andy-e-goss

Where Has Poor Mickey Gone? Was made at a time of rapid change in Britain. The old, post Victorian world was fading under the assault from the 'demob' generation, now free to build their lives and apply what they had learned from overseas postings and contact with US culture. This is exemplified by Ottilie Patterson, who wrote and performed the powerful title and credits song. She was born in Norther Ireland to an Irish father and a Latvian mother, who had met in Georgia during the war.

Watching this film on Talking Pictures, I was struck by the visual, as well as textural, resemblance to A Clockwork Orange. In particular, Mick himself, with his signature hat and pointy nose, looks so much like Alex, and acts so much like him I can't believe it is a coincidence. The book had been published two years before Where Has Poor Mickey Gone? Came out, so it is quite possible that it was inspired by, if not based on, Bradbury's novel. Stanley Kubrick's film was a decade in the future, but the parallels are such that there must have been an influence. I never rely on "must have", but it would be worth pursuing for a film academic.

I have enjoyed these Directors: documentaries. Many of them I have never heard of, though I may have seen some of their films. It gives me an idea of wnhat to look out for.

Mervyn LeRoy is one of the directors I had not heard of, though I have seen a few of his films, in particular the evocative but irritatingly irrational Waterloo Bridge.

In this documentary, the discussion of Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo states that the Doolittle raid bombers were launched from "battleships". This is, briefly, not possible. A minute's research told me that they were launched from aircraft carriers. If such an elementary and glaring error can get through, how much else is wrong? I shall keep watching though, and hope that the Carol Red episode, that I missed, comes round again some day.

Nice scenery. Shame about the script and the acting. I've seen better, far better, on suburban amateur stages.

The episode I have just watched, series 2 episode 6, hinges on a contention that might have held up three decades ago, but is today utterly absurd. Possibly a very old script, with mobile phones added to make it seem current.

Another cheap genre copy. Which is a pity, the concept is good, I think the actors could be good, but it needs decent scripts and more rehearsal time.

This scenario has been tried before, expats in, was it France? Similar crimes, I forget the pretext for the similar married couple having to solve them. Equally uninspired, feeble jokes, and a general sense of lethargy about the production.

There is a principle in entertainment, it only needs to be cheap enough and good enough to pay a return on investment. A feeble copy is a safer bet than a brilliant original.