Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

midget wrote:

MKM wrote:We had occasional films in the School Hall on Saturday afternoons. The only one I remember is "Whistle Down The Wind" with Hayley Mills. The were chosen by the senior girls from a catalogue.

We were also allowed to go to the nearby cinema sometimes. We saw one of the St. Trinians films there.

SENIOR GIRLSbeing allowed to choose the films! Whatever next!
Yours in amazement

Maggie

Maggie, as far as I know, it never happened in my time, and Mary had started at CH before I left. Obviously things changed dramatically in the next few years!! I do remember a few films on Saturday evenings but have no idea who chose them. They were listed as events on the termly calendar and you had no option but to go (possibly senior houses only).

When Mary said occasional, about once a term I believe.

I have no idea who chose them.

I don't remember "St Trinians" across the road, but we did go to "Exodus", and later "Camelot"

The film "across the road" I especially remember was "Goal!" It's strange because football is really not my thing at all, but if we were early to a DR-approved film there were fascinating trailers of attractions yet to come and we just might catch a glimpse of something a bit more adult.

I wept copiously at "Whistle Down the Wind" and "A Tale of Two Cities" in School Hall. Everybody cried! I can remember the tender-hearted Jo McNamara being prostrated with grief after "Whistle".

Clutching wet hankies we'd gone back to House pretty crumpled and deranged but poor Jo wept for ages into her mac on her peg in the cloakroom and refused all consolation - she couldn't even speak for sobs. That film!

The films of the time I especially remember seeing in the holidays were "Dr Zhivago" and "Far from the Madding Crowd". Terence Stamp as the dashing Sargeant Troy! Omar Sharif as Dr Z! I'm not sure what years these films were shown, but I was mesmerised.

For a couple of hours I adored watching, loving, being the slender blonde chiselled-cheekboned pale-lipped Julie Christie, so ravishing in the snow in her fur hat; or tiny-waisted in a long dress admiring Sargeant Troy as he demonstrated his sword drill.

How romantic!

Munch

Angela Woodford wrote:The films of the time I especially remember seeing in the holidays were "Dr Zhivago" and "Far from the Madding Crowd". Terence Stamp as the dashing Sargeant Troy! Omar Sharif as Dr Z! I'm not sure what years these films were shown, but I was mesmerised.

Not CH, but Dr Z. I saw this at least twice with different boyfriends neither lasted long after the film! One reacted by saying the slogans shown were 6 months wrong by date - no I cannot remember the exact details but it was petty! The other - and this is NOT my dear husband - complained that the railway shown had the wrong gauge! Neither bf was concerned with my reactions, that more than anything dumped them. The railway one remained a friend but not the political historian!

Katharine wrote:The other - and this is NOT my dear husband - complained that the railway shown had the wrong gauge! Neither bf was concerned with my reactions, that more than anything dumped them.

Thank you Katharine!

The films that my current husband has ruined for me by pointing out rail irregularities!

"That railway is the wrong gauge".

"See that locomotive? It wasn't built until 1906, and this film is supposed to be 1899".

"The piston wouldn't be able to engage with the deschumphricator unless constructed at 15 degrees".

Why, why didn't I take the radical action you sensibly adopted the moment he began to spoil films for me? Now it's too late.

Munch

The divine Omar was on BBC2 last night on the "British films forever" prog. re: "Lawrence of Arabia".

"A tale of Two cities" is on BBC2 Thursday 23rd at 12.50 pm.

Angela Woodford wrote:

Katharine wrote:The other - and this is NOT my dear husband - complained that the railway shown had the wrong gauge! Neither bf was concerned with my reactions, that more than anything dumped them.

Thank you Katharine!

The films that my current husband has ruined for me by pointing out rail irregularities!

"That railway is the wrong gauge".

"See that locomotive? It wasn't built until 1906, and this film is supposed to be 1899".

"The piston wouldn't be able to engage with the deschumphricator unless constructed at 15 degrees".

Why, why didn't I take the radical action you sensibly adopted the moment he began to spoil films for me? Now it's too late.

Munch

Katherine, does "bf" stand for "bl**dy fool"?

Angela, I think you'll find that the deschumphricator (named after the renowned Austrian inventor Heinrich Schumph) should be calibrated at 14.72 degrees. Sorry to be picky, but these little details are quite important to us chaps.

Did the radical action involve a rolling pin, by any chance?

Ajarn Philip wrote:Angela, I think you'll find that the deschumphricator (named after the renowned Austrian inventor Heinrich Schumph) should be calibrated at 14.72 degrees. Sorry to be picky, but these little details are quite important to us chaps.

Oh! Oh! Oh!

Philip....

In the unlikely event of you asking me out to the movies, I think I shall have to decline!

Oh, all right.

