Babylon On TV

[blairsh]

Ha Mel Smith is in it.

Ha!

 

[softybabe]

bump for tha stoners!

5mins BBC2

thought it was hotel Babylon back on track now ....

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Ha Mel Smith is in it.

Ha!

and Jacko

 

[coccinelle]

all the licensing stuff is resolved

Sadly (because I love my reggae) I was responsible, back in the day, for the film being injuncted. They had finished the film and filled it up with music and hadn't thought to clear any of it. When the eventual calculation was made (and the rates they were given were very reasonable), there was a bill of something like £60-80k and they didn't have it. That was a lot more money back in 1980-81 than it sounds now. I think a couple of compromises were suggested whereby they paid a portion and the rest when the film got sold, but there was absolutely no money in the kitty and so the film had to be stopped.

Watching it now, nearly 30 years later, I realize what an important film it is: not only is it well-made but it is an important documentary look at the early immigrant experience.

I'm glad it got sorted.

 

[El Jefe]

Sadly (because I love my reggae) I was responsible, back in the day, for the film being injuncted.

you're forgiven (people need to get paid..)

S

I'm glad it got sorted.

yep


(PS: you looked like you were having the BEST Endorse It ever )

 

[coccinelle]

(PS: you looked like you were having the BEST Endorse It ever )

I did. I had the Perfect Pill and a top time....

 

[Fozzie Bear]

I think it was more that some dodgy soundsystem guy told them he had all the rights to the tracks and they took him at his word than they didn't bother clearing it all.

Which was obviously pretty dumb in retrospect, but I guess it's all worked out ok and you could argue that the film's non-availability had added to its reputation over the years, maybe.

Dunno if it had any bearing on Franco Rosso not doing any films afterwards though, which is a shame because he seems like a great guy.

 

[ska invita]

Taped it and just watched it. I was really impressed - really well put together, strong mood, first half hour was really warm and a lot of comedy in it too (the dads engagement speech was great) - in fact, don't take this the wrong way, it reminded me of something like Full Monty - british comedy/drama at its best.

the ending was spot on too - your just not allowed to finish films like that these days.

*im pretty sure the lock-up is in the arches just north off new cross, as I see them from the train everyday and they look really familiar (and the opening shot is new cross too...) - not all arches are alike! love all the street shots.

also fun to hear all the Marvellous Caine samples - get maaash up and they come jumping out of that van and play that bloody jungle music all night - it all makes sense now.

really glad to have caught it

 

[ska invita]

Also, fun to see Shaka in 1980 (i was five!) - seems like quite a stern young guy. He wasn't holding back on that siren though! I seem to remember reading that he gets credit for popularising, or maybe even outright introducing the siren to sound system culture - can anyone confirm that?

(put me anorak on) also, interesting to see him playing some kind of syndrum over tracks - the couple of times ive seen shaka he didnt have that - anyone know more about what kind of kit he had in those days?

Thanks for the link to this Fozzy:

Steve Mosko: You appeared in a scene in the film “Babylon” which portrayed a sound clash which was getting quite fierce and almost led to a fight.

Jah Shaka: “Well that’s the impression that the people who made the film had about sound systems, which they’d heard about from the competitions. They gave me a script at first and when I read it I refused to do what they wanted.

I ended up directing the scene I appeared in myself, because all the build up leading up to it, with people from my sound confronting another sound, well that just doesn’t go on. We’ve got a very disciplined set of people, and I was totally against the way they portrayed the build up to the dance in that film.”

It my be true that UK sound competition isnt as fierce as in JA (particularly on the dub scene), but by all accounts it really is a life and death competition back in Jamaica.

Lion Rool Shaka Fool