GIRO CITY
UK, 1982, 102 minutes, Colour.
Glenda Jackson, Jon Finch.
Directed by Karl Francis.
Giro City is a film about the media, especially television media and the making of documentaries. It is perhaps more interesting than entertaining. However, it focuses on personalities within media, their ambitions, their skills, the types of stories they pursue, the effect on the people that they interview, investigative journalism and its consequences with groups involved as well as with public censorship and the government. Glenda Jackson giver her usual strong performance and is matched by Jon Finch as a disgruntled reporter.
The supporting cast lends an air of euthenics to the characters they portray. There is a focus on the IRA and the subsequent banning of the IRA being able to present any viewpoint on British media according to the Thatcher government in the mid and late 80s). There is also a story of nuclear waste-disposal, international big business exploiting land buying and evicting ordinary citizens from their home - as well as corruption in local government. Direction is by documentary filmmaker Karl Francis.
1. Interesting film about the media? Television? The 80s? Reporters and journalists? Audiences? Censorship? Social issues? Media ethics?
2. The British settings, whales? Ireland? The TV studios, editing rooms? Authentic atmosphere? Observing and reporting?
3. The credibility of the plot and characters? The making of documentaries, choices of topic, investigations, shooting footage, exposes? The honesty of the journalists? Staging techniques for filming? The quality of the investigations? Following up clues? The rights of the journalists to investigate? The editing and editing out of material? The censor? Political pressure? Legal implications?
4. Glenda Jackson as Sophie: in herself, her background, being out of the media for some years? Going to Wales, the interviews with the family and her relationship with them, filming them? Discovering more of the truth, the focus on Williams, the money being paid? The quality of her investigation? The boss and his not following through with the material? Wanting her to get help? Transferring her to Ireland? Working with O'Malley? The work, the dangers, the IRA interview, getting away from the flat? Editing the material? The influence of the censor and his wanting to eliminate most of the material? Going back to Wales, the coordination of the investigation? The company, Williams, William's son? Filming Williams at home and revealing their facts? Accusing him? The lawyers of the company and their shrewd manoeuvres to prohibit the documentary from being screened? The frustration? Sophie as a journalist of ambition and integrity? Resignedly going to the next work?
5. O'Malley and his work, at home, an angry man? His cavalier attitudes? Working with the Television authorities? Going to Ireland, his strategies for getting the interview? The interview itself? The strategies for getting the group away and avoiding being followed especially by the police? His reaction to the censor eliminating the material? His being bashed by his London contacts? Friendship with Sophie, talking things through, getting her advice? His helping her with her Welsh story? The setups, the interviews? The reaction to the banning of the screening? Moving on to the next job?
6. The Welsh story: the presentation of the family, not wanting to move out of their house, the developers, the role of the local council, the public functions and fundraisers? Williams and his trying to persuade the family? The money, the cover-ups? The picture of the family itself - and the hearing disability? The interactions of the family amongst themselves? Audience sympathy? The coordination of the investigation, the interview with Williams, with his son, with the financial people? The truth emerging? Williams and his anger? The censor examining the film? The company covering up, its lawyers being able to persuade authorities that the film could not be screened? Davies, Sophie going to see him, the disillusionment, the phone calls?
7. The background theme of the company and nuclear waste, buying up land, waste disposal, the bribes, Williams and his visits to London, the cover-up, the implication of his son?
8. The IRA story, the planning of the interview, the views expressed, getting away from the flat? Ireland and its ethos? British censorship preventing the material going on, or being balanced by political spokesperson?
9. The television station and the authorities, the pressures on the bosses, producing the material, trusting the journalists, censorship, legal situations? The chauvinistic attitude of Sophie's boss?
10. An exploration of aspects of the media, the status and influence of television, of documentaries? Journalists with a sense of mission? Success and failures?
