ha-rob

Looking at this film from today's perspective it looks very tame, the story is a group of gay men from different social economic groups being blackmailed, but this film was made in 1961 6 years before the 1967 Sexual Offences Act which decriminalised sex acts between men over the age of 21 in private, the film was made during the period which became known as the British new wave when British films wanted to become more realistic and challenge the accepted view of society and the establishment but this was still a brave move at the time, the film treats the men sympathetically (who at the time would've been regarded as perverts and criminals) and argues (as much as it dares) for the law to be changed, Dirk Bogarde plays a successful barrister who decides to take on the blackmailers and let the chips fall where they may, knowing that that decision will destroy pretty much every aspect of his life, the film is well acted and very well made, i think because of its time and subject matter the film will always be very interesting as a period piece more so as time goes by, to think that less than 50 years ago there were laws like this and people were persecuted and prosecuted for their preferences is a disgrace and i think that's what most of todays audiences will think.

11 year old Lesley Molseed was found murdered on the moors of northern England in October 1975 two months later a local man Stefan Kiszko was charged with her murder and in 1976 was convicted of her murder but Kiszko was innocent.This is the story of one of the most terrible miscarriages of justice in British legal history. The film shows us that Kiszko is a harmless mummy's boy who works as tax clerk during the week and spends his weekends with his mother,the police come to his house to question him regarding an incident involving indecent exposure,his mother tells the police that he was in hospital having an operation on his foot at the time,when the police find out that the operation took place months before they take him in for questioning this time for the murder,over the next couple of days Kiszko is brow beaten and coerced into confessing to a crime that not only did he not commit but due to a medical condition he could not commit before being allowed access to a solicitor,at his trial his defence led by future home secretary David Waddington seem to assume his guilt from the start and try to persuade Kiszko to let them plead diminished responsibility on his behalf and partly due to this disastrous decision his fate for the next 16 years is sealed,the film then concentrates on his mother Charlotte's determination despite age and ill health to clear her son's name despite hitting a brick wall every time the film also shows the horror that Kiszko suffers serving a life sentence,being labelled a child killer,being beaten up by other inmates and finally suffering a mental breakdown,Charlotte finally finds a solicitor who will take up the case and after much hard work and investigation gets the case heard at the court of appeal and the conviction is quashed,but there is no happy ending as Kiszko and his mother are both broken and scarred and within 2+1/2 years both are dead The film is very well made with special mention to Tony Maudsley who is totally convincing as Stefan Kiszko as is Olympia Dukakis as his mother Charlotte. In November 2007 the real murderer was finally convicted of this terrible crime after getting away with it for 32 years

This episode was the first one to be made in colour originally broadcast on 6 March 1970 unfortunately the colour master is lost and now only exists as a black and white copy. Hercules their beloved horse has a heart attack and dies on the Goldhawk Road,Harold deeply upset at the situation has no option (as the dead horse is blocking the road)to sell Hercules to the cats meat man for 30 shillings (£1.50)then he has to go home and break the news to his dad and so begins another episode of great acting and top drawer writing as they argue and blame each other for the situation they find themselves in and come to terms with the fact that Hercules although a much mourned member of the family will have to be replaced.