LONDON BLUES N8

by Anthony Frewin

Un vieux "blue-movie" (film porno) noir et blanc, retrouv par hasard, entrane le narrateur sur Les traces de Tim, talentueux pionnier du porno dans l'Angleterre puritaine de la toute fin des annes 50. Et les questions s'enchanent. Qui utilisait Tim Purdom Quelles furent ses implications dans l'affaire Profumo, scandaleuse affaire de murs et de scurit nationale qui secoua l'Angleterre en pleine Guerre froide Un thriller qui se "regarde" comme un film : dcors, interprtes, scnario, dialogues... Une mise en scne des bas-fonds de Londres d'une remarquable matrise.

Genres: Crime, Fiction, Audiobook

368 pages, Paperback

First published March 27, 1997

Reviews

[Nigeyb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthony Frewin, in addition to having written three novels, was assistant film director to Stanley Kubrick for over 20 years.

Having loved Scorpian Rising, I was straight back aboard the Frewin train.

Anthony Frewin’s London Blues (1997) is another corker. It takes a while to get going however every page is chock full of wonderful and well informed period detail. Once the protagonist arrives in London in 1959 things pick up fast.

In common with Baron's Court, All Change, London Blues has a real proto-Mod vibe running through it. I love this sort of stuff.

The novel takes place during 1959-1963 and intersects with the Profumo Affair and specifically Stephen Ward.

As the title suggests most of the book takes place in a London slowly waking up from post WW2 austerity and into the swinging sixties. If you like reading about London during this era then do not hesitate. This is a great read especially that London period detail: Maltese gangsters, Soho proto-porn shops, Super 8 blue moves, Jazz on the record player, girls drinking Cherry B, “charge” etc.

4/5





The chance discovery of a 30-year-old porn film leads back to the film’s maker, Tim Purdom, and the London of the late 50s and early 60s. Purdom was a pioneer of the British blue movie as well as a figure on the periphery of the Profumo sex scandal. He directed 8 films—but who was directing him, and what was their hidden agenda? And where is Tim now? London Blues is a provocative, totally original crime novel

[Charmaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to give up on this and DNF which is unusual for me.

[Tosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

How can one not like a novel that takes place in Soho, London and deals with the 1950's as well as porn? A great little British crime novel, and it seems the author was Stanley Kubrick's assistant for 30 years. He kept fascinating personalities around him!

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five years ago, I saw this book in a London bookshop and filed it away in my head as something to check out when I had more money. Last week, after carrying the title around in a notebook for years, I stumbled across a used copy in a local bookshop. I'll step right up and say that, yes, it was worth the effort and the wait. Frewin's debut (he was Stanley Kubrick's PA for many years), is a great, gritty period thriller set amidst early '60s London. The atmosphere oozes off the page in a story which follows a small-time part time pornographer who gets mixed up in the Profumo scandal.

A note of caution here-those not familiar with the Profumo scandal (which is likely to be almost any American reader) would be well advised to do a little reading about it prior to embarking on Frewin's book. The Guardian web site has a decent mini-history of the affair, or at the least, watch the 1989 film Scandal (starring John Hurt and a young Bridget Fonda). The whole sordid episode is presented in Frewin's book, but only through the eyes of the protagonist, and much of the context may be confusing without further grounding.

A further note of caution is order due to the book's structure. Some readers may find confusing or be put off by its framing technique. The book starts with a 40 page section in which a contemporary narrator discovers an old '60s short porn film appended (appropriately enough) to a video of Get Carter. His curiosity over the maker of the "blue" film leads an interview-like series of other people talking about "Tim." Then the bulk of the book slips back in time to follow country lad Tim, as he tries to make it in the big city and the unsavory people he gets mixed up in. The book then ends with a brief further contemporary section. Those who demand their thrillers end neatly, with all loose ends tied up will be especially frustrated by the outcome.

