Blackeyes
Encyclopedia
Blackeyes is a multi-layered novel which was later adapted as a TV drama by British playwright
Dennis Potter
. The TV version was highly controversial at the time.
The original novel was published 1987 by Faber and Faber
. It concerns the relationship between sexuality, exploitation, power and money. These are explored through the career of a desirable model known as "blackeyes".
The novel was adapted for a 1989 BBC television
serial, written and directed by Potter, starring Gina Bellman
as the title character. Potter also provided the ribald
voice of the lustful narrator. The series was broadcast as four 50-minute episodes, prior to which it was shown in full at several film festivals.
The series caused controversy in the tabloid press; due to its portrayal of male lust
, sexual obsessions
, and the use of swear words. It also led to a break between Potter and longtime collaborator Kenith Trodd
over Potter's choice of Bellman for the lead role.
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
Dennis Potter
Dennis Potter
Dennis Christopher George Potter was an English dramatist, best known for The Singing Detective. His widely acclaimed television dramas mixed fantasy and reality, the personal and the social. He was particularly fond of using themes and images from popular culture.-Biography:Dennis Potter was born...
. The TV version was highly controversial at the time.
The original novel was published 1987 by Faber and Faber
Faber and Faber
Faber and Faber Limited, often abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in the UK, notable in particular for publishing a great deal of poetry and for its former editor T. S. Eliot. Faber has a rich tradition of publishing a wide range of fiction, non fiction, drama, film and music...
. It concerns the relationship between sexuality, exploitation, power and money. These are explored through the career of a desirable model known as "blackeyes".
The novel was adapted for a 1989 BBC television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
serial, written and directed by Potter, starring Gina Bellman
Gina Bellman
Gina Bellman is a New Zealand-born British actress currently starring in the series Leverage as Sophie Devereaux for which she was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress in Television.-Personal life:...
as the title character. Potter also provided the ribald
Ribaldry
Ribaldry is humorous entertainment that ranges from bordering on indelicacy to gross indecency. It is also referred to as "bawdiness", "gaminess" or "bawdry"....
voice of the lustful narrator. The series was broadcast as four 50-minute episodes, prior to which it was shown in full at several film festivals.
The series caused controversy in the tabloid press; due to its portrayal of male lust
Lust
Lust is an emotional force that is directly associated with the thinking or fantasizing about one's desire, usually in a sexual way.-Etymology:The word lust is phonetically similar to the ancient Roman lustrum, which literally meant "purification"...
, sexual obsessions
Sexual obsessions
Sexual obsessions are obsessions with sex, and in the context of obsessive-compulsive disorder these are extremely common . It can become extremely debilitating, making the sufferer ashamed of the symptoms and reluctant to seek help. Preoccupation with sexual matters, however, does not only occur...
, and the use of swear words. It also led to a break between Potter and longtime collaborator Kenith Trodd
Kenith Trodd
Kenith Trodd is a British television producer particularly noted for a long association with television playwright Dennis Potter.The son of a crane driver, Trodd was raised in the Christian fundamentalist Plymouth Brethren...
over Potter's choice of Bellman for the lead role.