Marky B

As anyone dreamed of making a film version of a particular novel,or realising their own original thoughts on to celluloid?

If I had the clout and the vision on par with Lean,Spielberg,Scorsese etc,I would love to make a film version of Alistair McLean's HMS Ulysses,complete with British cast,stirring music and the best CGI involved. Anybody else want to relate their ideas.
Ta Ta
Marky B thumbs_u

I once shot an elephant in my pyjamas - how he got in my pyjamas,I'll never know

DB7

I would have said a thriller I read a few years ago called The Houdini Girl was ripe for adaption until I just discovered it was already being filmed.

Sadly they roped in an American lead (Liv Tyler) to portray the Irish heroine - and the film may have collapsed when the tax loopholes were closed recently.

Freddy

I always fancied the idea of a sequel to "The Jokers". With the sad loss of Oliver Reed, Michael Crawford could have been the father and Uncle of their two children. Fascinated by their time in jail and the story of them stealing the Crown Jewels, bored with their own lives they plan to do something similar. It would be a "Robin Hood" type crime caper, comedy, pathos and very little violence.
I fancy Lena Headey as Oliver Reed's daughter(IMHO a great actress) and Jared Harris as Michael Crawford's son. There could also be a number of the original cast in it.
Michael Winner your country needs you!
regards
Freddy

"What I owe you Colonel Lawrence, is beyond evaluation."

Bobj

Gosh - Where to start.
I feel there's alot of British history that has been neglected by film makers.
For example we could do with a star studded accurate version of The Battle of Hastings (1066)and the events leading up to it.
Other historical events might include The Princes in the Tower, The Gunpowder Plot, Peasants Revolt, Peterloo Masacre, the Suez Crisis or a re-examination of the Miners Strike. Many of these have been attempted on TV but movies on a larger scale might do them more justice.
We have some great writers in the UK whose work has also been largely ignored. For example in the horror genre there is James Herbert some of whose best work remains unfilmed.
Some of our sporting heroes deserve biopics perhaps. WG Grace, Stanley Matthews, Roger Bannister, Henry Cooper and the 1966 World Cup story perhaps. Other famous Brits such as Stan Laurel, Rolling Stones shouldn't be ignored either.
A film I'd like to see remade perhaps is 'Seven Days to Noon' (1950) which seems relevant in these paranoid times.
I know with film finance as it is making movies is difficult but I often feel we sell our history/popular culture short in this country

Steve Crook

The great "unmade film" for me is Michael Powell's version of The Tempest. It would have been an ideal tale for him to film.

He did make a few attempts at it (a provisional script exists) but he could never get full funding for it as by then he had made Peeping Tom and argued too much with John Davies, the money man who had effectively taken over at Rank.

Steve

Steve Crook

PaPAS

Marky B

Some good ideas there,Bobj.
I am surprised that there has never been a film chronicling the Battle of Hastings in 1066. It is perhaps the most pivotal point in the history of our nation.
Ta Ta
Marky B thumbs_u

I once shot an elephant in my pyjamas - how he got in my pyjamas,I'll never know

MaxieM

I've always thought that the tempestous life of Welsh singer Dorothy Squires would make a good film, or perhaps a TV series.

Freddy

Bonjour MarkyB
Would an English audience want to see the French get one up on us. wink
For want of an Optrex a kingdom was lost
au revoir
Freddy

"What I owe you Colonel Lawrence, is beyond evaluation."

Steve Crook

But they weren't French Freddy :)
The term "Norman" is really a corruption of "North men". They were mainly of Viking descent.

Steve
(A Celt so he doesn't care who won between the Saxons & the Normans)

Steve Crook

PaPAS

Freddy

Oh Dear, I'm in the headmasters office again. Honestly Mr. Crook, I thought the Norman Army was made up of Bretons, Normans, French and Flemish, and it is only the Flemish who now live outside France.
Detention Sir your giving me detention, to learn a few Breton phrases, because Breton is a celtic language like the Manx, etc. I thought so Sir because I saw some Breton folk singers at a Celtic Folk festival and remember the songs, so instead could I write a film script about the Battle of Hastings. Leonardo DeCaprio could be William and Tom Cruise will play Harold and Brittany Spears could play the love interest.
Historical Accuracy headmaster oh no Sir, I want this to be a blockbuster and make loads of money so I can have a love interest all of my own.
Bonjour(as they say in Peckham)
Freddy
ps ok Steve you got me on the optrex :)

"What I owe you Colonel Lawrence, is beyond evaluation."

Steve Crook

But Breton isn't very much like Manx Celtic. There was a split in the Celtic languages in about the 1st millenium B.C.

Q-Celtic led to Gaelic which then further split (in about the 14th C A.D.) into Western (Irish Gaelic) and Eastern (Manx & Scottish Gaelic).

P-Celtic led to Gaulish and British Celtic which then led to Welsh, Breton & Cornish.

My Welsh speaking Mum tells how a French Breton used to come around her village every year. He was a classic Frenchman on a bicycle selling onions (yes, they did really exist) and he could speak with the Welsh speakers quite easily. Whereas any Scottish or Irish visitors would have trouble communicating with the Welsh.


As for the Viking connection. Was it coincidence that Harold and his army had been drawn up North to Stanford Bridge to fight off a Viking invasion (which they did) and then had to rush down South to fight the Norman invasion?

Rollo (Hrolfe the Walker) the Viking was the grandfather of William the Conqueror.

See also:
http://www.viking.no/e/maps/ekart-frankrike.htm
http://www.plantagenettours.com/2005/normandy.html
and various others that you can find with Google.

Steve

Steve Crook

PaPAS

Freddy

Your point about the Viking connection has always made me wonder whether there was a plan between William and Hardrada. Was the plan to attack on two fronts ie hoping to split Harolds forces ruined because of the unfavourable sailing conditions.The weather delayed William's invasion by six weeks, was this the pivotal point for the viking forces in the north. This meant that Harold had the use of his full army against the northern invasion. Hardrada and Tostig were both killed at Stamford Bridge on 25th September forcing a retreat back to Norway.
William couldn't set off across the channel until 27th September a six week delay.
If the plan had worked and Hardrada, Tostig and William were victorious who would have been made king of England? As it is perhaps the weather was really on William's side.
Many years later the weather in the same channel would play a significant part in the outcomes of various events in the Second World War.
regards
Freddy

"What I owe you Colonel Lawrence, is beyond evaluation."

Gibbie

You better copyright that idea Freddy - to close too the system. secret

[ 24. August 2004, 15:42: Message edited by: Gibbie ]

Gibbie

Nice linguistic history, Steve!

Iechyd da!

Gibbie

McClean's "Where Eagle's Dare" is still the top war thriller in my book. HMS U would probably make a good addition.

Some ideas...
+ A well done allegorical version of "Pilgrim's Progress"
+ A story of the life of Sir Christopher Wren and his architecture.
+ The story of William Tyndale.
+ John Milton
+ William Wilberforce
+ a collection of Roald Dahl short stories (one being "Beware of the Dog").
+ Colonel Bailey's "Mission to Tashkent".
+ A story about a character who lived through all the history at Abbey Road Studios.
+ Richard Burton's travels to Mecca and Medina.
+ Edward R. Murrow in London during WWII
+ Life of Orwell
+ A story about a West Country man who runs a small steam train line to the Southern coast of Cornwall.
+ "Sir Gibbie" by George MacDonald. :)
+ "Vanity Fair" by William M. Thackery (new film)

Many more, but must move on...