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Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2010 10:16:36 GMT
This is fantastic news. Just that - FANTASTIC! I await further news on Monday. I hope there is a place here in the U.K. for the Rediffusion material, given that there is no natural home for it any more and the copyright owners, being a construction company, don't seem interested, as Chris Perry pointed out recently.
One thing: is the above list the whole lot? It's pretty amazing as it is but i'm just referring to the original post where it quotes hundereds of hours being discovered, which this isn't (wonderful find though it is, don't get me wrong!). Just interested to know. Curious to see which are on 2" as well.
Can't wait to see some of it. If only we could get a DVD release of some Rediffusion material...
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Post by richardfitzgerald on Sept 11, 2010 11:40:05 GMT
One thing, is the above list the whole lot? It's pretty amazing as it is but i'm just referring the the original post where it quotes hundereds of hours being discovered, which this isn't (wonderful find though it is, don't get me wrong!). Just interested to know. Curious to see which are on 2" as well. The quote in the BFI booklet for November refers to "over 100 hours of classic British drama" which looks roughly right given I count at least 80 individual items on the list, many of which would run well over the hour mark. The full list is mouth-watering though I'm unfamiliar with many of the titles and keenly await the full details next week. The Theatre 625 version of 1984 is a standout of course even if it was always overshadowed by the Cushing version. But Kneale did express great disappointment in his Timescreen interview at the loss of the later version particularly because he had admired Joseph O' Connor (i think) in the Andre Morell role. Also does this clear up a long-standing mystery about Thirteen Against Fate which back in the Eighties Primetime claimed to exist in full overseas "but the BBC won't spend the money to retrieve it". Am a little surprised to see the Ordeal of Dr Shannon and To Bury Caesar included here though - I emailed Dick Fiddy about these years ago when I found them listed online either at LoC or UCLA and the latter was subsequently shown at MBW about four years ago! |
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Post by felixdembinski on Sept 11, 2010 12:04:08 GMT
It'll be good to be able to compare the two versions of 1984, seeing as the first was live with some blurry location filming I suspect the second might be even better. Was this made in colour? The only other theater 625 production I know of is the year of the sex olympics and I know that was.
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Post by Philip Hindley on Sept 11, 2010 13:11:58 GMT
Amazing cant wait to see 1984'. ;D
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Post by cperry on Sept 11, 2010 13:41:33 GMT
That's a provisional list Laurence/guys, it may have gone up or gone down as titles were checked to see if copies had been found/lost in recent years.
c
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Post by Ally Wilson on Sept 11, 2010 13:50:32 GMT
Epic! ;D
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Post by Greg H on Sept 11, 2010 14:08:12 GMT
That's a provisional list Laurence/guys, it may have gone up or gone down as titles were checked to see if copies had been found/lost in recent years. c Did I read you right there Chris? Did you mean that there might possibly be even more?!?! |
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Post by Andrew Doherty on Sept 11, 2010 17:49:02 GMT
Just a point of reflection here.
If the American television market had been regular recipients of most British television programmes from the early 1950s through to the 1970s, indeed had there been a British television channel in North America, I think the situation with our television archives could have dramatically improved, because the Americans seemed to be far better at caring for their material than the British television companies over here.
Nevertheless, we must consider ourselves to be really fortunate that such a collection as this has survived.
Most of us thought that the Bob Monkhouse collection combined with the David Hamilton collection would be a very hard act to follow, but this is sensational with BBC and ITV dramas going back to the late nineteen fifties!
Yours,
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Post by Stuart Douglas on Sept 11, 2010 20:55:54 GMT
I notice that 13 Against Fate is listed as complete, with the ten listed episodes added to the three already held. However, part 1 - The Lodger - only currently exists as half an episode. Is the other half in this treasure trove?
It'll be nice to remove an entire series from our missing episodes lists for the first time, if it is!
Cheers
Stuart
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Post by cperry on Sept 11, 2010 21:16:22 GMT
All the eps are held in the US, complete.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2010 21:35:22 GMT
The quote in the BFI booklet for November refers to "over 100 hours of classic British drama" which looks roughly right given I count at least 80 individual items on the list, many of which would run well over the hour mark. Yes, you're right, Richard. I was just referring back to Dave's original post where he uses the word "hundreds" plural (I don't wish to diminish the size of this find at all!). The Theatre 625 editions would all be b/w, I think, Felix. Sex Olympics was 1968. I'm guessing these would all be from just before colour came in. I'm greatly looking forward to hearing more details. Presumably the 2" tapes are 525 line, Chris? Are any in colour (e.g. Drama Playhouse from 1970)? |
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Post by John Wall on Sept 11, 2010 21:41:58 GMT
Looks like MBW will have to be a season rather than just a couple of shows !
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Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2010 9:06:37 GMT
This is a fantastic find well done guys!
So is there any more missing british tv material in this US archive?
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Post by Paul Vanezis on Sept 12, 2010 9:12:23 GMT
Were you just searching the WNET collection or th Library of Congress as a whole? I don't think Kal were involved in the actual discovery in anyway, just identification as I recall, but I'm sure Chris will confirm that. The WNET material had been donated to the Library of Congress and a process of digitisation was underway. This is the news that should have been released some time ago that I alluded to but never materialised. When I spoke to Dick about the formats, he gave me the impression that the material was either all film or 525 transfers from film to Quad (IIRC some titles are duplicated on both 16mm and Quad). That isn't ideal obviously due to the lower resolution of 525, but if we can get some decent 3:2 pulldown removal from the originals we can recover the original 25fps motion which should look better. Obviously the worst situation would be a modern standards conversion treating the material as if it was video. The 'Rembrandt' could actually be a BBC colour standards conversion of the time, but Dick didn't know at that stage what if anything was in colour. I hope that helps, Paul |
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Post by Andrew Doherty on Sept 12, 2010 10:10:14 GMT
I trust that the Television and radio channels will give out this stupendous news. News like this is desperately needed in a 'sea' of gloom and misery.
Speaking personally, I am in a state of Euphoria.
Yours,
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