The first part was called ‘Gangsters Guns and Getaways’: no comma, no apologies for brashness. ‘Us British love films,’ the commentary began, grammatically daring from the first word. Had Bergman ever spoken like that in Swedish, or Antonioni in Italian? But the slapdash exuberance of language, one hoped, might still leave room for a less approximate underlying idea. Perhaps us British – I was keen to include myself in this possibility, having once, while still in short pants, seen The Sound Barrier two nights running at the Rockdale Odeon in Sydney – did love films. On the level of handing out addictive free samples, the series had to be counted a success from the jump. Clips from much-loved British films abounded: Brief Encounter, In Which We Serve, Gone With the Wind . . . Wait a second: Gone With the Wind was made in Hollywood. So why were we looking at Clark Gable? Well, he was holding on to Vivien Leigh, a star born and raised in Britain.
What do You think about The Revolt Of The Pendulum?