Frewin's prose is direct and lively, capturing the period slang and tone. To a large degree, the story is one about a "secret London" of greasy cafés, small time hoods, West Indian immigrants, wanna-be models, and cover-ups. It's a vibrantly seedy portrait of London's transition from the postwar '50s to the legendary "swinging" '60s. (If the time and place interests you, check out Colin MacInnes' London trilogy of City of Spades, Absolute Beginners, and Mr. Love and Justice) The thriller aspect is a rather perplexing, tied up as it is in Tim's pornographic work and the Profumo scandal, but moves the story along-always with a hint of conspiracy. Good stuff, and I'll definitely be adding Frewin's next two books, "Sixty-Three Closure" and "Scorpion Rising" to my list, although hopefully it won't take me five years to find and read them!

[Falcon Blackwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Something of a gem, this book. At times eccentric and idiosyncratic, it’s an exploration of the brief life of a young man, a maker of early sixties blue movies who at times seems like a leaf blown about by the zephyrs of fate, catching against niches and corners -until landing in a tight spot where he is saturated by the world he inhabits.
Before I go on, I should deal quickly with the main cause of approbrium about this book; it contains detailed and fairly graphic descriptions of blue movies, fairly early on. Hence many reviewers have denounced the book as “filthy”, “disgusting” etc. There are other episodes of a similar nature further into the story. I can’t try and justify or excuse these except to say that for me at least, they are essential to the style and substance of the story, and fit in the the obsessively detailed writing. There is very little graphic violence in the story, which to me is much more offensive. I guess if you are going to write a book about someone who makes dirty movies, then you have to describe what he is up to.

The writing itself is never less than compelling, despite using the old conceit of a narrator who becomes fascinated with a character, in this case Tim Purdom, who is the aforementioned early exponent of blue movies. There is research into Tim’s origins, reading like a documentary-style investigation. Interviews with people who knew Tim lend an air of authenticity while underlining how tough life was for folk in the Isle of Grain, where he was brought up. Frewin’s descriptions ooze atmosphere:
“Here beyond the sloping grassland and the geometric concrete blocks designed to prevent the Germans invading, beyond the weathered groins and piers and half-submerged abandoned barges on the mud flats, is old Father Thames himself, emptying into the North Sea.”
The descriptions of London itself are dripping with a sense of place- I found myself imagining it in black and white, drawn in and beguiled. I know it seems a strange comparison, but at times I was reminded of J.B. Priestley’s “Angel Pavement”- the characters and the locales in both novels have a threadbare innocence about them which fascinated me. London, this tattered, bombed-out place where everyone seems to be on the take, is described in a series of filmic scenes, not surprising since, as has been mentioned many times, the author was assistant to Stanley Kubrick and has spent his life wrapped up in the genre.
I’m glad he took to writing, though. I never had the feeling that the characters or the locales were just bought in from central casting, they all stand on their own merits. After the documentary section, about forty pages in, time slips and we are there with Tim for the main part of the book. Following him as he moves from one slightly unsavoury association to another, eventually becoming mixed up with Stephen Ward, the agent provocateur of the Profumo affair. He skates about on the surface of this world- it’s difficult to sense whether he is entirely innocent, simply trying to get by for himself, or whether he knows that he is becoming embroiled in a shadowy scene of procurement and double-dealing.
Tim’s girl friend, Vanessa, is a well-drawn character who moves the story along- she is a strong and opinionated person who encourages Tim to make more blue films and earn more money. Of course, the world of the ‘fifties and ‘sixties is not one where there are many opportunities for women- unsurprisingly for the times, Vanessa is a hairdresser.
The reader becomes aware of a pressure building behind Tim, as the police, in the form of some bent detectives, take an interest in him. Other agencies seem to be tailing him- whether they are the security services or just hoods isn’t clear. But in other ways, Tim’s life is looking up, he has met a girl who he has feelings for and it seems that if he dodges the dark shadows gathering, he may find his way out of all the mess. Sadly, it proves not to be.
It’s a testament to the writing that I was disappointed that things ended the way that they did, and Tim stayed with me long after finishing the book. The last section, which returns us to the present and the narrator, helps in some ways to bring a sense of closure to the story- and the ending is perfectly fine. I don’t think it will satisfy those who like their thrillers cut and dried, but for me that was the only way it could have ended, painful and inconclusive as it was.
A gripping crime/conspiracy thriller that entertained me- I can recommend unreservedly.

