MEDIA
MEDIA
PREVIEW
FRIDAY 10
I The Lowdown: Hit and Miss(BB(‘1) 5.05—5.35pm. The tears and the traumas of the pop world are examined in this tale of a sixteen year-old who is selected by a record company to sing Bye Bye Baby. Ooh. I could have scratched her eyesout! I International Athletics: Live From Brussels(BB(‘t ) 7.40—9pm. With the European championships in Split only a fortnight away. this Grand Prix meeting takes on a special significance. Steve Ryder and big Brendan (Foster) provide the commentary.
I Book Choice (Channel 4) 7.50—8pm. Robert McCrum reviews Scottish Voices 1745—1900. an anthology of the lives and experiences of various Scots. compiled by T.C. Smout and S. “’ood.
I The Trotters (Channel 4) 9— 10pm. Nothing to do with the financial shenanigans ofthe Peckham brothers. this film captures the obsessions ofsome ofthe farmers. gypsies and ordinary punters involved in Trotting — a refined form of chariot racing. IACtil‘lg(BBC2)9.3ll—10.30pm. First in a series of four “Masterclasses‘ on acting technique. what pressies to buy and how to put conviction into the phrase “No. really. i loved it. it's just such a shame more people didn't come along. ' Tonight. Janet Suzman conducts the class for six young thesps.
I It Came From Beneath the Sea (Channel
4) “pm—12.30am. Strange organic matter '
is found on the hull of a submarine returning to the Bay Area. The boffins are baffled until a huge octopus appears searching for food. After makinglight work of the Golden Gate bridge it appears nothing can stop the sick squid from decimating the population of San Francisco. A lively period piece reflecting contemporary fears of the effects of atomic testing. with the eight-tentacled monster taking pride ofplaee at the expense of plot and characterisation.
I Edinburgh Nights (BBC‘Z)
11.15—1 1 .55pm. It‘s that time ofthe year again when all the arts boffins from the South surface in Edinburgh with something to get off their chests. Tonight they chat about the Chinese composerTan Dun.
SATURDAY 11
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I The Roaring Twenties (Channel 4) 1—3pm. Three veterans of the First World War. James Cagney. Humphrey Bogart and Jeffrey Lynn. return home to lead very different lives. Cagney and Bogey opt
for one side of the law whilst Lynn takes the other and tries to bring Bogey to justice. The pick of Warner's gangster movies ofthe inter-war years.
I Don't Just Sit There (Channel 4) 6.3lL-7pm. Martin Duffy continues his examination of participation in sport by disabled people. This week he tries out sand-yachting. hovercraft racing and ‘octopush' — a form of underwater hockey (not what Sean Connery used to hunt with a harpoon).
I Hollywood Legends: Cary Grant (Channel 4) 9—10pm. The first in a seriesof documentaries on the lives ofthe stars focuses on Archie Leach. who rait away from his Bristol home in l‘)l7 tojoina touringacrobatic troupe. Later. aftera few career changes. he went on to make 71 films. one of which His (ii/'1 Friday is shown on Channel 4 tomorrow.
I Film on Four International (Channel 4) lllprn—12.2(lant. A minor coup for for the series brings Shohei lmamura's award-winning study of the after-effects of the bombing of l liroshima to the small screen. It centres on the slow. painful deaths ofthree survivors ofthe initial blast.
SUNDAY 12 ,
I Shoulder Arms (Channel 4) 32.45pm Released tust three weeks before the Armistice in 1918 and Charlie Chaplin plays a young recruit sent out tothc trenches for the first time. Despite the fears of the film company it proved a big hit with soldiers and civvies alike arid is now generally regarded as the first Chaplin classic.
I Blackadderthe Third ( BBt‘i) 805—835an BA has to find a royal bride for the Prince. "L'nfortunatch‘f according to Mr Adder. "of the 262 European k princesses. 105 are over 80. 47 are under ten and 39 are mad — and the latter all got married last week in Munich to the same horse.‘
I The Fishing Party (Cltannel 4) 8.30—9.40pm. Finally Channel 4 have reached the bottom of the cupboard where they had stored the job lot of old BBC plays. This one has Brian Glover as one of a trio of miners determined to prove to themselves that they can has e a perfectly civilised weekend without their spouses. It was originally screened in 1972.
