This is a review of the VHS Video "QE2: The Royal Voyage" that I bought off ebay.
This 60-minute video was made in 1990, on the crossing that was celebrating the 150th anniversary of Cunard and the 21st for the QE2.
It follows the journey and observations of a chap called Bill Tidy who “wrote and presented” the video. There in is the problem!
The video itself now (of course) suffers from being very dated, as it is now some 14 years old! So part of the flaws are based on what was probably seen as “hip” at the time. But the main drawback is that you feel like you are watching your slightly loopy uncle’s holiday video.
Bill takes us on the celebratory crossing from New York to Cork (where Cunard ships used to pick-up Irish emigrants), then on to Liverpool, the Glasgow shipyard where she was built, Cherbourg (which used to be the key continental pick-up point and then to the meeting by the Queen on the Royal Yacht as the QE2 was proceeding up the Solent. The Queen and prince Philip board the QE2.
So it should have been a riveting and mesmerising story and video. Unfortunately, Bill Tidy decided to use as the main feature and flow that linked it all together silly and completely joke interviews. This may be fun on your home video, but ruined what could have been some really interesting interviews. He interviews the Cruise Director, Chief Engineer, the celebrities (Alan Tichmarsh, Roy Castle, Alan Wicker and some radio DJ I cannot remember) and some passengers and we find nothing out from them as they are talking nonsense (e.g. about the supposed live chicken run, the engines and controls not being for the engines but for the caviar, champagne and yoghurt machines, the “hip hip hooray” classes, the deck checker (Roy Castle in tap shoes), the 24 hour ship DJ who sleeps in instalments of 2 min and 30 seconds while songs are playing etc…..).
The only person he does not get away with (or maybe did not dare to) was the Captain who he interviews (and looks very uncomfortable being interviewed!).
To try and compensate there are then sub titles running through a lot of the video listing facts and figures about the QE2 which you cannot follow as they jar with what is going on on-screen.
There are, though, many spectacular shots from the air of the ship arriving and leaving the ports and on the Atlantic and so it is not all home made feel!
The ship also looks very dated and a bit tatty. But maybe that is more to do with the fashion and design being “of 1990” than anything, and maybe if we had seen the video in 1990 would have thought it looked great!.
This video is the kind of home made video your dad would have made when he got his hands on his first video camera and would subject you to every Christmas. Saying that though, after a few drinks at Christmas it may just take on a cult film status and be most entertaining….
