JANE EYRE 1956 BBC TV

[Philip Hindley]

Now that the archives are being opened up is there any chance we might be able to see such early productions of JANE EYRE 1956 and THE SILVER SWORD 1957 I know that these exist in some form or another, and if I am not mistaken these two serials exist in their entirety, I know they wouldnt be sparkling copies but it would be good to see them.

[davemachin]

You'd be better off asking the tv or dvd companies this question. There are a lot of classic serials of this type that do survive back a long way so there's plenty of choice for release.

Plays and serials and such seem the thing there is little of on sale. Hopefully this is changing though with the release of Armchair Theatre editions and Sergeant Musgrave's Dance with Patrick McGoohan. There's a Noel Coward set being put out by Network in the new year as well.

Dave

[RWels]

But the early series of Pride and prejudice have all been lost, haven't they?

[Andy Howells]

There always seems to be a tendency to release updated versions pretty much as soon as they are broadcast, but i agree, I'd like to see some classic versions with classic actors...

[Philip Hindley]

Dec 5, 2009 9:39:15 GMT Philip Hindley said:

Now that the archives are being opened up is there any chance we might be able to see such early productions of JANE EYRE 1956 and THE SILVER SWORD 1957 I know that these exist in some form or another, and if I am not mistaken these two serials exist in their entirety, I know they wouldnt be sparkling copies but it would be good to see them.

Well it was a good start with the release of the Quatermass serials in '05 which I sometimes wondered if it was ever going to happen, then all of them came out out at once. Well it it probably was a certainty judging by their legendary status. But I hope we get to see some more b/w classics . Oh yeah I forgot about the Andromeda serials. '1984' is long overdue a release.

[davemachin]

Definitely up for 1984, Philip. Browsing old copies of Kaleidoscope guides, there are surprisingly a lot of fifties television dramas and serials in existence, a lot of it by ATV. Because I don't quite go back that far, I would like to see it for the first time as it feels like a chance to tap into a world I didn't experience. I hope it all comes out in time.

Dave

[gileshill]

You need to wait until George Orwell has been dead 70 years for 1984 because of rights issues and the BBC wanting to do things properly. The book is still in copyright and the Orwell Estate only gave permission for the film made in 1984 to be on DVD. The other companies just didn't bother to ask permission and the estate didn't do anything about it. They couldn't do it in American because the lawyer who owns the film rights even sued the American Big Brother for using a name he owns!

[Philip Hindley]

Please tell me George Orwells been dead 69 years! Crikey I'll be 70 if im not careful by the time it comes out!!!

[davemachin]

I think I remember 1984 being up for release a few years ago and it was stopped late on by rights problems. I read somewhere that a version was nicely restored and made ready for putting out on dvd only to be held up at the eleventh hour. Does anybody know about this? It's a shame if It's true. The nineties repeat was the only ever chance I've had to see it.

Dave

[Andrew Martin]

Dec 14, 2009 15:25:42 GMT Philip Hindley said:

Please tell me George Orwells been dead 69 years! Crikey I'll be 70 if im not careful by the time it comes out!!!

He died in 1949 or 1950 I think, so only about 10 years to go...

[Dale Rumbold]

Dec 17, 2009 13:23:20 GMT Andrew Martin said:

He died in 1949 or 1950 I think, so only about 10 years to go...

Died 21st January 1950, apparently. My grandmother's 51st birthday.

[RWels]

So the copies of "1984" that claim to be PD are all bootlegs?