Classic Movies

Today I joined a Facebook group, and a blog as it goes, entitled Bring Classic Horror Back to Television. This blog lists the classic horror double bills of the 1970's and 1980's and reminds us, in stark black and white (well, blue), of the great films that are no longer shown on the box. And it got me thinking: what about all the other classic movies that now no longer receive an airing?

It seems that, with the advent of multi-channel satellite and freeview television services, many of these films have all but disappeared off the radar. There are channels devoted to film, such as Turner Classic Movies and Sky's Classics channel, but these once-proud stations are now reduced to showing the same films over and over again and the ones that they do show are not what I call 'classic.'

So as of today I would like to make it my life's work to restore regular showings of movies from 'Hollywood's Golden Age' on our screens. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of current film too. But I remember the glory days when BBC2 would have an early Cagney season, or a Bogart season, an afternoon of Bette Davis movies or similar. Or, as my friend Cyberschizoid points out, a good old-fashioned horror double bill of a Saturday night.

Before I continue my rant I would like to give credit where it's due, specifically to Channel 4, who have recently begun at least to show some of the old Warner Bros. movies from the 1940's [most recently the 1943 Errol Flynn film Edge of Darkness, with a wonderful score by Franz Waxman].

The biggest criminal, as far as I am concerned, is Turner Classic Movies [UK]. When I first discovered satellite television, in 1999, one of the main reasons I decided to take the plunge was TCM. It was great. Much of their library at the time was taken from the back catalogues of Warner Bros., MGM and, I think, RKO. A morning of Warner B-movies might be followed by an afternoon and evening showing of, I don't know, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Casablanca, Now, Voyager and The Great Ziegfeld. That's telly heaven right there.

Then, in October, 2000, something very bizarre happened. Glancing through the monthly schedule, I noted 63 films that I fancied watching that month. As the month wore on, with each bright shining new day, each and every single one of the films got cancelled, and replaced with mega-epics like Love Among the Ruins, Stand By Me, Can't Buy Me Love, etc. etc.

TCM has never been the same since. Yet, in the US, the station continued to delve deep into its extensive library, a policy it continues to this day. The other key change that destroyed TCM in dear old blighty was the introduction of adverts - TCM in the US continues to show its films 'uncut and commercial-free.'

Over the last 5 years or so I made a number of visits to the US, and always made sure that my wife and I stayed in hotels and/or other accomodation that had TCM on its list of stations. Over there they continue to demonstrate a deep love of film that in the UK just became lip-service.

I have been told by the powers that be that many of the films no longer can be shown in Europe because it violates the conditions of their copyright. They can't be released on DVD over here either. Warner Bros.' fantastic Archive Collection series of DVDs remain US-only releases, and you can buy them from TCM's online store - except you can't if you live abroad because they ship to US addresses only. I have friends who have offered to get the DVDs shipped to their address and then they will ship to me. Another contact has offered to record direct from TCM and then ship the DVDs to me. But, as grateful as I am for their help, why should I? Are my eyes any different from those of our American cousins? Is there a reason why films that can be anything up to 80 years old can't be shown over here? We're talking about films like Sunny Side Up and Gold Diggers of Broadway not Iron Man 2 or Kick-Ass.

BBC2 this week are showing a brief Norman Wisdom season. Great, if you like that sort of thing, but what about a Gable season showing films that are not regularly screened, like Idiot's Delight, or Forsaking All Others? Unfortunately we live in an age when our television schedulers must appeal to the lowest common denominator. So Channel 5 must show its made-for-TV dramas every afternoon, because they're cheap.

I'm not saying newer films shouldn't be shown, of course not - I like to sit down and wallow in Steven Seagal kick-fest like anybody else. But let's have some balance here. And TCM, pull your finger out and get hold of your library.