The Life and Unsteady Times of John Deakin (Part One)

In part one of this 1991 Chanell 4 documentary the surviving faces from old Soho are interviewed on their recollections of Deakin, and what a roll-call: Gaston Berlemont the proprietior of The French House, Ian Board who inherited The Colony from Muriel Blecher, Jeffrey Bernard who raise to late fame as the character in hit play "Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell", Henrietta Moraes who was photographed by Deakin to be painted by Bacon.
Whats extraordinary about the interviews is not just their collective memory of Deakin as a man of mean wit and piercing visual acumen, but their own faces after years of drinking addiction and and disease. Its amazing that so many survived so long.
Some of the interview take place in the The Colony itself, its green walls and pictures only to survive a few more months.
This film represents the last time many of these faces would be filmed.
FOR EDUCATION PURPOSES, AND USING COMMENTARY AND CRITICISM GUIDELINES, A FAIR USE CLAIM IS MADE TO SHOW THIS COPYRIGHT MATERIAL.
THE ORIGINAL IS UNAVAILABLE COMMERCIALLY.
Channel Four documentary 1991
Direction: John Christie
Production: Annalogue, Anna Ridley

[@talesfromtinpanalley-thedo6198]

Great to see this 1991 film again

[@WilliamEJones]

Many thanks for posting this! Deakin is one of the greats.

[@noelgains8433]

Amazing fascinating documentary

[@peterhealy8875]

A rather young Barry Humphries captured briefly in The Colony Room at 5:02.

[@glenncambray626]

The Picasso is indeed an interesting picture. As is expressed, it seems to capture a different side.

[@jeremyhaines4481]

Interesting Documentary

[@Hamzakhan-dt3gv]

Interesting video

[@derekedge6975]

Sadly; by gone era.

[@eppiehemsley6556]

He was going to say "as pissed as a puddn" but changed it to "drunk as a newt." No need to be polite Gaston.

[@sarahsu4863]

At the very begining when u see him in the blk and white film, he really. resembles Michael Barrymore

[@steveellis9004]

Ian Board. Bulbous, red nose. Does he survive ?

[@keithsunderland8839]

About how much do you have to drink to get a nose like that?

[@lina-zz9kk]

glamorising drunkards is not really that smart. soho was and still is a toilet i was born in london and started going there alone as a young child it is the haunt of every evil bird in the universe i lived and worked there for 35 years it was nearly the death of me and it killed my soul before i was 18 .i was fortunate to escape with my life and and managed to get born again. its sad that the germans did not obliterate it but that said it belongs to the devil which is why it was largely spared major destruction

[@paulstanley518]

glad you were saved,but had you not experienced it you wouldn't have been,I would have loved to been around in these over the top times

[@lina-zz9kk]

@@paulstanley518 Hello Paul i am embarrassed by what i wrote a year ago. I dont believe in the born again experience now. I believe in God and Jesus but not in religion. Jesus did not come to end what God created he came to end sin not evil and he succeeded. God created good and evil before the world existed man and satan created sin. When we die now God does not even see what we have done in the flesh that was all dealt with 2000 years ago God judges the heart because only He is able. Since 70Ad all mankind has been born with God in them good and evil exist and men can choose evil and seperate themselves from God or can choose good and be with God forever. There was a lot of evil in soho and i partook in it but there was no sin there . To say that sin still exists is the biggest lie religion has preached and taught for 2000 years. God does not care less what we drink smoke or who we sleep with that is all flesh its the motivation the heart that matters

[@keithsunderland8839]

What urban space would you prefer?