8mm Forum: The Return of Bill Davison (Bootlace Cinema)

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Posted by Guy Badger (Member # 6087) on September 26, 2017, 09:06 AM:

Greetings! I thought some of you might like to know that I recently met Bill Davison (of Movie Maker's Bootlace Cinema fame) and had a chat about his time at Movie Maker and what he's up to these days. He was amused to hear that a previous post on this site reported his demise and he would want you to know that he's feeling much better and is a fit and healthy 70-something year old!

As well as reporting on and collecting 8mm package movies Bill was a prolific amateur film-maker and one of the projects that Bill is currently involved with is putting some of his amateur film productions on the BFI website. You can see two of his films at the links below.

https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-once-upon-a-sunday-1968-online

https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-restless-sunday-1967-online

I don't want to reveal too much as I would want to clear anything with Bill first, but I'm hoping to sit down with him in the near future and record an interview about all things 8mm. As a collector from the olden days of the 1970s/80s I have lots of my own questions but if there is anything you would like to know - or if you just want to send a message to Bill - post it below and I'll pass it along when I see him next.

Posted by Stuart Reid (Member # 1460) on September 26, 2017, 09:23 AM:

Always a real treat to see anything from the halcyon days of the Ten Best et al. Bill had a real eye for an image.

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on September 26, 2017, 02:02 PM:

Thanks Guy

Glad to here he is still around, reading his Bootlace Cinema reviews were always a highlight in Movie Maker. I still have all those magazines from the 1970s and early 80s, and are still worth a read every so often.

Posted by Steven J Kirk (Member # 1135) on September 26, 2017, 03:34 PM:

Wow, I too thought he had passed away! And not from the post that was on here but previously. Must be my memory going, or perhaps the 'Mandela Effect'.

Posted by Paul Adsett (Member # 25) on September 26, 2017, 03:39 PM:

Bill's Bootlace Cinema was always my first stop when reading Movie Maker' Hope you can do an interview with him, I am sure he has a lot of interesting memories of that time period in the 8mm world.

Posted by Andrew Woodcock (Member # 3260) on September 28, 2017, 04:38 PM:

I echo all that has been said here. I still have loads of those magazines featuring Bills articles in the 70's and early 80's even when the magazine changed name.

It was a superb first post here Guy and any past reviews of Bill's, or reports of his memoirs would be most welcomed here as a follow-up. [Wink]

Posted by Gary Sayers (Member # 5545) on September 29, 2017, 05:18 AM:

It would be great if Bill could publish a book with a collection of his reviews from his 'Movie Maker' days, in a similar fashion to Dennis Gifford's 'Armchair Odeon'.

Tell me this is going to happen and you can take my money now!

Posted by David Hardy (Member # 4628) on September 29, 2017, 05:27 AM:

That's great news to read Bill is still alive. I too was informed he had passed away. It just goes to show how some rumours can become false news.

I still have all my Movie Makers with Bill's reviews.

Including the one where he replied to one of my letters published in the magazine regarding the print quality of
the 400' edition of SUPERMAN. I also had a good old moan about
Derann's 4 x 400' version of THE DEVIL RIDES OUT print quality in the same letter.

Posted by Peter Scott (Member # 4541) on September 29, 2017, 06:36 AM:

I met Bill Davison in 1982 at the Northern Film Collectors Convention at the Gables Hotel in Blackpool, we had a brief chat for a few minutes together

Posted by James Wilson (Member # 4620) on September 29, 2017, 07:01 AM:

Enjoyed every moment,
what a talent.
James.

Posted by Tom Photiou (Member # 130) on September 30, 2017, 06:20 AM:

I dont half wish i kept all my movie makers, as already said previously by another member, his pages were always the ones i turned to the minute i bought my copy.
Are there any scans on here for any of Bills reviews, is he still in the hobby?

Posted by Andrew Woodcock (Member # 3260) on September 30, 2017, 06:23 AM:

I will scan all that I have at some point Tom and put them on the other place of worship where the double page spreads can be viewed and read with ease in Ultra HD. [Big Grin]

Posted by Tom Photiou (Member # 130) on September 30, 2017, 07:01 AM:

Thanks Andrew, [Wink]

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