Comment Log

Archive for Oct 1997 thru Sep 1998

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From: John Tomlin
e-mail: tomlin@linus.socs.uts.edu.au
Date: Wed Oct 1 08:08:00 EST 1997

Steve Gibbs asked if LD was going to complete
his history of WWII. As far as I know it *is*
complete. It's just that the paperback version
was split into 2 volumes. I've seen both of them
in bookshops.
I've been away for a while, so thanks to those
who have contributed and kept this forum alive
for the last few months.

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From: john kennedy
e-mail: jkenn75912@aol.com
Date: Mon Oct 6 02:05:40 EST 1997

Great to see this site on the Web. Has LD actually read any of the comments?
Had trouble getting Hold of Charity until recently. Was the book delayed?
Anyway I've just managed to buy the paperback copy and am reading through
(I supose I shouldn't have read the comments, but I was warned!)
Is Charity the end of the line for Bernard, Gloria et al. Wouldn't it have been
better to bring the characters into the post cold war era?
Anyway keep up the good work

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From: Bert Staddon
e-mail: bstad@mortimer.com
Date: Mon Oct 6 09:17:04 EST 1997

Why did the Winter brothers go back
to their old home in the south -- and
get themselves shot?
I was hoping that the answer would
be in one of the other nine novels.

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From: John Tomlin
e-mail: tomlin@linus.socs.uts.edu.au
Date: Tue Oct 7 08:08:00 EST 1997

The following three comments were e-mailed to me personally, but I thought they would be of interest to other readers, so I'm posting them to the log. (I have omitted the names of the senders, since they didn't ask that these comments to be made public).

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Subject: Bullet to Beijing/Midnight in St. Petersburg

Hey there:

The most interesting wrinkle to the Canadian release of Bullet to Beijing, is that it runs a full 15 min longer than the version shown on TMC. I believe the complete running time is 2hrs 2min. 90min versions of both Bullet & Midnight were released in Hong Kong, and Midnight was recently released in Canada at the same 90min running time. As yet, I haven't seen any official release in the US. Actually injoyed the first one quite a bit, despite a few heavy-handed attempts, early on, to link the film to the earlier series. Midnight in St. Petersburg was pretty much a wash--though there were a few interesting moments. I suspect the poor sequel was Disney's real reason for dumping distribution plans.

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Subject: LD

Haven't checked this site for awhile--glad I did--fun to see the reactions to Charity. I have no problem with the ending since it is told from Bernard's first person viewpoint. Perhaps Deighton was enjoying his little trick on us. After all, very few of us know exactly the whole truth about anything, do we! Anyhow, I just finished Winter which I thought was tremendous although I would have liked a littel more "internal procedings" from Deighton. I really prefer knowing what the inner thoughts of our characters are and Deighton assumes we will understand from their actions and words rather than from his revelations about what is going on in their heads. I am also a LeCarre fan and he gives us such complete pictures of his characters' movtivations and moral conflicts, that I can't help but wish Deighton did the same. Maybe we would have been more satisfied with Charity.

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Subject: Len Deighton's films on video

Midnight in St. Petersburg and Bullet to Beijing are available on video in English from Touchstone. They are distributed by J&M Entertainment Limited and/or Buena Vista Home Entertainment.

(This information is originally from a Netherlands e-address)

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From:
e-mail: dwc@msn.com
Date: Sat Oct 11 06:09:41 EST 1997

Putting G,S,M et al considerations aside for a minute I'd like to throw in my two-penneth;
Does anyone else feel that 'Goodbye Mickey Mouse' stands out amongst LD novels, not in a particularly better or worse way, but almost as if it were written by an ther author? Every time I think of it I find it hard to believe it comes between XPD and Game (was this perhaps only the publication chronology?) It reminds me very much of Ted Allbeury's novels, somehow more compassionate and less cynical than the majori y of LD's work.
On a personal\book collecting front I received a reply from Mr.D via his agent, via HarperCollins UK, and I have found Nigel Williams Rare Books in London to have a paricularly good 1st ed. stock (I'm not an employee - for all you scept cs out there!)