Angela

I vaguely remember visiting the cinema (white building at which I would stare listlessly from the window at the end of the dorm, dreaming of life in the real world, and freedom. Am I fantasising here? Could we actually see the cinema form the dorm window?). Can't remember which film/s I saw there.

Do remember watching Whistle Down The Wind, but don't remember it being shown at school. Great film, but so sad

At some point we were shown Romeo & Juliet - ancient version, not the Zefarelli (? spelling) production, but the entire reel that contained the bedroom scene was unscreened.

What on earth were they thinking of, letting us watch St Trinian's , and If

Camelot. Dr Z. Exodus. If I had to put money on it, I would probably decide that I saw them at Streatham Odeon, where I definitely saw Gone With The Wind, accompanied by Siobhan. At some point she asked to borrow a hanky, which she duly returned at the end of the film, after first wringing a considerable amount of liquid from it

Munch, have you ever watched The Railway Children in the company of your current husband? (btw, it's NEVER too late ) I think that I have previously written about the railway line, a favourite escape route for Willy the Wether and Diana Moo when they were young and foolish, which runs the length of my ex's property. It goes through, what I believe is called, a cutting as it reaches the arena/alpaca paddock, and Jess keeps a red flannel petticoat to hand, just incase one of the trees comes down across the track. Perhaps you could entice him to bring you on a trip to Oz if we offer a personally guided tour, complete with souvenir tape measure with which to check the gauge? If you come at the right time of year (now), you might be lucky to see whales in Horseshoe Bay - last time I did the trip we saw five. Very exciting. 'Is that a rock? Um, perhaps it could be a whale? Oh! Look! It IS a whale'.

Enough waffle. Think I might stick a DVD on - I have Gone With The Wind and Exodus (love the music) in my somewhat pathetic collection, but they are both rather longer than I have time for tonight:

Munch: I'm putting a lot of effort into the send Caroline to Beaune (followed by S.England) campaign. Fingers crossed. Our Venetia is currently in Minneapolis, courtesy of the funding body I will be applying to, so will model mine on her successful application.

xx

Caroline, I think we could see a bit of the cinema from the end dorm window, you're right.

Certainly, the name of the current film - hopefully something risque - was the last thing we'd see before filing into chapel, which I think was quite funny.

Janessa Fletcher and I went to see "Emmanuelle" in a London cinema together. I rather think we were both a litle too young to be admitted and spent a while in a Ladies, carefully putting on lots of mascara to appear more sophisticated. This attempt was successful, and the film was most interesting and educational for me, brought up in a nice Christian sex -free home...

Caroline, I'd never watch any film with a railway in it with my current husband. Never deliberately! The last effort was "Charlotte Gray" and he spotted the mis-calibration of the deshumphricator ((there you are, Philip!) immediately. but then, it was a ridiculously inaccurate interpretation of the book which left me ready to let off steam with fury!

Didn't Katharine's DEAR husband compare her beauty with a steam engine in Snowdonia? They're all at it! Never too late? If ever I should contemplate a replacement husband - and perish the thought - the whole process very expensive - I shall get him to watch Dr Z with me. This seems to be the supreme test.

(Everything crossed for the success of Caroline's study leave application culminating in a visit to England! Shall we do a trip to the movies - box of tissues at the ready?)

Munch

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071464/

A 1974 film so you were 21 Munch. I saw it with my husband-to-be (then just a boyfriend) and some other male friends. Every time the heads of the couple in front moved towards each other (usually at the steamy bits obviously) the bloke sitting next to me would mutter " I can't f*cking see" in an Irish accent. Rapid separation of heads would follow.

Films in the 80's (well 82-89 while I was there) were shown in the Theatre on a Sunday night. The films were orgnaised by Roger Martin and though I was invovled in the theatre I never got involved in the set up of films. Though it did mean we got to go into the theatre first and choose the best seats. I remember the crush at the theatre entrance when everyone rushed into avoid sitting on those red wooden benches - are they still there? Films that I remember are Top Gun, Boys in Blue (horrible Cannon and Ball film that is burnt onto my memory) and the one with Richard Gere where he joins the Navy and is a bit of an outsider and at the end he goes in to a factory to carry out his girlfriend. Pretty poor memory for 7 years of films, maybe it's because I hated them all that those ones have stuck. I think we might have had Ghostbusters too.

As video grew we started to get a film a week to show in the dayrooms and people brought them in.

Seem to remember some late night showings of 'special interest' films in the day room too with the sound down very low indeed.....

adlop wrote:Seem to remember some late night showings of 'special interest' films in the day room too with the sound down very low indeed.....

Channel 4's strange "red triangle" experiment springs to mind

On my LE/UF, the benches were replaced by some much more comfortable seating!

adlop wrote:Films in the 80's (well 82-89 while I was there) were shown in the Theatre on a Sunday night.

I don't remember that at all Must have been otherwise occupied I guess