Swallows And Amazons

[RayandCarole]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3640061/Spies-Amazons-new-BBC-adaptation-children-s-classic-spiced-two-Russian-agents-bigger-twist-book-s-author-real-Soviet-spy.html

oh dear 

Ray & Carole

[Guest]

"......has been given a bizarre makeover by the BBC, robbing it of much of its charm......."

.....and the real 006 will no doubt be turning in his grave.

 

[Polly]

Why can't they accept that the innocent charm and tight focus of these books is their appeal? 

Maybe they will do 'Little Women' or 'Treasure Island' making Jo an unmarried mother or giving Long John Silver Anger Management Therapy......

[JennyMorgan]

Titty becomes Tatty, who in their right mind could come up with that one? Surely Titty would have grown up to be Totty?

[grendel]

its not as bad as it seems, Titty was a nickname given to one of the Altouin children, and was short for mrs tittlemouse, the other was tattlemouse, so a logical change, although frustrating to true Ransome afficianados

[wombat nee blownup]

Well thank you Grendel!!! You have just dashed my memories of reading under the covers and what I pictured all those years ago. To think, if I'd have known that I'd have got to sleep so much earlier. 

[JennyMorgan]

For all that, Grendel, I reckon that 'Titty' is far, far more attractive than 'Tatty'

[Drewby]

11 hours ago, Tangara said:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3640061/Spies-Amazons-new-BBC-adaptation-children-s-classic-spiced-two-Russian-agents-bigger-twist-book-s-author-real-Soviet-spy.html

oh dear 

Ray & Carole

Shame

Andy

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

I have both Swallows and Amazons, AND  Swallows and Amazons Forever on DVD. it took ages to find them, and i like to watch them just before i come to the Broads, which ironically is a week and a half, so they will no doubt be watched either in that time, or when we`re on Lightning.

As for this new offering, no thanks, i`l stick to the original, no sex, no violence, no bad language, and no political correctness to be obeyed. In short, EXCELLENT VIEWING.

[JennyMorgan]

Plenty on E-Bay at this very moment in time.

[Arthur]

As Polly has already said.

Why do they have to mess about with a classic story and turn it into the usual sort of trash that now fills our TV Screens.

I find the renaming of Titty as Tatty rather silly but I guess that is the stupid political correctness these days.

However there is no need at all to add nonsense such as secret agents and russian spies.

Maybe this is the usual obsession with the secret history of Arthur Ransome.

Not really a secret though as Ransomes involvement with the British government and with some of the leaders of the Russian Revolution is well documented.

The BBC did make a Swallows and Amazons series which was broadcast in 1960. (Arthur Ransome himself did not like the way this was portrayed)

However it did stick reasonably to the story line but Titty in this 1960 series had been renamed Kitty.

I have copies of both the 1973 Swallows and Amazons film and the TV Series of Coot Club and the big Six.

 

Arthur

 

[JennyMorgan]

A mildly interesting Broads link for the 1974 Swallows & Amazons film was that Swallow's young captain was a member of the Bosham Sailing Club down near Chichester. At that time yours truly worked for the Bosham Sea School & charter company. The young actor was a competent racing sailor but neither he nor any of the club members had a clue as how to rig a lug-sail dinghy. Someone mentioned, at the club, that lug sail dinghies were still as common as muck on the Broads and that I was a Broads sailor. I was duly summoned to appear, in person would you believe, to rig a Broads lugsail dinghy that was used for tuition by the club on behalf of the film company. Just thought you might like to know that! 

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

14 minutes ago, Arthur said:

 

I have copies of both the 1973 Swallows and Amazons film and the TV Series of Coot Club and the big Six.

 

Arthur

 

 

hI arthur,

The series i have called Swallows and Amazons Forever is the very same as the Coot Club, and Big Six, as these two individual series were amalgamated into one book, which incidentally i have, which was part of the Blakes Holidays promotion back in the 90s., along with a coot club flag. If i can find them, i`l put a picture up of them.

