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Post by davidthrelfall on Jun 30, 2012 13:59:52 GMT
Surely this Orwell adaptation made in 1954 must be released on DVD. Any chance of the powers that be bringing it out?
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Post by Greg H on Jun 30, 2012 15:34:03 GMT
Hello. It is available on DVD, on American import from all the usual places, which means that you will either need to unlock your DVD player to play multi region, or alternatively play it on your computer using VLC player which is free and will play multi region discs. Enjoy.
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Post by Rob Moss on Jun 30, 2012 18:47:14 GMT
Is it the RT-restored version, Greg..? I've got a copy recorded from BBC2 after Cartier died, and also a copy from BBC Four. It would be nice to be able to junk these in favour of a better copy.
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Post by Greg H on Jun 30, 2012 20:34:22 GMT
I can't answer that for certain Rob. I do not actually own a copy of this release, I am simply aware of its existence. My copy is also an off air recording  If a definitve restored release is available at some point I will be at the front of the queue, just like i would be for any Kneale material  |
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Post by John Green on Jul 1, 2012 0:46:14 GMT
It's worth reading some of the customer reviews on one of the big U.S. sites.There are some not-very-happy comments there regarding this title.
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Post by Philip Hindley on Jul 1, 2012 12:33:31 GMT
At the moment stick with your BBC 2 and 4 recordings they the BBC that is, did do a restored version due for release some years ago I think it was just after the release of the QUATERMASS COLLECTION but there was some sort of hitch, I think it was something to do with the Michael Radfords Richard Burton film version. I think a lot of work was spent on the BBC version, hopefully it will surface one day. I would imagine the USA copy is just the same as the copies which have been knocking about over here for years, I was tempted to get a copy from the states, but as I say it probably is the same quality.
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Post by Philip Hindley on Jul 1, 2012 12:43:41 GMT
Apart from the best version of the BBCs version of 1984 in 1954 there have been several versions the 1956 version with Edmund O'Brien, the 1984 version which was Richard Burtons last film,the BBCs 1965 version with David Buck, and a 1953 USA version with Eddie Albert. I wonder if there ever were any radio adaptions or audio book type releases.There have been a couple of stage versions in recent years, but I missed all of them !
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Post by John Green on Jul 1, 2012 13:08:03 GMT
'Theatre 625' in '65,did three shows under the banner 'The World of George Orwell'.While '1984' survives,the other two-'Keep the Aspedistra Growing' (the only Orwell novel I could never get through),and 'Coming Up For Air' are still missing.I think that CUFA is quite Dennis Potterish.In a mid-life crisis,George Bowling goes back to the country haunts he knew as a kid,to find that they've become part of the urban sprawl-almost a gated community.If anyone finds these,please let me know.Or the other half of the recently-discovered partial '1984' from the late '50s....
And to think that George was employed at the Beeb for a couple of years.Bet he wouldn't have had stuff deleted!
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Post by Neil Megson on Jul 1, 2012 22:10:21 GMT
And to think that George was employed at the Beeb for a couple of years.Bet he wouldn't have had stuff deleted! Amazingly, despite the hundreds of radio broadcasts Orwell made for the BBC, and his importance as an author and commentator, not one recording of his voice has survived anywhere ! |
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Post by John Green on Jul 1, 2012 22:46:43 GMT
I think most of them were broadcast to India.Audience figures were very poor,but I'm hoping that Japan's Inteligence services made copies.If anyone should find any...
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Post by John Harwood (bjblackpool) on Jul 2, 2012 6:34:19 GMT
Is it the RT-restored version, Greg..? I've got a copy recorded from BBC2 after Cartier died, and also a copy from BBC Four. It would be nice to be able to junk these in favour of a better copy. I've never possessed one of these "releases" (I'm fairly happy to wait for a Beeb version, content in the meantime with my off-airs), but they're of rather dubious provenance: they rely on a claim that they're public domain (all rights to a performance expire after 50 years. What isn't mentioned is that the claims by the Blair estate and the estate of Nigel Kneale - in the UK at least - don't expire until seventy years after the deaths of the respective writers). |
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Post by John W King on Jul 2, 2012 8:55:06 GMT
My understanding has to do (as always with a rights issue). I was working on a stage version of 1984 as it is one of my all time favourite books. I hadn't got very far when it was announced there was to be a major film with Richard Burton. They (i think it was Virgin Films)bought up all the rights from Orwell's family/estate and put a block on any other versions being released in any shape or form as they didn't want any competition. This prevented 1956 Edmund O'Brien version being shown on TV or released on tape. It stopped David Bowie from producing a musical version - the few songs completed are on his Diamond Dogs Album. It brought a halt to my stage version and has prevented the BBC from screening their production very often - except on the death of Rudolph Cartier. How long this prevention clause will last I do not know.
That was my understanding back in the early 1980's anyway.
Useless Trivia:- George Orwell is buried in Milton Village about a mile from were I work and am currently writing this note. In nearby Sutton Courtenay Orwell Grange, a road of new build houses has just opened. Bet you really neend to know that!
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Post by John Green on Jul 2, 2012 9:27:48 GMT
Wasn't there something about Eric Blair being buried in Orwell's grave?Or was it vice versa?
On topic: I'd been wondering about rights since some late 50s shows started turning up recently.What about renewals? Seems to me a lot of films,at least,have "Copyright 19xx.Renewed 19yy."
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Post by Philip Hindley on Jul 2, 2012 10:54:32 GMT
All this blocking of things, I can understand writers and film and TV companies to some extent, but some of these things get out somehow eventually. For years I waited for the Quatermass serials to come out and eventually I obtained copies that were knocking about they were poor video copies, 1984 was one of them but it didnt matter as long as I could see them,as it was Highly unlikely that they were ever going to be repeated or released. So it looks like a long wait for 1984.  |
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Post by John Harwood (bjblackpool) on Jul 2, 2012 11:37:54 GMT
Wasn't there something about Eric Blair being buried in Orwell's grave?Or was it vice versa? On topic: I'd been wondering about rights since some late 50s shows started turning up recently.What about renewals? Seems to me a lot of films,at least,have "Copyright 19xx.Renewed 19yy." I think the whole renewal thing is US copyright law, rather than British. |
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