As president of The Arthur Ransome Society, I am keen to promote ‘Swallows and Amazons’, emphasizing the aspect that children today can enjoy the outdoor activities advocated by Arthur Ransome back in the 1930s.
ITV reporter Nina Nannar bravely came out sailing with me in a Scow, rigged like Swallow with a balanced lug sail, to experience the excitement of letting the wind take us along at speed.
When it came to the evening News, ITV showed clips of the movie of ‘Swallows and Amazons’, launched in August 2016.
The item was also shown on the News in New Zealand. A viewer wrote in saying:
‘Great to see a full 3+ minutes about the new S&A film on NZ TV news tonight. Sophie Neville did a great job of promoting the value for modern kids to get out on the water or under canvas.’
The 2016 movie stars Ralph Spall, Kelly Macdonald & Andrew Scott, seen here spying on Captain Flint.
A clip from ‘Swallows & Amazons’ (1974) starring Virginia McKenna
in which I played her daughter, Titty Walker or rather Able-seaman Titty, was also shown.
They then showed children today learning to sail, unaccompanied by adults.
Whilst young children were crewing for the junior instructors, aged 16 and 17, Nina Nannar interviewed me about summer camps offered by The Arthur Ransome Society
‘Is Swallows and Amazons relevant to children today?’ was the main question.
‘It’s timeless, isn’t it?’ I said, proving this by referring to the children sailing around us.
Andrea Gibb was interviewed in the studio about her screenplay for ‘Swallows and Amazons’ (2016).
You can watch the item here
‘Is Swallows and Amazons relevant to children today?’
Please add your comments below
You can read about making the original film of Swallows and Amazons here:
Sophie Neville 
Hope you can get the footage and upload to YouTube…
They promise a link on Weds. You have to sign in, but you can watch it now on the ITV Hub. I’ve just added the link at the bottom of this post.
I could load some behind the scenes footage. It is not so lively but we took a record of how the item was made, along with behind-the-scenes photos.
Thank you Sophie I managed to catch it on ITV hub Will get to see the new film when I can but cannot believe it will be as good as yours! Pan
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It is just very different. You really have to read the book again to appreciate the adaptation.
Reblogged this on Swallows and Amazons.
Sophie to be perdantic the rig is a balanced lug 😉
Thanks – I’ll change the text.
I’m of course going to the showing at the BFI in London on 14 August. The 1970s film will be a hard act to follow, but I’m very optimistic. In the trailer, Nancy has a Northern accent – a bit startling, as her family was clearly upper-middle class and probably used ‘received pronounciation’ of the BBC type, but a valid reminder of her Lake District roots.
You’ll have to write a review!
Ruth and I missed the ITV article last week – we were spending a few days in Coniston . The new `Swallows and Amazons ( 2 ) ` looks good as a new slant on A.R.`s life – MI6 connections etc. and I am sure the film will attract many young viewers with its scenes of action .
Reading two separate articles in this morning`s Daily Telegraph , I was a little concerned as to the dedication of the `new ` John Walker who claimed to have read only 2 pages of the `S and A` book . Hardly exhaustive research , but I shall review his performance later…
TARS for ever , Martin
Yes, I was a amazed he hadn’t read S&A but I think Ralf Spall, who plays Jim turner did a little more research. How was Coniston? What did you manage to do there?
We spent the week visiting places like Tarn Hows , Ruskin`s house Brantwood , Rydal Mount , Dove Cottage , Wray Castle etc.
Coniston is a great `base ` for a lakeland visit as it does not suffer the huge tourist overload like Windermere or Grasmere .
We stopped for a coffee at Bank Ground Farm which was good to revisit after many years , and a trip down Coniston , passing The Island was a perfect way to spend a sunny August afternoon .
TARS for ever , Martin
What a great holiday! Not sure when I can make it north but I am starting to make plans.
Forgot to mention , we saw `Amazon` , the original boat which belonged to Brigit Sanders and was the subject of a restoration at the very start of TARS . She now rests in the Ruskin Museum in Coniston ( which is well worth a visit for the Bluebird exhibition .
M
Wonderful! I saw the RNSA that was used to portray Swallow in the new film on the parade at Cowes yesterday. I wonder how different she would be to the dinghy Ransome once sailed, which I believe had a white hull and a keel.
I would love to have been present when A.R. sailed on Coniston , or when the children learnt to sail . It must have been a much quieter environment on the lakes , where life was calm , less pressured and less reliant on small screens ( which I believe put an intollerable pressure on children / people generally today !! – end of sermon ! )
TARS for ever Martin
It’s amazing that it isn’t busier on the lakes. Ransome had huge pressures himself – with deadlines for articles, so much so that Roger Wardale insists he was too busy to have taught the Altounyan children to sail. The evidence is in his diaries. Facinating. Have you read any of Roger Wardale or Christian Hardyment’s biographical books on Ransome?
I have read several Roger Wardale books and both editions of ` Arthur Ransome and Captain Flint`s Trunk . It seems that A.R. , far from being simply a writer of childrens books and the odd fishing article , was in fact an MI6 agent , living a life far more complicated than I suspect most of us could ever imagine or indeed cope with . The more we discover , the more fascinating the Arthur Ransome story becomes …
TARS for ever , Martin
Yes, and he wouldn’t have been able to write a word about his activity for SIS. He was never an under-cover agent or ‘spy’. I suspect he only passed on information, just as journalists do today, but Evgenia was wary about strangers turning up in the Lakes. Have you seen ‘The Secret World of Arthur Ransome’? I have the Iplayer link and a letter from Mrs Ransome on my blog.
I did watch `The Secret World of Arthur Ransome ` but it was years ago . I will watch it again to refresh my memories . Certainly a life more complex than many people imagine …
M .
I didn’t see this news item but I am looking forward to seeing the new film adaptation.
We had some great comments on social media.