[CQM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very close to 5 star but misses out due to the bizarrely complete description(s) of the 'stag' movies and synopsis rundown of Get Carter near the beginning. Once we got past that it was a biography of the main character that slowly morphed into a gripping conspiracy thriller that takes place around the Profumo affair.
Unusual, occasionally downright strange but, excellent.
Also sat nicely next to a book that I've been reading (very slowly indeed) about the history of the British sex film called Doing Rude Things.
We have a young teenager in the house so I shall have to be careful where I leave this. Reminded me of the Hancock's Half Hour episode The Missing Page when Hancock says the following.
"This is red hot, this is, mate. I'd hate to think of a book like this getting in the wrong hands. As soon as I've finished this I shall recommend they ban it."

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderfully evocative, thoroughly sleazy account of life in Colin MacInnes-era London, told from the POV of a pornographic film-maker on the fringes of the Profumo affair. It's filled with period detail which can only have come from living through the era in question (it was written in the days before 'Wikipedia realism'), and it really brings to life the sordid and compellingly horrible world of Notting Hill and its environs in the era before gentrification. I very much enjoyed this novel, and especially liked its refusal to play the thriller game. Though it has a couple of exciting set-pieces, it never ties up its loose ends and leaves one wondering quite what has happened, why, and to whom. That elusiveness and ambiguity won't be everyone's cuppa tea, I know, but I thought it made a refreshing change from those 'ducks in a row' stories which so often clog up the crime sections of bookshops. Nice one, guv'nor.

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

I told a bit of a lie! I didn't really finish the book in two days - I just couldn't get into the story!

To all the people who rated this book highly, please don't be offended by this. It just wasn't my cup-of-tea.

[Mark O'Keeffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this is set slightly before the time I worked in Soho, it does cover a period of history that fascinates me, and having not read anything about the book I quickly worked out that "Stephen" was Stephen Ward.

Lovely touches to remind me of the Soho I remember, especially the reference to Jimmy's, a basement bar/restaurant I'll never forget. The storyline is great, very believable and the atmospheric writing allows the reader to immerse themselves in a London that sadly is now long past.

Great work.

[Alan Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel by Anthony Frewin was an eccentric read. A great story told with authentic voices and descriptions which were very evocative. Enlivened with periods of wit and humour.

[Denise Ward · Rating 1 out of 5]

Laboriously voyeuristic and salaciously sexual . The characters lack depth.

[Richard Sanders · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the authentic feel of 1960s London. The story was quite uncomfortable and predictable at the same time.
Too voyeuristic in my opinion.

[David Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely has Ted Lewis vibes about this. It's a murky and very explicitly told tale of Soho in the early 60's. I like the way it blends the story with real events.

[Ant Koplowitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anthony Frewin excels himself again with the visceral, meaty thriller set in 1960s London. Like his other books, it oozes atmosphere, with razor-sharp dialogue, believable characters and a setting which, despite being a ‘character’ in hundreds of other books, takes on a life all of its own. The backdrop of the porn industry in the 60s is well-realised, and the tense plotting never lets you forget that this is a real page-turning thriller. Frewin ratchets up the tension as the book progresses, and as a reader I was only left with disappointment that I had reached the end of the book. It’s such a shame that Frewin’s output has been so small over the years – he’s an excellent writer and I cannot recommend his book highly enough.

[Hank]

I'm calling this "read" but I'll never read it. I bought it for a buck or two at a used bookshop knowing nothing about it. I got through maybe four little chapters and then accidentally dropped it in a pissy toilet. Then I threw it away. No big loss - the chapters I read weren't well written.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

stolen from my neighbor's apt...porno murder mystery. need i say more?

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

London Blues by Anthony Frewin