Monday, February 27, 2006

Hi film sleuths

Hi film sleuths

As many of you know the site became a subscription site from the start of the month, and future films on site will only contain a limited amount of information that will be available to non-subscribers.

Please take out a sub, it doesn’t cost much and it will help us to continue with the work that you all enjoy so much.

I’m attaching a few stills/screen grabs/”then” shots from three splendid films, “It Always Rains On Sundays”, “Waterloo Road” and “Deadly Affair”. In future the pre-release of the “then” shots will be available to all subscribers some three to four weeks prior to their inclusion on site. This will give subscribers an advantage when planning to take some “now” shots, for which we still offer up to £10.00 each.

And, for one photo you will have covered the cost of the subscription for a year.

We’re also starting a “Locations That No-Body Knows” area, which will contain photos of locations that should be used. Enter your pics, and if a location scout wants the address he’ll have to pay you a finder’s fee of £100.00.

But you do need to be a subscriber.

We’re about four months behind with our ReelStreets work at the moment so lots of you who have sent photos in are still, patiently, waiting for them to appear on site. The more subs we receive the more workers we can employ which, in turn will reflect to your benefit as we’ll be able to process more films more quickly.

Pleae help us to continue by subscribing to this unique site.

Oh, and yes, we’ve now got a message board where subscribers can post their views on individual film topics.

Best wishes

John Tunstill

Friday, February 24, 2006

The Ghost Camera

Hi,
I don't want to subscribe or win any money but I thought you'd like to know that "The Ghost Camera" was filmed at Corf Castle between Wareham and Swanage in Dorset.

Hope this helps.
Geoff

Morgan

Thanks for e-mail about the Blue Lamp walk, have damaged foot at the mo so much walking for me is out of the question for a while.

..............sorry to hear that, next time perhaps

..Hope to do one another time though. Just watched Morgan a suitable case for treatment, again the other night......great fun film. ave you featured the Knack and Morgan on the site,

cheers.Ron

.............not yet because I haven't got copies of either
...........can you make some for me, to swop for something I've got

Best wishes, hope your foot gets better soon
John

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Blue Lamp

Don't forget the little cinema by the canal bridge, on the corner of Amberley Road. The front has long been turned into an office, but the last time I looked at the Amberley Road side the auditorium plasterwork was still there. This was some years ago when the auditorium was used as a tyre and exhaust emporium. I keep trying to get back there to check it out, but Mrs Ward has speeded up her Oxford Street shopping expeditions so I can't quite make it there and back.

Personally, I always enjoy seeing PC Dixon getting shot; it serves him right for all those Saturday night TV programmes, and for being a collator well into his 70s !

However, I worked for many years at the Police Training School Hendon and, long before my time, it was shown to all new recruits, as there were lots of lessons that could be drawn from it.

Andrew

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

International Films


Isn’t it amazing how many internationally renowned films have been made and set in Italy, in particular in Tuscany and Umbria over the last twenty or thirty years. We have thought of “Travels with my Aunt” directed by George Cukor, with Maggie Smith and Alec McCowen, “Tea with Mussolini”, with Judi Dench and Cher, set in San Gemignano, “Life is Beautiful” set in Arezzo with Roberto Benigni, “My House in Umbria”, “Summer’s Lease”, “The Talented Mr Ripley” directed by Anthony Minghella and starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Matt Damon, “The English Patient” with Ralph Fiennes, “Room with a View” memorably set in Florence, “Brother Sun, Sister Moon” and “The Name of the Rose” with Sean Connery….

We look forward to hearing from you if you can think of any others and take a look at www.reelstreets.com our website about film locations used in films made in Great Britain from the 1920’s to the 1980’s.

Sunday, February 19, 2006

Toy Soldiers in Film/tv programmes

Dear Mr. Tunstill,

I'm Michelle and I'm a student of Media and Culture from the Netherlands. I'm searching for films/tv programmes with toy soldiers in them, just like in the sixth sense when the little boy plays with them and speaks in latin to them. I know there have to be many more but it's hard to find them. I wondered if you could help me out.

..........The two versions of the Four Feathers had toy soldiers in them; Christmas under Fire, see stills on my site www.soldierssoldiers.com, War Films, contained a few shots............I'll make an appeal on our blog pages and message board for more information.

..............Your interest in Media and Culture might be stimulated by my
other web site www.reelstreets.com, where we seek to find the locations used in old films and compare the site with the same locations today. I'll also put your request onto the blog and message board of that site.

