Ed Stoppard ‘Victim’ Drama on Radio 3
Radio Choice Sunday Times
BBC3 July 9th 21:00 – 22:30
Sarah Wooley’s BBC3 radio play about the making of Victim, the first British film to address homosexuality seriously. BBC Three Drama of the week. Listen here…
Ground-breaking movie
Review by deano-10 (El Cerrito, CA)
It would be easy to view this movie as nothing more than a somewhat dated film. However, for it’s time, this movie was ground-breaking, for any number of reasons, including its superb acting. Dirk Bogarde and Sylvia Syms, in particular, were perfect in their parts. What many don’t realize is that this movie is credited with helping to decriminalize homosexuality in Britain. When “Victim” was released, it started a nationwide discussion about homosexuality and associated blackmail. At the time, approximately 90% of all blackmail cases involved homosexuals, and Bogarde’s character was a classic example of a blackmail “victim”. The point of the movie wasn’t that all homosexuals were victims, but they could only be victims so long as the law permitted it. The blackmail wasn’t merely because they were homosexual, but due to the harsh prison sentences a homosexual could (and often did) receive. How often does a movie get the opportunity to help create such a profound change in society?
The Vision – released by NETWORK on the 12th June – DVD Region 2
Dirk Bogarde, Lee Remick and Eileen Atkins head an outstanding cast in this stunning drama from the creative team behind Shadowlands. Originally screened as part of BBC2’s acclaimed Screen Two strand and featuring an early TV role for Helena Bonham Carter, The Vision is a disturbing reflection of an era of televangelists, burgeoning satellite channels and ruthless media manipulation. Bogarde plays James Marriner, a faded, unhappily married former TV presenter who is persuaded to front the People Channel – a right-wing, evangelical satellite network poised to launch in Europe; determined to recruit “Gentle Jim” as a reassuringly familiar anchorman, the network’s steely, seductive boss Grace Gardner (Remick) proves hard to refuse. As the network’s first live transmission looms, Marriner, whose personal life is now under surveillance, has become deeply uneasy about its aims. But Gardner makes it clear that any attempt to alert viewers to her organisation’s true agenda will bring about a devastating retribution.“http://networkonair.com/shop/2627-vision-the-5027626458645.html”
Arnold Wynand Schulkes
20th April 1930 – 18th February 2016
‘And so we say good bye to dear Arnie. No man could ever have shown greater loyalty.’
Brock
A young Canadian called Arnold Schulkes turned up in Cortina one day with his far-from-well wife on a far-from reliable Vespa scooter. They were, as he put it, ‘going putt-putt-putt’ through Europe, with the aim of seeing his relatives in Holland. As they stopped to watch the filming, one of the crew said, ‘Do you want to work? Would you like to be a stand-in?’ ‘What’s a stand-in?’ came the reply. Before he knew whether it was Cortina or Christmas he was at the top of a dam, dressed as Stanley Baker, and trying not to betray any hint of vertigo. People began to notice that there was a likeness to Dirk. Schulkes was an inch taller, ‘an inch all round bigger’, although slightly narrower in the shoulder. From the back the two men were almost indistinguishable. Dirk already had a regular stand-in, John Adderley, who had worked with him for some years; but Adderley wanted to join his family in America. Thanks to him, Schulkes managed to obtain a union ticket reasonably quickly and by the spring of 1959 he had the job. From that unpromising beginning Dirk and he developed a partnership which lasted for ten years and – by his reckoning – twenty-three films.
From ‘Dirk Bogarde’: The authorised biography by John Coldstream
One of Dirk’s paintings was recently on display as part of the British Art Fair a the Royal College of Art. The piece, ‘Aunay-sur-Odon, 1944’ was being sold by Sim Fine Art.
The pen, ink and watercolour painting is unusual as Dirk decided to crop the image using a mount, which has only recently been removed to reveal the complete work.
Leading cultural historian Professor Christopher Breward recently gave a lecture at Falmouth University, titled Dirk Bogarde: From Doctor to Decadent, focussing on the nature of Dirk’s onscreen costume throughout his career.
A recording of the lecture is now hosted on the site, along with the full text of the original article. It can be found in the Style Icon section here
The headline is a quote from Dirk, speaking to James Fox at the Connaught, the old friends that Dirk refers to are Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithful.
Dirk stars alongside Margaret Lockwood in this 1955 movie, which has finally been released on DVD, by Simply Media.
Find out more about the film in the filmography.
Buy the DVD.
On the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camp at Bergen-Belsen, Dirk Bogarde’s claim to have seen that ‘hell on earth’ at first hand is reassessed by his official biographer, John Coldstream.
Read more
The BFI have compiled a list of 10 essential Dirk Bogarde films.
A few more Dirk films have recently been released on Blu-ray.
Dirk’s brief but witty appearance in this 1962 movie is finally released on DVD.
Find out more about the film in the filmography.
Buy the DVD.
The Sir Dirk Bogarde Facebook page now has over 12,100 members.
