MEDIA LIST
F“,
‘Video video video. video video video-oh'. chorused the chums down the lineto the Big Smoke. ‘Cripes. they sound keen!‘ Exclaimed Shel the PR woman. ‘I hope this lot of vids is all right . . .they're obviously a discerning market.‘ Right then. discern away.
I BATMAN (15) 121 mins. Holy overhype! It‘s thelilm that grossed the most at US box ottices in a single day. It's the lilm that currently stands at number4 inthe US top 100 rented videos of all-time. lt'sthe lilmthat's had more people writing sentences beginning: ‘lt's the lilm that‘. than any other in the history of cinema. OK so Jack Nicholson is in top gear as the Jokerand Keaton gives the Bat-role a psychological angle to it thatAdam Westnever dreamed of but where are the THDPS! KAPDWS! and KERBDFFUMS! ol ouryouth. Batman in hisTVcamation was. very probably. the most consistently amusing programme everand this. despite the hype hardly matches it. (Warner. Rental). Win a copy ol Batman - see Competitions bane. I ERIK THE VIKING (15) 103 mins. A great castand sumptious sets tail to pull this lilm above the average mark. Tim Robbins isthe Viking appalled by his heritage ol rape. conquest and pillaging who sets out to change the ordinary workaday practices of his lellow Scandinavians. Directed by Terry Jones and based on his own Norse saga for children there isa somewhat indulgent delight in bringing the lantasyto life that gives quite a lew pleasurable moments along the way. Released 12Apr. (CBS/Fox. Rental). I MDDNWALKER (PG)90 mins. AAAAAARGR! Keep this out at reach otchildren. In tact keep out ol reach at anyone. (Parklield. £9.99) I PEEPING TDM (18) Michael Powell's shockerol the Sixties. In which a young studiotechnician puts a spike on his camera andtilms the tearonthe laces ol the girls he murders. Olcourse. itall l stems lrom a nasty experience he had as a child — his dad was a cross between Lord Lichtield and l the Marquis de Sade. It's 3 yer classic metaphortor cinema. innit?(Wamer.
“29.99).
LISTINGS
FRIDAY 6
I Comrade Sak (C4) 8—9pm. Roshan Seth. who played Nehru in Gandhi and Gordon Warnecke‘s father in My Beautiful Laundrertc. portrays Shapurji Saklatvala. one of the first Indians and first Communists to be elected to Westminster This documentary. interspersed with dramatic reconstructions. follows his career from his birth in a well-offBombay family to his election as member for Battersea in 1917 and eventual exile from India after disagreements with Gandhi over the path his homeland should take to independence.
I Monty Python and the llon Grail (Sky Movies) 8—9.40pm. While Terry Gilliam’s labberwocky may have got this one beat for period atmosphere. there‘s no denying that the Python team were well in control of this Medieval romp. and sustained the laughs for its full length.
I United (BBC2) 8.30—9pm. Sheffield United. to be precise. already followed for four months in their bid to win a place in the English First Division. A crew was allowed to film the tensions in the dressing room. the board room and the terraces as well as on the pitch.
I The Justice Game 2(BBC1) 9.30—10.25pm. A bloody finale for Dominic (Denis Lawson) and Francesca (Anita Zagaria) as they speed toward a confrontation in the Abruzzi mountains. unaware that the Italian police are on their tail.
I Arena: Paris is Bumlng (BBCZ) 9.30—10.30pm. Yes. we‘ve heard of ‘Vogueing‘. but who originated it. and where do you find them? Arena cameras track down the intensely competitive ‘Children‘ n clubs in Manhattan. Harlem and Brooklyn. and show us that the Krystle Carrington lookalikes are probably subsisting on welfare.
SATURDAY 7
I Dogs Talk. Fish Walk and the BaronJumps Dverthe Moon (C4) 1—1.25pm. Channel4's fortnight-long animation season begins with this documentary on the Czech tradition and incorporates clips from the films being shown over the next two weeks. I Animation on 4 (C4) 1.25—2.30pm. Three outstanding Czechoslovakian animated films: The Springer and the 35(1946). The Song of the Prairie ( 1949) and A Drop Too Much (1954). I Young Musician ol the Year The Concerto Final (BBC2) 7.50—10pm. The four finalists (a pianist. a string player. a wind player and a brass player) battle it out for the title and a place in the Eurovision Young Musician ofthe Year competition in Vienna in May. I Beetleiuice (Sky Movies) 8—9.4(lpm. Michael Keaton‘s biggest part until the Batman role came along. Newly-dead couple watch their house being taken over by unbearable yuppies and determine to drive them out. In their turn. the yuppies bring in exorcist Betelgcuse (Keaton) to drive out the spooks. Despite appearances. rather wonderful. I Casualty(BBC1)9.45-10.35pm. Brenda Fricker. who won an Oscar last month for her role in My Left Foot. stars in a repeat showing of twelve episodes of the popular hospital drama I 4-Play International: Royal Toilet (C4) 10—1 1 . 10pm. A satirical drama from Sweden about a small town which is soon to be graced with a royal visit. Even a special toilet is commissioned. which raises all kinds of problems. I Salome’s Last Dance (Sky Movies) i 1.45pm—l .3llam. Ken Russell. in typical form. takes Oscar Wilde to see a production of his banned play. Hailed by
one critic as Russell‘s worst film. an accolade which must take some beating. I Lord otthe Dance (C4) 12. 10-2. 10am. In the shadow of Everest. Sherpas and Tibetans continue the rituals which have lasted through the ages. This film focuses on the sacred Mani-Rimdu festival. in which monks become gods and fight the evil forces ofthe Universe.
