Thursday, July 28, 2011

Monty Python

……..and the Holy Grail.

Investigation, photography and loading by that dynamic duo, Robin and Simon James.

Interestingly, Sue Beeton, probably the world’s leading authority on film induced tourism is also a Monty fan and we hope that she too will relive happy memories of the film and its locations from some thirty-six years ago.

Terry Gilliam, the film’s director purchased one of my houses here in Umbria several years ago, and is one of the luminaries at the local film festival held in Montone each year.

Further reading and research, Film Induced Tourism, Sue Beeton, Channel View Publications, Clevedon, Buffalo, Toronto.

Open All Hours, Doc Martin, Last of the Summer Wine and Kingdom, all long-running TV series, have also had a direct financial effect on the towns in which they were made, as well as receiving complaint from locals, and space on our site is always available to anyone who wishes to adopt or discuss these productions.

From an article by Richard Savill, Daily Telegraph, 13 Aug 2008
Some residents in Port Isaac (Doc Martin's town)are calling for filming to be banned from the village because an influx of tourist visitors is causing traffic chaos in the narrow streets.
………..there have always been problems with traffic sine the days of horses and carts
"We have had the golden egg from the filming and we have had enough visitors now," said one resident.
……….so, thanks for the reward, but we don’t want the publicity or the trippers.
They said tourists have been dumping their vehicles by a children's play area, and are concerned a child could be killed.
……….”Doc Martin – Child Killer”. The next tabloid headline?
A local mother, said: "We need to take this seriously before we lose one of our children. It is extremely dangerous, especially when they want to go to the park."
……..”Doc Martin Responsible for Lost Children”. Maybe on the TV news.
"Friends who have enjoyed coming to the village for years have not been able to stay in holiday cottages because they have been rented to the crew."
………ah, yes, that golden egg, profit without responsibility.
Nearly 40 per cent of properties in the village are now second homes and the cost of the average home has been pushed to £280,000.
………so, one can deduce that the locals who sold to “outsiders”, at a hefty profit, didn’t take the opportunity to sell to locals, for less. Golden Egg Syndrome.
Doc Martin has attracted up to 10 million viewers in Britain and is a hit in more than a dozen countries including Australia, Belgium and Romania.
A local estate agent said the show had raised the profile of the village and was seen as an added attraction. we always mention Doc Martin in the particulars. It is a very sought after area."
………………….as ever, two sides to each story.

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Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Victorian Spys

Prints by Vanity Fair artist Leslie Ward, Spy.

Not a lot to do with film locations you might think, but the interior set dressing that is used to provide a “classy” background to stately homes, accountants, solicitors and legal offices in films often incorporated Victorian prints produced by the Vanity Fair company in England prior to the First World War.

These prints were produced for about forty years, about one each week, and therefore making a collection of a couple of thousand different subjects.

“Kaleidoscope”, on-line, has a blog which refers to the Vanity Fair cartoons, or caricatures. These were drawn by two main artists, Leslie Ward, “Spy”, and Carlo Pellegrini, “Ape”, and more discussion about Vanity Fair is on soldierssoldiers.com, under prints and postcards.

Find a use of these illustrations in any film or TV production, and we’ll try to match them with one of the prints from our collection. Something else for you to keep your eyes open for. And what about the uses of Tretchikoff’s Green ladies, which, or who, appeared in any number of films of the 60’s and 70’s. Can you find those as well?

And a cartoon, in those days was a sketch, a caricature, an instant piece of art work, and nothing to do with walt Disney.

Victorian prints, are different from Victorian Prince, but are often pronounced or heard the same. See the dislexicon.





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Sunday, July 17, 2011

The Games

When we started ReelStreets we concentrated on films with identifiable locations made in the British Isles. But because of world wide interest we have opened the site up to feature films and movies made anywhere, as well as the popular TV series. Checking back we find that The Games, a film made by Michael Winner in 1970, had a number of foreign location scenes, Tokio, Sydney, Rome and probably Belgium, all of which we have now added. So, next time you visit take a snap.

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Monday, July 11, 2011

JUMP THE QUEUE

HOW TO GET YOUR FAVOURITE FILM LOADED BEFORE ALL THE OTHERS IN THE QUEUE

Perhaps we better explain what this site is all about, just in case you hadn’t realised.
Film locations, film locations and film locations. Run by unpaid enthusiasts for your benefit.

You will see from the home page that we have some 500 films on line, and that has taken us about seven years hard labour. No pay, no rewards, no free dinners, no awards and no accolades.
You will also see that we have more than 370 films waiting to be loaded, so at the slow rate that we work, this will take about another 5 years!
So, for you to jump the queue and have your favourite film loaded YOU need to do most of the work, leave it all to us and you go at the back of the line, and wait perhaps five years…....
So, how do you start to load your films………..how about reading “How To Submit” on our home page, and, what is more, as far as humanly possible, following the instructions.

As for us following up all the leads, references and sites that you kindly offer, until we’ve done the next 300 films there really is no time available. You have the interest in these specific films, and maybe a bit of time to do the research, so pull the pics and information, collate it all and add it to ReelStreets.

Yes, we know you aren’t technical, and it seems a chore to follow our directions, but we can’t do the work for you until…….maybe 2016! So, now you know, if you can help to load your favourites, then welcome aboard, if not, lie back and wait…….. for up to five years. Your choice.

Who is the techie who helps you when you screw up your computer? He, or she, will know what to do, enlist their help if you are really keen to see “your” film on site. Or even speak to the kids in the library or local computer shop, they’ll know what to do.

But seriously, we do hope you’ll give us a hand to further increase the scope of the site, with a film or two of your choice, …………..and jump the queue.

Next film in line is The Secret of Santa Vittoria, Italy, Anticoli Corrado, near Roma……..soon to be brought to your computers, in living colour………stay tuned!




Sunday, July 10, 2011

Secret of Santa Vittoria

Secret of Santa Vittoria, with Anthony Quinn, Anna Magnani and Hardy Kreuger, filmed on location in Anticoli Corrado, Lazio, Italy, a bit to the north east of Rome. Wonderful period film full of shouting over-acting Italians, with the whole village acting as extras. The Germans; Hardy Kreuger was the commander, or even the Kommandante; a small group of retreating Axis forces after the invasion of Italy by the Allies, and the fall and execution of Mussolini.

Filmed, it would appear, entirely in the main square of Anicoli Corrado, this location provides the ideal reason for an outing from Rome, use the film as an excuse for a bit of film induced tourism and escape the crowds in the Vatican, Michaelangelo, Don Camillo and the Da Vinci Code, the mobs around Piazza Navona, Dolce Vita, the multitudes on the Spanish Steps, Roman Holiday, Talented Mr Ripley, Blue Murder at St Trinians and many others.

Head east for a taste of destination marketing, which was a term invented long after the film was made, for the art or science of creating reasons why tourists and travellers would visit a specific location, or destination. Make the film and the local community benefits from the influx of the film’s technicians, actors, and producers, and once the film is made, if the world is informed about its locations, then the ongoing trickle of tourists for the next hundred years will bring in a steady stream of cash to local businesses.

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