Radio On/Chris Petit

STN

sou'wester
Has anyone seen Chris Petit's film Radio On? Is it any good? If so, does anyone know where I can get a copy? I really like his journalism and his novel, Robinson and as he's first and foremost a filmmaker I'd really like to check out some of his work in that field too. Also, if anyone's read any of his other novels (The Passenger, The Hard Shoulder etc), I'd love to hear about it.
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
I thought it was quite good although I couldn't really say why. I would say it's worth seeing although some may find it boring.
If you are in London and can get to Hackney (bit of a longshot I guess because you could be anywhere in the world but you never know) I know that they did have a copy in the Film Shop on Broadway Market because that's where I rented it from a few months ago.
 

STN

sou'wester
I thought it was quite good although I couldn't really say why. I would say it's worth seeing although some may find it boring.
If you are in London and can get to Hackney (bit of a longshot I guess because you could be anywhere in the world but you never know) I know that they did have a copy in the Film Shop on Broadway Market because that's where I rented it from a few months ago.

Great, cheers for that. I live in the Stoke Newington/Stamford Hill area as it happens so a trip to Broadway market will be pretty painless. I'm a member of the Church Street branch of The Film Shop (which doesn't have a copy), so I wonder if they'll let me use my membership at the Broadway Market branch, or even if I could lazily ask them to get it brought in for me.

Anyway thanks so much for the tip, it's a really big help.
 

STN

sou'wester
This has now been given a DVD release, so I will be watching it tonight (assuming someone else hasn't nabbed the only copy in my local videoshop). It's described as a 'postpunk road movie' which sets alarm bells ringing but there you go, I'm still excited about seeing it.
 
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jonny mugwump

exotic pylon
Also, seriously worth checking out is Petit's collaboration with Iain Sinclair- London Orbital which is easy to grab on dvd now- a kind of left-wing ballardian psychogeographical drive around the M25- a kind of remix of Sinclair's book- i'ld get more critically poetic about it but work is doing my head in as people keep asking me to do things, the bastards.
 

STN

sou'wester
I thought 'bugger, someone's managed to get it out before me'.

I'm expecting it to be all ghostly and noirish though.
 

hurricane run

Well-known member
Have read the psalm killer well researched gory thriller set in NI lots of background detail on para military antics in early 70's Belfast waiting for passenger to come out in paperback
 

STN

sou'wester
Passenger is pretty kicking but deliberately unrewarding in a way that doesn't fully pay off. Robinson is the real jewel in Petit's crown - all clammy and disturbing. I've got The Hard Shoulder but some dolt's sewn all the sigs in wrong so it reads like a BS Johnson novel (not a bad thing in itself, but I prefer the author, not the printer to decide if the narrative's gonna be all jumpy-abouty).

Radio On was pretty good I thought - amazingly shot, pretty rubbish dialogue (except the punk at the chip van) I thought that scottish geezer was just laughable and there's no need for Sting is there? All that rubbish with Eddie Cochran - dire. The ending is bloody amazing and I loved the way the production staff were thanked first and the cast last. Could you make a case for this being a celebration of craftsmanship/artifice and a rejection of stardom? Is it all somehow 'anti-rockist' (ha ha) especially given that Kraftwerk are playing as the credits roll...

Loved the shots of the Hoover building.
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
"The ending is bloody amazing and I loved the way the production staff were thanked first and the cast last. Could you make a case for this being a celebration of craftsmanship/artifice and a rejection of stardom?"
I read somewhere that when they had some kind of night celebrating the film (premier maybe?) no-one recognised the star due to his bright orange hair which you can't see on the film.
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
Thanks for that. I notice that he draws parallels with Two-Lane Blacktop which I guess is a kind of obvious comparison but one that escaped me. The two films are both road movies that have almost no dialogue but in my opinion there is something very different about the atmosphere that the two films generate. Hard to put your finger on what that is though - I guess that Radio On seems a lot bleaker and a lot colder although really TLBT is pretty bleak as well when you think about how empty all the characters are so maybe that's not it.
 

jenks

thread death
Finally sat down and watched this tonight - it stands up to all of the hype.

I love all the shots of him leaning on things - just holding the edge of the frame.

The music is done so well and feels so much part of the fabric of the film rather than an add-on. The music makes the film - it reminds me of the power of the Berlin Bowie albums.

Penman's notes on the music that accompany the dvd are very good, although i had a little dyslexic moment and read; "Life so monchrome it almost feels underwater" as:
"Life so monchrome it almost feels like underwear" :eek:
 
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