General Chat

Hi all, just thought of one that I haven't mentioned yet - Roman Polanski's The Tragedy of Macbeth, with Jon Finch in the title role and Martin Shaw as Banquo.

I remember seeing it at the cinema, as part of our English 'O' Level preparation, at the Odeon on Holloway Road.

Pam, language please!!

I don't think you sound depressive either Lynda.

You'd think I'm obsessed with Milla Jovavich and Kate Beckinsale and spend all my time collecting trivia by what I've written here. (Actually that sound pretty close to the truth ...)

Evening Ed, not heard of that one. Is it true Roman Polanski is still not allowed back in the USA or it wouldn't be wise for him to return? Strange chap. I believe I read somewhere he lost very near relatives in the Holochaust.

On a lighter not, I remember going to see this next film with friends in 1973/4 time. Electra Glide in Blue. It starred a very short actor who's name I can't remember but he plays a motorcyle cop in the deep south of America. He's a nice character, and the end is very unexpected. One of the scenes when he finds an elderly chap who's apparantly shot himself I found quite grim at the time.To my knowledge it's never been shown on telly, so I forget the general plot.

Ha Ha! Now then young Ed, have you seen Milla on the L'Oreal Advert yet?!

Hi Pam,

I've seen Electra Glide in Blue on telly twice - once in the early 80s and I think perhaps once about ten years later.

Yes the ending is quite undexpected, but there again that line at the end of Easyrider, delivered by the redneck in the pickup "We'd better go back ..." is delivered to make you think something else too ...

At last someone who's seen that film! I felt so sorry that he gets shot.

I've never seen Easy Rider in full, I must be the only person who got fed up with it.

Noooooooooooo - I keep missing Milla!!

Hi Pam,

Just found Polanski's mini biography on IMDB - it seems both his parents were taken into the concentration camps and his mother died.

He was convicted in the 70s of the statutory rape of a 13 year-old, and he fled America to avoid prison (I'm snarling as I typed that - you can guess why) which is why he can't go back.

Let Him Have It. Remember seeing this film with my hubby in Norwich when we managed a night out when the kids were younger. Based of course on the dreadful and true story about Derek Bently, who was hanged as he was eighteen and his mate who actually committed the crime of shooting a policeman was only sixteen I think. Bently's parents campaigned to clear his name and when they passed away his sister carried on trying to clear him. I think she passed away just before they pardoned him. They were going to make some one pay and that poor lad wasn't the sharpest knife in the box. I remeber seeing his poor old dad on Question Time years ago. He looked a broken man. Whatever your views on capital punishment, you'd have to be hard not to see the injustice with this case. I remember dad telling me how everyone was outside Holloway prison when Ruth Ellis was hanged. I was only a few weeks old as she was hanged in 1955. In my opinion she shouldn't have been, I guess that could be for another thread.

Anyway, 'Let Him Have It,' another film for our thread.

Yes, I knew it had to be something awful for him not to go back.

Calling it a night now, speak soon and take care.

Keep a look out for Milla, Ed!

HI Pam, yes I remember Let Him Have it - wasn't Bentley played by a young Christopher Ecclestone? In those days, if a policeman was killed then someone hanged for it - because they couldn't hang the lad who pulled the trigger as he was a minor, then poor Bentley got the rope. Wasn't his defence that he was trying to talk the other lad into giving the policeman the gun, and that's what he meant by "Let him have it?"

It's funny you should mention Ruth Ellis - I used to drink in the pub where she shot her lover - The Magdala in South Hill Park. The bullet holes were still there in the late 80s ...

EDIT: My view on capital punishment - hmmm it's mixed. One part of me says one wrongly convicted person hanging is not worth ten thousand guilty going to the gallows. On the other hand, when I see some truly evil people walking the streets who should not be, and think of how DNA profiling can convict beyond all reasonable doubt, then I think I'd have no qualms in pulling the lever myself in some cases.

