The Enid Blyton Society

I was the owner/driver of the red power boat in the chase sequence filmed in Mullion, Cornwall and I am frequently asked by my grand children (and amused friends) to show them the film. Does anyone know where I can obtain a copy either on VHS or DVD please?
I have read other members posts regarding the difficulty in obtaining a copy, but assume that the society might have now made copies available for sale.

Welcome to the forums, David. How interesting to know you owned the boat in the film. As for obtaining a copy, it is rare.

David wrote:I have read other members posts regarding the difficulty in obtaining a copy, but assume that the society might have now made copies available for sale.

I'm afraid it's not as straightforward as that, David, as there would be copyright issues involved. Videos sometimes turn up on eBay but they may be quite pricey. Interesting that you were the owner/driver of the red power boat!

Thanks for the info, David, I'd like to share it with other forumites who will be interested. So here is some useful info everyone from David which he sent to me via a PM, with my living in Cornwall and knowing the area:
From David:-
If you know Mullion, then I can tell you a little more that might be of interest.

I was made up to look like John Rhys Davies (the baddie) which in itself was amusing as he was a few pounds heavier than me, but all the same a very friendly person, who I took out for a spin in the boat. We went back fairly soon as he found it a little 'hairy'.

The filming took place over a rather chilly 2 days off season and started at Poldhu Cove where the boat was near the beach and I was asked to head off at speed towards Mullion Island. The next scene was with the boat in Mullion harbour with me in the water (out of camera of course and very cold) holding the boat away from the barnacles on the harbour wall. JRD then persued by real policemen brought in from Helston, (who climbed down a rather narrow precarious path at the side of the harbour wall) ran a short distance along the harbour and jumped in the boat and took off at speed out of the harbour. I was then asked along with a boating friend in the other boat (he was made to look like Norman Bowler), to leave the harbour and head towards St. Michaels Mount at the best speed possible due to the rough water, where we were filmed from the helicopter. I did not know at the time, that the helicopter pilot was an aquaintance of mine who had been based at Culdrose and worked for Castle Air.

A brief resume, but I hope of interest.

Thanks David. What an exciting time you had. Thanks for sharing that with us.

Indeeed. Many thanks David. Its always fascinating to hear the backstage details of the film industry. I hope you manage to track down acopy of the film.

Very interesting...a possible candidate for a talk at the next 'Day'...

Very interesting indeed, David. Welcome to the forums.

Most interesting, and thanks for getting in touch, Dave. I am pretty livid as I had a tape of Island which I recorded off the television. I now don't seem to lost it. Grrrrrrgghh!

I've only ever seen 2 of these on VHS on ebay David. One was from the US, which was obviously the wrong region and I was lucky enough to purchase the other.


Ps. Welcome to the forums.

Moonraker wrote: I now don't seem to lost it.

You haven't lost it? Then why are you so livid?

Thank you David, for sharing some backstage details. As Lucky Star said, hearing about those are always fascinating.

Ming wrote:

Moonraker wrote: I now don't seem to lost it.

You haven't lost it? Then why are you so livid?

I'm so glad you knew what I meant to say!

Moonraker wrote:

Ming wrote:

Moonraker wrote: I now don't seem to lost it.

You haven't lost it? Then why are you so livid?

I'm so glad you knew what I meant to say!

I just thought you meant you'd 'lost it' - Join the club!!

Hi David, welcome to the forums!

Since I have been reading Joseph Conrad's The Nigger Of The Narcissus for quite a while and then The [/i]Island Of Adventure (Mystery Island), I am increasingly starting to believe that the Jo-Jo character was in part inspired by Joseph Conrad's observation of this "nigger." For instance, in his book, this is how Joseph Conrad describes this black fellow:

Suddenly the nigger's eyes rolled widely, became all whites

whereas in The Island Of Adventure:

Jack and Lucy-Ann saw a coloured man coming towards them. His skin was black, his teeth were very white, and he rolled his eyes in a peculiar way.

I think what Enid Blyton did was to skillfully transpose the "white" in the eyes of Joseph Conrad's man into Jo-Jo's teeth. As for Joseph Conrad's description of his man's eyes as rolling "widely," Enid replaced "widely' with "peculiar."

Another instance in The Island of Adventure that was inspired by Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was Jo-Jos' belief in supposed "things" that often mysteriously occurred, especially either at night or even on the Isle of Gloom were inspired by Jim, the runaway fugitive in this book who many fellow blacks or "niggers" in Mark Twain's book had feared him and had even given him some of their property, in the belief that he was in contact with the devils and witches. Having been inspired by this narrative, Enid Blyton had given Jo-Jo these deceptive beliefs, most of which he never believes in and most of us that have read the book know how this scenario turns out.
Thus, these are some of the anecdotes I have been discovering since the publication of The Famous Five: A Personal Anecdotage, though I touch on this issue a little bit in the book.
Therefore, Enid Blyton, despite her creative writing skills was in part inspired by writers such as Mark Twain, Joseph Conrad and others as I have suggested in other instances. This aspect excludes the environmental factors, health, politics, etc, that influenced her writing as well.
Stephen I.

Aaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggghhhh!!!!!!!!!!!

Just when I thought it was safe to read your posts.