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blakes7-d Digest				Volume 98 : Issue 247

Today's Topics:
	 [B7L] 
	 Re: [B7L] Re: Jenna as Bimbo
	 [B7L] Chris Boucher and Westerns
	 [B7L] Australia
	 [B7L] Voices

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Date: Sun, 27 Sep 1998 16:35:44 PDT
From: "Joanne MacQueen" <j_macqueen@hotmail.com>
To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se
Subject: [B7L] 
Message-ID: <19980927233545.3689.qmail@hotmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain

Carol says:
>There are all of those wonderful Tarrant moments (Joanne, 
>are you paying attention? ; )

But of course, Carol, and thankyou. The vision of Stephen Pacey in a 
plastic rain bonnet is making me smile right now. It's not quite as 
funny, to my mind, as the idea of a crispy Avon sandwich (I've been 
unzipping archive files from mid-'94, and many thanks to Annie and Leah 
for contributing the recipe to that one! <very big grin indeed>).

>Maybe one of the scenes from his cell in "The Way Back",
>where he's holding his head and looking pained.

<smile> Very, very appropriate, as it happens. One line from the first 
(and last) verse goes: "He is holding his head like it's going to 
explode". Mind you, I did suggest "Voice from the Past" simply because 
rather more head holding took place in that episode. Poor Blake.

Judith Rolls said: (about Stephen Greif)
>Stephen is also going to be making an episode of The Bill

<crooked smile> Well, that's more than a year away for us Antipodeans.

>playing the Assistant  Commissioner of Police

Makes a change from the corrupt lawyer he played in another episode.

>(basically Chris Ellison's boss).

What!?! The legendary Burnside's back? Good grief!

Julia said:
>Noooo!!!! <bangs head against keyboard>

Commiserations, Julia. Hope the headache will get better, though I 
suspect that won't be until Chris Boucher, or anyone other than Barry 
Letts, writes one of these radio plays. I see what you mean about Dr 
Who, though, because the title strikes me as more like DW than B7.

And if Roger the Shrubber has been finding B7 tapes at his local 
shopping centre, I'm going to have to look harder. Although $45 seems a 
bit much to me too. Damn exchange rates! <smile> That's the only reason 
for sticking the price up by $15 that I'd accept.

Regards
Joanne

The silicon chip. It's been called the most awesomely breathtaking human 
invention since *Blake's 7*.
--Pick of Punch, 1980.

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Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1998 10:25:31 +0100
From: "Alison Page" <alison@alisonpage.demon.co.uk>
To: "Lysator" <blakes7@lysator.liu.se>
Subject: Re: [B7L] Re: Jenna as Bimbo
Message-Id: <E0zNZaT-0007Xw-00@post.mail.demon.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
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Heather (not sure which one) said - 

> Considering the time period of late
> 1970s to early 1980s - in England, none the less - most women were
> looking at careers as receptionists, secretaries, teachers, and
> nurses, or of course, being a homemaker.  Pilots, soldiers, assassins,
> mercenaries, weapons specialists etc. -  those careers were never an
> option for a "proper English lady" :).

Hmm.. I dunno. I was an English woman, though admittedly not a proper lady,
coming of age at that time. I must say that the careers of receptionist,
nurse etc. never occurred to me or any of my friends. My mates became fire
fighters, executives, teachers admittedly, one of them helps run
Middlesborough football club, and so-on.

I think it would be more accurate to say that in the 1970s girls' attitudes
had changed, but the portrayal of women in the media had not caught up.
After all at that time the media (like for example the judiciary) was run
by middle aged men from public schools who didn't have much of a clue about
women at all.

B7 was one step in the long adjustment of the portrayal of women which is
still (IMHO) going on. To us its flaws are manifest, but in its day it was
refreshing - just one stage on the route. This doesn't stop me adoring the
program of course.

Alison

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Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1998 10:17:23 +0100
From: "Alison Page" <alison@alisonpage.demon.co.uk>
To: "Lysator" <blakes7@lysator.liu.se>
Subject: [B7L] Chris Boucher and Westerns
Message-Id: <E0zNZaR-0007Xw-00@post.mail.demon.net>
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Just after Christmas I saw a western called 'Vera Cruz' (well in fact I
only saw ten minutes of it). I was immediately struck by how very close the
two main characters were to Blake and Avon. As far as I could tell the plot
was about the uneasy alliance of two men, one of whom (Gary Cooper) was
committed to the Mexican revolution, and the other of whom (Burt Lancaster)
was only in it for the money.

The Burt Lancaster figure was very reminiscent of the character into whom
Avon developed, and he had a kind of love-hate relationship with a venial
and untrustworthy woman. In the little bit I saw he was snogging her with
his black leather trousers on, then the next minute they were trying to
steal some gold from each other.

