NormanCharles

There's a lot to unpack here...

On this day in 1975, The Rockford Files debuted on BBC1.

Gus Van Sant on how he approached making "Elephant" (2003) & the scathing critical response it received: "My film observes from multiple points of view several students who cross paths in the hallways of a suburban American school on a seemingly normal weekday that culminates in a massacre. The film may be provocative but it refuses to preach or to explain. It’s an approach that frustrates and even angers some of the audience. The film’s refraining from giving answers drew reprobation from American film critics in Cannes, especially those from L.A. The scathing Variety review called the film ‘gross and exploitative,’ and ‘pointless at best and irresponsible at worst.’ The L.A. Times’ Kenneth Turan wrote after the film won the Palme d’or at Cannes that the jury confused ‘artful vacuousness with genuine art.’ 'Elephant' is more like a poem about Columbine than a detective story. I am not surprised by the critical response. I was jettisoning theatrical conventions most moviegoers (and critics) assume a film is supposed to have. I think that critics have their viewpoints and their viewpoints are valid. Really, the film is meant to be looked at and commented on. It’s not meant to be commented on favorably." ("Elephant: Director Van Sant on his Controversial Movie", Emmanuel Levy, 2006)

Shoestring ran for two series and was a hit. But had Trevor Eve not quit after series 2, the production team wouldn't have gone on and made its longer running and more famous follow up. Bergerac.

A 1979 episode of the Bristol-based BBC drama series “Shoestring” (series 1, episode 2: Knock for Knock) featured a daring car chase across Bristol, culminating in a spectacular sequence on Vale Street (the steepest residential street in England) 1/2

Check my birthday cake out.

I defy you to find a poem with a stronger opening.