8mm Forum: The Elephant Never Forgets

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Posted by Simon McConway (Member # 219) on April 01, 2008, 02:26 PM:

What a superb black & white British Transport Film; it covers the last week of trams in London before they were withdrawn for good. Fantastic tear-jerker really, especially when they burn the disused trams. I got my copy brand new from Derann...well worth every penny and very repeatable! Get yours now!

Posted by Douglas Meltzer (Member # 28) on April 01, 2008, 03:44 PM:

Simon,

What's the running time of the film?

Doug

Posted by Simon McConway (Member # 219) on April 02, 2008, 01:57 AM:

It's a full 200ft film. One of the best around!

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on April 02, 2008, 04:32 AM:

At my last show when I ran FARMING MOVING SOUTH I invited an ex-BTF cameraman who lives nearby to come along. He had done part of the filming on this title.

He gave a short talk and also mentioned THE ELEPHANT WILL NEVER FORGET on which he had worked. (We had shown this some months previously). He said that the "Bosses" didn't think much of a suggestion to film the last London tram, but they all went out and did it anyway!

They produced what was one of BTFs most requested films from their library. I know that because the cameraman's wife who also came to the show used to work on the library's bookings.

Posted by Douglas Meltzer (Member # 28) on April 02, 2008, 06:18 PM:

Camerapeople always know best. Just ask us. [Wink]

Doug

Posted by Jonathan Sanders (Member # 478) on April 04, 2008, 11:31 AM:

When I started my film degree course at Warwick University in 1979, this was one of the first films we were shown as an example of great film-making. In fact, our tutor, the intellectual film critic V.F. Perkins, who generally despised British cinema, said he thought it one of the very few good films ever made in this country!

Incidentally, the title of this film is sometimes confused in the UK with the 1939 Hal Roach comedy ZENOBIA - which was released over here (in cinemas and on 8mm) as ELEPHANTS NEVER FORGET!

Posted by Simon McConway (Member # 219) on April 04, 2008, 01:57 PM:

How wierd Jonathan! In my 16 mm archive I have a promotional film advertising Warwick Uni...very well-made and gives a really good insight into the place!

Posted by Jonathan Sanders (Member # 478) on April 05, 2008, 06:46 AM:

That's quite a coincidence, Simon. If the promo film was made in-house around the time I was at Warwick, I'd expect the names of Peter Bowen and/or Derek Pope (who ran the AV Dept.) to be credited on the film.

For a real insight of Warwick University around that time, though, one has to see Andrew Davies' 1986 satirical BBC series A VERY PECULIAR PRACTICE, based on his life as a lecturer there!

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