the BFI restoring this classic rather than the recent work they have done on the Godzilla films.

Godzilla vs The Triffids?

[DB7]

Try the Second Sight DVD rather than the BBC one. Not seen it myself but told it's a better print.

[Shadwell]

(ican @ Oct 16 2005, 09:32 AM)

Watched Day of the Triffids again last night. Does anyone have any information as to why the print that is always shown is so bad? The BBC have distributed the film on DVD and its the same shoddy print. I'd say its the worst print of any film I've ever seen shown on terrestial TV.

I'd much sooner have seen the BFI restoring this classic rather than the recent work they have done on the Godzilla films.

Godzilla vs The Triffids?

The Triffids would win any day. Saw it last night on BBC4 and was surprised at just how poor the quality was. Granted it was made a few years ago now but even so surely it can't be that bad. Ah well. Good though to get some detail on John Wyndham.

[Iain1962]

(Shadwell @ Oct 16 2005, 12:59 PM)

The Triffids would win any day. Saw it last night on BBC4 and was surprised at just how poor the quality was. Granted it was made a few years ago now but even so surely it can't be that bad. Ah well. Good though to get some detail on John Wyndham.

Hi there.



That print seems to get worse with every showing. I'm going to tape Attack on the Iron Coast over it.



I notice that the screenwriter's credit has been revised to include Bernard Gordon as sole contirbutor even though I'm sure that I read that both producer Philip Yordan and Charles Eric Maine both had a crack at various drafts. Gordon's title card looks like it was done with a Letraset kit. The print used on the Sci-Fi channel some years back was widescreen and better quality (though still rather grubby) than the Beeb's. I wish they'd shown their own print of Village of the Damned than this or the even better Children of the Damned.



I liked the documentary about Wyndham which preceded Triffids. Very infromative and entertaining, especially the origin of the Triffids themselves. I feel that the usually outstanding Chris Langham was largely redundant in the programme since he wasn't really allowed to contribute much to the finished article apart from a couple of quotes and scenes of him beavering away at the typewriter. Was this made by the same team responsible for the Orwell documentary also featuring Langham?



Regarding Wyndham adapations surely the time is now right for a movie version of The Kraken Wakes, given all the controversy over global warming, melting of icecaps, etc?



I've actually read the posthumously published The Web mentioned as an abortive collaboration between Wyndham and Aldiss. Some interesting stuff in it bu not terribly impressive overall. Any comments?



Cheers.



Iain

[Steve Crook]

(Iain1962 @ Oct 16 2005, 01:37 PM)

Hi there.



That print seems to get worse with every showing. I'm going to tape Attack on the Iron Coast over it.



I notice that the screenwriter's credit has been revised to include Bernard Gordon as sole contirbutor even though I'm sure that I read that both producer Philip Yordan and Charles Eric Maine both had a crack at various drafts. Gordon's title card looks like it was done with a Letraset kit. The print used on the Sci-Fi channel some years back was widescreen and better quality (though still rather grubby) than the Beeb's. I wish they'd shown their own print of Village of the Damned than this or the even better Children of the Damned

Philip Yordan was on the original version, but he was just acting as a front for Bernard Gordon who was blacklisted (even in 1962) so recent prints include this correction.

There's no record I can see of Maine being involved.

(Iain1962 @ Oct 16 2005, 01:37 PM)

I liked the documentary about Wyndham which preceded Triffids. Very infromative and entertaining, especially the origin of the Triffids themselves. I feel that the usually outstanding Chris Langham was largely redundant in the programme since he wasn't really allowed to contribute much to the finished article apart from a couple of quotes and scenes of him beavering away at the typewriter. Was this made by the same team responsible for the Orwell documentary also featuring Langham?



Regarding Wyndham adapations surely the time is now right for a movie version of The Kraken Wakes, given all the controversy over global warming, melting of icecaps, etc?



I've actually read the posthumously published The Web mentioned as an abortive collaboration between Wyndham and Aldiss. Some interesting stuff in it bu not terribly impressive overall. Any comments?



Cheers.



Iain

I though Aldiss said he was tempted by the offer to collaborate - but that giant spiders didn't seem to be the sort of thing he wanted to write about. He was certainly implying that he didn't do it.



