One of the best in an excellent series. And why didn't I know about that lovely 30s Gatwick building? Incidentally, predictive text turns that into Garrick, in itself quirkily English.
Though the readings are presented as being Pevsner's views, they are mostly taken from his collaborator on the Surrey volume, Ian Nairn. Quite uncharacteristic of Pevsner's style.
'Surrey' was almost all Nairn, but then again it would probably have jarred with the rest of the series had a different actor (or even Ben Whitrow who did the voiceovers) adopted Nairn's much more red-blooded delivery.
At 25:25 the musical refrain comes back yet again, and reminds me of that movie classic "The Carnival of Souls". What a fuckin uncanny sad feeling. As for the rest of the background music, it has a surreal (but fetching) sequence of chords.
Firstly, thanks to Johnny Cassettes for posting the series. But, given the quality of the other Travels with Pevsner in the series, this Michael Bracewell episode is unwatchable. Bracewell's commentary is trite and cliché ridden. Throughout the programme he finishes his narration with smug, self-satisfied student-rag-music-journalism rot such as 'down in the earth their is no view and this is the final commute on the death railway from waterloo.' I kid you not. In all the locations there is no useful analysis of Pevsner or the socio-historical context of locale. These banalities are delivered in a sarcastic, grating and disengaged drone, as if he is one of the civil servants from Luna House he is so disparaging about. His supposedly spontaneous interactions with real people (the exchange with woman in orange dress is particularly crass) are so stilted they even outshine Ian Nairn's laboured encounters. The artfully placed objects (sun glasses, travel rug, vintage Rover, thinning quiff) are designed to reinforce Bracewell's supposed retro cool. Instead they are further confirmation of Bracewell's twattery. At best he is a D list Jonathan Meades, and that is saying something. Watch the other programmes in this series. They are startlingly good. Prime examples of the BBC's capacity to produce sophisticated and captivating location-based cultural content that was the best of its programming. Avoid Bracewell's banalities at all costs.
Which bloke? Pevsner? He could be a bit dismissive from time to time, but he spent decades of his life putting his guides together, so hardly anti-English. As for Michael Bracewell, his novels and articles tend to be quietly celebratory of English eccentricity. Don't really see what annoyed you.
Now this episode was truly brilliant
Nice seeing the old Rover too.
Fantastic, especially the old Gatwick airport building.
I enjoyed that very much. Thank you!
Youre welcome :)
One of the best in an excellent series. And why didn't I know about that lovely 30s Gatwick building? Incidentally, predictive text turns that into Garrick, in itself quirkily English.
Though the readings are presented as being Pevsner's views, they are mostly taken from his collaborator on the Surrey volume, Ian Nairn. Quite uncharacteristic of Pevsner's style.
'Nairn's London' and 'Nairn's Paris' are wonderful books.
'Surrey' was almost all Nairn, but then again it would probably have jarred with the rest of the series had a different actor (or even Ben Whitrow who did the voiceovers) adopted Nairn's much more red-blooded delivery.
At 25:25 the musical refrain comes back yet again, and reminds me of that movie classic "The Carnival of Souls". What a fuckin uncanny sad feeling. As for the rest of the background music, it has a surreal (but fetching) sequence of chords.
Firstly, thanks to Johnny Cassettes for posting the series.
But, given the quality of the other Travels with Pevsner in the series, this Michael Bracewell episode is unwatchable.
Bracewell's commentary is trite and cliché ridden. Throughout the programme he finishes his narration with smug, self-satisfied student-rag-music-journalism rot such as 'down in the earth their is no view and this is the final commute on the death railway from waterloo.' I kid you not. In all the locations there is no useful analysis of Pevsner or the socio-historical context of locale.
These banalities are delivered in a sarcastic, grating and disengaged drone, as if he is one of the civil servants from Luna House he is so disparaging about. His supposedly spontaneous interactions with real people (the exchange with woman in orange dress is particularly crass) are so stilted they even outshine Ian Nairn's laboured encounters. The artfully placed objects (sun glasses, travel rug, vintage Rover, thinning quiff) are designed to reinforce Bracewell's supposed retro cool. Instead they are further confirmation of Bracewell's twattery. At best he is a D list Jonathan Meades, and that is saying something.
Watch the other programmes in this series. They are startlingly good. Prime examples of the BBC's capacity to produce sophisticated and captivating location-based cultural content that was the best of its programming. Avoid Bracewell's banalities at all costs.
bro 😂
Why is this bloke so sneeringly superior to anything English ???
Which bloke? Pevsner? He could be a bit dismissive from time to time, but he spent decades of his life putting his guides together, so hardly anti-English. As for Michael Bracewell, his novels and articles tend to be quietly celebratory of English eccentricity. Don't really see what annoyed you.
I'm a Surrey lad, Kingston upon Thames. I moved to Nottingham for a while, it was quite a shock at first.