MovieChat Forums > Big Train (2000) Discussion > Stare Out and the Genius of Barry Davies

Stare Out and the Genius of Barry Davies


I was never a big fan of Stare Out - it was too much like sport for my liking, and I had to watch it with my eyes closed because of the effect they used to make it look more animated - but it's grown on me. I'm surprised it's been discussed so little here.

How has Barry Davies' sublime performance gone unnoticed for so long? Phil Cornwell makes a living impersonating people; Barry Davies is a sports commentator. Yet he portrayed a fictionalised version of himself with utter conviction, never once sounding like he was reading from a script. He must have quite a sense of humour, too, to partake in his own lampooning.

I still wouldn't call myself a fan, but I look on it with a little more warmth now. In the commentary they talk about how it divided people - which side of the fence are you lot on? Do you skip to it, or skip through it?

Fiona

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Sorry it took so long for you to get a reply. I also like Stare Out. Just a few reasons below, amongst many, why:

1. When they 'spot' some supposed fantastically audacious 'move' yet, of course, nothing at all has changed on screen (although I like that there is still always the animation of flickering, mimicking some breathing rather than suggesting a broken camera). You sometimes get beads or floods of sweat not long after.

2. When the camera unexpectedly cuts away to some mundane sight. eg a gormless crowd. (I prefer that to the predictable overkill of a streaker).

3. When the commentators can't stop laughing at some very minor quip that they've made.

But never spend good money on the Stare Out book - it's little use without the commentators' vocal intonations and, a bit like The Fast Show, the Stare Out sketch outstayed its welcome.

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