Sherlock Holmes (Guy Ritchie 2009)

Since I became Head of Media, Culture and Language at Roehampton University I haven't had much time to watch film - something that I am missing hugely. I also feel very out of touch with what is going on in the world of film (my reading of the relevant publications has become cursory rather than detailed) - to the extent that watching Sherlock Holmes I wasn't even conscious of who had directed it until the final credits; that said the name immediately made sense of the feel and tone of the film, which carries the mark of Madonna's ex-husband, Guy Ritchie. Mixing the London locations and mockney milieu of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) with the bare knuckle boxing of Snatch (2000), although thankfully not the god-awful Irish accents, Sherlock Holmes gives us a much less effete version of Holmes than in many of the previous filmic and televisual incarnations. Robert Downey Jr.'s star persona certainly connotes the appropriate degree of drug dabbling required in most versions of Holmes' detection methodology and we gain insight into Sherlock's powers of logical reasoning via a series of flash-forwards that explain the fast-paced action that follows.
It is interesting watching this cinematic version of Conan Doyle's creation after having seen the BBC's version, Sherlock, scripted by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss and starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. Sherlock was a surprise hit for the BBC and much like Ritchie's film owes much of its success to the casting of Holmes and Dr Watson (played by Jude Law in the Hollywood film). The BBC chose to transplant Holmes to a contemporary London, which is key to its appeal, I think. We see the characters, familiar to so many of us, operating comfortably in a post-CSI TV universe, in contemporary locations but using the safe and certain logic of Holmesian deduction, an anchor of certainty in a crisis ridden credit-crunch universe. While the BBC version incorporates action into an updated remaking of Sherlock Holmes, the Hollywood film is, as one might expect, an action movie built around the premise of Holmes. What is surprising is how enjoyable the US film actually is. While set in period, it incorporates aspects of steampunk into its exploration of London during what appear to be the 1880s - one of the film's more powerful (CGI) images and scene of the film's denouement is Tower Bridge, completed in 1894 but under construction in the film. The device that threatens the British empire in the film for example, makes use of anachronistic technology yet to be invented.
Of course purists are no doubt outraged by this playing with history and by the liberties taken with Conan Doyle's creation but the film provides two hours of thrills and spills using a familiar cast of characters set alongside a hybrid generic narrative. I for one found the film just what I was looking for after a busy week at work. Film as entertainment and as a means of relaxation has an important place for me alongside the more serious work that constitutes the daily business of teaching film studies, something that sadly I now do rather less of...

BTCC Title Decider

A trip to a British Touring Cars race has become an annual event in recent years, courtesy of my friend Mark. This year it was Brands Hatch and the title deciding final Sunday of the season. Mark and I and five respective sons and their friends set off early as usual in order to arrive in time to walk the pit lane and see the cars and their drivers close up. Mark mentioned that he had a friend, Andy, who worked as part of the pit crew for the indomitable David Pinkney, a long-time BTCC racer and someone who lives just down the road from us both. A call to Andy alerted us to the fact that Pinkney hadn't been having a good weekend - his engine had blown on the Saturday - and that he wasn't going to be driving but this fact allowed us access to a relaxed pit garage and meant that the boys - and Mark - even had an opportunity to sit in Pinkney's 2 litre Vectra.

Andy was incredibly generous with his time and took the boys through the finer points of the car's performance enhancement over a standard Vectra in accessible detail. These cars are a pretty serious racing proposition and I was amazed at the level of monitoring that goes on to ensure teams play by the scrutineering rules. Tyres contain electronic chips that are read by a reader at the entrance to the pit lane, for example and the engines are sealed units that are limited in terms of tuning. Pinkney's Vectra looks impressive decked out in his trademark pink theme - everything in the team is pink, even Pinkney's helmet and the team bus - but the technology involved in running the car is really quite eye opening and I was impressed, despite the fact that uninitiated the car appeared to me to be just another Vauxhall Vectra...

