A Certain Point of View: Writing, Film and Stuff

Zulu (1964) Directed by: Cy Endfield Written by: John Prebble and Cy Endfield, based on an article by Prebble Starring: Stanley Baker, Michael Caine, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, Nigel Green, James Booth, Paul Daneman, Ivor Emmanuel, Glynn Edwards, Patrick Magee I first saw Zulu when I was 10 years old; in 1973 the Miami TV station that is now known as WFOR-TV (CBS-4) was WCIX (Channel 6) and an independent which coexisted with three network affiliates and a handful of UHF stations in the South Florida market. Back then, Channel Six's programming relied on reruns of classic sitcoms, safe fare along the lines of "Bowling For Dollars," the "Eight PM Movie" on weeknights and several daytime movies on Saturdays and Sundays. Because the Big Three networks had first dibs on big blockbuster flicks of relatively recent vintage (usually a year or two after a film's theatrical run), Channel Six's selection was heavy on older films -- usually fr...

( C)  2008 MGM/20th Century Fox Home Entertainment “Battle of Britain” (1969) Directed by Guy Hamilton Written by James Kennaway and Wilfred Greatorex, based on the book The Narrow Margin by Derek Wood and Derek Dempster Starring: Michael Caine, Laurence Olivier, Ian McShane, Christopher Plummer, Susannah York, Edward Fox, Curd Jurgens Director Guy Hamilton’s “Battle of Britain” is an all-star docudrama that attempts to recreate Nazi Germany’s ill-fated attempt to batter Great Britain into submission by aerial bombardment during the summer and autumn of 1940. As in 20th Century Fox’s 1962 D-Day epic “The Longest Day,” “Battle of Britain” features an international cast of actors from Germany, Canada, France, and, of course, Great Britain. Also like  “The Longest Day” producer Darryl F. Zanuck, producers Harry Saltzman and S. Benjamin Fisz invested time (nearly four years) and money !$14 million in 1965 dollars) to hire a cast and acquire real milita...