Strike – A Granada TV documentary

Continuity

This lady was part of the production team working on the Granada TV production of “Strike” about the rise of the Solidarity movement in Poland, filmed in Manchester in 1981.
I didnt disturb people as I photographed them as I was aware I had to stay low key as I documented the process of making a factual based drama. She is either working with the script team or is part of continuity to ensure elements match across scenes. It was a 16mm film production, sound was captured using quarter inch tape on Nagra recorders. Granada was a unionised company and I was asked if I was a union member by one of the crew, Adam’s dad (the writer) had invited us and we were just students with no intention of profiting from the images so we got a pass. Years later I think the photos would be of value to the crew and I would be very happy to share them, if you know this lady please let her know, would love to know more about her work.

Ian Holm

So sorry to hear of Ian Holms death today. A pretty good innings at 88 though.
 
I was fortunate enough to meet Ian Holm when he played Lech Wałęsa at Granada studios Manchester in 1981. I was there with Adam, a fellow photo student at Trent Polytechnic who was the son of the writer Boleslaw Sulik. He had written “Strike! the story of Solidarity”, the movement that eventually saw the collapse of Soviet control of Poland.
 
What I remember most was his good grace; he was kind to me, a young stranger who took photographs of him as he tried to relax and focus in the breaks between filming scenes. We  had a short chat about photography as it was also an interest of his wife.
 
I was struck that this humble man was completely grounded as he took center stage in depicting the story of the Polish freedom movement. A real pleasure to meet an extraordinary man.
 
In this photo Ian is talking to the writer Boleslaw.
Pentax K1000 camera, 50mm f2 lens, Ilford HP5 film rated at 400ASA.