A big thank you to Andy for giving us the opportunity to see the car properly. Of course once in the paddock we were able to wander around and see the side of BTCC that normally only the corporates sponsors and assorted hangers-on have access to. Drivers, past and present, also tend to be on this side of the pit lane and Mark's sharp-eyed son spotted one well known celebrity driver, someone I'd seen a few weeks previously racing at Goodwood in a Mark VII Jaguar. Mark - a shy and retiring type - took the opportunity to have his photo taken with the very gracious Tiff Needell:

So what of the racing itself? Well it was an interesting day and Brands is a great circuit from a spectator's point of view. The BTCC races weren't the most exciting as the first two (of three) were led from pole by Jason Plato, who in winning the second took the overall Championship. Plato has been an incredibly consistent driver coming second in the last 5 championships, I think. This Championship is his second and is clearly well deserved. The weather on the day was excellent but in typical autumnal fashion it began to get very chilly once the sun began to set and by the third and final race of the day we were all beginning to feel the effects of being on our feet all day. Plato had an opportunity to turn his 60 BTCC wins, equalling Andy Rouse's record, into the greatest numbers of wins ever but things didn't go his way and he finished well down the pack, having started back in eighth (an effect of the BTCC rules). Once again, then, a good day out, thoroughly enjoyed by all. Thanks, as always, to Mark for the tickets and for doing all the driving, fuelled wonderfully on the way down to Brands by still warm homemade sausage rolls. I'm certain that we'll be back spectating next year...

Roy Ward Baker

It was with great sadness that I learnt today of the death earlier this week of Roy Ward Baker, Honorary Visiting Professor in Film at Roehampton University. Professor Baker died peacefully in his sleep at a London hospital on Tuesday evening. Roy Ward Baker was a British film director of considerable distinction whose career in film and television spanned more than 50 years. He was born in Hornsey in 1916 and began his career as a production runner at Gainsborough Islington Studios in 1934. After spending 1943-1946 in the Army Kinematograph Service directing documentary and training films, he went on to direct 32 films, including The October Man (1946), Inferno (1953), A Night to Remember (1958), Flame In the Streets (1961), Quatermass and the Pit (1967), Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde (1971), and more than 100 one hour television dramas for seminal series such as The Saint, The Avengers, and Minder. Professor Baker took up his appointment at Roehampton University in 2009 and he made a real impression on students and staff when he came to talk about his experiences of working with some of cinema’s greatest producers, directors and stars, figures such as Alfred Hitchcock, Richard Widmark, Dirk Bogarde and Marilyn Monroe. Through their encounter with Professor Baker students and staff at Roehampton were able to gain a vivid insight into a hugely significant period of cinema and television history. Professor Baker made an especially strong connection with students on the Film programme who were interested to hear about his experiences of directing under the classical studio system and he had promised to come to talk to them again on the art of directing film. He was a witty and entertaining speaker who had a wealth of extraordinary stories to tell; he was also incredibly modest considering his notable achievements.

The last time I saw Professor Baker was when he invited me to lunch at his London club, where he entertained me with anecdotes about bank managers and film stars - he had especially strong views on both, with Dirk Bogarde featuring in a number of them! To spend an afternoon in his company, simply chatting about cinema from the 1930s onwards was an absolute joy. To have had an opportunity to get to know and to spend time with such a generous figure was a real honour and pleasure. A number of obituaries have appeared in today's press, here, here, here, here and here.

Goodwood Revival 2010

I've wanted to visit the Goodwood Revival for a number of years and finally in 2010 I made the decision to go, prompted in part by the fact that I was able to borrow my father's 1969 Marcos 3 litre (see here) and was therefore able to participate in the Revival Car Show. The day necessitated a very early start in order to get to Goodwood in time for the first event at 8.45am and so it was with some trepidation that I fired up the Marcos at a very anti-social 5.55, immediately shattering the early morning peace with the un-silenced and gloriously brutal sound of the V6. In an attempt to maintain good neighbourly relations I had warned them about the trip in advance and I did my best to creep quietly down the road; however in my efforts to minimise the noise I almost stalled the still cold engine and ended up producing a raucous bark as I struggled to keep the revs up. Simon, who lives two doors down from me and is building a V8 Dax Rush found this rather comical but I'm not sure that others shared his mirth - that said, he'll no doubt be waking me up (and the rest of the road) with the Dax next summer once it's finished. Five minutes down the road and I picked up my navigator for the drive down to West Sussex, a natty looking Martin dressed for the event in cords, brown brogues and a tweed jacket. Given my near OCD tidiness I was always going to be going as a Mod - drainpipes, winkle pickers and a three button jacket, which seemed appropriate given the late 60s vintage of the Marcos. The Who were on the stereo, although this was saved for our arrival at Goodwood as little could be heard over the roar of the engine on the way down. The weather forecast had been good and the day was beautifully sunny and warm, ideal for a day at the races... Once at Goodwood we were directed to the Car Show car park, which required a brief and very bumpy jaunt across a field, something that the car, with its slightly raised suspension thankfully dealt with surprisingly easily. We were parked next to a series II Land Rover and it was wonderful to be sitting amongst such a vast and eclectic array of historic machinery. What amazed me, right from the off, was the number of people dressed in period costume - at least 90 percent of the crowd were dressed up, with some having gone to incredible lengths to look the part.

