tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764631039755560338.post6060946138850224151..comments2024-03-08T20:21:22.820+00:00Comments on The Deighton Dossier: Selling secrets .... the invention of The Ipcress FileDeighton Dossierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01764108300942425651noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764631039755560338.post-59911604181754080782014-10-18T21:10:47.287+01:002014-10-18T21:10:47.287+01:00Apologies, have explained below. Simon.Apologies, have explained below. Simon.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764631039755560338.post-33608792348666639322014-10-18T21:09:30.324+01:002014-10-18T21:09:30.324+01:00Note: Sorry, I had to delete the comment posted a...Note: Sorry, I had to delete the comment posted as there were a few typos. I hope I have corrected them<br /><br />Back into my memory lane again. Saltzmann, who chose to bring “The Ipcress File” into the big screen, did so based on the raving reviews of the novel. Although, Saltzmann could not advertise anything based on the non-Bond hero like character played by Michael Caine, who was relatively unknown then, although he had appeared in TV, and had good reviews of the character Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead in Zulu which led to his casting in this film ( http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/the-untold-story-of-the-film-zulu-starring-michael-caine-50-years-on-9069558.html), he should have put Deighton , as the best selling author of the novel down at the core of the advertisements then. He singularly failed there, as Deighton by then was very well known. In recent years, John Grisham’s name( ignoring his recent gaffe) appears in the core of advertisements for films based on his novels which promotes the film concerned well.<br /><br />The situation became very different in the next film “ Funeral in Berlin”, as Michael Caine became well known by then , and Deighton’s forte of narrative, imagery and story line settings which were exemplified in that novel, augmented by his unparalleled knowledge of West and East Berlin, which were very well appreciated by the readers of his novel, did not necessitate any additional effort by Saltzmann and co.<br />Simon<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764631039755560338.post-35918632568783655302014-10-18T16:28:18.304+01:002014-10-18T16:28:18.304+01:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764631039755560338.post-23203845432497563682014-10-12T21:31:46.305+01:002014-10-12T21:31:46.305+01:00Should be: "the main leisure activity"Should be: "the main leisure activity"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5764631039755560338.post-39733804983918822442014-10-12T19:02:15.891+01:002014-10-12T19:02:15.891+01:00“In reading through the pack, you can get an idea ...“In reading through the pack, you can get an idea of the angles that producer Harry Saltzman and his marketing team were looking to push in the advance publicity around the film. In the background information - the first page - there are choice phrases used to describe the film, which give an idea of how they were marketing it at a time when the Bond films were already becoming successful”<br />“For every would-be promoter the studio's publicity department really made an effort to get what we would nowadays call "brand awareness" in advance of the film's release. Judging by its popularity when premiered in 1965, they were pretty successful”<br />If my memory serves me right, Salzman and co did not do a good job of promoting the film. The book was already a best seller. The “brand awareness “ was provided by Deighton’s name as the best seller author, and also in a indirect but strong way by the successful Bond films then, as the list of 3 names advertised were all from those sucessful Bond films: the (Bond film joint) producer-Salzman, The (Bond film) music director-Barry and the( Bond film) editor-Hunt. A simple question like “what is The Ipcress File” would have been better. That was the time when films made from popular books were invariably attracted a large discerning cinema audience who had read those books. After the end of the film screening, some of us as part of the audience used to quickly review the film( vis-à-vis the book )over a cup of coffee in the foyer of the theatre. It was the case with Bond films and with this film too until about the middle of 1960s. There were no other entertainment technology-related distractions then , and hence reading books those days was a main leisure activity.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com