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I was recently watching the film ‘84 Charing Cross Road' one of my all-time favourites, because of the absolute accuracy and attention to detail of the scenery and paraphernalia of the time.

I got to thinking of more like this, and came up with two more, Quadrophenia, the sixties Mods and Rockers saga, and Vera Drake.

Does anyone have any other ideas and personal favourites that take you back in time?

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This means someone is in distress.

Lets think about the remake of the 'Dambusters' by Peter Jackson and Stephen Fry, when they get round to seriously making it. The dogs name has already been changed in order to not offend anybody, for

ALAN SILLITOE, World Renowned Nottingham Writer of 'Saturday Night and Sunday Morning' - the book spawning the film of the same name A few years back I went to hear Alan give a talk on his life's wor

I watched the 'Great Escape' the other day and was going to post a similar topic.

The german Unform weapons and particularly vehicle were amazing.

Were they made just for the film or were they genuine?

If the latter there would be a brilliant Museum if they were all in one place?

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I Love A Good Film Me unionflag

Thanks for giving the film: '84, Charing Cross Road' a mention 2easyco. I looked it up on You Tube and came to the opinion that it was definately my kind of film - anything that gives the Irish poet WB Yeats a mention needs to be considered.

I love a good film me; amongst my favourites are the black and white ones of the 1960's:

'Saturday Night and Sunday Morning' - with Arthur Seaton its anti-hero/ hero challenging what its all about?

'The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner' - the brilliant Tom Courtenay in the lead and ultimately challenging 'The Establishment' after he's considered the rotten deal life has dealt him.

'Billy Liar' - once more with Courtenay - the protagonist Billy trapped in a boring world, his only form of escape being his imagination.

'The Servant' - a wonderful psychological drama. Dirk Bogarde breaking out of type-cast roles and brilliantly subverting 'The Establishment'.

'Darling' - for Julie Christie's 'fresh/unusual beauty', the cold truth behind ambition and for the never-to-be-forgotten fashions of the time.

'Quadrophenia':

a film dealing with youth sub-cultures in the sixties - although made much later - is a favourite of mine. A sophisticated sub-culture the Mods with their Italian influenced fashions, choices in music and their form of transport - the customised scooter. Their 'Style' still influences me today: simple well-cut elegance yet remaining original.

Musn't forget mention of Director Terrence Malick's 'Badlands'. As with the previous films I've mentioned I could watch this over and over again; with Sissy Spacek's haunting voice, the menacing child-like music played in the background and Malick's use of American landscape - surely influenced by the painter Edward Hopper. Terrence Malick, an artist amongst film makers.

Yes 2easyco, I'l definately put '84, Charing Cross Road' DVD on my shopping list, along with Malick's 'Days of Heaven' - considered a masterpiece.

PS: All this and I haven't even mentioned Visconti and Antonioni!

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Can't wait for the new film of the story "Tuskagee Airmen" to be released (Very soon now) It's called "Red Tails" after the significant 'paint job' on the tail plane.

A lot of CGI (Too much in some places apparently) but it's still supposed to be very good.

I saw a couple of the mockups being made in Cornwall (Delabole) a couple of years back.

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Can't wait for the new film of the story "Tuskagee Airmen"

There is a restaurant Near Los Angeles Airport called 'Proud Birds', which was always my last stop to sort my stuff before returning my rental car. Lots of aircraft on display even a rather tatty Spitfire. Fantastic place. Has a tribute to those airmen.

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I love a good film me; amongst my favourites are the black and white ones of the 1960's:

'Saturday Night and Sunday Morning' - with Arthur Seaton its anti-hero/ hero challenging what its all about?

'The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner' - the brilliant Tom Courtenay in the lead and ultimately challenging 'The Establishment' after he's considered the rotten deal life has dealt him.

'Billy Liar' - once more with Courtenay - the protagonist Billy trapped in a boring world, his only form of escape being his imagination.

'Quadrophenia':

a film dealing with youth sub-cultures in the sixties - although made much later - is a favourite of mine. A sophisticated sub-culture the Mods with their Italian influenced fashions, choices in music and their form of transport - the customised scooter. Their 'Style' still influences me today: simple well-cut elegance yet remaining original.

All wonderful moments in cinemagraphic history Jackson I agree. I sometime on my country walks pass by the (now) prison at Lowdham Grange and consider the character that genius Sillitoe drew and the great Tom Courtney portrayed.

Arthur Seaton was one of the great anti-heroes and a classic character from the 'angry young men' stable.

Quadrophenia - what can I say. The Who were always 'my' band. The film has it's flaws but it's a way more than decent depiction of the mod ethic and lifestyle. Fantastic.

Quadrophenia

Here by the sea and sand

Nothing ever goes as planned

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Hi Stu, thanks for getting back to me - I can see you're like me and love/need to write. I'm going to read your stuff later and then get back to you. I don't know about you but there's a 'Mod' book inside of me.

