Bill Douglas' "Trilogy" & Naming Houses/Cars - C or D?

Does Douglas stand alongside Terence Davies particularly, in the annals of British film? Possibly with Ken Loach as well... a grouping very much opposed to the more stylistically demonstrative Jarman-Greenaway-Russell-Roeg type line... I really need to see more of these various directors. Have seen a few Roeg and Loach films, but strangely not one of the others above I mention.

I re-saw this recently. in the cinema. the first one is stunning. there's not a single panning shot until the last half of the last film. this is how douglas manages to manipulate his town's geography so well.

it's on video in the uk, maybe i'll just order them

i like a lot of films with 'stagy' acting, that is, acting that has a ritualistic or hieratic quality; in fact i almost prefer this mode of acting to anything that's come in the past 40 years.

of course there are bad examples of any type of acting, and even the best directors can employ their customary style of acting in a way that misses the mark, but...

what i'm trying to say is that when people say a movie has 'stilted' acting i sort of vaguely suspect that i won't feel the same, but there are plenty of exceptions

I would be surprised if you weren't surprised by the acting in BDT. I can't wait till you see it.

we could talk about the film?

I think people look saddest when they just sit there. and have a face that looks like that. people can look sadder when they move too, or when they die, or when they fall. but sadder when they just sit there. by a fire! I do sound like a twat.

how lonely she must feel. she looks lonely. her looks are lonely.

call me a cunt.

i loved the english guy, he was so paternal; how he walked off and left douglas in the sand as if to "teach him a lesson"

is there a print of the last film in colour? my memories all point to it being in colour. but it just isn't, is it? where did I get this idea from?

I'm just typing for the sake of it now. out.

haha yeh. wtf.

douglas's bag was green, they were tanned (douglas a little red), the books he borrowed, the church they were in, the child who stared in to the back of the truck smiling...it WAS in colour, fie

thanks for this

bye

(not sure if we're supposed to say bye...is that too 'pally'?)

the grannie is jean taylor smith. who was also in 'crossroads' and played a grannie in 4 of her 8 movies. she's credited as being a 'grandmother' on the douglas films but a grannie on the others?!

the cut and shut nature of the film I was talking about could be seen I suppose as impressionism. dispensing with 'the conventional trappings of exposition'. I can use phrases like that, joan's gone. the way this is filmed is a brilliant analogue of one of the main themes, I suppose: the scant supply of communication. it's something I recognise from my own childhood in scotland. one deprecatingly parochial part of me wants to say this is a scottish failing, but I think that's terribly short-sighted. the bfi mini-essay I have on the film emphasises the 'bleak monochrome images' of the film but I'm still sold on the cutting as main locator of my 'startling physical sense' of newcraighill.

I completely forgot my favourite scene of the first movie: when the older brother runs up onto the bridge ahead of the steam train and dance's in the wake of steam! : D

my flatmate says the english guy reminds him of nick drake. I think I can see it. there's definitely something 'post-colonial' about nick drake. whatever that means.

that's the kind of acting i like

amst should see these movies.

I should shut up.

iwas listening all along

'tales of the taira clan' on... video?

http://lanternamagicka.blogspot.com/

exciting!

Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Comrades DVD - Details
According to the Bill Douglas Centre website, the DVD/BluRay of Comrades will include:

* Lanterna Magicka - Bill Douglas & the Secret History of Cinema (2009, 60 minutes), an insightful new documentary on Douglas' life and work
* Visions of Comrades (2009, 15 mins), cast-members recall making the film
* Bill Douglas interviews (1978, total 33 mins), exclusive presentation of a remarkable interview in which Douglas discusses his method and creating approach to writing and directing
* Home and Away (Michael Alexander, 1974, 31 mins), charming short film co-scripted by Douglas
* News report from the set of Comrades
* Original Comrades trailer
* Fully illustrated booklet including new essay, visual materials, archive Q&A with Bill Douglas, biography, cast and credits
* PCM stereo audio (48k/24bit on Blu-ray / 48k/16bit on DVD) (extras Dolby Digital 640kbps)

So that's well over two hours of extras, including our own contribution! Visions of Comrades is Andy Kimpton-Nye's selection of outtakes from his 2006 doc about Bill; the interviews are Charles Rees's 2009 edit of his 1978 material (which we use about 4 minutes of in Lanterna; Home and Away is a BFI-produced film that Bill co-wrote; the news report is possibly ITN (there is at least one Comrades news report in their archives - we considered using it in Lanterna); and of course the trailer, which I've never seen. Louise's essay on Bill, first published in the booklet to the Trilogy DVD, will be reprinted in the booklet of Comrades as well. All in all, a bumper package.
Posted by A Disciple of Roger Bacon at 21:27 0 comments

this could only be a cozen thread - read it and you'll see what I mean

Comrades is really something.

Really? I need to see that still. I have been playing around with a piece of writing on the trilogy for years, should do something with it. These are such great films.

great, i don't doubt but i had a hard time getting through first two and have never watched the third. But Comrades is a very singular film, well worth tracking down, adam.