The Bodies Beneath (Strange Attractor Press)

BFI Flipside was a fascinating, provocative, revelatory and much-loved strand which dared to go beyond the classic and cult canons to find meaning and value in overlooked British films and television. It was a meeting of minds which sooner or later got everyone involved into trouble with the film establishment guardians of good taste. But it's one thing to programme a film, quite another to publish a 398-page book about such diverse and hard to define subject matter, and this is a stunning achievement which will change the way people think about the history of British film and television. Thematically organised and lovingly written, The Bodies Beneath is a wide-ranging and encyclopaedic delve into, well, everything from nudism, disco, war, witchcraft and a Cricket Match on a Fishing Smack During a Heavy Sea (1899). This beautiful, well-illustrated edition from Strange Attractor Press makes you want to seek out the works within, many of which can be found on DVD and Blu-Ray thanks to BFI Video and other brave labels. And yes, that is Gus Honeybun on the front cover.

First, my thanks to Alan Bryce and "The Dark Side" magazine, and his review which drew my attention and also made me want to buy the book ("Dark Side" and it's companion Mag "Infinity" are well worth seeking out, as they cover vintage/giallo/TV/Mags etc. and cover them well - No I am not related or a friend, I just love the mags) Enough!!! I found it very hard thinking about how many stars to give this book. Thoroughly researched, and written in an easy to read style, with touches of humour, by two people who really know (and love) their Onions. Contents are clearly labelled by chapter, and there is a splendid index (thankyou). It has to be said that this horse did not get some of the films covered - EG P.79 "Phoelix", P.94 "Oss Oss Wee Oss" and some more, but they were then compensated by the chapters on "Fun at St Fanny's" , Doctor Who" Colin Baker, All of "Kid's Stuff", and the parts I did enjoy and find interesting far outweighed those I didn't, and don't forget, my personal opinion of certain chapters, should in no way put off prospective buyers. This is a book that deserves to be read, and then you can decide for yourself. (P.S I am sure you will, but do read the other reviews here - Very helpful, and the price is lower now.) ----- 29 July 2019 - I see the price on Amazon is now £72!!! and no...In my opinion that is way too much, and why it has gone sky high is beyond me. Not recomended at this price..

I love books about films and TV. I have hundreds of them and it's always a treat when you come across a true one-off, original like this. This book explores the odd, the forgotten, the unfairly maligned films and TV programmes that haven't been discussed in depth before. The research and depth of detail is immense and the work discussed is told with humour but respectfully. Highly recommended.

I can usually see the best in anything but it’s hard in this case. I have spent too much of the last 50 years devouring a very wide range of film and TV. I have often purposefully strayed to experience the less trodden path but there is too little of interest here for even me. When I did turn a page to finally find a topic of interest I found the commentary to be a quick rehash of the well known. You don't need this book, far better to use their index and do a google search for the items you want to know more about, you will learn more that you will from this book. Better still forget this book and write your own list of people/TV/films you are interested in and do your own research. Spike Milligan already used the more accurate title that better describes this book ‘A Book of Bits or a Bit of a Book’. Reading this new book reminded me of all the undergraduate courseworks I assessed over the years, an assemblage of rarely connected pieces which stop when the writer got bored and sadly long after this reader got bored. When writing a book raw enthusiasm gets you only so far, maybe 90% of the way there but finishing the book properly, that final 10%, is what requires the hard work. This book needed that extra dedication.

Firstly ,this book has 398 pages and not the 224 as advertised Secondly,it’s my book of the year so far- a brilliant secret history of British cinema and steers well away from the mainstream and gives you a fantastic tour of movies and tv shows you may have missed- cult classics such as all the right noises ,screamtime ,up jumped a swagman,and mother Riley meets the vampire ; alongside tv shows and dramas such as Danger man,Dr Who,Robin Redbreast and the war game Trust me,buy this book and you’ll heading down to the BFI Book Store or surfing Amazon for those DVDs mentioned It’s the best book I’ve read all year and will be on my shelves alongside my other most- read books- Offbeat,nightmare movies and the ‘....Gothic’ books of Jonathan rigby Simply put- Buy it now

Absorbing trawl through the underbelly of Brit TV and film. Some of the writing is a bit clunky at times but the subject matter is fascinating (if you like that sort of thing, obviously).

Everything you need to know about the genre.

Great price

I highly recommend this dip into the fascinating fringes of British film and television production. There’s a whole world of exploitation and cult productions examined here, in a very entertaining and illuminating way.

Amazing