TALK OF THE TRADE : Film-makers raid the back catalogues
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Does Polygram's intention to make big-screen versions of The Prisoner, The Saint and The Persuaders, now that it has acquired the International Television Corporation, herald some dramatic new trend in film-making, towards the retrospective and s afe? Not really, although there is a growth in nostalgia surrounding early classics such as The Prisoner, which represented UK television drama in its optimistic and naive infancy.
There is nothing new in film-makers adapting trusted TV formats: the Dr Who spinoff film, Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150 AD was made in 1966, (and repeated for the zillionth time on Sunday afternoon), while feature-length versions were also wrung out of TheSweeney, Man About the House, Bless This House and so on.
In the US, Hollywood has always plundered TV classics. ITC tailored its Sixties and Seventies programmes along American lines, despite fierce warnings from the then-regulator, the Independent Broadcasting Authority. This very feature now makes them more appealing to film-makers than most other
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments