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January 12

The Wizard of Oz - black and white into sepia

Why were the Kansas scenes of The Wizard of Oz in sepia-tone instead of black and white? 86.130.185.152 (talk) 00:03, 12 January 2024 (UTC)

One explanation I read somewhere is that sepia is a relatively "warm" tone. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 01:58, 12 January 2024 (UTC)

Here's a Quora thread with some interesting info.[1] ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 02:03, 12 January 2024 (UTC)

According to The Wizard of Oz FAQ: All That's Left to Know About Life According to Oz, the sepia tone was intended to evoke nostalgia for "homely values", since it was commonly used in photographs before about 1920.

LIFE The Wizard of Oz: 75 Years Along the Yellow Brick Road says that when the film was reissued in 1949 the sepia tone was replaced with black and white (some sources say it was the 1955 reissue), but was restored to sepia in 1988. Alansplodge (talk) 17:02, 12 January 2024 (UTC)

January 14

Spy x Family political allegory?

Are the political references to Germany in the Spy x Family manga and anime any more than superficial? I just watched a big chunk of seasons 1 and 2, and noticed the titles of the political figures and the political background story was quite detailed. I can't find anything from the authors etc., but given the tech and clothes seem 1970s-ish for Germany, I wonder if they were trying to reflect on any specific cold war events? Sandizer (talk) 08:30, 14 January 2024 (UTC)

And the Music Plays On

do you have sources for Del Shannon And The Music Plays On Album? like newspaper or book? Samchristie05 (talk) 18:15, 14 January 2024 (UTC)

Love Variations

I recently stumbled across an extremely odd film called Love Variations on a file sharing site. IMDb has an entry here', though the copyright notice on the film is 1969, not 1970. It opens with the Tigon Films logo and then goes straight to a scene of a character purporting to be a physician and then swiftly to a series of anatomical illustrations and very The Joy of Sex-esque scenes of simulated sex, interspersed with commentary of the "lead", who is only credited at "A FAMILY DOCTOR". It's played straight and the information is reasonably legit for the time. It's a bit heteronormative and stresses sex within marriage, but it's otherwise pretty liberal: frank focus on women's sexual needs, contraception, masturbation as healthy, etc. The film ends with a group of supposed outside viewers remarking on the scenes displayed.
The credits are extremely sparse; after the cold open, there's a card for the title and copyright, a card saying "a David Grant Production", a card with credits to director "Terry Gould" (but see filmography of the David Grant link) and Assistant Director Ron Jackson. No cast or crew are otherwise credited and the only card at the end simply says "THE END Made by Oppidan Film Productions Ltd. 28 Evelyn Mansions, Carlisle Place, London, S.W.T. Filmed at Kingly Studios Ltd, London, England and Isleworth Studios, Mounslow, England." The couple is introduced simply as Carol and Steve, which lines up with what's on IMDb.
My question is, largely, what the hell is this? Our article on David Grant labels him a porn producer, though he clearly engaged in "legitimate" film production. Was this meant as a workaround to get past film censors? Was it actually meant for education? Of whom? Was it ever released theatrically? Shown in schools? Despite much nudity, the film is decidedly clinical and un-sexy; it would fail as porn. I've been unable to find anything beyond IMDb echoes in my searches. Our article on Grant suggests the film was based off of a book by him, but I'm coming up empty there as well. So far, the best info has been at BFI, but it's pretty sparse. Matt Deres (talk) 18:49, 14 January 2024 (UTC)

British Film Culture in the 1970s (p. 25) says that it was one of the "extrene films" which were subject to local authority bans, suggesting that it was intended to be shown in mainstream cinemas (some of which, I recall, specialised in showing only X-rated films and were the object of our schoolboy curiosity). I think the definition of what is pornographic has changed somewhat, viz the naturist film genre of a slightly earlier era. I hasten to add that I have no specialised knowledge in this area. Alansplodge (talk) 22:11, 14 January 2024 (UTC)

More details of the film's censorship issues at Censoring the 1970s: The BBFC and the Decade that Taste Forgot (pp. 24-25). Alansplodge (talk) 22:35, 14 January 2024 (UTC)

Thank you very much. You know, it's unfortunate that the lives of oddball films like this are often forgotten or deliberately ignored; it strikes me that the production of something like Love Variations was likely far more interesting than a profitable, but blandly corporate, blockbuster. I can't view your second link (it says I've reached the view limit), but I'll try again later. You make a good point about the definition of pornographic; it brings to mind the "volleyball" magazines Hawkeye always kept around the Swamp on MASH; likely pretty tame by the standards of today. Matt Deres (talk) 20:15, 16 January 2024 (UTC)

January 15

FIFA 100

Is there anything like the FIFA 100 but for the Baseball, Ice Hockey and Wrestling? Essentially, a list of the most famous or well known players created by an internationally recognized governing body Trade (talk) 13:53, 15 January 2024 (UTC)

There seem to be quite a few Category:Lists of baseball players. 78.146.96.26 (talk) 14:12, 15 January 2024 (UTC)

