Walburgas - The Launches

- New Living Traditions -

London Launch a triumph

Bob Carr and Glyn Watkins at the London launch, 26th Feb. 2005

Link to large image of London launch poster

My London launch was at the Everyman Cinema Club off Hampstead High Street, on Saturday 26th Feb. It was a repeat of the national launch at the National Museum of Photography, Film & Television, with a showing of A Month in the Country, based on the J.L.Carr novel and starring Kenneth Branagh, Colin Firth and Natasha Richardson. It was far more physically exhausting and metally draining than I let on at the time, but by almost any measure it was a triumph, the one low measure was the number of my own books sold. Bob Carr came along and joined me on stage for a pre-screening discussion, but Byron Rogers, author of The Last Englishman - The Life of J.L. Carr had the flu, so I had to do more talking than planned. Colin Firth could not make it either come, so I did not make Hello! that week, but both the producer, Kenieth Trodd, and the director, Pat O'Connor came, and Pat brought Colin's apologies. Everything else went incredibly well, and it was apparently a technical sell out! The gifted and pretty Carolyn Harlow brought her family along to sell mine and Carr's books, her daughter India wrote out receipts and her son Josh took photos. They sold over 80 books!
I was so busy I had no chance to talk to Kenieth or Pat about the making of A Month in the Country, although Pat did buy my book and told me he liked it.
I introduced the event by reading the passage Byron read at the Bradford launch, and then telling some of the story of my finding of the film print. Bob Carr and I then talked about his fathers books and life. We did not talk much about the film itself. Perhaps next time!
After the film had finished the audience reaction was almost overwhelming and immensely gratifying, especially from those that had not seen the film before, and in some cases had not known of it or Carr before they read Hilary Witney's mavellous peice in the Daily Telegraph. Thank you to everyone, especially The Everyman.

Bradford Launch

Byron Rogers, Bob Carr & Glyn Watkins at the launch

Launch triumph!

National Museum of Film, Phototgraphy & Telveision, 27 June 2004

The book launch was a stunning success. Over a hundred people came to the National Museum in Bradford for the event. I introduced it with slides, Byron Rogers read from 'The Last Englishman - The Life of J.L.Carr' and talked of Carr's life and work with myself and Bob Carr. The film, which I saw for the first time, made me weep.

'Carr homage proves a big hit'

The above was the headline for the Bradford Telegraph & Argus review of the event that launched my book, at the National Museum of Photography, Film & Television, with a showing of A Month in the Country. The event celebrated the writer J.L.Carr, who wrote the novel A Month in the Countryand came after I had spent a year finding the film. It stared Kenneth Branagh and Colin Firth. The event came after a year of hard work, apart from anything else me and my mates, Matt and Mike, had to shift furniture an hour before the show, but it was an utter triumph!

The week or so after the launch felt like I was recovering from illness, and, in fact, I lived with the Walburgas launch for almost exactly the same length of time as I lived with the pneumonia that stopped me working and made me do something about my poems and drawings before I went insane (or more insane) due to boredom.

Over 100 people came to the event on a sunny Sunday afternoon, and close to 100 books were sold.

Glyn Watkins with one of his mother's knits & Bob Carr

The event started with a recording of a Radio 4 Front Row piece about Carr and The Last Englishman. As the piece finished I walked to the front and introduced myself. I showed slides, which I’d made that morning, of my book, my mother and my work (and one of the letters I had received. I bet you cannot guess which one.).

Byron Rogers then came up and read an extract from his book The Last Englishman - The Life of J.L.Carr about Carr’s funeral.

I then explained how I had got to know Carr, how I had influenced by his publishing and engraving, and how I came to find A Month in the Country and persuade Channel 4 to release it on DVD for the first time, and how I managed to sell a copy to Kenneth Branagh. I finished with a slide showing all Carr’s novels.

Bob Carr then joined Byron and me on stage, to talk of his father's life and work. All of his books are based on his own life. It is true that all novels are about the novelist, which means nearly all of them are written about writing, but Carr lead an extraordinary life, and his novels make an extraordinarily varied collection. Follow this link for more details: A Month in the Country.

