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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
directed by John Prowse (director), Anna Home
(producer)
UK 1975
After a period
of unseasonable and unprecedented severe
weather, the residents of an English city
(if not the country or the world) are
overcome with a compulsion to destroy every
piece of modern technology in sight from
household conveniences to neighborhood cars
and public transportation. With their home
and city in ruins, Nicky Gore's (Victoria
Williams, THE RAPTURE) father and
pregnant mother decide to make for the coast
and onto France where it has been rumored
that things are normal. Nicky gets separated
from her parents and goes back home to wait
for them. After two weeks without word and
rumors of sickness from contaminated water
and violence in the neighboring streets,
Nicky starts off for the coast herself. She
runs into a band of Sikhs – lead by a wise
"grandmother" (Sahab Qizilbash) – who are at
reluctant to let her accompany them,
particularly when she violently attacks them
for trying to start up an abandoned car;
however, they realize that her ability to
sense "wicked things" may come in handy.
They stick to the roads and away from the
villages where they have encountered
unfriendliness ranging from verbal abuse to
physical attacks until they discover an
abandoned farm where they can settle down
(the dead but still "wicked" power lines
forming a barrier between the farm and the
village for those so sensitive to it that to
even speak of machines and electronics
provokes attacks). The Sikhs build a forge
to make tools as well as weapons to defend
themselves, thinking that they can trade new
tools and mend broken ones with the locals
in exchange for food and livestock; but the
locals – lead by sword-wielding Mr. Barnard
(David King) – believe the Sikhs to be "the
devil's children" and will only deal with
them through Nicky. When a gang of robbers
lay siege to the town and hold the children
as hostages, Nicky and the Sikhs recognize
their moral obligation to help the villagers
despite their previous treatment. When
Nicky's journey to the Cotswalds in search
of a reclusive aunt takes an unexpected
detour, she finds herself accused of
witchcraft – by Davy Gordon (David Garfield)
who has established himself the authority on
sniffing out wickedness – scapegoat of an
another unfriendly village's problems as
they try to re-adapt to a simpler way of
life. When Gordon finds her guilty of
witchcraft and sentenced to death by
stoning, teenage siblings Jonathon (Keith
Ashton) and Margaret (Zuleika Robson, INN
OF THE FRIGHTENED PEOPLE) – who, like
Nicky, have noticed a diminishment in their
aversion to technology – decide to rescue
Nicky and get her to France via a boat that
Jonathon was restoring before "the changes".
With modern day (although no more
progressive) witchfinders on her trail,
Nicky is torn between trying to get to her
parents and the primal urge that pulls her
towards the source of THE CHANGES. |
Theatrical Release: 6 January 1975 - 10 March 1975 (UK TV)
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
DVD Review: British Film Institute - Region 2 - PAL
Big thanks to Eric Cotenas for the Review!
DVD Box Cover |
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Distribution |
British Film Institute Region 2 - PAL |
|
Runtime | 4:06:08 | |
Video |
1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio |
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Audio | English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono | |
Subtitles | English, none | |
Features |
Release
Information: Studio: British Film Institute
Aspect Ratio:
Edition
Details: Chapters 20 |
Comments |
Transferred
from the BBC's tape masters, the BFI's
digital clean-up has minimized video
artefacts, giving the image a more filmic
(the production was shot entirely on film)
if still somewhat digitized presentation.
The Dolby Digital 2.0 mono track is clear
but only particularly vibrant when it comes
to the scoring. The optional English
subtitles are helpful with some of the
thicker accents and softer-spoken dialogue. |
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DVD Box Cover |
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CLICK to order from: |
Distribution |
British Film Institute Region 2 - PAL |
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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |