Building a Film Library: The Early Days

Building a Film Library: The Early Days 

I suppose if I were a 16- or 17-year-old teenager today, I doubt very much that I would have experienced the adulation and pure joy of adding great films to your own Colleton. The truth is, today everything is so easily accessible – that ‘thrill of the hunt’ simply doesn’t exist anymore. When someone like the BBC ran a film season, or a Moviedrome season – we would be straight down to our local supplier and filling our boots with a couple of packs of E180 video cassettes – locked and loaded to record and own our own copy for anytime and repeated viewing. All of this was made possible of cause thanks to the coming of home video, a boom and swell that flooded the market in the early 80s. 

If you could afford it, you could of course buy the studio releases of certain films – the drawback here was naturally the cost, a very expensive habit – which would see certain titles being sold for anything up to £80 a movie. I remember treating myself to my first sell through title, Dirty Harry on Warner Home Video for £35 – but that was an exception. The cheaper way by far was to record an off-air version – when the channels came to screening a film. It was always a bonus if shown by the BBC, the obvious screening without ad breaks made the recording process a whole lot easier. 

But the hunt didn’t end there – then there was the enjoyable task of sifting through 100’s of promo sleeves for the video release – a very useful element as boxes of these sleeves would show up at film fairs – a 50p outlay, find yourself a big box case or the smaller sell through version – and all of a sudden you have that film on your shelf with a full sleeve intact. Now that was the ‘thrill of the hunt’ – today, it is simply too easy, a few minutes of your time and you can have a movie downloaded on your device. 

Back in the day we simply weren’t that spoilt. There was a real and genuine sense of appreciation when the chance came along. The Christmas season was also another time – picking out 20-25 titles from that 2-week holiday season was very easy – a bit of an outlay on multipack blank video cassettes – but the rewards certainly made it worthwhile. 

I was going through some cuttings – which I guess took me back to those great times – a full page from a Radio Times which featured one of those seasons – I’m not sure what the year was as i forgot to date it on the reverse. But this ‘Hollywood Superstars’ season serves as a great reminder of these early days of building a film library. Great films, great stars, great days….

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: The Making of a Masterpiece:

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: The Making of a Masterpiece: 

Celebrating the making of Leone’s masterpiece with rare photos and production insight. A must-read for movie fans of all ages.

Celebrating the 60th anniversary of Sergio Leone’s genre-defining classic, with exclusive behind-the-scenes photography.

60 years since its release, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly still stands as one of the most influential films ever made. This commemorative book explores how Sergio Leone’s iconic Spaghetti Western redefined cinema – blending myth, morality and unforgettable style into a story that has inspired film ever since.

Through behind-the-scenes history, cultural analysis and insights into its cast, score and production, this book traces the film’s journey from a bold, unconventional Western to a global masterpiece. From Ennio Morricone’s legendary music to Leone’s revolutionary close-ups and epic standoffs, each chapter reveals why the film came together and how it continues to inspire filmmakers and captivate audiences across generations.

Featuring rare photographs from the Cineteca Bologna archives, this book is a visual tribute that celebrates the legacy of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly – a film that remains as powerful, provocative and unforgettable as ever.

The new Hardback book contains 200 pages – and I dare say will prove irresistible to fans.

A link to the Amazon page can be found HERE and is released on 5th Nov. 2026

Photo Opportunity #77: On Location with Magnum Force

Photo Opportunity #77: On Location with Magnum Force

Our Photo Opportunity for the start of September is a cracking behind the scenes shot of Clint practising his firing accuracy with the 44 Magnum. Clint is surrounded by several of the film crew and other possible Military Police figures. The MP on their helmets may also indicate ‘Point Molate’. Point Molate’ and the nearby Richmond/Castro Point area in California served as the backdrop for the iconic shipyard climax and chase scenes in the 1973 film Magnum Force. 

I’m pretty sure this would have been taken during the filming of these scenes. Magnum Force was filmed between April 24th and June 1973, with a quick turnaround for a December 1973 release. 

Film 80: Escape from Alcatraz review and The Clint Eastwood Appreciation Society full TV Report

Film 80: Escape from Alcatraz review and The Clint Eastwood Appreciation Society full TV Report

My thanks again to Olly Pedgen for sending me a fresh copy of this great TV report from 1980. This extended excerpt is from the BBC Film 80 programme hosted by the late Barr Norman. This episode turned out to be a double treat for Eastwood fans – featuring a review on the latest Eastwood movie, Escape from Alcatraz directed by Don Siegel and a very special feature on The Clint Eastwood Archive including an interview with founder and owner, Dave Turner. 

