Apr 22, 2021
Out of the Unknown: Level Seven (2.4, BBC, 1966)
"That's our only function? A sort of... human check against mechanical accidents?"
"Yes. Before the final alerting of Control, we have inserted human judgement. The same with the actual firing of the rockets: they're electronically controlled, guided to hit specific targets; but you fellows press the buttons that let them loose."
#Out of the Unknown#Level Seven#Mordecai Roshwald#J. B. Priestley#Single play#1966#BBC#Rudolph Cartier#Anthony Bate#Keith Buckley#Michele Dotrice#David Collings#Tom Criddle#Jane Jordan Rogers#David Cargill#Raymond Hardy#Michael Bird#Sean Arnold#Anthony Sweeney#Patricia Denys#Ooh wow now this is a prestige production. Deeply impressive in design and execution‚ and not least in those names involved: director#Cartier was a living legend‚ having made all three Quatermass serials with Nigel Kneale and basically invented genre tv in the process. And#Priestley?? Actually he had nothing to do with the show itself: Shubik had been approached by novelist Roshwald to adapt this book for#Previous anthology Out of this World but it had never happened. When she recalled it for this new series‚ she found that Priestley had#Already written a film script a few years earlier. It was bought and trimmed down to fit a neat 1hr running time (much to JBP's chagrin).#His interest is unsurprising; a lifelong opponent of nuclear weapons‚ this incredibly bleak and biting 'what if' was right up his alley.#It's all rounded off with a brilliant cast doing some incredible work. Not least a baby faced David Collings.. I think i have a mutual who#Likes him but I can't quite remember... Hmm. Well he's perfectly cast here in a Collingsly role as the one future soldier who's programming#Hasn't quite taken and thus finds the prospect of killing countless millions of people somewhat unpalatable. Strange‚ I know. He wasn't so#Noble in The Professionals‚ as I recall..... Tony Bate is wonderful as ever as the unbending military superior who finally breaks
