Cinema Retro is happy to welcome London film
journalist Steve Saragossi to the ranks of our contributors. Steve's
first column covers the cult classic Crack in the World.
As a 46 year old Londoner, writing in these
pages, you can appreciate that I have extremely fond memories of the films that
helped form the foundation for such affectionate nostalgia for the movies of
the sixties and seventies.
The last thirty years have seen seismic (ahem) changes in the way we enjoy our
leisure time, and a 13 year old in 1974 and one in 2006 would probably not
recognise each other as coming from the same planet. Back then, it was simple,
you played outside or you watched what BBC’s 1, 2 and ITV had to offer. Looking
back in hindsight, there’s something reassuring about that lack of choice. For
instance, it made you see films you normally wouldn’t have bothered with, it engendered
patience, as you couldn’t fast forward or pause. There was there was the
excitement of looking forward to something - no instant gratification here! Also,
there was an almost subconscious reassurance, something now known as a
water-cooler moment, in that when I sat down to watch, say, “Batmanâ€, I knew
that all my mates were glued to their Rediffusions at the same time, perhaps
more a water-fountain moment.
Also, our viewing habits have fundamentally
changed. Prior to the seventies, we watched a wide array of programming,
because there wasn’t a plethora of channels to entice you away, hell there
wasn’t even a remote control. You could (because there was no choice) sit down
and watch a variety programme, a documentary about WWII, a film you’d never
heard of, a comedy sketch show, and a new drama. All this would unfurl before
you, and you’d just soak it up, some good, some bad, some revelatory. But because
of the available technology attentions spans were trained to give things a
chance.