.............Best wishes in your studies
............John Tunstill


..........PS, I provided many of the soldiers for the Callan TV series, do you have any screen grabs, stills showing them? I also provided the figures for book covers, record sleeves, adverts and a BBC production on the Boxer Revolution. If these are of interest I'll try and find better references.


With some help from others I've come this far:

The Sixth Sense
Indian in the Cupboard
Toy Story
TV series Callan
The Living Daylights
Small soldiers
The Patriot

With kind regards,
Michelle Lentz

Saturday, February 18, 2006

Launch ITV Local News

Dear Jon,

If you follow this link you should be able to get the bit about old films in Brighton & Hove 1897 to 1910 up on screen; Go to Itv Hastings and the local south east news comes up. I think it was Tuesday evening only a few minutes of it but when I tried it this was the first item up on screen. I don't know how long it remains live for though, probably changes on a weekly basis so look at it soon.

.............I'll blog it so that others can find it

You have to be on broadband I think. Only got round to looking in to it myself this morning but I did record it anyway.
Yours,
Tim Sargeant
Goudhurst
Kent

................we haven't even got "narrow band" in this part of Umbria!
But if there are any interesting stills that you can grab we'll put them on
site
Best wishes
john


http://player.narrowstep.tv/default.aspx?player=itv_local_news

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

reelstreets Villain Location

The enclosed attatchment is of Acton Central station one of the locations used in Villain where Nigel Davenport gets off the train and meets Colin Welland I thought the other shot of him waiting on a station platform as a train pulls in was also Acton central but I was there today and I was wrong, although it is on the North London line somewhere.

................Perhaps this is Villain Pic 6?

I emailed you a while back about the film 'The night night we got the bird' suggesting the station featured was Bishopstone near Newhaven, but it looks like I was wrong on that one as well.

let me know if this shot is ok,

No it really isn't much of a shot with the mist and the general greyness. But, you've identified it, and if you can take a more reasonable picture, from a better and more correct angle within the next 30 days, the £10.00 is yours

Bill
Thanks
John

Subscriptions

Hi Adam

Thanks for your email.

Sometimes the PayPal payments take a day or so to come through to central Italy, where I am, and sometimes they come through at times when I'm away from the keyboard, occasional moments when I eat, rest, sleep and attend to the rest of those boring interruptions that impinge onto the world of Reel Streets. So I apologise for the delay and know how you feel, instant gratification is also one of my holy grails!

I've attached a thankyou card and acknowlege your payment, thankyou.

I've also attached the "welcome" letter and also personally welcome you to the growing band of subscribers.

One day, perhaps, we'll have an automated response, maybe my techie Mike knows how to do it, I'll copy this letter to him.

Best wishes

John Tunstill

Monday, February 13, 2006

Trailers

Have you ever thought about film “trailers”? The general dictionary definition is something like “a series of short extracts from a moving picture, a film or a movie, introduced at a previous performance to promote interest in the forthcoming production. An advertisement”. And, over the years we’ve accepted this.

All the other definitions in the dictionary refer to something behind, left behind, pulled behind etc, but never in advance. Even a pathway, a trail, is something left by passing feet.

Could it be that one of the staff in the early days in Hollywood wanted to lay a path or a trail to the next super production? Or could it be that the person concerned, and remember that many of the production staff were newly arrived European immigrants, and perhaps “ignorants” as well, and miss- spelled trial as trail, hence a trial became a trail, and a trialer, to try out the audience reaction became, by usage, a trailer?

films to exchange?

Just received from one of our subscribers, four tapes, Waterfront and Green Grow the Rushes, both with Richard Burton, The Frightened City with Sean Connery and Holiday Camp with Jack Warner.

Have sent to him, as swaps, WATERLOO ROAD, IT ALWAYS RAINS ON SUNDAYS, SPARROWS CAN'T SING and the TITFIELD THUNDERBOLT

What have you got to swap? what do you want? We've got some 250 films to exchange with subscribers.

John Tunstill


Have you ever thought about film “trailers”? The general dictionary definition is something like “a series of short extracts from a moving picture, a film or a movie, introduced at a previous performance to promote interest in the forthcoming production. An advertisement”. And, over the years we’ve accepted this.

All the other definitions in the dictionary refer to something behind, left behind, pulled behind etc, but never in advance. Even a pathway, a trail, is something left by passing feet.

