British film book recommendations

[AdrianTurner]

Originally Posted by dremble wedge Yes, but it's still by Alexander Walker isn't it and he was a miserable old goat...

Sorry, I can't let this pass without comment. I never found Alex Walker to be as you describe: he might have had his eccentricities - don't we all? - but I always found him to be unfailingly polite, always sociable, witty and full of anecdotes which raised everyone's hair except his own!

[dremble wedge]

Originally Posted by AdrianTurner Sorry, I can't let this pass without comment. I never found Alex Walker to be as you describe: he might have had his eccentricities - don't we all? - but I always found him to be unfailingly polite, always sociable, witty and full of anecdotes which raised everyone's hair except his own!

I'm sure he was but every time I read his reviews in the Standard I always thought "What a miserable old goat" and had to turn to Brian Sewell for relief...

[batman]

Originally Posted by dremble wedge I'm sure he was but every time I read his reviews in the Standard I always thought "What a miserable old goat" and had to turn to Brian Sewell for relief...

What sort of relief did Brian provide for you dremble?

[dremble wedge]

Very Naughty Boys by Robert Sellers

The story of Handmade Films which was formed, produced some of the best British films of the 80s and imploded within a decade.

A rattling good read with a fine cast of characters including a beneficent Beatle, assorted clowns and a thumping great villain in the person of Denis O'Brien - evil accountant extraordinaire.

Every time I read a book on the film industry it amazes me that anything ever gets produced and occasionally what is produced is quite good!

Recommended and I look forward to Mr Sellers next tome due out in May: Hellraisers: The Life and Inebriated Times of Burton, Harris, O'Toole and Reed which puts one in mind of a sort of Top Trumps of pissed actors...

[dremble wedge]

Originally Posted by batman What sort of relief did Brian provide for you dremble?

Not the sort he gave to Salvador Dali!

[CALF28]

Thanks Adrian for the tip about Hollywood England. I've just bought it from Ebay for £2.99!
Hoping to be fully clued up about sixties films very shortly!!

[orpheum]

I never particularly liked Alex Walker and did not trust his reviews.He was far too self opinionated.Whilst Hollywood England is an interesting book it reveals only to well his prejudices.He interviewed many film industry figures of the period,but one.Ken Russell.One of the greatest directors of the era is virtuially wiped from the record.Whenever he came to review any of Russels films he dipped his pen in vitriol.How can you take the views of someone like that seriously.

[CALF28]

My main requirements of a film book is to find out what films were made and of course as many factual details as possible, year, cast, director etc. The opinion of the author as to the merits of the film, artistic or otherwise are of no interest to me, I much prefer to make up my own mind. Listening to Halliwell and to a lesser degree Quinlan, there are many films that I would never have watched and that would have meant missing films that I have enjoyed. It is sometimes difficult to say why you enjoyed a film, it could be the preformance of one of the supprting actors or just the street scenes from a film of the 1940s or 50s. The actual film could be rubbish. Take for example The Scotland Yard Mysteries, in no way can they be called good cinema, lots of stock footage, wooden acting and fairly obvious plots but they are very enjoyable!

[batman]

Originally Posted by CALF28 My main requirements of a film book is to find out what films were made and of course as many factual details as possible, year, cast, director etc. The opinion of the author as to the merits of the film, artistic or otherwise are of no interest to me, I much prefer to make up my own mind. Listening to Halliwell and to a lesser degree Quinlan, there are many films that I would never have watched and that would have meant missing films that I have enjoyed. It is sometimes difficult to say why you enjoyed a film, it could be the preformance of one of the supprting actors or just the street scenes from a film of the 1940s or 50s. The actual film could be rubbish. Take for example The Scotland Yard Mysteries, in no way can they be called good cinema, lots of stock footage, wooden acting and fairly obvious plots but they are very enjoyable!

Nicely put CALF28.

[orpheum]

Originally Posted by CALF28 My main requirements of a film book is to find out what films were made and of course as many factual details as possible, year, cast, director etc. The opinion of the author as to the merits of the film, artistic or otherwise are of no interest to me, I much prefer to make up my own mind. Listening to Halliwell and to a lesser degree Quinlan, there are many films that I would never have watched and that would have meant missing films that I have enjoyed. It is sometimes difficult to say why you enjoyed a film, it could be the preformance of one of the supprting actors or just the street scenes from a film of the 1940s or 50s. The actual film could be rubbish. Take for example The Scotland Yard Mysteries, in no way can they be called good cinema, lots of stock footage, wooden acting and fairly obvious plots but they are very enjoyable!

I wonder if you read my review of the book on amazon?The book is not a factual book it is an overview of the 1960s with Walkers opinions interspersed.So there are some very interesting parts and then pages of waffle and reviews of films.This is why i gave it 3 stars out of 5.

[AdrianTurner]

Originally Posted by orpheum I never particularly liked Alex Walker and did not trust his reviews.He was far too self opinionated.Whilst Hollywood England is an interesting book it reveals only to well his prejudices.He interviewed many film industry figures of the period,but one.Ken Russell.One of the greatest directors of the era is virtuially wiped from the record.Whenever he came to review any of Russels films he dipped his pen in vitriol.How can you take the views of someone like that seriously.

Considering that Ken Russell's first major film was Women in Love in 1969* it is hardly surprising that Alex Walker left him out of his study of the 60s. If you consult the sequel, National Heroes, you will find Russell breaks out like a rash all over it! Personally, I like opinionated critics. And what is a critic without opinions?

* I'm sure someone will claim French Dressing as the best Brit film of the 60s.

[lordtednfs]

The best British Film Book is to be found within this website.

Many a great book could be written with so many stories whether they be true or slightly tongue in cheek from our members about the British Film Industry or about our lives when we witnessed a truly excellent or fondly remembered film. I don't think there is not one person, member or guest, who has not laughed, giggled or smirked at a story from within these golden pages, and long may that tradition go on.

__________________
Hooked off the line

[AdrianTurner]

A little Alex Walker story and related to an RIP story currently running. And by the by, at the NFT, Alex once introduced Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond - strange but true. Anyway, Alex was a great friend of a heavyweight publicist called Margaret Gardner and among her clients was Jules Dassin. And thus an NFT occasion with Dassin interviewed by Alex was organised. Dassin brought his wife, Melina Mercouri along, and I always thought that was the end of Dassin as filmmaker - projecting Mercouri as the sexiest thing since that famous Macedonian Cleopatra. So Dassin gets on stage with the inquisitorial Walker and I'm sure all of you know that Alex was the most famous, most obesssive, most addicted non-smoker in the world. His ansaphone message was "and remember, smoking is the slow way to suicide." So Dassin light up on stage and proceeds to blow secondhand smoke at Alex and his Savile Row suit for 90 minutes. And Alex, a gentleman to the last, didn't bat an eyelid. Nor at dinner afterwards, when Melina added to the bonfire. But Alex didn't so much as cough. It was an amazing sight.

[Steve Crook]

Originally Posted by orpheum I never particularly liked Alex Walker and did not trust his reviews.

Nor did I. Especially after he maintained that he was right all along about Peeping Tom and that it was a load of rubbish. He even insisted on calling it a "snuff film" in a 1997 interview - even though the only death you see in it is the death of the killer

Steve

[CaptainWaggett]

Although their tastes are diametrically opposed, I have found Alex Walker and the Guardian's Pete Bradshaw to be the two critics who I will invariably disagree with. Bradshaw because his attitude seems to be 'OMG girlies like this film! It can't be any good if girlies like it!' and Walker because of his general dislike of anything that Queen Mary might have raised an eyebrow at.