Artemis 81

Jenny Brewer on Artemis 81 from pebblemill on Vimeo.

 
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In this specially recorded video, Jenny Brewer, who worked as a production assistant in the 1970s and early 1980s, talks about some of the challenges of making the three hour, epic drama, by David Rudkin: Artemis 81.

The film was transmitted on 29th December 1981. The BBC genome project (digitised historic Radio Times entries), provides the following information about Rudkin’s drama:

A film by DAVID RUDKIN with Hywel Bennett
Dinah Stabb , Dan O’Herlihy featuring Sting and Anthony Steel, Margaret Whiting Roland Curram , Ingrid Pitt
A Danish museum case shattered, the pieces of a pagan statue hidden in cars on a North Sea ferry, the subsequent deaths of ferry passengers, an old musician terrified that a curse upon him will cause the devastation of the Earth.
Gideon Harlax, a successful young novelist of ‘ the paranormal and unexplained ‘, thinks he has found the material for a new book. But as Gideon coldly exploits human tragedies, angry powers from Man’s ancient past are gathering. Alien Planet Danish ferry Oxford library
Original music by DAVE GREENSLADE Passacaglia by GORDON CROSSE
Film cameraman DAVID JACKSON Film editor MIKE HALL Designer GAVIN DAVIES
Script editor ROGER GREGORY Producer DAVID ROSE
Director ALASTAIR REID

http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/e4712cf3ce794d8d9c47c637bf8dbadd

Jenny Brewer

 

 

 

The following comment was left on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:

Stuart Gandy: ‘I remember working on this in the dubbing theatre. Dave Baumber did a wonderful mix. It needed a lot of post-sync recording. A very interesting film, would love to see it again. I don’t think it was ever repeated.’

 

Artemis 81

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos from Bob Jacobs (production manager) and Jenny Brewer (production assistant), no reproduction without permission.

Written by David Rudkin, produced at Pebble Mill by David Rose and directed by Alastair Reid, Artemis 81 was an epic drama lasting over 3 hours.  It was broadcast on 29th Dec 1981 and follows a paranormal writer, Gideon Harlax (Hywel Bennett) who becomes involved in a cosmic battle for the future of mankind between an angel of light and an angel of death.

It was a star studded cast with Hywel Bennett, Daniel Day-Lewis, Sting, Dinah Stabb, Dan O’Herlihy and Anthony Steel.

The drama was originally conceived as a Danish co-production, which is why there was location filming in Denmark, as well as on a North Sea ferry and in Oxford.

Artemis 81 is available on DVD.

Cast and Crew of Artemis 81

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