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lawrencegabb
Reviews
Escape Into Night (1972)
Have just watched this again after 38 years
I was very pleased to find that Escape into Night has been released on DVD. This is certainly one of those programmes which I remember only vaguely but that had a very lasting impact. Like others, I could not remember what it was called so it took some searching to find. I originally found the film Paper House and watched that as Escape into Night had not at that point been released. The Paper House film though was not as dark or sinister as I remembered the TV series.
Watching Escape into Night again though I was not disappointed. Yes, it is obviously low budget but this is a programme which shows that you do not always need to spend a lot of money to create atmosphere and a gripping storyline. It has actually been given a 12 rating in the UK, showing how such drama would probably be considered too disturbing to be shown a teatime nowadays. As I originally watched it in black and white, it was how I remembered it. The starkness of B&W just added to the experience.
It's not just the stones that make the story so unusual, it is also the fact that it is about two children who are ill in bed and are trapped by their circumstance, finding a way of escaping through dreams. For a child, being confined to bed rest is so restrictive and feels never ending. This series captures that feeling perfectly. One of the things that children will think about when watching this is how to cope if the ability to walk is taken away, really mixing up the emotions.
I also got a surprise when I realised that it was filmed on Barr Beacon, not far from where we live. I hope that there are no stones left around here!