At 'Redemption' Chris Boucher was talking about how he was influenced in
the way he developed B7 by some of the westerns of the 50s and 60s. To my
amazement he actually mentioned Vera Cruz by name. I would definitely
heartily recommend this film to anyone who can get to see it - the
parallels just in the small amount I saw were very striking and exciting.
I'd love to get hold of the entire film on tape.

While other westerns of the period are not quite as close in detail to the
dynamics of B7 I think many of them share a kind of amoral and ruthless
spirit which I think Chris B tried to capture. The reason I'm posting this
is that I just saw another Burt Lancaster western, 'The Professionals' with
Lee Marvin, which is in the same vein (and interestingly also set in the
context of the Mexican revolution).

I think that prior to the sea-change in Hollywood signalled by films like
MASH and Easy Rider, many directors used the western as a way of expressing
cynical and critical themes, in a context which was safely removed from the
present day. A character could be portrayed as outside the law and opposed
to established authority, without raising as much anxiety in the audience
as it would if he were (say) a Black Panther or a member of the
contemporary underground.

I would suggest that in late 1970's Britain Science Fiction offered a
similar safe remove from real life, and allowed Chris Boucher to slyly
offer the same critical themes and explore the same questions about
rebellion, terrorism, and self-interest.

Alison

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1998 17:39:35 +0100 (BST)
From: Judith Proctor <Judith@blakes-7.demon.co.uk>
To: Lysator List <Blakes7@lysator.liu.se>
Subject: [B7L] Australia
Message-ID: <Marcel-1.46-0928163935-bbaRr9i@blakes-7.demon.co.uk>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII

Last call for anyone who wants anything taken over to Australia without paying
air-mail postage.  I need any last minute requests by tomorrow.  (e-mail me and
I'll trust you to get a cheque to Pat)

I've got most of Sheelagh Well's tapes (Action, Kingmaker, Elements and
Liboratored) as well as the usual zines.  Sheelagh's tapes would be Aus $24.60
each (payable to Pat Fenech) 

Sorry, I can help with the air mail postage, but the Aus dollar exchange rate is
beyond my control.

For those who aren't familiar with Sheelagh's tapes, they are interviews with
various members of the cast.    Paul and Gareth are on all the tapes. 
Liberatored has Michael Keating.  Action has Stephen Greiff.  Kingmaker has
peter Tuddenham and David Maloney (the producer of seasons 1-3).  Elements has
Jackie Pearce and David Maloney.

I really can't recommend these too highly.  I listen to them far more often than
I listen to any of the audio plays.  Frequently hilarious and always enjoyable.

If yu want to hear about the teddy bear and all the other things that happened
during filming, then hear the stories from those who were there.  

These tapes are a godsend for those who can't get to conventions and still
highly enjoyable for those who can.

The joys of explosives going off behind you; the thrills of filming in nuclear
power stations; what Paul Darrow's fans sent him in the mail; how Travis and
Blake knew one another long before Blake's 7.

Heck, they're worth it just for the voices.  Stephen Greiff has a wonderful
voice that you never really notice when he's Travis.  Paul's goes without
saying, and I could sit and listen to Gareth all day long.

Judith

PS.  I'll be bringing some of the tapes over to Ecclecticon as well.

-- 
http://www.hermit.org/Blakes7

Redemption 99 - The Blakes 7/Babylon 5 convention  
26-28 February 1999, Ashford International Hotel, Kent
http://www.smof.com/redemption/

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Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 03:27:24 PDT
From: "Rob Clother" <whitehorse_dream@hotmail.com>
To: Blakes7@lysator.liu.se
Subject: [B7L] Voices
Message-ID: <19980929102724.11572.qmail@hotmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain

Hope you have an excellent trip, Judith!


>Heck, they're worth it just for the voices.  Stephen Greiff has a 
>wonderful voice that you never really notice when he's Travis.  


You certainly notice it when he isn't Travis any more.  :-(

The characters' voices are one of the most pleasing aspects of B7.  If 
there's one thing about an actor that draws you into their world like a 
moth, it has to be the voice.  And in B7, most of the voices were 
consistently stunning.

I'd like to add Jackie to your list.  Perhaps it doesn't come across so 
much on the tapes, but in the series her voice takes you elsewhere -- 
for me, it's the main ingredient in her extraordinary charisma.  Shame 
Servalan was such a murderous zealot, really.  Otherwise, she might have 
made a most pleasurable acquaintance...

-- Rob





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End of blakes7-d Digest V98 Issue #247
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