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Message # 79832.1.1.1.1.1.1.1

Subject: Re:Probably riding boots

Date: Thu 30/01/20 20:23:27 GMT

Name: Skelenton

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By jollywetfellow - Thu 30/01/20 12:39:38 GMT

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As for whether she actually swam wearing the boots, ncgreg is of course correct that they may have filmed it over several days.    The canal footage at the start is the Gloucester and Sharpness, and there are then some shots of the tug in the Severn near Sharpness (I'm pretty sure that's the old Berkeley nuclear power station in the background in the first one), but the actual swim ashore looks too narrow for the estuary and is probably further upriver (to get to which they would have had to go back through the canal in fact), so yes they do hop about.    The actual location is significant in another way, since if they were swimming in the estuary it would be salt water, and therefore more buoyant, whilst upriver is fresh water, and a little bit more difficult to swim in.  

And did you notice the lack of continuity in the swim?    When they jump in he is on her left; there is then a shot of them swimming towards us with him on her right, then one of them swimming away from us with him back on her left, then they clamber on to the shore with him on her right.    So it was certainly not all filmed at once.   However, there is a certain consistency there, in that both the shots of them going away from us have him on her left, whereas both the shots of them coming towards us have him on her right, which suggests to me that there may have been only two takes of two clips each.    Since on that assumption there is one 'jumping in' clip (definitely with boots on) and one 'swimming away' clip in the first take, and one 'swimming towards us' and one 'climbing out' (definitely with boots on) in the second take, that implies that she did swim with the boots.    [Though the 'consistent inconsistency' may just suggest that they have a continuity person with zero spatial awareness, who thinks they need to ensure he is always on the left of shot whether seen from behind or in front!]     

This is just a low-budget 'made for kids' TV' thing, so they wouldn't feel able to afford to take too much time over it, and the actors themselves would probably want to get it over with quickly, since the Severn even in high summer is pretty cold, and they wouldn't want to keep going in and out and hanging about in wet clothes.    Plus the boots themselves are clearly difficult to get on and off, and they would be even more difficult when wet (slippery to pull, and the wet clothes inside would tend to stick to them), and having taken them off on land she would have to go over that rough riverbank barefoot to get in and out for the swimming shots.    Plus it is not nearly so difficult to swim in boots - well-fitting ones at least - as you seem to think Skelenton.    So my money would be on the boots staying on throughout the 'swimming' shots.

Thanks very much for linking this old clip, Skelenton.    I had a summer job in this very area in 1973, and since it was the first time I'd been in southern England (outside London) I explored all round the area on my days off.    It's really nostalgic to see it all again, as it was at the time.

By Skelenton - Thu 30/01/20 07:04:18 GMT

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I was a bit surprised that the writers of this scene made no mention of the fact that the girl has to swim wearing her clothes and boots.

If I were writing this scene, I would have put some dialogue into the scene regarding her having to swim wearing her boots.

So, for instance when they're swimming, I'd have the bloke say either "Are you sure you can swim with your boots on?", or "Quick, kick your boots off!".

Or, I'd have the girl say something like, "I can feel my boots filling up with water!", or "I'm not sure I can swim with these boots on", or "I think I'm gonna get these boots off, they're weighing me down!".

When they climb out I'd have the bloke say "Your boots are still on - I thought you might have lost them in the water". In fact, I'd probably have the girl emerge from the water wearing just one boot and she'd say "That wasn't an easy swim - and I lost one of my boots as well!".

I think if it were a real-life situation, the girl would maybe have made an attempt to remove her boots along with her sweater/jumper and possibly her jeans as well.

By ncgreg231 - ncgreg231@yahoo.com Thu 30/01/20 03:20:02 GMT

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And then, in real life...on one hand a person probably would want the boots (or any kind of footwear) for walking AFTER the swim, but at the same time, might lose the boots in order to not drown.  Tragically, drowning is also one possibility...

By Skelenton - Wed 29/01/20 12:49:37 GMT

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I have 2 questions for you, please:

Do you think her boots actually are wellies, 1970s design; or do you think they are some kind of rubber riding boots? I can't tell, it's not clear enough.

Also, I notice you only actually see her with the boots on as she jumps into the water and climbs out again. Do you suppose the actress actually had the boots on whilst swimming, or that maybe she took them off for swimming, and it was edited out? I know you have no way of knowing for sure, but what is your best guess?

By jollywetfellow - Wed 29/01/20 10:19:38 GMT

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By Anonymous - Wed 29/01/20 00:59:13 GMT

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By Skelenton - Tue 28/01/20 21:04:19 GMT

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See it here:

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4d85yv