Dissent & Disruption: Alan Clarke at the BBC

[ALLCAPSAREBASTARDS]

Speaking of Ken Loach, how similar is Alan Clarke to him? Is AC considered a social realist director, too?

I'm not familiar with any of his work but some of my favorite directors are Loach and Mike Leigh, so I'm very interested in this set.

[MichaelB]

Speaking of Ken Loach, how similar is Alan Clarke to him? Is AC considered a social realist director, too?

I'm not familiar with any of his work but some of my favorite directors are Loach and Mike Leigh, so I'm very interested in this set.

There are just as many differences as similarities. On certain projects, it's possible to imagine Loach and Clarke swapping scripts and turning out broadly similar end results, but Clarke in general is more confrontational, more stylistically adventurous, and much less inclined to let his characters mount a political/sociological soapbox partway through. Or if they do, they're generally told to fuck off, usually by the protagonist.

For instance, had Loach made Made in Britain, there'd most likely be far more analysis about why Trevor is the way that he is, and his situation would be set firmly in an early Eighties sociopolitical context, most likely with Margaret Thatcher identified as the ultimate villain. Clarke's films live much more in the present, something enhanced by his love of extended Steadicam shots, sometimes following his characters (often wordlessly) for minutes at a time. Béla Tarr and Miklós Jancsó have both been invoked in this thread, and for good reason.

Politically, Clarke and Loach were firmly of the left, but Loach is an old-fashioned Marxist socialist while Clarke was more of an anarchist. It's impossible to imagine Loach voluntarily reading the Sun newspaper, but that was Clarke's preferred daily paper, because he found it a lot less predictable and much more provocative than the more ideologically congenial likes of the Guardian.

I suspect if you're already a fan of Loach and Leigh you'll get on very well indeed with Clarke - but he is very much his own man.

[ALLCAPSAREBASTARDS]

Thanks for the quick reply; just pulled the trigger on this set.

[Manny Karp]

...

I was considering comparing him to Peter Watkins - maybe no so aptly - and noticed that Watkins and Clarke were born just one day apart.

Three years and one day apart. Although Watkins was far more precocious - by the time Clarke made his small-screen directing debut, Watkins had already abandoned British television.

But... Wikipedia says the year of birth is 1935 for both men. They can't possibly be wrong, can they?

Excellent information, thank you.

[MichaelB]

You're absolutely right - I stand corrected.

Although the really bizarre thing was that I actually Googled this to make sure that my memory wasn't playing tricks on me! God knows what I ended up with, because every search result is giving me 1935 now.

[mistakaninja]

Postie just knocked with my set, so Moviemail have despatched, for anyone who got it for eighty quid.

Arrived completely undamaged in a wraparound corrugated box (type with six folds, so it's almost double layer all the way round) inside a bubble bag.

[EddieLarkin]

Did you get any indication from MovieMail they had dispatched? Mine still says In Progress, with no email.

[Manny Karp]

My Amazon order to the USA says "shipping today" -- COME TO POPPA!

Also shipping today is the MOC Edvard Munch -- if they send both in one box, it'll be the greatest package since John Holmes strode the earth!

BFI! BFI! BFI!

[AidanKing]

Mine came from MovieMail today too (very well wrapped as stated above): I didn't previously have an email saying it was on the way so it was a very pleasant surprise.

The package design is wonderful and the booklet is as good as anticipated.

I don't think the Socialist Review piece is as mad as some contributors have suggested: in the films I've seen, the political views seem absolutely embedded in the material, even though no one gets on a soapbox (which can have a tendency to diminish the political effectiveness of art anyway).

With regard to reading The Sun, I remember attending a union course in the 1980s where the tutor read The Financial Times. We asked why and he said that you need to know what the opposition are thinking.

[mistakaninja]

I hadn't received an email, so it was a surprise. Just checked my account and the order changed to "part shipped" at twenty to eight last night. Not sure why, as it was the only item in the order, but still.

[domino harvey]

Just got the shipping notice from Amazon

[MichaelB]

The package design is wonderful and the booklet is as good as anticipated.

I've been mulling over how to define the distinction between a booklet and a book (given that quite a few that I'm overseeing are tipping the scales at 100 pages or more), and someone helpfully flagged up the UNESCO definition, which is that anything under 50 pages is a pamphlet, and above that it's a proper book.

Which makes a lot of sense to me, as the page limit on booklets designed for Amaray cases is 40, although in practice I've pushed that to 44 three times with no adverse consequences. But they still remained booklets in both my and UNESCO's eyes.

But the Clarke dead-tree accompaniment is definitely a book!

[AidanKing]

But the Clarke dead-tree accompaniment is definitely a book!

You are of course absolutely right and I apologise. I can only claim force of habit to excuse always referring to the written pages included with DVDs and BluRays as booklets.

Anyway, in case anyone has any doubt, it is a very well laid out and designed book and the bits I've read so far (the two general sections and the pieces on the films I've seen) are excellent.

[NABOB OF NOWHERE]

Rather alarmingly the status on my AC box order from Moviemail (the only item ordered) shows PART shipped!!

[mistakaninja]

Yeah, mine says that. The whole thing arrived though. They're not going to send it to you disc by disc like a kidnapping victim.

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

Just got the shipping notice from Amazon

As did I. Looking at what I've been charged, this set averages to ten dollars a disc - and more or less a free book! Which feels like a bargain considering other labels would surely have cut this into two or three boxes to really keep us dipping in the well. Hopefully this will get more work for any of the actors in the films still in the business today. Just an incredible collection. No slight to your work at Arrow, but this looks like one of the best projects you've discussed with us here, Michael.

[Big Ben]

Both Edvard Munch and my set are preparing for dispatch and will be sent on Monday which means delivery by at least Wednesday. Can't wait to see Road!

[EddieLarkin]

Thanks AidanKing and mistakaninja, mine was waiting for me at work. What a beautiful set, and for £80 too!

[What A Disgrace]

This is the first time I've used Amazon GlobalStandard, the more expensive shipping option. I hope it will arrive in time for next weekend.

[Big Ben]

Hey MichaelB how is Richard Kelly's book on Alan Clarke? Would it make a good companion piece to the set?

[MichaelB]

Hey MichaelB how is Richard Kelly's book on Alan Clarke? Would it make a good companion piece to the set?

It's absolutely essential, as is Dave Rolinson's book. They complement each other beautifully (one's an oral memoir, the other a critical overview), and of course the box complements them both.

[Big Ben]

It's absolutely essential, as is Dave Rolinson's book. They complement each other beautifully (one's an oral memoir, the other a critical overview), and of course the box complements them both.

Just bought both alongside the theatrical version of Scum. Thanks for everything Michael.

[jorencain]

I'm in the US and own a region-free bluray player. I haven't had problems with any UK blurays or DVDs in the past. Should I be at all concerned about this set working for me? I'm trying to find where it was posted that something is 50hz instead of 60hz on these discs, but I can't find it at the moment. I've ordered it, but now I'm panicking that it won't work for me!

[MichaelB]

It is indeed in 1080i50 (the best way to present 25fps productions within the narrow parameters of the Blu-ray spec), and that is a definite risk - what equipment are you using?

[jorencain]

Of course, I ask the question while I'm out of town...I will follow up in a couple days, once in back home and looking at the player. Sorry!