There was so much period costume on sale that it would have been possible to have arrived in contemporary clothing and bought an entire outfit on the spot. Not only were the clothes from the 1940s, 50s and 60s (see here for tips), as were all of the vehicles within the revival ground, but there were a number of recreations of iconic and/or familiar buildings from the era too. There was a recreation of the Earls Court Motor show and a reminder of what Tesco used to look like before they dominated the entire globe!



The first race of the day - this was the Saturday - was the Goodwood Trophy, featuring Grand Prix and Voiturette cars from the 1930s and 1940s and including four 1934 Alfa Romeo Tipo B GP cars, Maseratis spanning 1935 to 1949 including the iconic 8CM and my personal favourites the ultimate British GP car of the 1930s, the ERA. This particular car has a special significance for me as my father used to part-own one and as a boy I used to sit in it in the garage at home, dreaming of winning grand prix. Seeing them race and in the paddock brought these memories flooding back. The car shared space with Austin Sevens - two chummies, an Ulster (that now sits in my garage), and two single seat specials - as well as a 1924 BSA motorcycle and a 1924 30-98 Vauxhall. Nestled amongst all these vehicles, with spare parts hanging from the rafters and screw-top jars nailed by their lids to the beams, the ERA was half covered with dust cloths but it remained an impressive and brooding presence. The steering wheel is very distinctive and has no doubt stuck in my mind because it was so big when compared with my small hands and arms...



The Goodwood Trophy was fiercely contested and despite the combined value of the cars on the grid all of the drivers were clearly competing fully. The winner was Mark Gillies driving Mary Smith's superb 1934 ERA A-Type R3A (the green car flashing by in the short clip below).

The next race that I watched was the first part of the Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy (the second happens on the Sunday) in which Duncan Fitchett and Jeremy McWilliams (injured with a cracked pelvis and a number of broken ribs) riding a 1952 500cc Manx Norton swapped the lead repeatedly with Ian Bain and Steve Brogan on their 1947 500cc Manx Norton. The overall victory after part two went to Bain and Brogan, although the fastest lap went to Fitchett and McWilliams.



Following on from the bikes was part one of the St Mary's Trohpy, a celebrity packed race for production-based saloon cars that were originally raced between 1950 and 1959. Drivers included Martin Brundle in an Austin A35 (1957), Desire Wilson, the only female Formula 1 Grand Prix driver, racing in an Austin A40 and eight times Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen. Also racing were Jochen Mass, Tony Jardine, Jackie Oliver, Derek Bell, Tony Dron, Andy Rouse, Brian Redman and Barry 'Whizzo' Williams, all renowned drivers in their various disciplines. Driving a huge mark VII Jaguar was ex-formula 1 driver and TV personality Tiff Needell, who came an incredible third, a real achievement considering the car he was piloting. Overall the race was won convincingly by Tom Kristensen but it wasn't really about the victory but about seeing these cars - a Ford Prefect, a Morris Minor and the incredible V8 Tatra - being pushed to the limit.



Although there were a number of exciting races during the afternoon, including the Whitsun Trophy, Madgwick Cup, which featured Stirling Moss in his original 1956 Maserati Osca (now fully recovered from his fall down a lift shaft earlier this year) and the Gordon Trophy, I was keen to wander around the Revival site to take in the atmosphere and to see the huge array of cars in the paddock. There were some truly amazing cars on display and on track. So, as if seeing one Ford GT40 wasn't exciting enough there were six racing in the Whitsun Trophy (four are visible in the photo below).



Really exciting for me were the two 1930 Brooklands 500 Austin 7 Ulsters. These two endurance racing Ulsters, painted a fetching and none too subtle orange, were interesting because of their history but also for the modifications over the standard Ulster. The fuel filler and oil cap can be seen poking through the bonnet for easy and speedy access and the pump for pressurising the fuel tank can also be seen on the driver's side of the car, clearly revealing the racing pedigree of these very special Austins.



There were so many amazing vehicles that it was impossible to see them all and it is just as impossible to mention them all here but the event is one that I would certainly recommend - of all of the large scale motoring events in the calendar, this, I think, has to be the best. (Others clearly agree, see here and here for example). Eventually, the very early start began to take its toll and by 6.00pm I was ready to leave. The drive back was very pleasant and the Marcos coped admirably with the lengthy but well managed queue that formed as the large crowd began to exit Goodwood. Although the headlights on the car aren't the most powerful it was easier to drive at night that I had imagined. To round off an excellent day, Martin and I enjoyed a couple of pints of London Pride at our local pub as our respective families hadn't returned from their own days out and so we were granted an evening pass to complement the day down on Lord March's estate...