I His Girl Friday (Channel 4)
940-] l .235an Memorable reworkingof The Front Page with Grant superbly cast as the Managing Editor and Rosalind Russell matching him line for lirte as his recently divorced wife. in the throesof quitting her job with him. Frantically paced and highly enjoyable black comedy. I Everyman: There But Forthe Grace otGod (BBCl)10.20—1lpm.JuliaShearman hears the harrowing tales of four people who were inadvertently responsible for the deaths ofothers.
MONDAY 13
I The Hostages Speak: Captivity ( BBCZ) 8.10-9pm. lit the first of twoextraordinary tilms commissioned by the Beeb. three fortner hostages are confronted with a re-creation of the scene oftheircaptivity and explain how they coped with the ordeal.
I Power in the Pacific (Channel 4)
() l0pm. Can Japan. having arrived at the position of international superpower. through a combination of America's fear ofCommtinism in the 50s and itsown ruthless pursuit of economic power. still selfisth exploit the resources ofthe Pacific area'.’ Perhaps not surprisingly. the series is co-produced by KCET in LA and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. I A Certain Age: Chucking Up Everything (BBCI) l 1.50pm—12.20am. Not a report on holiday stomach bugs but a study of four middle-aged codgcrs who have sudcnly and dramatically altered their lives.
I On Guard (Channel 4) l—Bam. Four women unearth a sinister plot by a multinational firm to tatnpcr with female bodies under the guise ofetnbryo research and set out to do something about it. Susan Lambert's thriller was once described as a kind of "lesbian feminist Charlie's Angels". ill have to see it to believe it.
TUESDAY 14
I Flight of Winter (Channel 4) 9—10pm. The strange “tail‘ of a popular pastime in Lahore — launching a kite into the air with the express purpose of knocking down someone else‘s. The kite-fighting. however. is restricted to the air and does not spread to ground level.
any outside interference. though the
I The Happy Mondays at G~Mex (Channel 4) l0.5(}—l 1.50pm. The Manccers on their own patch in front of l l .000 adoringfans. I Ry Cooder (Channel 4) 11 .50pm-1.35am. As it by way of direct contrast to the above. By appears on stage at Santa Cruz with Flaco Jiminez. Jim Keltner. Steve Douglas and Van Dyke Parks.
WEDNESDAY 15 '
I Screenplay: Keeping Tom Hice ( BBQ) 9.30—l0.30pm. John Alderton and Gwen Taylor are the parents of 34 year-old'l‘om who suffers from cerebral palsy. They pride themselves on having coped without
return of Tom's sister. and the arrival ofa new social worker. uncorks years ofanger and frustation.
I The DtherVictim (Channel 4) til-11.50pm. A powerful drama. made for TV. starring William Devane as a husband who is deeply and emotionally disturbed by the rape of his wife.
I How the West Was Lost (Channel 4) 12.50-2. 10am. A fascinating account of how the Aborigines of Western Australia lost their land to the white settlers. lt centres on the 1946 strike by 800 Aboriginal sheep station workers who stayed out for three years in the hope of improving their slave-like status under the Native Administration Act. Prior tothc tnakirtg of the documentary the film crew lived with the Aboriginal community of Pilbara. w ho became closely involved in the project.
T URSDAY 16 .
I Goodnight My Love (Channel 4) 9-10.25pm. Seedy down-at-heel gumshoe. Richard Boone and his wisecracking dwarf accomplice Michael Dunn. are hired by blondc bombshell Barbara Bain to hunt for her boyfriend- but it ain't as straightforward as that. ls it ever'.’ Sharply witty spoof of Chandleresquefilm noirof the Forties.
I The Play on One: Obituaries lan Carmichael and Ronald Fraser star as a jousting pair of crumblies in a retirement borne who pass the time playing
Obituaries in which they score points for spotting the word "peacefully 'or "suddenly" in the columns of the 'Itmes or the Telegraph. A finely observed black comedy by David Conville which be adapted frorn his stage play of the same name. , I Drop the Dead Donkey (Channel 4) 10.30—11pm. A new female newscaster causes uproar in the news room as the off-camera remarks begin to bite.
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The List 10— lo August 199095