Dave remains a long-standing friend of the Archive – his Appreciation society was in fact the main inspiration for the Archive being formed. As teenage fans of Clint, Dave’s magazine was really our only link to the world of Clint, there was nothing better than hearing that magazine drop through the door. 

Ok, so it was irregularly produced, and perhaps a little crude in its appearance – but technology was of course in its infant stages – a typewriter, photo pages cut and pasted together, photocopied and stapled together was about as good as it got - until the magazine was later produced in an A4 size booklet with full colour cover. Nevertheless, it was everything to us fans, with the help of Dave Worrall and Mal Baker the magazine kept us in touch and some lifelong friends have blossomed in return. 

So, enjoy this rare treat – the VHS source originally came from Dave Turner who passed it on to Olly who in turn was kind enough to share here, many thanks’ friends. Thanks also to Davy Triumph for a bit of technical help. 

Tightrope: It was 42 Years ago this week

Tightrope: It was 42 Years ago this week

I was somewhat surprised when our friend Olly Peden dropped me one of his regular updates in regards to Tightrope’s release – which was (rather shockingly) 42 years ago this week. I remember seeing this like it was yesterday, and the waiting outside my local ABC cinema. Actually, it was a rather good period for Clint movies, in the February of 1984 UK audiences welcomed the return of Harry Callahan in the fourth film of the series Sudden Impact. Six months on and we were treated to a second new cop film n the shape of the excellent Tightrope. 

Yes, it was this week on (August 17thth) that Tightrope hit the screens. Tightrope is a film that really tends to divide opinion. I know some fans are really bored by it – but I’ve always really enjoyed it. It was welcoming (imo) to explore the vulnerability of a hard-nosed Eastwood character and in many ways signified a general change in attitudes. Most critics agreed too. 

Roger Ebert praised the film for taking chances by exploring the idea of a hard-nosed cop learning to respect a woman. He cites the film as "a lot more ambitious" than the Dirty Harry movies. Ebert's colleague Gene Siskel also praised the film during their on-air review of the film on At the Movies, crediting the performance of the villain, the relationship between Eastwood and Geneviève Bujold, and Eastwood doing "a terrific job risking his star charisma playing a louse" and also "taking us inside to see what it's really like to abuse women". Janet Maslin concluded that the film "isn't quite top-level Eastwood, but it's close." David Denby stated that as an actor Eastwood "gave his most complex and forceful performance to date." 

I would agree with most of that, in fact I probably enjoy it a great deal more than Sudden Impact – which I saw as simply ‘routine’ and designed just to cash in on the then current trend of vicious filmmaking with films such as Scarface and the cold-blooded killing machine which was The Terminator. 1984 was a monumental turning point for cinematic violence, directly triggering the creation of the PG-13 rating by the Motion Picture Association of America. 

Tightrope was filmed in New Orleans in the fall of 1983. Filming locations include the French Quarter, the Piazza d'Italia, the Dixie Beer Brewery, the Crescent City Connection (the second span of which is seen under construction), and the Creole Queen riverboat.

While Richard Tuggle retained the director's credit, Eastwood reportedly directed much of the film himself after finding Tuggle too indecisive. It eventually grossed $48 million at the United States box office. In its opening weekend Tightrope was number 1, taking in $9,156,545, an average $5,965 per theatre.

My thanks to Olly for the reminder. 

1972 Publicity or the ‘stripy pants’ photo session

1972 Publicity or the ‘stripy pants’ photo session

Here’s a great collection of publicity stills of Clint taken in 1972. For obvious reasons they are often referred to as the ‘stripy pants’ sessions. It does make me smile, an indication of the fashion of the day and what you could or could not get away with. Clint saves the day here by also sporting a classic red Lacoste polo shirt. 

Taken in 1972. Clint was about to embark on a new project called Breezy – which began filming in November of the same year. Apart from a small ‘Hitchcock like’ cameo appearance in the movie, Clint would serve only as director. 

In fact, there are a couple of production shots from Breezy that show Clint wearing a similar pair of those famous stripes – which help to tie these shots together. Outlandish for sure, but you pull it off sir. 

Photo Opportunity #76: On Location Where Eagles Dare

Photo Opportunity #76: On Location Where Eagles Dare

The first of the month reminds me that we have just hit August. I thought I’d scan and post this lovely shot from my own collection – a photo free of any AI interference. It captures Clint and Richard Burton in between shots while on location shooting Where Eagles Dare. It was an ideal chance for some press photographers to capture the 2 stars who both look in relaxed mood. I think it’s a cracking shot with glorious colour detail.