 

[grendel]

having read Sophie Nevilles (Titty in the 1973 film) book which I found interesting and most enlightening, I was interested that all the children were chosen, not for their acting abilities, but for their sailing skills.

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

13 minutes ago, JennyMorgan said:

A mildly interesting Broads link for the 1974 Swallows & Amazons film was that Swallow's young captain was a member of the Bosham Sailing Club down near Chichester. At that time yours truly worked for the Bosham Sea School & charter company. The young actor was a competent racing sailor but neither he nor any of the club members had a clue as how to rig a lug-sail dinghy. Someone mentioned, at the club, that lug sail dinghies were still as common as muck on the Broads and that I was a Broads sailor. I was duly summoned to appear, in person would you believe, to rig a Broads lugsail dinghy that was used for tuition by the club on behalf of the film company. Just thought you might like to know that! 

Hi Peter,

Not only are you a true and proper Broadlander, but a well travelled one too. 

People like you, Vaughn, and that naughty big fish we all know should take over the stewardship of the BA.

[grendel]

Sophie was also on the production team of the swallows and amazons forever series.

[JennyMorgan]

I can remember sailing clubs and boating magazines being asked to suggest suitable young members to play the parts. Didn't realize that that was the only criterior. Got a feeling that a young Horning lad was short listed

[Polly]

I think her mum was an actor? I worked with someone on a show who mentioned that her daughter had player Titty, she could have said 'Kitty'.

[JennyMorgan]

 

Thank you for the compliment. Not sure that sailing on Chichester Harbour, as lovely as it is, endorses me as being well traveled! By the way, that naughty big fish is not just one individual

[BroadScot]

3 minutes ago, JennyMorgan said:

By the way, that naughty big fish is not just one individual

Awe JM you have gone and spoiled it all for me, you will be telling me next, there is no Santa Claus 

Iain

[JennyMorgan]

 

1 hour ago, BroadScot said:

Awe JM you have gone and spoiled it all for me, you will be telling me next, there is no Santa Claus 

Iain

Sorry about that, Iain, but there is no Santa Claus! 

 

Edited June 14, 2016 by BroadScot
Cleared the blank for you JM

[TheQ]

The Swallows and Amazon's series have a lot to answer for, I've never seen the films but prior to 1971 I had read all the books while living landlocked in Wiltshire. From them I always wanted to sail, visit the broads and i learnt to sail here in 1980ish and have sailed ever since, living  here permanently  since 1999.

I would prefer the films to be unchanged from the books.

The Soviet  association is well known, reading  the mass observation reports ( of the British population) communist sympathy was much more common then, throughout  population. The majority of people hadn't  yet realised it's a good idea that doesn't work.

Ransome even with his connections to  the Soviet heirarchy and USSR, notably left and returned to the UK, he was not known for any political campaigning on the communist  behalf or getting himself into roles that could get information for the communists, which he could have done as a journalist.

[ranworthbreeze]

9 hours ago, JennyMorgan said:

 

Sorry about that, Iain, but there is no Santa Claus! 

 

Hi Peter,

No Father Christmas! I am gutted

I hope you are not going to say that to your grandson, I guess Christmas this year is going to be very special to your family.

Regards

Alan

[MauriceMynah]

It's perfectly right and proper that a book, any book, can be re-written in a different perspective. The proof of the pudding is in the eating as they say. If it's good, it will succeed, if not it will fail.The bard himself has fallen victim to this, just how many versions of "Romeo and Juliet" are there? Some good some less so.

[Poppy]

10 minutes ago, MauriceMynah said:

It's perfectly right and proper that a book, any book, can be re-written in a different perspective. The proof of the pudding is in the eating as they say. If it's good, it will succeed, if not it will fail.The bard himself has fallen victim to this, just how many versions of "Romeo and Juliet" are there? Some good some less so.

Try re -writing the Bible " in a different perspective" and flogging that to the Americans of the Deep South - or the Qran for the Saudis