After last week’s wallow into childhood of the Swallows & Amazons, tonight I watched the dvd of Coot Club, from the 1983 BBC series. I love it. A rareity, it’s actually as good twenty years later (my, is it really that long) as it was when I first saw it, I’m having to restrain myself from watching The Big Six until tomorrow night.
I’ve also, come away from it absolutely determined to one day film all twelve books over several years using the same actors. From the innocence of Conniston Water or the Cumbrian fells, to accidental crossings of the North Sea, or the adventure on the high seas that you get in the fictious adventure (they were actually moored in Lowestoft harbour) of Peter Duck and Missee Lee, to the poignantsy of Great Northern – I feel that these stories deserve the love and attention of turning them into film.
One day, I promise…
Additional: They’ve now released Press Gang Season One on dvd – hmmn… I’ve put it on my wish list…
Can you explain the bit about ‘fictitious adventure’. Swallows and Amazons was one of these books that sat round the house for years when I was little, then I read it and quite liked it, so I got one of the later ones out of the library (Peter Duck probably) and didn’t really understand what was going on.
I can’t remember the details of it, but in Peter Duck the Swallows and the Amazons decamp from the Lakes to Lowestoft with Captain Flint, and supposably sale out from there for an adventure on the high seas and treasure islands and the like. It turns out that it’s actually a story they are telling on board Captain Flint’s boat in harbour – hence the *fictitious adventure* that they have in this book.
Any clearer?
ps. Swallowdale which is the second book in the series is another of my favourites… 🙂
I also rememember getting the autographs of two of the child actors (who were older than me at the time) when I went to the Puffin Club exhibition at the Commonwealth Institute with my late Aunt Doll.
Cool! Do you remember which one? I looked them up on the internet last week, and it seems that only one of them has gone on to persue a career in films and that was on the directing side of things.
No, this was a looooooooooong time ago (of course). Whether I still have my Puffin Club membership book and, indeed, my gold puffin badge, is anyone’s guess. I didn’t really take many childhood things from my Dad’s house when he moved into his sheltered flat.
Re: I love the icons…
You can get it on dvd? Where, when, how…?!!!
(or are we talking the French version on dvd? Can you get it in English as well?)
Re: I love the icons…
Do I want to be kept informed? Yes please… 🙂
I guess the French version doesn’t even have English subtitles to it…? My French isn’t appalling, but not up to watching an anime series without some form of help…