But then again, the plant biologist at the beginning said that nectarines were a mutation of peaches after they were deliberately irradiated (as was done to many plants at the time). Looking them up I see that's tosh. Nectarines are much older than that.



I liked all of Wyndham's work, but a particular favourite was The Trouble with Lichen.



Steve

[Hugo]

"I though Aldiss said he was tempted by the offer to collaborate - but that giant spiders didn't seem to be the sort of thing he wanted to write about. He was certainly implying that he didn't do it."



Yes I got this impression too. Interestingly enough Aldiss wrote his own book about this time (HOTHOUSE) which features giant spiders making webs between the earth and the moon, which he conveniently forgot to mention.

[Steve Crook]

(Hugo @ Oct 16 2005, 03:22 PM)

"I though Aldiss said he was tempted by the offer to collaborate - but that giant spiders didn't seem to be the sort of thing he wanted to write about. He was certainly implying that he didn't do it."



Yes I got this impression too. Interestingly enough Aldiss wrote his own book about this time (HOTHOUSE) which features giant spiders making webs between the earth and the moon, which he conveniently forgot to mention.

Maybe that's why he didn't want to be involved in another book about spiders.



Steve

[julian_craster]

This is one of those 'Public Domain' titles for which nobody is responsible, so prints retreived from skips can be freely issued on DVD

or screened on TV.

I also noted that the BBC4 film copy is credited to ALLIED ARTISTS (i.e. a print from the USA....) whereas in the UK

the film was distributed by RANK, who no longer control this title....

Amazing that films from the 1960s should have gone PD (Charade is another example)

[Iain1962]

(Steve Crook @ Oct 16 2005, 03:44 PM)

Philip Yordan was on the original version, but he was just acting as a front for Bernard Gordon who was blacklisted (even in 1962) so recent prints include this correction.

There's no record I can see of Maine being involved.



Steve

Hi there.



There used to be a link to a page on the Writers Guild of America where Gordon detailed his involvement with the Triffids project. It's unfortunately been taken down but was still there in Spring of this year since I managed to find a link for it for a British horror movie newsgroup I was a member of at the time. Some of his recollections were rather hazy (he said that Wyndham's novel was rather long which isn't the case) but he did mention completely rewriting Yordan's material (which may have been only a treatment rather than a full screenplay). I may be getting confused (I'm getting on a bit) about the other screenwriter's identity and feel that it may have been Jon Manchip White rather than Charles Eric Maine. Many apologies for the confusion. However, at one point this writer was brought in to do rewrites. Apparenlty the script he was reworking was credited to Yordan but in fact was Gordon's work. I don't actually know what revisions if any (he soon found out that Gordon, a friend and colleague, was the author of the material) White carried out but he was definitely involved in some way.



According to Gordon DOTT was originally to be shot entirely shot in Spain where Yordan was based for many years but was relocated to the UK, probably because of the availability of finance from the British distributor and to take advantage of the Eady Levy and quota requirements. I'm really unhappy the WGA took the page down as it was great stuff. Am I the only one to have seen this? Come on somebody back me up!!!!



Cheers.



Iain

[Steve Crook]

(Iain1962 @ Oct 17 2005, 11:10 PM)

Hi there.



There used to be a link to a page on the Writers Guild of America where Gordon detailed his involvement with the Triffids project. It's unfortunately been taken down but was still there in Spring of this year since I managed to find a link for it for a British horror movie newsgroup I was a member of at the time. Some of his recollections were rather hazy (he said that Wyndham's novel was rather long which isn't the case) but he did mention completely rewriting Yordan's material (which may have been only a treatment rather than a full screenplay). I may be getting confused (I'm getting on a bit) about the other screenwriter's identity and feel that it may have been Jon Manchip White rather than Charles Eric Maine. Many apologies for the confusion. However, at one point this writer was brought in to do rewrites. Apparenlty the script he was reworking was credited to Yordan but in fact was Gordon's work. I don't actually know what revisions if any (he soon found out that Gordon, a friend and colleague, was the author of the material) White carried out but he was definitely involved in some way.