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From:
e-mail: dwc@msn.com
Date: Sun Oct 12 07:46:40 EST 1997

What if......Christopher Plummer had taken the lead role in Ipcress?
Personally, a disaster. (And Michael Caine may never have learned to cook)

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From: Claire Wright
e-mail: JCW1@soton.ac.uk
Date: Tue Oct 28 02:36:21 EST 1997

I finished Charity last month and ever since have been trying to find someone else who had read it to discuss the plot with!! Whilst trying to get to sleep last night (usually the best time for thinking!) I pondered about the possibility of there being a LD page! Congratulations on a very well pu together site. I am so pleased to find so many other readers out there. I felt (like so many others) that Charity had an air of "rushedness" about it and left many loose ends. I would love some more explanation over the ending of the novel Winter - Brian Samson seems to pop up at the end briefly seemingly just to tie in with the rest of the books. Why exactly did the two brothers run off? I have also read SS_GB which I thought was particuarly good and a scary vi w of what could have happened if the outcome of WWII had been different. I have just started listening to the BBC's production of Bomber on tape, which I think was produced to tie in with the 50th anniversary celebrations of VE-Day. It is the dramatised ersion of the book, with commentary from real people involved in the events depicted in the book - an excellent production, am currently half way through and plan to hear the rest tonight!
Anyway great to find so many other fans at last!

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From: Terry Kidd
e-mail:
Date: Thu Oct 30 08:48:15 EST 1997

Bomber is one of my favorites, and I've always thought that Deighton's spy novels and Bomber an interesting parallels: Sam Lambert has to deal with office politics by day while going out almost every night to get shot at, likewise Bernard and the others.
SSGB is another favorite, I was enraged when one London critic remarked in passing that the parallel universe angle was even employed in 'potboiler' novels such as SSGB.
SSGB came after Deighton's Battle of Britain, The True Story. Some thought that he had been a little hard on the RAF, describing them in some cases as being something less than heroic. I sometimes think that SSGB might have been written to let people know that Deighton knew well enough how things might have turned out without th RAF. The scene with the King escape from the Tower of London is really excellent

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From: John Tomlin
e-mail: tomlin@linus.socs.uts.edu.au
Date: Sat Nov 1 04:34:09 EST 1997

Claire Wright very kindly sent me more detailed
information on the audio tapes of "Bomber" she
referred to in the posting above. I've expanded
the "Movies and TV" section to include Audio, and
you can now find that information there.

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From: Donald Lang
e-mail: donald.lang@dlcwest.com
Date: Sun Nov 2 06:10:15 EST 1997

I hope you get the usenet group going on Len Deighton.
I like his writing. All the best to you!

Donald

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(Like I said, starting a usenet group is a hassle I dont intend to get
involved in at this stage.....John Tomlin, site maintainer)

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From: Ian McWilliam
e-mail: ianmcw@irn.org
Date: Tue Nov 4 04:44:18 EST 1997

NEWS FLASH
My local video store is advertising, as a 'coming attraction'
on November 18 'Bullet (sic) to Beijing'
Hurray!!!
Can Midnight in St Petersburg be far behind?

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From: Ian McWilliam
e-mail: ianmcw@irn.org
Date: Tue Nov 4 07:44:01 EST 1997

Should have added to the above that local, for me, is
California, so thats a US video release!
Have no information on running time (see messages above)

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From:
e-mail: abdlaziz
Date: Thu Nov 6 17:00:51 EST 1997

Comment: Now that we have Faith, Hope, and Charity what is missing?? There must be a fourth element. It is "Providence". It takes four to make the packet: Faith, Hope, Charity, and Providence.

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From: Terry Hine
e-mail: callterry1007@webtv.net
Date: Sun Nov 16 14:17:09 EST 1997

As has been mentioned in an earlier post, BULLET TO BEIJING is being released here in the States on video (by Paramount I believe) and I am sure initially it will be at rental pricing. I asked the local Suncoast store about this title and they have no in ormation on it. The sad thing about this movie is it could have been so much better. The movie titled BLUE ICE, also with Michael Caine, seems to be closer to where Palmer would be nowadays. He changed from classical to jazz.

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From: Ed Moeller
e-mail: moellere@moodys.com
Date: Mon Nov 17 02:30:35 EST 1997

I would like to purchase a VHS copy of the Granada
Television ( 1988 ) Mobil Classics Videos of
Len Deighton's, GAME SET MATCH

Any suggestions, either for purchase in the USA
or a point of contact outside of USofA.

