The Wigan Casino - This England
Tony Palmer’s 1977 wonderful celebration of the Northern Soul club; the Wigan Casino (part of the “This England” series of docs) for Granada TV is an incredibly bleak half hour. Obviously there’s some priceless archive from inside the club (it showed up most recently in Dance Britannia), impressive shapes being thrown all over the shop and a healthy showing of moustaches and blokes riffling through 7 inch singles in flares. So far, so obvious. Palmer, however, has intercut this with endless grey shots of the industrial north and kids hanging round bus stops. Dave Withers (the fan interviewed) is essentially giving a twenty minute lecture on social capital. Although you also get to hear the likes of Judy Street’s; What, much of the music on show is some heartbreaking/dreary (fill in as required) old english folk. Watch out for someone selling Socialist Worker - “only ten pence”.
(rarely for YouTube, this is the full 27 minute documentary in one part).
Great stuff Jem. Fascinating. I think it would be brilliant to have a ‘classics’ strand here at watchification. It would provide a really interesting counterpoint to the seven-day stuff from iPlayer.
blimey - what a smasher. good to see wigan hasn’t changed much.
you can find a bunch of the records from this over at
http://dusty7s.blogspot.com/
if you fancy a dance.
x
‘Palmer, however, has intercut this with endless grey shots of the industrial north and kids hanging round bus stops.’
Have you ever been to Wigan? Go there and try filminf something other than this!
Great stuff, will link to it on FiS
was there on 1st night sept 23rd 1973 spent some memorable nights there
remember the excitement when the cameras filmed
“this england at the casino”
and the anticipation of it going out on tv
Fascinating! Tell us more!