Monday, July 10, 2006
'A strangely gripping watch ...'
Chris has a real blast-from-the-past post on British director Peter Watkins' groundbreaking docudramas of old. I vaguely remember watching 'Culloden' on Channel 2 and being shocked at the brutality meted out to the Scots. I assume it was 'Culloden.' Whatever it was I watched, I occasionally think about it as one of the best and most imaginative documentaries I've ever seen. ... PBS, via the BBC, now runs a pseudodocumentary series called 'Battlefield Britain,' complete with the you-are-there 'first person narratives, recreations and interviews.' But it's not the same. The interviewed actors/characters are hams. It doesn't work well. Nothing against Peter and Dan Snow. They clearly love their jobs and subject matter. ... FYI: The old flash-from-the-past description above was changed to blast-from-the-past. I'm always mixing up my metaphors. ...
Chris has a real blast-from-the-past post on British director Peter Watkins' groundbreaking docudramas of old. I vaguely remember watching 'Culloden' on Channel 2 and being shocked at the brutality meted out to the Scots. I assume it was 'Culloden.' Whatever it was I watched, I occasionally think about it as one of the best and most imaginative documentaries I've ever seen. ... PBS, via the BBC, now runs a pseudodocumentary series called 'Battlefield Britain,' complete with the you-are-there 'first person narratives, recreations and interviews.' But it's not the same. The interviewed actors/characters are hams. It doesn't work well. Nothing against Peter and Dan Snow. They clearly love their jobs and subject matter. ... FYI: The old flash-from-the-past description above was changed to blast-from-the-past. I'm always mixing up my metaphors. ...
