Launch
Amber Films 1973
Amber’s film of the launch of the World Unicorn has remained a popular entry in the back catalogue. Sometimes criticised by the British left for its romantic lyricism, in Germany it was seen as a political exposé of work conditions in British shipyards. When shown on Channel 4 in 1982, Chris Auty described the film in the Sunday Times as ‘a tone poem on working life with a distinctive combination of loving nostalgia and political protest.’
The gradual emergence of a ship at the end of the street and its sudden subsequent disappearance was part of the annual cycle in Wallsend. To the unsuspecting visitor, the first encounter with a ship in its final stages, the awareness of its scale is breathtaking. A few days before the launch the yard takes on a special atmosphere of anticipation and this film is a response to, and an attempt to capture that atmosphere.
Despite its short length and minuscule budget (£400) the film was very important in the development of Amber. With a commitment to documenting working life in the North East, the scale and visual drama of shipyards were immediately attractive. The budget eased, when Murray Martin arranged to be paid in film stock for some lectures at Newcastle Polytechnic, it nevertheless took a while to complete. Largely unplanned, it was in the main the work of Murray and Peter Roberts, who directed and shot the film jointly, on what was a casual journey round the yard, seeing, reacting, filming, working on and trusting each other’s instinct and eye.
Although inevitably larger projects were to lead to a more disciplined organisation, a common sensibility to imagery and situation remains fundamental to the group, and perhaps is one reason for its relative stability over a long period of time.
AMBER FILMS
Made with financial assistance from Northern Arts.
Location
Swan Hunter's shipyard, Wallsend, Tyne & Wea
Credits
Editor: Peter Roberts.
Additional help: Graham Denman, Tony Hefferman, Richard Pratt
Directed and photographed: Murray Martin & Peter Roberts
Cast
River workers, shipyard workers and the community of Wallsend
Princess Anne, official guests and press at the launch of the World Unicorn
Keywords
Barge, Industry, Launch, North East, North Tyneside, Oil Tanker, Princess Anne, river, Ship, Shipbuilding, Shipyard, Slipway, Tug, Tyne, Wallsend
Associated Work
DVD:
Available on Tyne Documentaries DVD. Follow the link if you would like to buy it.
RELATED WORK:
River Project photographs by Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen. Follow link to see free online presentation.
River Project photographs by Graham Smith.
River Project photographs by Laurie Wheatley.
Sculpture of welder and maquettes by Laurie Wheatley.
The River Project (1974) - catalogue including work by Graham Smith, Rodney Pybus, Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen, Tom Pickard, Laurie Wheatley, Tom Hadaway.
Laurie (Amber Films, 1978, AF/LAE), documentary portrait of Laurie Wheatley as he makes the River Project sculpture of a welder.
For a monthly changing selection of films and videos by Amber and its friends, visit www.sidetv.net.
For more information about Amber and its film and photographic work, visit www.amber-online.com