TPTV Films Page 12

Not a word they would have used then.
Why is it subtitled anyway?

Quote: john tregorran @ 22nd December 2019, 11:26 PM

Not a word they would have used then.
Why is it subtitled anyway?

The film was not originally subtitled but, in recent times, optional subtitles have been available for a great many TV programmes.

Apparently, (and I have no idea why), it costs a fortune to have a film or TV programme subtitled.

I don't know who at TPTV checks films and TV programmes for potentially offensive material but, had he/she watched the film without the subtitles switched on, it would have been absolutely clear that the man says "clot".

thanks

Watched an interesting 1963 film on TPTV this afternoon. Sparrows Can't Sing. No doubt some of you have seen it. I knew of it but had never seen it. Interesting cast/credits-wise more than story-wise. IDMB has it as a comedy, drama but I would describe it more as almost - but not quite - a kitchen sink drama.

It was based on a play written by, of all people, Stephen Lewis (Blakey from On The Buses), who was also in the film alongside his On The Buses co-star, Bob Grant. It starred a young Barbara Windsor along with similarly young Yootha Joyce, Brian Murphy & Roy Kinnear and a brief appearance from Glynn Edwards (Dave the barman from Minder, who, of course was married to Yootha Joyce at the time). Plus a host of other familiar faces including such stalwarts as Queenie Watts & Rita Webb. As you might expect from the cast list and the genre, it was directed by Joan Littlewood and the original play was performed by the Joan Littlewood Workshop.

As I say, worth watching if it is on again - as no doubt it will be - for spotting the famous, if somewhat younger, face if nothing else.

Quote: Billy Bunter @ 13th April 2020, 9:39 PM

Sparrows Can't Sing.

As Billy suggests, this is a film well worth watching just to count the number of famous faces.

The original play was titled "Sparrers Can't Sing" but it was changed for the film. Why? Perhaps the great British public wasn't considered ready for film titles in imperfect English? Perhaps film executives thought working-class language in the title might have a negative impact at the box office?

Be that as it may, the film is indeed an absolute goldmine of famous faces in their very much younger days.

Barbara Windsor essentially played the same role in every film she ever made even though she was warned by Joan Littlewood at a very early stage in her career about the dangers of becoming typecast.

Joan Littlewood, as we know, knew a thing or two about the business and was convinced Barbara could be an excellent and very successful "serious" actress as long as she avoided the very obvious danger of becoming typecast as a blonde bimbo.

Oh well, so much for that particular piece of advice.

Wikipedia tells us Barbara had a one-night stand with the notorious East End gangster, Reggie Kray.

I can tell you that, according to Barbara herself, the truth is just a little more sordid.

Barbara and Reggie were sharing a taxi after a night out when Reggie decided to have it off with Barbara, who didn't think it a good idea and indeed protested when Reggie commenced invading her personal space.

As might be expected, Reggie was not a man to take "no" for an answer and, accordingly, the dastardly deed was duly done.

Did Barbara go to the cop shop and complain?

Come on, folks - would you have gone to the cop shop and complained about Reggie Kray?

.

Why would she go out with a bloke like that in the first place ?
Sid James had a thing about her too,didn't he ?Can't see anything myself.

Quote: john tregorran @ 14th April 2020, 8:48 PM

Why would she go out with a bloke like that in the first place?
Sid James had a thing about her too, didn't he? Can't see anything myself.

I'm not sure she ever did "go out" with him but she certainly mixed in that sort of company.

Sid James did indeed have a thing for her and I can fully understand why: she was a beautiful girl and, as I understand it, quite a "nice" girl to boot.

Quote: Rood Eye @ 14th April 2020, 10:25 PM

I'm not sure she ever did "go out" with him but she certainly mixed in that sort of company.

Ronnie Knight, Barbara Windsor's first husband, was a known associate of the Krays and ran some of the London clubs that they frequented. He was imprisoned in 1995 for seven years for his part in a £6 million Security Express robbery.

Famously, on their honeymoon in Madeira, they were accompanied by Kenneth Williams.

Watched the magic Christian with Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr among many other famous names. Never heard of it before was a very strange watch

I was watching the 1960 film Bottoms Up earlier. And, for ease of following the dialogue, I had the subtitles on.

There were two schemes that required the boys to pay "a tanner a week". On both occasions the subtitles had it that they were required to pay "a tenner a week". That tells me that the person doing the subtitles was young enough to be blissfully unaware of the slang for pre-decimalisation coinage and also young enough not to appreciate how little pocket money a schoolboy would have received in 1960.

Quote: Billy Bunter @ 20th April 2020, 5:16 PM

That tells me that the person doing the subtitles was young enough to be blissfully unaware of the slang for pre-decimalisation coinage and also young enough not to appreciate how little pocket money a schoolboy would have received in 1960.

Some time ago, I spotted a similar error in the subtitling of a film on TPTV.

I forget what it was but it was certainly something that suggested the person doing the subtitling was entirely unfamiliar with the context in which the word was used.

I emailed TPTV to point out the error but I never received a reply.

Somebody (I forget who) told me how much it costs to have a film subtitled.

I can't remember the figure although I do remember it was several thousand pounds.

I was astonished because I was sure there were countless people well qualified by age and life experience who would be delighted to do it for a tiny fraction of the price I was told - and, unlike entirely unqualified whippersnappers - they'd get it right.

I mean, how long can it take?

Quote: Billygoatscruff @ 15th April 2020, 10:35 AM

Watched the magic Christian with Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr among many other famous names. Never heard of it before was a very strange watch

Yes I watched that too. Two Bad Finger songs were played in it - Come and Get It and Rock of all ages which were both sides of (I think) their first Apple single.

Quote: Billy Bunter @ 14th April 2020, 11:13 PM

Ronnie Knight, Barbara Windsor's first husband, was a known associate of the Krays and ran some of the London clubs that they frequented. He was imprisoned in 1995 for seven years for his part in a £6 million Security Express robbery.

Famously, on their honeymoon in Madeira, they were accompanied by Kenneth Williams.

She was a talking about this very subject on TPTV, in the excellent Dick Hill's series from the late 70s "Tell Me Another" in which various stars tell anecdotes about their early careers, and there's been some very funny ones too; but sadly of course from very funny people who are no longer with us.

The Lost Continent (1968)

I was going to buy a DVD of this as I remember going to see it at the cinema when it was released, because I was heavily into reading Dennis Wheatley books on which this is based (Uncharted Seas). A couple of others of his were also made in the mid 60s based on his Devil worship books - The Devil Rides Out and later in the 70s, To The Devil a Daughter.

This one stayed fairly close to the book to start with, but then got a bit silly and I'm glad I didn't have to buy the DVD.

Yes, Denis Wheatley books were swapped around a lot.I've seen The Devils Rides Out,a load of nonsense but good fun.
H P Lovecraft was the same sort of thing but creepier.
I got the impression that the Wheatleys were sort of allegorical.Democracy was all very well but the lower orders had to be kept in place by the toffs.