SUNDAY 8
IThe GuitarMaker(BBC1) 12.15—12.30pm. Glasgow'sJimmy Moon is known as one of the top guitarcraftsmen in the country. In this short film he isseen constructing a commission for Wet Wet Wet‘s Graeme Duffin.
I Scotsport Special (Scottish) 2.30—5pm. Today's battle from Pittodrie between Aberdeen and Rangers (it‘s two wins each so far) could have a crucial bearing on Rangers‘ bid for the Premier Division
7 title. I The Nat King Cole Show (C4)
4.55—5.25pm. Primitive film recordings taken from TV screenings of Cole‘s 1957 show have been technologically enhanced. and C4 are showing 31 of the 39 programmes made.
I The Scottish Home Service (Scottish) 5—5.45pm. The programme‘s claim to be different from your usual chat show now lying in tatters. it will have to stand orfall on the quality of its guests. Since it kicked offwith Marti Caine. things can only get better.
I Women’s Soccer (C4) 5.30—6.30pm. Last year’s pioneering coverage of the sport attracted an audience more than a third the size of those who watch men‘s football on ITV. Unfortunately. this series only lasts for four weeks. but it does follow the history of women‘s soccer and contains interviews with key early figures in the game.
I Fragile Earth: The Hanging Gardens at Arabia (C4) 7—8pm. Somehow Yemen has been spared the drought and famine that the countries around it have suffered. but in the last ten years its ecosystem has crumbled and soon the soil will be infertile. This programme follows the collapse and the effect it has had upon the area‘s priorities.
I Remote Control: Television and Democracy (C4) 8—9pm. With the new Broadcasting Bill as a backdrop. this documentary looks at access television. how the channels ofcommunication have regularly been subjected to the conflicting interests ofthe individual and the state. what happens when groups refuse to accept the way they are treated on the box and what the future holds for the medium. I The Olivier Awards(BBC1 ) 8.35—9.45pm. Miss Saigon is tipped to sweep the boards this time. but faces competition from Patricia llodge in Noel and Gertie. Elaine Paige in Anything Goes. Alun Armstrong in The Baker‘s Wife and Paul Ilipp in Buddy. Tom Conti and Jane Asher host the glittering. star-studded . . .blah blah . ..
I Empire at the Sun (Sky Movies) 1(lpm—12.3()am. All in all. Spielberg's adaptation of.l.G. Ballard's first
conventional novel should be considered a success. though he has dampened the impact of the plight ofthe youngJim. separated from his parents and shut in a concentration camp by the Chinese.
I Heart at the Matter: The Passion andthe PIay(BBC1) ll).3()—ll.35pm. The Oberammergau Passion Play. which takes place in the tiny Bavarian village once every ten years. will be performed this summer. Heart ofthe Matter looks behind the play to the accusations of anti-semitism. sexism and commercialisation which have dogged it. and follows the preparations of the local people as they are gripped by the excitement and anticipation ofthe occasion.
I Scottish Books (Scottish) ll.35pm—12.(l5am.lain Banks (authorof the hallucinatory The Bridge) talks about the Forth Bridge centenary book. Joy Ilendry casts her mind back over 20 years of Chapman. and Brian McCabc‘s The Other McCoy and John McGilI‘s 'I'hat Rubens Guy are reviewed.
MONDAY 9
I Rich Man. Poor Man Book II (Sky One) 8—10pm. Seen on ITV around a decade ago. but still one of the highlights ofthe satellite week. Peter Strauss stars in the follow-up to the big mini-series ofthe mid-70s.
I Chic Ahoy ( BBCI ) 8—8.3llpm. A Scottish Comedy Classics repeat of a I980 Chic Murray special.
I Cutting Edge: The Contaminated Coast (C4) 9—10pm. Although the Government has called a halt to its nuclear power programme. Sellafield has never been busier. The Yorkshire TV crew which made the rcvelatory 1983 documentary about radioactive pollution and cancer return. in the wake ofconfirtned links between the two. to check on Sellafield's new clean image.
I Excess (BBCl) 10. 10— 10.40pm. The artists Alison Watt. best known for her controversial portrait ofthe Queen Mother. and Peter llowson. painterot‘ soldiers. bodybuilders and dosse rs. are profiled as a preview to their new exhibitions.
I Prostitute (C4) 1220— l .5llam. A remarkable silent film made in [920. which tells the story of one Muscovitc young woman's entrapment into prostitution and sewing workshops. The background is a Moscow in which.despite the New Economic Policy. businessmen and cafe society carry on as normal.
TUESDAY 10
I Style Trial (BBC 1 ) 7—7.3(lpm. The lifestyle decade filters down to the Telly Addicts/ Through the Keyhole level. in art interestingly mutated form. Membersof the public defend their lifestyles before a celebrity panel. which includes. at various times. Nina Myskow. Jerry l lall.Sinitta. Derek Ilatton. James Whale. Tony Blackburn. Letitia Dean. Molly Parkin and Beryl Reid. Weird.
IJust For Laughs (C4) to— lll.3(lpm. Another year's goofing at the comedy equivalent of the UN summit. the Montreal (‘omedy Festival. This time. they camera's have strayed outside the theatre to pick up on fringe events.
I Bitd (Sky Movies) lllpm—lam. (‘lint Eastwood's labour of love. starring Forest Whitaker as one of the greatest innovators
68 'l he rm 0 to April 1990