Could it be that one of the staff in the early days in Hollywood wanted to lay a path or a trail to the next super production? Or could it be that the person concerned, and remember that many of the production staff were newly arrived European immigrants, and perhaps “ignorants” as well, and miss- spelled trial as trail, hence a trial became a trail, and a trialer, to try out the audience reaction became, by usage, a trailer?

Sunday, February 12, 2006

Meridian TV programme

John.

The Meridian TV programme "The Way We Were" was aired last night, it consisted of old cine film and newsreel footage with celebrities describing their childhood days.

Things looked so sunny and bright then.

But, as they say,nostalgia aint what it used to be!

All the best.
Dave.

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

old films

hi Jon
I am continuing to develop my film on the North EAST /YORKSHIRE in the cinema-do any of your members or contacts have a copy of "A BOY A GIRL AND A BIKE"[HONOR BLACKMAN/PATRICK HOLT ETC]I COULD VIEW?
CHRIS PHIPPS

Monday, February 06, 2006

Darling


Dirk Bogard and Julie Christie’s “Darling” is on site and many of the location used are identified. “The Jokers” has been captured on tape, and Oliver Reed and Michael Crawford do their best, and steal the Crown Jewels. Michael Winner used many locations in London for this entertaining film. “Bunny Lake” is there as well with locations identified in Hampstead and central London. “Frenzy” is prepared and the locations have been re-photographed and are now on site. “The Day The Earth Caught Fire” and “Children of the Damned” are both up as well. But have a look for yourself on www.reelstreets.com. It was interesting to note that in the sad tale of the whale in London last weekend that the film location sites for Alfie, Man in the White Suit, Brannigan, Sweeney, Long Arm of the Law, Long Memory, Hue and Cry, Lavender Hill Mob, Blind Date, and many many others were covered as the wale’s barge went downstream.

Friday, February 03, 2006

3 Day Cookery Course at La Preghiera ; Weds 26th April - Saturday 30th April


Join us at La Preghiera for a hands-on cookery course experience in Umbria, Italy.

Meet our cooks, Mara and Emma and learn how to make fresh pasta, fillings, sauces, traditional Umbrian antipasti, meats, salads and dolci....

The course includes a trip to a local market where you can savour the atmosphere of a thriving market town and buy fruit, vegetables, prosciutto and cheeses, the ingredients that you will need for the course.

Also included is an excursion to find the highly prized "Tartufo" or truffle in the valleys around Città di Castello, learning how to prepare and use them in Italian cooking with a dinner based on truffles afterwards...

The course includes:
3 nights luxury accommodation in historic home
Three hands-on cookery classes, approx 3 hours each
All meals including: Buffet Breakfast, Lunch with wine, soft drinks and coffee, Dinner with aperitivo, wine, liqueurs, soft drinks and coffee
Aperitivo and Stuzzichini on first evening
Truffle Hunting Excursion and market visit
Car, driver and interpreter where necessary
With prices from 1255 Euro per person....

Contact Sally Ann at info@lapreghiera.com to reserve your place on the course!

NEWS FLASH

Hi Sleuths

Meridian TV features South Coast locations


Meridian TV, SE England local channel is running an item on old films made on the SE coast next week.

Make sure you view it, or get a friend to copy it, and one for me too please

Subs are coming in quite well. Have we got yours yet?

Best wishes
John Tunstill

Thursday, February 02, 2006

The Smallest Show on Earth (Locations)

Hi, I watched "The Smallest Show on Earth" (Basil Dearden, 1957)on the TV yesterday and was pleased to see that some of the outside scenes were filmed in the Potteries (Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire)near to where I live. The last scene on the train was a view of Longton (one of the six Pottery towns)as they were heading south-east towards Derby. Longton Church (St James) is clearly visible on the right in the distance. Earlier as a train was leaving "Sloughborough" Station an announcement was made that it would be calling at "Longport, Middleport and Alsager", all stations to the north of Stoke on the present Derby-Crewe line. At Longton Station there is a bridge very like one where the "Bijou" was filmed - but not the two bridges we can see together.
Hope this is of interest to someone!
Cheers, Maureen Turner

Maureen
Well done
Thanks so much, we'll blog your information
Many thanks
john Tunstill



Cheers, what I didn't say was that the strange-shaped chimineys shown beside the railway lines on two or three shots are bottle kilns - (used for firing pottery in the numerous "pot-banks")once a distinctive feature of the Potteries landscape. There are still some left, notably in Longton at the Gladstone Pottery Museum.
Thanks for your site -it helps to keep interest in film and local history alive.