12 replies to this topic

[AMC Hornet]

Over a year ago I - and undoubtedly others - petitioned the Turner Classic Movies Channel to play The Liquidator on Jan 11 (Rod Taylor's birthday). We got skunked last year, but this year Robert Osborne will be presenting the film not only on Jan 11, but on Jan 26 as well!

...and I got a PVR from my son for Christmas, so I'm all set. The Liquidator is a film I've been trying to add to my video collection for decades - once I have it, I can consider my library complete. What a great start to the new year!

Google TCM for local times and channels. Happy viewing!

[dogmanstar]

Neat, never seen it. Is it any good?

[Major Tallon]

I've only seen it on TV, so my impressions may not be fair to the film. My recollection is that, while not great, it's pleasant enough. I'll certainly be watching when it's on later this month.

[AMC Hornet]

Well, The Liquidator was on today, and I successfully made a VHS copy of the broadcast.

This was the first time I'd seen the complete film in 29 years. Twice in the interim I'd caught it about halfway through, when it was too late to record.

I'm in J.G. Heaven. Like with my 007 collection, I now own the book, soundtrack, marquee poster and finally the film itself! Life is good.

The next step will be to experiment with recording it on PVR when TCM broadcasts it again on January 26.

(Simon, if you're lurking out there: I promise I will still buy an official DVD if one ever comes available.)

[David Schofield]

JG's book is an absolute classic, and I've always enjoyed the movie. Pretty straight adaptation of the book.

JG didn't like it, or Taylor in particular. Never found out actually why, other than some generally snidey remarks by JG toward the film. Perhaps Simon can elaborate on what annoyed his dad so much about Taylor and the movie; I guess the author - the creator - is bound to have a different (more protective?) view of cinematic interpetations?

Personally, I'd have happily seen the rest of the Boysie books filmed with Taylior. Frankly, an ageing Taylor would have fitted the ageing Boysie we read about, particularly in th 70s novels, very neatly.

But I guess Taylor was never going to be the perfect Boysie. That - handsome, vain, strong, sexually very attractive, insecure and cowardly - would have been Roger Moore. But he was the Saint by the mid 60s. Shame he couldn't have been THE LIQUIDATOR as well....

[bonded56]

On Jan 24th TCM is showing a group of secret agent / spy movies starting at 8PM. In Like Flint, Where The Spies Are, Agent 8 3/4, The Silencers and Salt & Pepper. It runs until 6AM the next morning.

[Simg]

I have a great memory of The Liquidator being run on British TV on a Christmas Day when we living in Oxfordshire. We turned on the TV and it was just starting. JG sad he had finally made it, an adaptation of his work being screened on Christmas Day! Okay, why did JG make some of the 'snide' comments (would like to see these if someone can find them for me) about the movie? Well to be honest he was not a fan of Rod Taylor. You must remember JG had spent a considerable amount of time with actors when he was a theatre critc for The Stratford upon Avon Herald, actors of great stature (this was The Royal Shakespeare Company after all) and yes JG could be a bit of a snob about that sort of thing. Infact he adored the rest of the cast which reads like a 'who's who' of 1960's character actors. There some wonderful performances but in a lot of peoples eyes (not only JG) Rod Taylor just went through the motions and his performance was somewhat lacklustre to say the least. Oh and AMC Hornet from what I have been told there will never be an official DVD release due to all sorts of legal issues regarding the movie. If this ever changes you all will be the first to know! As I write this we are looking into ways of re-publishing all the Boysie books but we have a lot of 'rights' issues to sort out first. Again thanks people for your continued support and Happy New Year!

SRJG

Edited by Simg, 13 January 2012 - 10:13 AM.

[David Schofield]

I Okay, why did JG make some of the 'snide' comments (would like to see these if someone can find them for me) about the movie?

SRJG

Simon, you Dad's attitude toward Taylor I have gathered from various interviews I have read, including one in the 80s with the Bond fan club. Perhaps "snide" wasn't the right word for me to use, but I do detect a certain distaste for Taylor and the movie experience of THE LIQUIDATOR?

Aren't your father's Boysie novel TRAITORS EXIT and his short story A HANDFUL OF RICE inspired by his views of Taylor and the film industry as a whole?

As I've said, I have a soft-spot for Taylor (though Roger Moore is the perfect Oakes-who-never-was) but I can see perhaps Taylor's comic mugging to indicate Boyise character, as opposed to the internal monologue provided by the book, causing your Ddad irritation.

[Simg]

"Aren't your father's Boysie novel TRAITORS EXIT and his short story A HANDFUL OF RICE inspired by his views of Taylor and the film industry as a whole?"

To be honest David it has been such a long time since I read Traitors Exit, I would not be able to confirm the above.

As I said earlier, JG just felt Taylor was not the right actor to play Boysie, also the whole 'movie experience' was spoilt at a later date when the proposed 'Boysie Movie Series' fell through after mismanagement. However there is a story that my Father did delight in telling of Rod Taylor being stopped from boarding a plane after the completion of filming Liquidator as he had walked off with all of the 'Boysie' costumes (suits, shirts, pants, ties, shoes etc.) and he had to the hand them back to the film company before he was allowed to board the flight.

SRJG

[dogmanstar]

Taylor seems like the wrong casting choice--and what's with the accent? Makes you scratch your head and think there's going to be a plot twist along the way somewhere about Boysie's American or Canadian roots.

[David Schofield]

Taylor seems like the wrong casting choice--and what's with the accent? Makes you scratch your head and think there's going to be a plot twist along the way somewhere about Boysie's American or Canadian roots.

Yes, that had often intrigued me. As a kid, I saw the film and thought, hang on a mo, this guy sounds American, therefore I assume they have made Boysie a Yank, as was often the tendancy in the 60s; the hero must be American.

But Boysie is told twice in the film he's English and he doesn't contradict anyone. And he's English, I believe from Berkshire, in JG's books.

And worse still, Taylor does a fine Englsih-English in THE TIME MACHINE and 101 DALMATIANS...

[AMC Hornet]

Taylor was Austrailian, and there was a line of Mostyn's: "No wonder you decided to stay in England."

I'm assuming that Boysie - like Connery's Bond - underwent an origin transplant to account for his accent, or maybe just to sell the film in the States.

In any event, as The Liquidator is the only Boysie Oakes film in existence, I am glad to finally have it in my library. I think Mr. Gardner got shortchanged in the film options department (I saw The Stone Killer years before I ever associated his name with it, and when I read A Complete State of Death and saw what Hollywood had done to Mr. Gardner's work, I understood why he never cared to see the finished product).

Around the time Role of Honour was published I would have loved to have seen a new attempt at a Boysie Oakes film or TV series. Today, however, such an effort would undoubtedly be lumped in with - and overwhelmed by - Austin Powers and Johnny English.

[David Schofield]

Taylor was Austrailian, and there was a line of Mostyn's: "No wonder you decided to stay in England."

I'm assuming that Boysie - like Connery's Bond - underwent an origin transplant to account for his accent, or maybe just to sell the film in the States.

.

Mostyn's line could also be interpreted - because he was in awe of Boysie as he'd saved his life - as seeing that an Englishman of his (Boyise's) qualities might have sought to move overseas from the post-war hole of the UK .

And Connery-Bond accepts being called Engish. Just like Taylor-Oakes...

But i do agree Taylors's accent was for US audiences.