The Changes

Discuss releases by the BFI and the films on them.

Moderator: MichaelB

Post Reply
Message
Author
User avatar
MichaelB
Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:20 pm
Location: Worthing
Contact:

The Changes

#1 Post by MichaelB » Tue May 13, 2014 9:27 am

A 2-DVD set of the intense, techno-phobic 1976 series, based on Peter Dickinson’s best selling trilogy of books.
Out in August.

User avatar
Dr Amicus
Joined: Thu Feb 15, 2007 10:20 am
Location: Guernsey

Re: The Changes

#2 Post by Dr Amicus » Tue May 13, 2014 9:38 am

Absolutely fantastic news. I remember watching this when it was shown but and it completely freaked me out. Wasn't it shown in the children's slot? About 5pm? I remember it being plugged on Blue Peter at the time (and there was a special feature in that year's Blue Peter Summer Special magazine!) - which made a change from Doctor Who being on it all the time...

User avatar
GaryC
Joined: Fri Mar 28, 2008 3:56 pm
Location: Aldershot, Hampshire, UK

Re: The Changes

#3 Post by GaryC » Tue May 13, 2014 1:56 pm

That's correct - it was on during children's TV on BBC1 and shown twice, once in 1976 and repeated the following year if I remember rightly. It's never been shown on the BBC since, though I understand UK Gold showed it at least once. Between the two BBC showings I saw most of the episodes (with gaps due to no VCR in those days) and I've been wanting to see it from beginning to end ever since.

User avatar
MichaelB
Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:20 pm
Location: Worthing
Contact:

Re: The Changes

#4 Post by MichaelB » Thu Jul 31, 2014 11:58 am

Full specs announced:
The Changes
The influential BBC children’s science fiction series based on the classic novels by Peter Dickinson
2-disc set

Well-remembered for its unsettling depiction of a society in meltdown, the ten-part BBC series The Changes, first broadcast in 1975, gets its long-overdue DVD release courtesy of the BFI on 25 August 2014 as part of BFI SCI-FI: Days of Fear and Wonder, a nationwide celebration of Sci-Fi film and television. Made with a young audience in mind, this trailblazing series dared to explore complex and controversial themes, setting a standard that has rarely been matched since.

When a strange noise is emitted from machinery and electricity pylons, previously placid and easy-going folk turn violently against the technology that surrounds them – ruthlessly attacking radios, TVs and other domestic appliances. In the devastating aftermath, young Nicky Gore (Victoria Williams) is separated from her parents and finds a surrogate home with a group of Sikhs. But they soon are dubbed “The Devil’s Children” by superstitious locals and Nicky is accused of sorcery by a witchfinder. In grave danger, she is forced to find a way to escape, find her parents and uncover what caused the world to become so unbalanced.

This highly acclaimed series was adapted from Peter Dickinson’s best-selling trilogy of novels (The Weathermonger, Heartsease and The Devil’s Children) by Anna Home (who would later become chief executive of the Children’s Film and Television Foundation), and features music by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop’s Paddy Kingsland (The Boy from Space, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Doctor Who).

The Changes paved the way for the likes of Survivors and Day of the Triffids and its gritty depiction of a near-apocalyptic world, and its integration of Sikh characters make it as progressive and fascinating now as it was when it was first broadcast.

Special features
At Home in Britain (1983): a short COI film exploring the everyday lives and different faiths of Asian residents living in Britain;
• Stills gallery
• Extensive illustrated booklet with essays by Peter Wright, Michael Bonner, Paddy Kingsland, Lisa Kerrigan, Kathleen Luckey and Rebecca Vick

Product details
RRP: £24.99 / cat. no. BFIV2002 / Cert PG
UK / 1975 / colour / English language, with optional hard-of-hearing subtitles / 246 mins / Original aspect ratio 1.33:1 / DVD9 x 2 / PAL / Dolby Digital audio (320 kbps)

User avatar
MichaelB
Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:20 pm
Location: Worthing
Contact:

The Changes

#5 Post by MichaelB » Fri Aug 15, 2014 7:51 am


User avatar
MichaelB
Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:20 pm
Location: Worthing
Contact:

Re: The Changes

#6 Post by MichaelB » Fri Aug 15, 2014 12:37 pm


User avatar
MichaelB
Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:20 pm
Location: Worthing
Contact:

Re: The Changes

#7 Post by MichaelB » Wed Aug 20, 2014 4:06 am


User avatar
MichaelB
Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:20 pm
Location: Worthing
Contact:

Re: The Changes

#8 Post by MichaelB » Tue Aug 26, 2014 2:02 am


longstone
Joined: Mon May 13, 2013 1:38 am

Re: The Changes

#9 Post by longstone » Tue Aug 26, 2014 6:20 am

This show has stuck in my mind as having freaked me out as a child but also being really good , so I've also wanted to see it again ever since .
I received my copy of the DVD at the weekend and managed to see the first three episodes.
The quality is fine but the program making is even better than I remember , it must have really left an impression as all the details were familiar in my head even after more than 35 years since I could have seen it last. It seems remarkably adult compared to today's Children's TV, fantastic stuff , can't wait to find time to see the rest of the set . The empty streets of Bristol and other settings were brilliantly chosen and filmed. Well worth watching even if you didn't see it as a child.

User avatar
antnield
Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2005 1:59 pm
Location: Cheltenham, England

Re: The Changes

#10 Post by antnield » Thu Dec 17, 2015 4:16 pm

More appropriate here than in the Passages thread: Peter Dickinson obituary.

Post Reply