According to Gordon DOTT was originally to be shot entirely shot in Spain where Yordan was based for many years but was relocated to the UK, probably because of the availability of finance from the British distributor and to take advantage of the Eady Levy and quota requirements. I'm really unhappy the WGA took the page down as it was great stuff. Am I the only one to have seen this? Come on somebody back me up!!!!



Cheers.



Iain

There's quite a lot by Gordon at this WGA page.



Steve

[Hugo]

Following on from a strand on this topic last October, did anyone see the version of THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS shown on the Sci-Fi Channel tonight. It was vastly superior to the print show on the BBC last year.



For a start it was shown wide-screen and letter-boxed so that the whole of the original 'Scope image was visible, the quality of the picture was good and the general condition of the print was excellent. The colours were a little faded at the beginning but this was corrected as the film went on. All in all it was like watching a different film to the one shown on the Beeb.

[Pam1927]

I saw it too, and I was delighted that this fab film had finally been treated to a bit of restoration.



As you said, Hugo, there was still some faded colour in parts, and some establishing shots at the start of a number of scenes looked like they hadn't been touched at all... still very mucky. However, it was streets better than any print I've ever seen of the film.



Pam

[yankfilmbuff]

Turner Classic Movies (U.S.) is having an Classic Film Festival in Hollywood this month. In one of its promos they mention the "world premier of the restored science fiction classic THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS". I haven't read or heard anything, over here, about a restoration. Anybody have information on it?



I would hope this will end up on DVD since only abysmal public domain copies have been available for years.

[Joenoir]

Sci Fi Classic THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS undergoes massive film restoration



Independent distributor Ignite Films brings the original feature to High Definition.





Amsterdam, the Netherlands, March 4th 2009.



Ignite Films is proud to announce the restoration of Sci Fi classic THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS, directed by Steve Sekely (UK, 1962). This is the original and only full length feature adaptation of John Wyndham’s highly acclaimed novel. The decision to bring this cult classic back to audiences could not have come at a better time. 2009 will also see an eagerly anticipated new 2 part TV mini series adaptation, complete with all-star cast .



The story of THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS is set in motion by a mysterious meteorite shower that blinds everyone who watches. The population is then left vulnerable to attacks from the triffids; mutated experimental plants that have grown into giant, walking man-eaters. One of the sighted survivors is Bill Masen, played by beloved Dallas actor Howard Keel, who teams up with a marine biologist and his wife (Kieron Moore and Janette Scott) to come up with a miraculous solution for saving the world.



John Wyndham’s novel has remained one of the most widely read science fiction books for generations of readers, permanently in print since publication in 1951. The story is established in the public imagination and shows it’s influence in new millenium features like 28 DAYS LATER (2002, Danny Boyle), THE HAPPENING (2008, M. Night Shyamalan) and BLINDNESS (2008, Fernando Meirelles). The book has also been adapted into various radio-shows, a 1981 television series and a comic book. Currently in production is the BBC/Power/Prodigy mini-series starring Dougray Scott, Brian Cox, Joely Richardson and Vanessa Redgrave.



Ignite Films proves to have shown good timing and foresight in restoring this film; now that the search for alternative energy sources heats up, the lessons of classic sci-fi will be a warning to mad scientists everywhere!



Prior to High Definition transfer and digital restoration, the original camera negative was photo chemically restored which included much painstaking hand work for scratch and dirt removal. Fans have been clamoring after a quality print version of this film for years and now it has finally arrived.



The restored version (color, 93’) in High Definition is available exclusively from Ignite Films.



About Ignite Films:

Dutch independent Ignite Films has more than 20 years experience in the restoration, marketing and distribution of Classic Film. Ignite Films owns, maintains and sells media rights to more than 200 Classic titles (primarily Hollywood). Restored versions of their films are broadcast by major stations throughout the world - most recently films by legendary director Otto Preminger. For more info on Ignite’s catalogue and restorations visit Ignite-Films Home or contact:





Jan Willem Bosman Jansen

&

Janet Schorer

Ignite Films

Prinsengracht 739-741

1017 JX Amsterdam

The Netherlands

Tel: +31 20 3449666

Fax: +3120 6207939

filmdept@ignite-films.com