Shadows of Fear release for April

[felixdembinski]

www.networkdvd.net/product_info.php?products_id=1337 Shadows of fear is being released in April!

[johnstewart]

Mar 2, 2011 12:55:12 GMT felixdembinski said:

www.networkdvd.net/product_info.php?products_id=1337 Shadows of fear is being released in April!

That's good news. Felix some time ago I think some correspondents may have been confusiing plots for these with MENACE so will make interesting viewing for you.

Like MENACE this is a series that on review looks dramatically stronger than first time round. I've viewed a sample and clearly recall others from the time.

[felixdembinski]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_q9Rk_lHT0E&feature=channel_video_title the quality looks quite good.

[johnstewart]

This looks too as though it may be an unidentified play about poltergeist type phenomena a friend recalled from that time.

Thames luckily seemed to have a deal to use this type of series commercially early on which might be why they kept it all on master tape.

[Deleted]

Although Thames were generally better for keeping adult drama pre-1972 than they were for keeping children's (e.g. Ace Of Wands, Sexton Blake, The Tingaree Affair, The Queen Street Gang etc.). As I understand it, the series was not repeated here but presumably there was some kind of afterlife for it overseas. I'm looking forward to seeing this one and would like to give a mention to all those other ITV anthologies around the same time such as The Root Of All Evil, Tales Of Unease, The Frighteners and Suspicion etc. I hope they all find their way to DVD eventually.

[felixdembinski]

Its a shame, as similar bbc things at the time, dead of night, menace and season 4 of ootu lack most of their episodes.

[Alan Turrell]

Im definitely getting these , that haunting theme tune takes me right back to when it was first shown .

[Deleted]

Apr 15, 2011 18:41:42 GMT felixdembinski said:

Its a shame, as similar bbc things at the time, dead of night, menace and season 4 of ootu lack most of their episodes.

Yes, it's a great shame the BBC equivalents of those anthologies are largely wiped. ITV archives (with some notable exceptions) are generally more complete, which is illustrated by the appearance on DVD of many vintage obscurities courtesy of Network. As the release of Shadows Of Fear proves too, there is plenty more good stuff to release. Single plays as a whole have not been so well represented on DVD until now, so any move in this direction is welcome!

[felixdembinski]

Amazon says that the format is in colour and b/w. Is this a mistake or were some made in b/w? Or do some exist as b/w telerecordings of colour productions?

[Deleted]

No, I think one episode is on b/w VT due to the 1970 / 71 technicians strike that affected many ITV shows.

[felixdembinski]

Thanks for the info, I'd heard about this before, I think it affected episodes of Timeslip. Do you know what episode is in b/w, my copy hasn't arrived yet

[Deleted]

Not offhand, no. Towards the end of the run, I think. Timeslip was also affected along with many series such as Budgie, Public Eye, Crossroads, Upstairs Downstairs, Doctor In The House and many other dramas and sitcoms etc.

[Peter Stirling]

The one with Peter Barkworth in 'come into my parlour' I think?

Also rather weird is the fact that the last one (shown two years later very late) is only a half hour and ends abruptly.

The ratings were very good for this series and I had heard it was planned to be a usual 13 week season, why it only got to 10 ------ -- and a half episodes only old man Thames knows ;D

[johnstewart]

I've ordered from Network. I wanted to support the troubled HMV but it's a web exclusive. 'Come into my Parlour' and the other 1973 show were the only 2 I saw complete as for some reason they put them in the Armchair Thriller repeat slot. Around 2 O clock on a weekday afternoon!

[Peter Stirling]

A reminder too of how classy, slick and sharp VTR shows could look

compared to the flat looking,soft (complete with greasy film prints) BBC efforts of the day