Thanks,

Ed Moeller

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From: John Tomlin
e-mail: tomlin@almaden.ibm.com
Date: Mon Nov 17 07:10:37 EST 1997

You've got a lot of company in looking for GSM.
My only suggestion it to try some of the mail
order sources listed earlier in the log. Maybe
there are some others as well. It would be nice
if someone did a thorough web search.

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From: Sean Carr
e-mail: scarr@bkwu.com
Date: Wed Nov 19 13:07:16 EST 1997

Has anyone seen the Granada Telvision 13 part series made from the Game, Set & Match trilogy? If so, please tell me about it!

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From:
e-mail: tfwhite@netaxs.com
Date: Thu Nov 20 04:05:58 EST 1997

Just finished Charity...

The D-G sitting in the hallway listening with earphones? Spare me!

Didn't Thurkettle bring a fake skull to the Autobahn, and weren't we led to believe Gloria's father was involved in making the dental set in it? Is 't that really why he ran back to Hungary? And didn't Samson even see the skull inthe making when visiting Gloria's house? I can't see how Samson could have ever missed this connection.

And, I can't imagine how Samson couldn't connect Werner with Fiona. I thought he was some kind of master slueth.

Plus, 'Der grosse Kleine' did in fact die and Tessa was truly blown away with a shotgun. Isn't that why Fiona was so incredibly covered with blood?

Though thoroughly enjoyable reading, De ghton should consider the intense following he created. His audience is quite in-tune with the entire series and each little detail. He should not be changing the story at the last minute.

Unless of course...

TW

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From: Sean Carr
e-mail: scarr2@earthlink.net
Date: Fri Nov 21 05:33:44 EST 1997

The Granada Television 13-part series Game, Set & Match directed by Patrick Lau is no longer available on video. The video distribution license expired in 1993. However, I can get a copy of it from Granada if I pay for the studio transfer time. On the p side, the copies I get will be very clean. On the down side, they will charge 20 pounds per hour. 260 pounds. $500. Wonderful. If anyone is interested in splitting the cost with me, please e-mail me at scarr2@earthlink.net.

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From: John Tomlin
e-mail: tomlin@linus.socs.uts.edu.au
Date: Fri Nov 21 07:34:09 EST 1997

A lot of people have been complaining about loose ends in "Charity", but loose ends are a featute of many of LD's books. I'm re-reading "Horse Under Water" and came accross the following near the end of Chapter 21:

" ...don't ever hanker after tidiness. Don't ever think or hope that the great mess of investigation that we work on is suddenly going to resolve itself like the last chapter of a whodunnit .... After we're all dead and gone there will still be an office with all those manilla dust traps tied in pink tape".

Sort of like Charity? ... John

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From: Craig Edwards
e-mail: craig.edwards@asx.com.au
Date: Mon Nov 24 15:01:50 EST 1997

I am wondering whether anyone out there has any pictures of the characters from the TV production of Game, Set & Match. Rgds.

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From: Mike O%27Shaughnessy
e-mail: mos265@aol.com+
Date: Sun Nov 30 01:53:07 EST 1997

As far as I am aware the Granada TV series Game Set
and Match starring Ian Holm as Bernard Samson has
never been repeated in the UK. As an avid reader
of the whole Samson series I decided to contact
Granada TV to try and find out whether it w s
likely to be shown again in the future.
Unfortunately their reply stated that Len Deighton
was unhappy with their production of his books and
as he holds the rights to the series, it is unlikely
ever to be shown on TV again in the UK.
availbale on video in the UK please let me know.

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From: Nick Suddery
e-mail: nick.suddery@virgin.net
Date: Sun Dec 7 04:40:56 EST 1997

First off I have to say that "Bomber" has been
the best of LD's books to date. Someone was asking
why he concentrated on WW2 so much, I think it's
because he grew up with the war as a back-ground
and the RAF post-war was full of Lamberts and
Sweets that had survived. That way perhaps he was able
to use things he picked up over his service (the
modification to rear gun turrets by the way happened,
it was called "the Grafton Lodge modification" gunners
realy chose to freeze to stay alive.)
Turning to the Samson stories ("Mr Samson"- as he
pointed out to one of the probationers)fine books
all though Charity was a bit of a disapointment.
One thing about the autobahn killings. Bernie only
found a service issue we ley...he probably didn't
have time to check the ser no. to see if it was his
fathers...if he'd memorised the number in the
first place..
So until somone is rich enough to make the film of
"Bomber"
best wishes
-NICK-