We then had a break to sell books. Mine and Carr’s were sold by Kim, manageress of Hampsen’s bakers shop on Ivegate.

The film was then shown (and I would like to thank the projectionists at the NMPF&TV for their professionalism). It was the first time I’d seen A Month in the Country. It was remarkably true to the book in tone and detail. Very English and immensely moving. I blubbed. Part of this was due to an adrenaline backwash, but also because of the strength of the story and acting. I also thought ‘We’re watching this because of me. All these people are here because of what I’ve done!’ I felt awed.

Bob and Jane Carr, and Byron were immensely impressed and full of congratulations. As were all the audience I spoke to.

I’d like to thank Bob, Jane, Byron, Matt, Kim, Sophie, Dave Beaumont (for filming), Jenny Beaumont (for photos) web master Roger, and all the people who came to watch and listen on a hot Sunday afternoon; especially the ones who got their hand down and bought books!

Glyn Watkins 6th July 2004

Book & DVD Launch Story

The story of this event is mostly the story of J. L. Carr's influence on me and why I wanted to launch my book with a celebration of his life.

In the early eighties I walked into the Bookcase in Hebden Bridge and discovered a box of tiny books next to the till. They were mostly selections of poets, but some had titles like: ‘Carr's Dictionary OF ENGLISH QUEENS, KINGS' WIVES, CELEBRATED PARAMOURS, HANDFAST SPOUSES, AND ROYAL CHANGELINGS’. They were 40p each; and I coppered up and bought every one I could afford. After I'd cashed my next dole giro I went back and bought more.

I tried to get a bookshop in Bradford to stock them; but they treated me like an idiot and told me to send a 'rate card'. I wrote to J. L. Carr, to tell him of this. By return of post I got a collection of A. E. Housman, inscribed: A reward for conspicuous gallantry in approaching a snooty bookseller! I had already been producing ink drawn and photocopied cards. Carr's example drove me to do more, and better.

I had known Bill Lawrence, of the National Museum of Photography, Film & Television, from our days at Bradford Playhouse. I had organized an event to celebrate J. B. Priestley at the NMPFT in 1999, and it had gone well.

After I had finished the first of the new Walburgas I was drunk with exhilaration; and within seconds thought: "National Museum, national launch!".

I talked to Bill soon afterwards (March 2003) and he was happy with the idea; as long as I came up with a suitable film...

I spent a month trying to think of something; and in a bright flash I thought of Carr. He had died in 1993, but I knew his company was being run by his son and daughter-in-law. I phoned hoping they were carrying on the business. They were; and they were as charming as I remembered. From them I discovered that 'A Month in the Country' had been made into a film, and 'A Day in Summer' into a television film: neither of which I knew.

Bill liked the idea of 'A Month in the Country' but finding it was a nightmare. He tried all his usual channels, and drew a blank with all of them. The fact that it had never been released as a dvd did not fill me with hope...

I spent the next year digging away: like a PoW with a teaspoon. I tried Channel 4; the BFI; a film makers' website called: Shooting People and anyone else I could think of including Kenneth Brannagh's office (his secretary is a star). I went around in circles, but the ripples spread slowly outwards, and I bloody well did it!

I confirmed the sole rights holders were Channel 4; that they and Freemantle Media had BetaSP tape copies: and also that Warner Brothers did have a 35 mm film print. It was thanks to the Ken-Friends and the NFT, that this sole film print was located. It was stored in Warner's sub-contracted archive: and so did not appear on their normal database.

While all this was going on I was keeping in touch with Channel 4 in the hope of a dvd release. The Friends of Firth and Ken-Friends got involved, and started organizing a campaign. At which point C4 quickly told me they were going to release it. I bloody well did it! An unknow bloke in a Bradford back-to-back got a classic film released on dvd using nothing more than a telepone, e-mails and sheer bloodymindedness!

It has been a year of me doing an impression of a jack russell with a rat; and at the same time I have been processing my book, setting up all I needed to publish it, and getting business funding to do it all. It has been a joy. I have made friends and brought the film of 'A Month in the Country' back into the public domain. I was awarded a book for gallantry, and I am happy to honour the memory of the man that did so.