I was fortunate enough to attend a screening of this documentary at the Electric Cinema in Birmingham, in the company of good friends, fellow fans, and the two creative minds behind the film, Jamie Anderson and Ben Field.
I have been a fan of the works of Gerry Anderson (and the talented people whom he always managed to surround himself with) since a very young age when my father first sat me down and showed me a rented Captain Scarlet VHS. As the years have gone by, I have discovered more of Gerry's works, learned about the making of the shows themselves, bought countless items of merchandise and become more involved in the large and wonderful fandom which exists thanks to the great man and his work. My experience is not unique, it is no doubt similar to countless other fans' experiences all over the world over the decades, and there is one other thing that all of us have in common. None of us, not even his own son, really knew Gerry Anderson at all.
This documentary goes a long way towards putting that right. It is an honest, candid, heartfelt and deeply moving work. It contains much of the humour that permeates Gerry's own productions, thanks largely to the intercutting of clips from the various shows between the interview and archive material, but there is also much sadness and I very much recommend you have tissues on standby. It covers Gerry's early life his relationship with his parents, the tragic death of his RAF hero brother Lionel, his three marriages and the children they produced, the highs and lows of his long and illustrious career, and it culminates in the tragic tale of Gerry's decline in health through dementia and the work that he and son Jamie did to raise awareness of this terrible illness. This last section of the film resonated deeply with me on a personal level as my own nana passed away just over a year ago and she too suffered from dementia. When I compare my own response to her condition with Jamie's response to his father's, I found myself sorely lacking, and I can confidently say that in this regard, Jamie Anderson is a far, far better man than I.
Doubtless you will be wondering about the use of 'deep fake' technology, still in its relative infancy and something of a contentious issue itself, in this documentary. Deep fakes when used in a manner such as this, in a production such as this, can very easily cross the very fine line into 'disrespectful'. Thankfully, this does not happen in 'A Life Uncharted'. The deep fake technology is used only to put a face to archive audio footage of Gerry discussing his life (and one other use which I shall not spoil, but I am confident you will find this moment tastefully done) and is definitely complimentary and does not distract OR detract.
Jamie and director Benjamin Field have produced an absolutely wonderful journey into the mind of a man who overcame his own unhappy childhood and ended up shaping and enhancing the childhoods of millions (and, even though he is no longer with us, he's still doing it) on a scale that would previously not seemed possible. It was an absolute joy to watch, even the parts that were slightly cloudy and blurry due to my tears, and if I could only offer one constructive criticism it is this: I wish it were longer.
Marvellous work, Jamie and Ben. I'm sure Gerry would be very, very proud.
I have been a fan of the works of Gerry Anderson (and the talented people whom he always managed to surround himself with) since a very young age when my father first sat me down and showed me a rented Captain Scarlet VHS. As the years have gone by, I have discovered more of Gerry's works, learned about the making of the shows themselves, bought countless items of merchandise and become more involved in the large and wonderful fandom which exists thanks to the great man and his work. My experience is not unique, it is no doubt similar to countless other fans' experiences all over the world over the decades, and there is one other thing that all of us have in common. None of us, not even his own son, really knew Gerry Anderson at all.
This documentary goes a long way towards putting that right. It is an honest, candid, heartfelt and deeply moving work. It contains much of the humour that permeates Gerry's own productions, thanks largely to the intercutting of clips from the various shows between the interview and archive material, but there is also much sadness and I very much recommend you have tissues on standby. It covers Gerry's early life his relationship with his parents, the tragic death of his RAF hero brother Lionel, his three marriages and the children they produced, the highs and lows of his long and illustrious career, and it culminates in the tragic tale of Gerry's decline in health through dementia and the work that he and son Jamie did to raise awareness of this terrible illness. This last section of the film resonated deeply with me on a personal level as my own nana passed away just over a year ago and she too suffered from dementia. When I compare my own response to her condition with Jamie's response to his father's, I found myself sorely lacking, and I can confidently say that in this regard, Jamie Anderson is a far, far better man than I.
Doubtless you will be wondering about the use of 'deep fake' technology, still in its relative infancy and something of a contentious issue itself, in this documentary. Deep fakes when used in a manner such as this, in a production such as this, can very easily cross the very fine line into 'disrespectful'. Thankfully, this does not happen in 'A Life Uncharted'. The deep fake technology is used only to put a face to archive audio footage of Gerry discussing his life (and one other use which I shall not spoil, but I am confident you will find this moment tastefully done) and is definitely complimentary and does not distract OR detract.
Jamie and director Benjamin Field have produced an absolutely wonderful journey into the mind of a man who overcame his own unhappy childhood and ended up shaping and enhancing the childhoods of millions (and, even though he is no longer with us, he's still doing it) on a scale that would previously not seemed possible. It was an absolute joy to watch, even the parts that were slightly cloudy and blurry due to my tears, and if I could only offer one constructive criticism it is this: I wish it were longer.
Marvellous work, Jamie and Ben. I'm sure Gerry would be very, very proud.
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