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Can't wait for the new film of the story "Tuskagee Airmen" to be released (Very soon now) It's called "Red Tails" after the significant 'paint job' on the tail plane.

A lot of CGI (Too much in some places apparently) but it's still supposed to be very good.

I saw a couple of the mockups being made in Cornwall (Delabole) a couple of years back.

Ayup mate, hopefully the CGI is pretty good, though I don't hold out much hope for it. There is an old American TV film based on the Tuskagee airmen which I've seen and is very good. For those folks who don't know, this is a film based on the way that black Americans were badly treated in WW2, they formed a fighter squadron in Italy to escort US bombers, they never lost a single bomber to the Luftwaffe.

No Mick, all that stuff in The Great Escape was specially made. I've got a pal who is into all this who does reanactments, I've got quite a lot of original German stuff that dad 'liberated', Steve says that it's worth a fortune as most of the real stuff was destroyed after the war by avenging allies, I gather that hardly any of it exists anymore.

I think that the worst film for crappy kit was Where Eagles Dare, Nazis roaring about in helicopters, no way, the only helicopters used in the war were by the Yanks in Burma near the end of the war.

Incidentally Ian, I saw the film 'The Red Baron' recently, the story line was complete lies about what happened and the CGI was so over the top it was unbelievable, The next day, 'Torah, Torah, Torah' was on, real aircraft, real people risking their lives, what a difference.

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Re Where Eagles Dare, totally OTT, machine guns with 300 round magazines also, plus despite hundreds of bullets flying around only a minor flesh wound for Richard Burton, yet one shot more than once from a moving bus by our hero's killed the germans each time lol,. AND I'm still trying to work out the plot re the traitors! As for The Red Baron, did pilots do engine swops before sorties? an fit the enemy's engines? come to that did our aircraft have Bentley engines?

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Lets think about the remake of the 'Dambusters' by Peter Jackson and Stephen Fry, when they get round to seriously making it. The dogs name has already been changed in order to not offend anybody, for those of you who don't know, Wing Commander Guy Gibson's dog was called 'Nigger', that was also the codeword for the breaching of the dams, it's been changed to 'Digger'. I find this an offensive change of history, a kick in the nuts to those brave blokes, and there were 53 of them, who died in the raid, that's 40% of the aircrew that took part.

I've seen some of the prelims, it looks amazing, 12 plastic Lancasters, a Wellington and a Mosquito, but how can they change the history, it isn't right, what do you think.

Incidentally, where do these posts go to, I've made a few on my return and can't find them.

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Re "Where Eagles Dare" . Were 'quiffs' ( A la Clint Eastwoods hair do) around during WW2 ?!

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re the hairstyle,I don't know, I weren't around either!, another abortion of a film (despite my favourite actor Robert Shaw being in it) was Force 10 From Naverone, after the brilliant "Guns Of" I was real pee'd off by it esp by the "I say old bean" type dialogue esp by Shaw and Edward Fox while Alan Badel seemed to be in a time warp!

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No Mick, all that stuff in The Great Escape was specially made.

I hope they did not scrap them after the movie?

Or were they just a frame on one sjde with the Germans running along like Fred & Barney?

Incidentally, where do these posts go to, I've made a few on my return and can't find them.

Dunno, did you press the 'POST' button.

If so did it appear?

If you do a lengthy post always copy it to the clipboard before posting in case of misshap.

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Did some work for Baptys in London once...amazing place with tanks,artillery,plane fuselages,military vehicles.Suppliers to the film industry.Huge bunker there with every type of firearm you could imagine.They sent security men along with weapons when they were on loan to film companies.Busts and portraits of Hitler...shields,armour,pikes,spears...you name it.

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Whilst we're having a go a war films such as Guns of Navarone, Eagles Dare, etc etc, there's another which could be the winner in the "unrealistic" stakes. Battle of the Bulge - if you don't know it, nothing to do with Weightwatchers, but a major tank battle in the Ardennes in WW2.

It's Germans versus Brits+Yanks, but there are no German tanks or armoured vehicles used; the Germans are totally in British or American tanks and half-tracks/armoured cars. So its very realistic.

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I've just read that the motor bike that Steve McQueen rode in The Great Escape was actually the same one ridden a few years later by Fonzie at the beggining of "Happy Days"

And here's a trailer for "Red Tails" it says it's out on Jan 20th , but it ain't advertised at my local (Crewe 14 miles away) cinema.

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Finally got word back (From somebody perporting to be George Lucas himself !!!!) that there is no UK release date of "Red Tails" , as of yet .

(It came out in the States and Canada on the 20th !!)

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Heard Henry Winkler (The Fonz) say on "The One Show" he couldn't ride a bike! "His one" in Happy Days looked to be an alloy engine 500cc Triumph TR5 with rigid or sprung hub back suspension, The Great Escape one was a later (1961?) duplex frame with swinging arm, said to be a 650 TR6 but looks to me like "doctored" T110 less bathtub and nacelle but with full valance front mudguard and pedestrian slicer numberplate, (how's that for boring? lol)

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