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Listening through the Lens: The Christopher Nupen Films (2021) #1380
DOCUMENTARY
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95mins BBC. A tribute to Christopher Nupen, who became Britain’s first independent television producer in the 1960s at the dawn of the documentary era. It is also the story of how the talents of a golden generation of artists were forever preserved on film. Nupen came from an unlikely background in South Africa and ‘ticked none of the boxes’, but seizing upon the emerging camera technology and his unique access, he filmed classical music in a completely new and intimate way that broke down the barriers between artists and their public. As a result, this documentary is also an important story about the history of music on television and the great artists who collaborated on the films. Now 86, Nupen reflects on 75 productions about artists and composers spanning more than 50 years. His body of work convincingly enforces his conviction that television is capable of remembering artists in a way that no other medium can equal. Oxford philosopher and historian Sir Isaiah Berlin described Nupen’s films as being ‘at just about the highest level which television is capable of reaching’. The programme cherry-picks examples of Christopher Nupen’s best work between 1966 and 2017. When he started, he instinctively blended documentary and musical performance to create a new genre of film. He filmed musicians at close quarters in their natural environment, where they have most to offer. Television picked up the exuberant spirit of the new generation and carried it far and wide. The effects were dramatic and brought countless numbers of people to music for the first time. A musician himself, Nupen’s musical friends were among the most-renowned artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. Capturing their unique talents on film, we relive sublime historical moments with the likes of Daniel Barenboim, Pinchas Zukerman, Andrès Segovia, John Williams, Nathan Milstein, Placido Domingo, Itzhak Perlman, Jacqueline du Pré, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Evgeny Kissin and Daniil Trifonov. As Nupen’s experience grew, he tackled musical ideas and the lives of the great composers. His films represent a single-minded dedication to sharing the power of music that will leave a legacy of lasting value. |
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Eric, Ernie and Me (2017) #1069
TV DRAMA
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1 hour. BBC. For over a decade, the Liverpudlian ex-market stall trader Eddie Braben penned Morecambe and Wise's material, reshaping the double act into the Eric and Ernie that the nation took to its heart. But it wasn't all sunshine. This comedy-drama follows the story of how The Golden Triangle was formed and celebrates the man behind Morecambe and Wise's greatest successes. In 1969 Eddie Braben was persuaded by the BBC's then Head of Light Entertainment Bill Cotton to make the journey to London to meet Eric and Ernie and their producer John Ammonds. It wasn't a meeting of the minds. But there was a spark, something different and special that Braben saw in the music hall double act who had yet to crack their on-screen presence. He set out to uncover the essence of what would transform them into television's most beloved entertainers. What followed was years of dedication, determination and hard graft - comedy comes at a price. With the help and support of his wife Deidree, Eddie dug deep, taking on a huge scripting workload that saw Eric and Ernie take over the living rooms and hearts of the UK population. Year on year a new series, a new Christmas special, incredible celebrity guests and the never-ending commute from home in Liverpool to work in London saw Eddie work himself to the point of exhaustion. A man desperate for a break, but driven by perfection and the need to make people laugh. The film culminates in a journey to the iconic 1977 Christmas Show, celebrates a decade of enormous success for both Braben and Morecambe & Wise whilst not shying away from the pressure and pain Eddie went through to help create the screen work of Britain's most beloved double act. |
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Dedication (2007) #33
FILM
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Directed by Justin Theroux. With Billy Crudup, Mandy Moore, Tom Wilkinson, Christine Taylor. The romantic comedy follows a misogynistic children's book author who is forced to work closely with a female illustrator instead of his long-time collaborator and only friend. |
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Song of Summer: Frederick Delius (1968) #779
TV DRAMA-DOCUMENTARY
Main
75 mins. Based on Eric Fenby's 1936 memoir Delius As I Knew Him, this film traces the last years of Frederick Delius and Fenby's dedication in giving up five years of his life to helping the blind, paralysed composer set down the unfinished scores he could hear in his head. Perhaps the finest of the series of biographical films that Ken Russell made for the BBC in the 1960s, Song of Summer is an immensely moving story of sacrifice, idealism and musical genius. |