The Grand Duchess is away at a conference, so last (Friday) night after the Young Master's bedtime, I settled into a freshly made-up bed with a navel orange, a glass of something cold (Fruit juice, relax!), and my trusty laptop to find something to watch on Amazon. Finally settled on The Romantic English Woman (Dir. Joseph Losey, 1975), starring Michael Caine, Glenda Jackson, and Helmut Berger. You know me. Living life to the fullest out here on the bloody edge. It'll be a barbed wire tattoo around an upper thigh next, with pierced naughty bits, and maybe even a case of Hepatitis before you know it.
Anyway, not the most riveting film, but basically Caine is a writer developing a film script about a bored housewife who travels from the U.K. to France or Germany and then has a brief affair while in a fancy, old continental hotel. Strangely, the story mirrors much of what is going on with his wife in the film, played by Jackson.
I didn't make it through the entire film because it simply was not that interesting as much as I like the actors cast. However, just before the halfway point, a young German gigolo (Berger, actually an Austrian), with whom Jackson almost had a tryst with while in Baden-Baden early during the movie, makes his way through Heathrow or Gatwick and stops at a news stand to pick up a newspaper (remember reading those?). Displayed prominently above his head among the other magazines for sale were, very clearly, copies of Battle!
At that point, I sat up and replayed the snippet just to be sure I had seen correctly. Yep. The much missed, often still talked about, long defunct magazine for wargamers that was absorbed into Military Modelling nearly 40 years ago in 1978 or '79. I then turned off the computer, removed my glasses, turned out the bedside lamp, and fell fast to sleep. A happy and contented wargaming nerd.
Otherwise, a largely free Saturday here today, so I hope to catch up on some painting and perhaps finish the first pair of replacement standard bearers and their flags. Stay tuned!
-- Stokes
Comments
I had never heard of the magazine, but it looks like a good read.
I wonder what the current events and cultural things were going on in 1977. It would be interesting to look it up.
I'm lucky enough to own copies of all the issues released. The early ones concentrated more on current [1970's ] British army information, but it quickly morphed into a great wargaming magazine with articles by Charles Grant Senior, George Gush and Stuart Asquith amongst others. Clearly it didnt make its way across the ocean, but I still re read the magazine because there are some excellent articles in the pages.
Jim, there was a great account of Fontenoy and also Charles Grant wrote a wonderful article about The Wild Geese. Not forgetting an informative series about visiting famous battle fields. A cracking read.
Not sure how long it lasted.