Obituary
Director of The War Game – banned by the BBC from being shown on TV for fully 20 years after its making in 1964 and still one of the most visceral of all what if happens films ever made.
Interestingly, a couple of years later, PW made Privilege starring the Manfred’s Paul Jones as a pop singer the government uses as a mouthpiece to sell its policies to younger voters
Just found a copy of P on Vimeo and shall give it a watch for the first time in probably 50 years
RIP Mr Watkins
Incredibly intense and fascinating man. We have two connections with him. My wife’s cousin had a brief speaking role in The War Game, apparently filmed in and around Tunbridge Wells of all places.
Then, in the early 80s when Central TV were attempting to make a sequel he and his assistants came to our house in Watford. I was Chairman of the local CND and he planned to use our members as extras in the new film. In the end the planned film was abandoned and I think this was when he gave up on Britain completely and lived the rest of his life abroad.
I saw a book of stills of TWG when I was 11 and I was so traumatised I’ve never been able to bring myself to watch it.
I watched for the first time a few weeks ago. Astonishingly bleak, so much so that I’m surprised he managed to get it made, if not (originally) shown. No wonder the powers that be blocked it.
Having seen Watkins’ creation, I can’t help thinking that if the bomb does eventually drop, trying to survive is largely futile. So, er, thanks for that, Mr W and co.
Still, RIP to a brave filmmaker.
Was “The War Game” bleaker than “Threads”?
If so, it must’ve been REALLY bleak…
I avoided that too!
Yes, having seen them both, I thought TWG made Threads look relatively hopeful by comparison.
I was surprised that so many extras were willing to take part in TWG. Watkins and his crew must have explained what was going to happen and what would be required, but even so, I imagine that making it must have been a grim experience. I don’t expect there were many matey laughs around the catering tables during the breaks.
Threads will probably stay in my memory forever, just because I first saw it at an impressionable age while TWG is now more of a relic of a bygone age, but together they are really powerful anti-nuclear messages. I know Donald Trump would never watch them, but when he casually talks about firing nukes at hurricanes and makes similar flippant remarks about these apocalyptic weapons, I wish somebody could show him either film and say “Just shut up and never touch the big red button.”
I’ve never seen The War Game, but I saw Privilege when it came out, and wasn’t impressed by the premise, even in 1967. Pretty lame, I thought – PJ may be fine as a singer, gob iron botherer and dj, but he isn’t particularly convincing as a charismatic pop star. Jean Shrimpton isn’t much cop either.
Can’t find it on Vimeo here, so let us know how it goes @jaygee.
Currently about halfway through. Goes quickly downhill after a Bowie @ Victoria Station type opening. Jean Shrimpton is terribly wooden and Paul Jones, while only 25 when the film came out looks about 40. Will watch the rest but I fear it will be a bit of a slog
I saw Paul Jones in conversation earlier this year, he didn’t think much of the film either.
It had an interesting premise, but Watkins missed the boat completely in understanding audiences. As Peter Cook put it in “Bedazzled” – “They’re a fickle lot, your pop fans”. And his staging of a concert showed zero understanding of how a mass of writhing screaming teenage girls would act during a concert.
And having seen “The War Game” a few years ago, I can’t help wondering if makers of reality TV shows (especially those “X Has Talent” shows) have studied it carefully.
Punishment Park and The Edvard Munch drama-doc are also worth seeing. Privilege was flawed by his rather lofty, austere dislike of pop music as culture industry–although he may have foreseen The Festival of Light reaction. . He seems to have become quite a “difficult” man: IIRC, he refused face-to-face interviews and would only write by correspondence.