Classics on the Common 2010: Report

Well, it started out beautifully - white cloud with some occasional sunshine but as the afternoon wore on into evening the clouds darkened and by about half past seven the rain began to come down in earnest, sending many drivers to their cars to either put hoods up or make a dash for home. So, once again things turned had soggy! There were, however, something in the region of 1,500 vehicles on display and an estimated 9,000 spectators - all on Harpenden's long suffering common. As usual we picnicked (as ever courtesy of my mum - thanks mum!) with cold meats, salads and wine followed, this year, by some particularly enjoyable meringues (homemade by my sister) to accompany our strawberries - and unlike last year we managed to eat it before it got too wet and waterlogged. One of the real delights of this eclectic event is the sheer variety of cars and bikes - almost all arriving under their own 'steam' (although I did see an E-Type being pushed around the roundabout by three helpful spectators), but it is also a pleasure to meet up with friends, old and new. This year I met one or two that I haven't seen for many years and there are always the familiar Harpenden faces too... I spent so much time chatting that I didn't even manage to get to see all the cars; however, highlights amongst what I did see were two pristine Lotus Europas - a car I've always loved the look of - an immaculate Jensen, a large number of MGs of varying ages and states of repair as well as a good number of TVRs, from the earliest to the most recent. There were some beautiful Alvis', three parked together, and at least three Frog Eye Sprites, again a car I've always loved, partly because to my mind they aren't so different from the 'Ulster', despite the 30 year age gap (see below and to the right for a slideshow of some of the cars present). So, despite the rain, which does take the edge off things rather, it was nonetheless a successful and enjoyable evening.

Marcos 3 Litre V6 (1969)

After months of fantasising, I have finally had an opportunity to drive my father's 1969 Marcos. Having spent January through to April editing Making my Marque, I had seen so many Marcos' take the hill at Prescott that I was desperate to experience one for myself. And I have to say, that it really doesn't disappoint! Once one has negotiated getting into the car, it is possibly one of the most comfortable driving positions that I have ever encountered and the same is true once one is actually driving. I had been slightly anxious that the view over the long bonnet would make the car difficult to manoeuvre at low speeds but despite being so low and so far back, the driving position feels incredibly natural. The car isn't easy to move around at low speeds but that results from the very heavy steering, which at speed presents no problems at all. And it is at speed that this car is most effective. With such a powerful engine (heavy but pushing out around 200bhp) in such a light car (the chassis is made of wood and the body is fibreglass) it performs very well. There is a good deal of torque on hand and it accelerates with real gusto. Handling is also superb - this isn't one of those big engined cars that only goes well in a straight line. The car emerges from Marcos' racing heritage and is designed as a GT in the classic mould; however, while covering big miles in it would undoubtedly be great fun, one would need to be wearing earplugs, as the car is more or less completely un-silenced and therefore very loud - as demonstrated by the outraged elderly pedestrian I passed the other day who flicked a series of 'V' signs at me. Unfortunately for him, once I had passed beyond where he was standing, I went under a bridge, which meant that the sound reverberated even more loudly than before! The other piece of touring advice that I have - and it makes some sense given that there is limited space for luggage - is to drive wearing as little as possible! All the heat from that big engine, which runs very hot, heats the cockpit of the car. I seem to recall my father driving up the test hill at Brooklands in swimming trunks during the summer of 1976 but I'm not sure that I would recommend travelling quite that light! Anyway, minor niggles aside - and at the end of the day one doesn't drive a Marcos for practicality - this is a truly great, and for me exceptionally beautiful, car...

Classics on the Common 2010

After last year's downpour I was hoping that we would have sunshine for tomorrow's Classics on the Common, especially after the weeks of sunshine that we have had so far this summer. I will be taking the 'Ulster' as usual but hoping that it stays dry, as the hood while useful doesn't offer a huge amount of protection. Also once erected getting in and out of the car is very difficult!
If you want to read more, see Rod Ker's report in The Telegraph, from the 2008 Classics, which provides something of the flavour of the event. As a local it is something of a relief not to have to travel far (a 5 minute drive!), as the fact that the event takes place on a workday evening can make it difficult to attend. Anyway, here's to a successful gathering once again - we will have wine on hand if you want to join me in the toast...!