Hello Ed, yes I'm like you with my views on capital punishment. Years ago I would have been totally anti it, and disagreed many times with people over the subject. One particular case being that of Stefan Kiszko, that poor man being sent to prison for all those years and had it happened earlier he'd have been sentenced to death. I remember it was the first Christmas I was married, that poor little Lesley Moleseed, was found murdered and they apparantly had got someone for it. When they eventually released Stefan Kiszko in 1992, it was so upsetting to see this poor chap who clearly wouldn't have harmed a fly. The police apparantly had said they wanted the case 'wrapped up' before the Chrismas break. This was in 1975. He'd had a bad time inside, he mentioned this in an interview and said he hoped to find a nice girlfriend and settle down. It was heartbreaking, seeing him with his mum. All those years robbed from him. As you probably know Ed, he died the following year aged fourty four and his mum died six months later.

It's these people and cases like that, people who were ill and clearly innocent, who have always made me anti capital punishment. But as you say nowadays with DNA etc. and the evil creatures who are about it's making me feel totally the other way. I've often said when hearing some of the evil things going on now, I'd happily put them down myself. I never thought I'd ever feel like that, so it shows how awful it's got now.

Hi Pam, yes history is littered with the innocent being effectively murdered by the state, and they always seem to be vulnerable people as well. Timothy Evans springs to mind, the poor man who was found guilty of killing his wife and daughter, and subsequently hanged for the latter, when it was in fact John Christie who committed the crimes.

Which brings me nicely back to the film, 10 Rillington Place - a great but chilling film with memorable performances from both Richard Attenborough as Christie and John Hurt as Evans. Have you ever seen it Pam? I did many years ago and Attenborough's portayal of Christie still sends a shiver down my spine.

FOOTNOTE: I'm sure the MIL's mentioned that a member of her family lived either in or very near Rillington Place!

Evening Ed, yes I have seen it and you're so right Richard Attenborough's performance as the vile John Christie is very creepy. You just cant imagine can you how that poor fella must have felt going to the gallows. They pardoned Tomothy Evans I believe and moved him from his buriel place within the prison, but all a bit late for that wasn't it.

Did you ever see a documentry Ed about a young English defence lawyer in one of the southern states in America. He took on the cases of poor (literally) black fellas who were clearly innocent. It was first shown about ten or twelve years ago or maybe more. I'm afraid in many cases he didn't manage to win a repriese for them. One case comes to mind, it was truly heartbreaking, this young black lad clearly didn't committ the murder and he was almost 'accepting' of his fate. His family were allowed to be with him for a farewell 'party' the night before he went to the chair, and at one point his young neices and nephews sing to him. I'll never forget the song, it was Always by Atlantic Star. The cameras were allowed almost to be with him to the end, oh it upsts me thinking about it. The young English lawyer was very upset too, it was murder really. A fly on the wall documentary of this young mans murder. Shocking.

What really gets me though is, you've got scum like Charles Manson still alive and in this country Ian Brady.

Hello Pam, yes I do recall the documentary. I think the lawyer in question is still over there, and he represents many people on death row in the States attempting to get them a reprieve.

I couldn't agree more about Manson and Brady. Some would argue they are criminally insane - but they shoot mad dogs, don't they?

EDIT: suffering from 'fat finger' syndrome with my typing tonight - you wouldn't believe I've been in IT for nearly 30 years the way I type!!

Yes Ed, he is still over there as you say.

Fancy the pub where Ruth Ellis shot her boyfriend being your local, bullet holes still there then in the late eighties. In France I think that would have been classed as a Crime of Passion. Well it was really, she didn't deserve to be hung.

Did you see Timothy Spall playing the part of Albert Pierreoint a while back. i like Timothy Spall, very good actor a nice bloke too it seems.

Wasn't there a TV series in the 70s called Crimes of Passion?

Yes the Magdala was a funny old pub - the really odd thing was that the second to last woman who was hanged in Britain lived about four doors up from the place - I can't remember her name, but I think she was a Greek Cypriot in he later years who murdered her daughter-in-law.

No I didn't see the Timothy Spall portrayal of Pierrepoint (or however you spell it). I like him too - very versatile and always gives a convincing performance.

They're bound to repeat it, you must watch it Ed, think you'd enjoy it.

EDIT: Yes I think there was a series called that.

Ah well, no one about, so will call it a night.

Speak again soon.