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The David Puttnam-produced First Love series (1982) generated a useful supply
of stories for the newly launched Channel 4, all on the theme of young romance.
Goldcrest, with Channel 4, supplied the majority of financing, encouraged by the
promise of cable TV sales to the United States. The first film in the series,
'P'Tang, Yang, Kipperbang', is a nostalgic story of adolescent love in the late
1940s, written by the celebrated Jack Rosenthal and drawing on his childhood
memories. Transmitted on Channel 4's second night (tx. 3/11/1982) to
enthusiastic reviews, it follows schoolboy Alan Duckworth as he dreams of
England winning the Ashes and of kissing beautiful classmate Ann. When Alan
discovers he will star opposite Ann in the school play, he is filled with hope,
but soon finds life is full of disappointment.
'P'Tang, Yang, Kipperbang' (the title stems from an invented expression which
the boys use as a coded greeting and catchphrase) is a humorous drama,
faithfully representing a postwar schoolboy's existence. There are some fine
performances, particularly from Alison Steadman as a frustrated, strict
schoolteacher, and the young players admirably convey the confusion, naivety,
and sweaty palmed awkwardness of adolescence. The film leans towards
sentimentality, however, and the coming-of-age message, suggesting inevitable
disillusionment with one's dreams, seems more depressing than poignant. The
device of John Arlot's voiceover cricket commentary, reflecting Alan's hopes and
moods, feels contrived, despite the suggestion of adolescent imagination. In
'Those Glory Glory Days' (tx. 17/11/1983) - another film in the First Love
series, featuring a football-obsessed schoolgirl - the sporting references
are central to the plot; here, however, they are mainly used as thematic
reinforcement. This can have the unfortunate effect of spelling out what the
viewer already knows, and only adds to a sense of superficial
whimsy.
For all that, there are many praiseworthy comic moments,
and the film commendably depicts a school's eccentricities. The classroom and
rehearsal scenes are well observed, and the late 1940s setting successfully
captured, with plenty of engaging period detail. When the film was finally
released in cinemas (after its television appearance), critics, perhaps
unsurprisingly, found it had suffered in translation to the big screen.
Nevertheless, it proved a fitting start to the First Love series, and remains a
genial and perceptive portrait of the trials and tribulations of young
love.
David Morrison
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Production stills