All of the lists seems to be either national or have little to do with fame Trade (talk) 14:17, 15 January 2024 (UTC)

Is there any sort of international governing body for those other sports? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 21:08, 15 January 2024 (UTC)

World Baseball Softball Confederation, International Ice Hockey Federation. Strike unwanted answer --Wrongfilter (talk) 21:34, 15 January 2024 (UTC)

And how many American fans even know that such organizations exist, let alone care about what they have to say? --User:Khajidha (talk) (contributions) 15:00, 16 January 2024 (UTC)

And what does that say about American fans? --Wrongfilter (talk) 15:28, 16 January 2024 (UTC)

That we don't care about those organizations. And why should we? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 18:45, 16 January 2024 (UTC)

It was you who asked whether such organisations exist. They do. Deal with it. And who said anything about America anyway? --Wrongfilter (talk) 21:24, 16 January 2024 (UTC)

You did. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 21:47, 16 January 2024 (UTC)

Khadjida did. --Wrongfilter (talk) 08:58, 17 January 2024 (UTC)

It says that American fans tend to see such international competitions as interesting sideshows at best. MLB, the NFL, the NBA, the NHL... these are what matter to American fans, not some team from half a world away that American teams will only face (at best) once every four years and who have their best players scouted and recruited by American teams. It is a completely different model than FIFA. --User:Khajidha (talk) (contributions) 20:51, 16 January 2024 (UTC)

Baseball is heavily US- and Japanese-centric, so probably no. Same sort of situation with hockey, except with Canada instead of Japan. Clarityfiend (talk) 22:18, 15 January 2024 (UTC)

Correction: Canada and a handful of other countries. Clarityfiend (talk) 01:48, 17 January 2024 (UTC)

If you google "list of 100 greatest baseball players", you'll find many articles, none of which appears to emanate from any international governing body. One list (though not 100 entries) is Major League Baseball All-Century Team. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 23:06, 15 January 2024 (UTC)

Strictly speaking, the FIFA 100 list isn't from an international governing body either. User:Khajidha (talk) (contributions) 16:29, 17 January 2024 (UTC)

January 16

How accurate is the movie Wonka (2023) to its time period?

I know it's not supposed to be as it's a movie taking place in a fantasy world. But I know it still takes place around the 1900's-1940's I can't tell from just watching the movie which time period. That's not my question, though I'd love an explanation. My question is how accurate is the movie to its time period? I would like to know. Blaze The Movie Fan (talk) 22:43, 16 January 2024 (UTC)

But what actually is its time period? That is never stated. (I would have thought pre-1900.) And how do you propose to measure "accuracy"? There are machines depicted that have never existed. That means it's not accurate at all, as one would expect from a fantasy. Shantavira|^{feed me} 09:18, 17 January 2024 (UTC)

Ok I will be more specific. I mean how the law works and how people acted back then. How accurate is that to the real world of the time period? Blaze The Movie Fan (talk) 10:09, 17 January 2024 (UTC)

Chiefs of Police being bribed is as old as the invention of Chiefs of Police. The use of solid chocolate for the purpose only arose by the end of the 18th century. The story line has Dickensian aspects, suggesting the Victorian era. The original novel was inspired by Roald Dahl's experience during his schooldays, around 1929–1934, so it is reasonable to assume the novel is set around that period or a bit earlier. Mr. Willy Wonka is described in the novel as wearing "a small, neat, pointed black beard – a goatee", and being "like a squirrel in the quickness of his movements, like a quick clever old squirrel from the park". This is consistent with this origin story taking place in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century.  --Lambiam 12:11, 17 January 2024 (UTC)

IMO, there was some Les Miserables inspiration in there, but that may fall under "Dickensian". Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 13:17, 17 January 2024 (UTC)

Mike's TV-addiction is post-WW2 though. See Television: "After World War II, an improved form of black-and-white television broadcasting became popular in the United Kingdom and the United States, and television sets became commonplace in homes, businesses, and institutions. During the 1950s, television was the primary medium for influencing public opinion." Modocc (talk) 13:15, 18 January 2024 (UTC)

As with Hamilton, there may have been less singing and dancing going on in everyday life. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 15:54, 17 January 2024 (UTC)

Assuming like the other film that it's based on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I don't have a clear memory of that book (I read it as a kid) but it might be possible to infer from it. You want the non-bowdlerized version. Our article about the book says it was inspired by Dahl's memories of the 1920s. 2602:243:2007:9330:15DA:CAD1:28F4:E61E (talk) 13:32, 18 January 2024 (UTC)

January 18

The NeverEnding Story (film)

Hello!

I have a very simple question: is there someone that know the actor name who play the character of bookshop owner?

Many, many and many thanks in advance!!! 2001:B07:6442:8903:91ED:EF7B:F751:540A (talk) 10:10, 18 January 2024 (UTC)

Is this what you're looking for?[2] ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 10:42, 18 January 2024 (UTC)

Yes, thanks!!! 2001:B07:6442:8903:3167:1A08:53AB:FA86 (talk) 10:55, 18 January 2024 (UTC)