Generational Trauma Through British Public Information Films and Shows

The 70s were an interesting time as society was going through huge upheaval; Chariots of the Gods popularised the idea that aliens may have visited and left their mark on the Earth and us, there was a dawning of the Age of Aquarius and the counterculture movement was going strong. As the decade wore on this optimism faded somewhat and what was left was this growing sense of unease with a world that no longer seemed to make sense.

Against this nervous backdrop, the British television programmes and public information films from this time have a liminally surreal aspect to them; a documentary-style, low-grade aesthetic weirdness to them. Creatives from the time were not afraid of being experimental, thus we have some products that feel like cursed artefacts. The silences, the eerie and unobtrusive music and the economy of financial and logistic design made creativity the mother of invention. Just look at some of the public information films from the period sharing some important messages to keep us safe!

The various regional channels tapped into the zietgiest, looking back to mythology and legend and cleverly blended them with the issues of contemporary youth, pushing boundaries and tackling subject matter through analogies of the other worldly. They understood that there was an audience receptive to multi-layered storytelling with a mixture of scares and thought-provoking drama. Similar in the way that Rod Sterling (of The Twilight Zone fame) was able to disguise his social and political commentary by setting the stories in the past or the future, with sci-fi and fantasy settings, the British creatives were able to present their social criticisms and concerns without attracting any backlash from viewers or television broadcasters. Seemingly, the fantastical elements made the content more palatable and so what we had was a real burgeoning of genre programmes for tweens that were slightly British Folk Horror but more palatable for the ages.

I’ve watched quite a lot of over the past few years including: The Children of the Stones, Moondial, The Owl Service, The Children of Green Knowe and Chocky and appreciate the time capsules they are. Sure, they are of an age but they really do show a society with its anxieties and fears. I wonder what people will see when they look back our programmes and adverts in 50 years time…

Robin Redbreast- Cult TV Review

Back in 1970s the BBC invested a lot into its TV drama productions and in this period there were numerous wonderful programmes created. I've already reviewed Supernatural and Dead of Night, which was released in the 1970s, and now I'm here to review another film, from the highly regarded Play For Today series.

The film is quietly sinister and unsettling.

The film is quietly sinister and unsettling.

The BFI released Robin Redbreast, a revered and influential gentle horror work recently and I decided to give it a viewing. Having never seen it before but hearing a lot about its impact on British horror cinema, namely The Wicker Man I thought it was worth a look. So, is it worth a watch in this day and age or is it looked at fondly with rose-tinted glasses by fans from the time?

Well, what I can say is that Robin Redbreast is quintessential gentle British horror in that it combines folklore, mundane village life and adds shock and surprise in equal measure.

The story is quite straight forward; newly separated from her partner of many years, a television script editor, temporarily moves to her cottage in a remote English country village to rebuild her life. At first, she finds that the villagers are friendly, if a little eccentric. However, when she becomes pregnant to a handsome villager, she begins to suspect that the locals are conspiring against her to prevent her from leaving... But to what end?

Although originally shot in colour, the BFI released it in a black and white transfer I think adds to the slightly hazy, surreal atmosphere of the piece. It also means the film could come arguably from any era as it is set in a rural, unnamed place which seems to be happy in its slow paced, traditional lifestyle.

The story itself is very much in the folk horror' genre, mentioning traditions from Frazer's The Golden Bough and rituals regarding harvest and sacrifice, but this play also asks wider, more relevant questions from the time which seem pertinent even now; tradition vs. modernity, female pleasure vs. reproductive rights, marriage vs. freedom to have partners and urban vs. rural. I found it very relevant today and was surprised to see that it was televised back nearly 50 years ago when viewing habits were a lot more conservative. I think a lot of this has to do with the quality of the acting which, whilst not up to much of today's high calibre, was overall pretty solid considering it was performed in a play format with the restrictions and style that dictates the acting.

Dead Of Night- Cult TV Review

Back in 1970s the BBC invested a lot into its drama production and in this period there were numerous wonderful programmes created. I've already reviewed Supernatural, which was released in 1977, and now I'm here to review its other highly regarded anthology TV series called Dead of Night. The series ran from 5 November until 17 December 1972 with seven episodes, each of 50 minutes duration. However only three of the episodes have survived as the BBC purged its archives from 1967 to 1978, fortunately the British Film Institute have put the remaining episodes on DVD which is what I watched for the purpose of this review.

The first thing to mention is that the three episodes are all uniformly good in quality with high production costs evident and the acting is solid throughout. I will now share the individual stories and my opinions on them below.

 

The Exorcism

Synopsis: In a remote cottage in the country, four wealthy, middle-class friends gather for Christmas dinner only to find that their meal is ruined by strange occurrences in the house and the possession of one of the group by someone/ something with a grudge to bear; the house holds a tragic past and those present must mourn the past.

Out of all the stories in this collection this is the standout. There is a great central performance from Anna Cropper, who plays the possessed individual. It almost verges on over dramatic but just about reins it in to be deeply affecting with a great payoff at the end.

 

Return Flight

Synopsis:  An air pilot, who has recently become a widower, nearly has an air collision over Germany. However things take a strange turn when there are no signs that there was another plane in the area. As an investigation is carried out his role in WW II and his mental state is brought into question. Did the pilot avoid a mid-air collision with a mysterious plane or is he losing his mind?

This is the weakest story of the three as I found in meandered for the first 40 or so minutes but the final 15 minutes are tense and really draws you in. The conclusion provides closure about the state of mind of the pilot but as a whole the story is very slow and poorly paced in my opinion.

 

A Woman Sobbing

Synopsis: A married couple with two kids are living in a house in the country. Every night the wife can hear a woman sobbing in the attic however her husband cannot hear anything; so is she mad or is it that only she can connect with this spirit?

This is a great story with a shocking conclusion but there are slower moments which look into the married life of a wealthy middle/ upper class family which seem to drag. Anna Massey, who plays the bored and troubled housewife, puts in a powerhouse performance as she questions whether she is actually hearing the crying or whether she is going slowly hearing voices in her head. Her frenzied performance has a ring of authenticity.

The whole DVD package runs at around 150 minutes, and overall is well worth a watch. The classic ghost story is given a modern (at the time it was produced at least) makeover and whilst it won't scare you or shock you like many of the more modern horror films, it will stay with you for a while after you've watched it.

LINK- Children of the Stones: Cult TV Series Review

LINK- The Stone Tapes: Cult TV Review

LINK- Tom’s Midnight Garden: Cult TV Review

LINK- Children of the Dogstar: Cult TV Series Review