The Manxman

Michael O'Regan · Post by **Michael O'Regan** » Mon Jun 08, 2009 12:40 pm

Who went along to the screening at the Barbican on Saturday?
How was it?

Penfold · Post by **Penfold** » Mon Jun 08, 2009 1:35 pm

Stunning, stunning, stunning. It was accompanied by Stephen Horne; I didn't think to ask him if this was purely extemporised or a film he had been working on for a while.....but his playing was pitch perfect, and brought up the emotion and tension to a fever pitch come the court case finale. If ever there was an object lesson how a great pianist can alter your perception of a film, this was it. I had always considered The Manxman to be a bit routine, pretty photography, very pretty Anny Ondra, but otherwise, routine. Now, I would put it right up there with the best silents, and not just British or Hitchcock. If you have seen Stephen play his score to A Cottage On Dartmoor, you will know what he is capable of....this was at that level.
The print was gorgeous too, and Cinema 1 at the Barbican is a fantastic place to watch films - not big, but comfortable and with a steep rake that means everyone gets a superb view of the film.
The entire BSFF was a triumph...highly recommended to anyone interested in old films, British, silent, or not, you will learn a lot; programmed with real care and attention to detail, it doesn't have the budget of San Francisco or Pordenone, but it certainly punches way above its weight.

Michael O'Regan · Post by **Michael O'Regan** » Mon Jun 08, 2009 1:56 pm

Sounds good.

Was it a 16mm print? 35mm?

Penfold · Post by **Penfold** » Mon Jun 08, 2009 2:07 pm

Definitely not 16mm.......either 35mm or digibeta, my money being on 35mm. If it's important, I can enquire....

urbanora · Post by **urbanora** » Mon Jun 08, 2009 3:47 pm

Good to see my favourite Hitchcock film (silent or sound) receiving such enthusiastic praise.

Penfold · Post by **Penfold** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 3:17 am

Did you make it to the film Mr Urbanora, or was that the day you had other commitments??? Certain details of the weekend are hazy.....but Stephen's performance was one of the standouts of a superb festival.

Michael O'Regan · Post by **Michael O'Regan** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 3:21 am

Penfold wrote:Definitely not 16mm.......either 35mm or digibeta, my money being on 35mm. If it's important, I can enquire....

I just wondered if 16mm prints existed of this title.

Do the Bristol Silents usually use film or digital projection?

Penfold · Post by **Penfold** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 3:48 am

Michael O'Regan wrote:
Penfold wrote:Definitely not 16mm.......either 35mm or digibeta, my money being on 35mm. If it's important, I can enquire....
I just wondered if 16mm prints existed of this title.

Do the Bristol Silents usually use film or digital projection?

Depends on the venue, and availability. 35mm when possible.....and practical. The Colston Hall Slapstick Gala is digital, as there is no projection box; Arnolfini events can be film or digital, but if film it can only be 35mm at 24fps... The Watershed can project just about anything, at any speed, so there it comes down to availability and costs. We don't get much in the way of funding, and we like to keep prices down, so if a film print has to come from Bologna, for example, it will be a very special event like Stephen Horne playing to Prix de Beaute last year. A print from The States is similarly a big deal. The BFI are very helpful, so we source a lot of material from them; but if it's a clip rather than a full film, then a digibeta tape makes all kinds of sense.

Post by **silentfilm** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 6:48 am

Michael O'Regan wrote: I just wondered if 16mm prints existed of this title.

Michael, Hitchcock's British silents and sould films have been public domain for a long time in the USA. Prints of Easy Virtue, The 39 Steps, Sabotage, The Lady Vanishes, and others were sold on 16mm by quite a few companies in the 1970s and 1980s. However, I've never seen The Manxman listed in a 16mm catalog.

Michael O'Regan · Post by **Michael O'Regan** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 12:12 pm

I've come across prints of the others you mention - just never come across any mention of Manxman.
How about Hitchcock's JUNO AND THE PAYCOCK - available in 16??

Post by **silentfilm** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 12:46 pm

I have not seen Juno and the Paycock listed in a catalog either.

urbanora · Post by **urbanora** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 1:33 pm

Did you make it to the film Mr Urbanora, or was that the day you had other commitments??? Certain details of the weekend are hazy.....but Stephen's performance was one of the standouts of a superb festival.

Sadly I could only make the Friday afternoon and missed all the features. Such are the perils of having your workplace close by. I particularly wanted to see THE WHEELS OF CHANCE, being a bit of a Harold Shaw follower. Ah well.[/quote]

Harlett O'Dowd · Post by **Harlett O'Dowd** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 3:42 pm

Michael O'Regan wrote:I've come across prints of the others you mention - just never come across any mention of Manxman.
How about Hitchcock's JUNO AND THE PAYCOCK - available in 16??

I have it on VHS so I assume someone somewhere has it on 16.

Penfold · Post by **Penfold** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 3:03 am

urbanora wrote:
Sadly I could only make the Friday afternoon and missed all the features. Such are the perils of having your workplace close by. I particularly wanted to see THE WHEELS OF CHANCE, being a bit of a Harold Shaw follower. Ah well.

The Wheels of Chance was really very good - I'm not sure it was quite up there with their Kipps collaboration, but very close; as with Kipps, terrific use of locations, and very pictorial; this time more Home Counties and into the New Forest. George K. Arthur's performance was similar to that in Kipps, but then Kipps and Hoopdriver are cut from the same cloth anyway....well worth seeing if you ever get the chance. This was apparently the first time the film had been shown since the 20's, as the NFTVA only had a negative, and this was printed up/transferred especially for the show (I expect you knew this). Harold Shaw seems to be winning a few fans, I know Phil Carli is a devotee....and I can't wait to see what else there is of his work surviving.

Arndt · Post by **Arndt** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 11:18 am

I know this is a bit OT here, but do you have any idea why the BBC, which otherwise is a great TV station, shows next to no interest in classic films and silents? It would seem a natural area for public service broadcasting. And there are the niche channels BBC Three and BBC Four.
I know BBC Four had a brief "Silent Season" a couple of years ago with A COTTAGE ON DARTMOOR, PICCADILLY and Paul Merton's "Silent Clowns" series, but there has been nothing since.

Penfold · Post by **Penfold** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 12:13 pm

Terribly frustrating....but there seems to be an attitude that now they have broadcast Paul Merton's series a few times, and A Cottage on Dartmoor and a couple of others, they have 'done' silent film.
In fairness, they have nil budget, and the expense of transferring a film to digital and commissioning and recording a score isn't inconsequential, at least for BBC4. But we have hopes for next year.....

Harlett O'Dowd · Post by **Harlett O'Dowd** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 12:27 pm

Penfold wrote:Terribly frustrating....but there seems to be an attitude that now they have broadcast Paul Merton's series a few times, and A Cottage on Dartmoor and a couple of others, they have 'done' silent film.
In fairness, they have nil budget, ...

in addition, they have to make room for more episodes of Eastenders.

Penfold · Post by **Penfold** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 1:09 pm

Harlett O'Dowd wrote:
Penfold wrote:Terribly frustrating....but there seems to be an attitude that now they have broadcast Paul Merton's series a few times, and A Cottage on Dartmoor and a couple of others, they have 'done' silent film.
In fairness, they have nil budget, ...
in addition, they have to make room for more episodes of Eastenders.

Not on BBC4, but I know what you mean.