Shooting the Past [Paperback]

Stephen Poliakoff (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0413731405 | ISBN-13: 978-0413731401 | Publication Date: August 15, 2000 0

A series of three-hour-long linked plays for BBC2 plus two shorter plays

Oswald and Marilyn, played by Timothy Spall and Lindsay Duncan, are the custodians of the collection of 10 million black and white photographs housed in a beautiful period building on the edge of London. Their peaceful old fashioned existence is threatened when some Americans buy the property to turn it into a business school. They have to use their resources and ingenuity to fight the forces of the modern world and as they do so their battle uncovers a mystery from the past, hidden away amongst the photos which has a dramatic effect on the lives of all those involved.

"A meditation on the nature of photographic images, a celebration of old-world English eccentricity at threat in a world of high-technology glossiness, and a reminder that nothing in our heritage is sacred" (Sunday Times)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Stephen Poliakoff, CBE, FRSL, is an acclaimed playwright, director and screenwriter and is recognised as one of the UK's leading dramatists. His most recent work includes a number of high-profile and critically acclaimed TV dramas: The Lost Prince (BBC, 2003) winner of three Emmy Awards, Friends & Crocodiles (BBC, 2005), Gideon's Daughter (BBC, 2006) winner of two Golden Globes and a Peabody Award, Joe's Palace and Capturing Mary (BBC, 2007) and Glorious 39 (2009).

Product Details

• Paperback: 149 pages
• Publisher: Methuen Drama (August 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0413731405
• ISBN-13: 978-0413731401
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,865,671 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE MUST-HAVE COMPANION TO THE VIDEO, May 21, 2002

By 

Kris Clack (Clackamas, OR United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shooting the Past (Paperback)

For anyone who has fallen in love with the British television film SHOOTING THE PAST, this is the "must-have" companion to the video. It is a very charming little book, as well as the script to Stephen Poliakoff's acclaimed television movie--including the two shorts "Veronica's Story" and "Spig's Story". Also inside are still photos from the stories of Lily and Hettie, and one image each of Oswald, Marilyn and Mr. Anderson (Timothy Spall, Lindsay Duncan and Liam Cunningham).

The book contains the dialogue of the BBC production. That superior version was shown on three nights in the UK, and is well worth purchasing [at Amazon.co.uk] if you have access to PAL format video equipment. The Masterpiece Theatre program, while still very good, was edited throughout and the picture was cropped quite a bit smaller, leaving a lot of the excellent story unseen by viewers in the US.

All of the dialogue is very British--even the words spoken by the American, Mr. Anderson (nicely-played in the movie by Irish actor Cunningham). So this book is quite a help when it is difficult to understand what is being said on screen. However, it is also an easy-to-read version of a very entertaining story about eccentric librarians, a side-tracked businessman, and a secret history hidden deep within a huge photo collection. A pleasant way to get to know the work of Writer/Director Stephen Poliakoff.