My eyes nearly jumped out of their sockets today when I read the following passage from Owen Hatherley's brilliant book Militant Modernism. He's describing a scene from "Living at Thamesmead," a 1974 propaganda film directed by Jack and Charmian Saward for the Greater London Council:
"Opening with scenes of the communal lakes turned, seemingly, into Butlins, filled with frolicking children, we move onto a walk through the gigantic estate, soundtracked by a bucolic electro-acoustic ditty that demands reissue on Trunk Records. The couple can't keep their hands off each other: at one point they lie in an embrace on the playing fields. The camera closes in on the girl's red, parting lips, then dissolves. Their traversal of the concrete walkways is at every level sexualised, their fictionalised kitchen-sink romance made symbolic of the appeal of the sparkling, ex nihilo city. Inevitably, the film ends with the couple deciding to move there to raise a family..."
I HAVE TO SEE THIS FILM. NOW.
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That sounds very intriguing, looks like the music was by Peter Hutchings....
ReplyDeleteIn a footnote Hatherley mentions that the film is available for viewing at the BFI Mediateque in London.
ReplyDeleteJoin the queue....I think a fair few development corporation-type films of this kind were made, they're just excruciatingly scarce.
ReplyDeleteI am reading the book too and I am eager to watch the film. Did you have any chance to watch it?
ReplyDeleteThis has now been released on You Tube
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtqX9PJv-Nk