Occasional, Strong- FOUND!

[coolbyrne]

Well, well, well! What in the world did we ever do before YouTube??

Alas, don't get your hopes up- though she is clearly listed in the credits at the end, there is no sign of our Mandana. Now, it could be due to one of two things: the video is 11 minutes long, though every source I've found has listed a running time of 12 minutes. So is there a missing minute in this clip? Or, like "Random Quest", she had a part (in this case, "Cathy") that was cut in the editing room. (My guess, she is the mom mentioned by the little girl.) I suspect, unfortunately, that it's the latter, unless we ever find a 12-minute clip.

However, that being said, there is some measure of the euphoria of discovery! If you're interested in this very black and amusing clip about a lottery winner's day gone horribly wrong, check it out! (I guarantee, you'll go, "Oh!" right at the end. Might even chuckle a bit despite yourself!)

Occasional, Strong

[coolbyrne]

Thought I'd add a screencap of the end credits since it's the only place we actually see Mandana Jones in this short!

[topcat]

Oh what a shame. I got all excited at the prospect of, not just seeing Mandana in new (to us) material but, at the major scoop.

At least we know, for sure, that she was part of the production and it wasn't an error.

I bet that missing minute was brilliant

Will still give the piece a viewing later on.

[coolbyrne]

topcat said:

Oh what a shame. I got all excited at the prospect of, not just seeing Mandana in new (to us) material but, at the major scoop.

At least we know, for sure, that she was part of the production and it wasn't an error.

I bet that missing minute was brilliant

Will still give the piece a viewing later on.

Yeah, sorry to get your hopes up, top!

You can almost see where she'd fit in, if she's in the first minute- it would be something between her and the guy who plays the dad. Or likewise, if it's a cut scene, it's between them, but somewhere closer to the break of "Later that very same day", because it was a bit jarring to see the dad and the daughter having the picnic just sort of out of the blue. I didn't even realize it was the garbage collector until I saw him take out the pack of cigarettes.

In a discussion with RM, I said you can tell the recording abruptly starts- we're already partly into the credits when the clip starts. I think the person who posted it (who is obviously a Daniel Craig fan by the rest of his videos) saw DC's name pop up, and as quick as he could, threw in a tape into the VCR and pressed 'record'. So he got most of it; I just don't think he got all of it. Then again, maybe she's not in it at all- I believe a speaking role, even if edited out, requires screen credit.

[gingercat]

Thanks for posting it anyway..shame that MJ has been cut out..I can imagine just how exited you were at finding it.

[topcat]

coolbyrne said:

You can almost see where she'd fit in, if she's in the first minute- it would be something between her and the guy who plays the dad. Or likewise, if it's a cut scene, it's between them, but somewhere closer to the break of "Later that very same day", because it was a bit jarring to see the dad and the daughter having the picnic just sort of out of the blue. I didn't even realize it was the garbage collector until I saw him take out the pack of cigarettes.

In a discussion with RM, I said you can tell the recording abruptly starts- we're already partly into the credits when the clip starts. I think the person who posted it (who is obviously a Daniel Craig fan by the rest of his videos) saw DC's name pop up, and as quick as he could, threw in a tape into the VCR and pressed 'record'. So he got most of it; I just don't think he got all of it. Then again, maybe she's not in it at all- I believe a speaking role, even if edited out, requires screen credit.

I've just watched it and I think you are right. The whole conversation with the daughter is about her mum and her new man Tom. Tom is also listed in the cast but doesn't appear. There are characters that do appear but are listed after Mandana and the Tom actor in the credits. I suspect the title sequence is longer with character build up, including a scene with the girl with her mum discussing her picnic with her dad or similar.

I also think you are right about why the beginning is missing because a similar thing happened with Mandana's first appearance in Doctors as Sandra. A fan heard her voice and managed to get a tape in but missed the first minute or so. Eventually it was reshown and a full version was recorded.

Let's hope the full version can be found at some stage. Actually, a number of sites list it as 13 minutes so maybe it was 2 sensational minutes ;D

[coolbyrne]

Let's hope the full version can be found at some stage.

Out of the blue... I contacted Rogue Films in February to see if there was a copy available for the public. Didn't get a response. However, I had kept the email and thought, on a lark, that I would re-send it with the added, "I guess that's a no?" I sent it yesterday. Surprise! I got a response from the very helpful Alex at Rogue Films who first offered to send me a burned copy, but, in light of the company relaunching their website next week, assured me "Occasional, Strong" would be on the website for my viewing enjoyment.

So... if you don't see the link here and on the FC next week, check Rogue Films and see if she's right. (The new website isn't available at this time, so exercise some patience!)

[Edited upon discovery that Alex is a woman. Oops! Apologies! ]

[topcat]

well done MJFC. I hope all the hard work bears fruit and we do get to see Mandana's contribution to Occasional, Strong.

[endangeredspecies]

I have to admire your tenacity cb at seeking out all things Mandana. I shall wait until I can see the whole thing 12 - 13 mins, or however long. We're pathetic really aren't we clinging to any small sighting of MJ. I truly wish there was something more substantial for us all to get our teeth into but beggars can't be chooses.

[coolbyrne]

endageredspecies said:

I have to admire your tenacity cb at seeking out all things Mandana. I shall wait until I can see the whole thing 12 - 13 mins, or however long. We're pathetic really aren't we clinging to any small sighting of MJ. I truly wish there was something more substantial for us all to get our teeth into but beggars can't be choosers.

You know, I think it has a large part to due with the fact that I used to be a comic collector. (Still am, but as the comics I seek get more expensive, I've slowed down a bit!) I have a real "completist" tendency in me, and I suppose it's just sort of transferred over to Mandana- if I know she's been in something, I want to see it, dammit! And I think the very fact that she has been in so few "big" roles makes it a quest of sorts to find the rest of her work. For me, it's like unearthing that one issue of a comic I've been seeking.

[topcat]

All this made me wonder about Random Quest too. Let's not forget that we found out about it because a fan claimed to have seen Mandana in the piece. This was denied by MJnet. They announced that they knew Mandana hadn't been in anything and that the fan must have seen someone who just looked like Mandana. The fan was adamant and it was later confirmed that, yes, she was in it in a small role. It was reshown on BBC 4 and Mandana was not in it. Now this means 2 things - either the repeat showing had edited Mandana's role or the fan who claimed to have seen it was being a little tinker and knew of her involvement (e.g via an autograph) but hadn't actually seen it to realise the role was chopped. What I am almost certain of is that it was not a case of mistaken identity that freakily turned out to uncover Mandana's involvement, as claimed elsewhere

[coolbyrne]

What I am almost certain of is that it was not a case of mistaken identity that freakily turned out to uncover Mandana's involvement, as claimed elsewhere.

No, that was way too much of a stretch of believability to think:

1. Someone had claimed to see Mandana
2. She was told by those "in the know" that she was wrong, wrong, wrong. It must have been another actress.
3. Only for it to be "revealed" later that, yes, Mandana was in it.

These (Random Quest and Occasional, Strong) are two small roles that completely flew under the radar of anyone who wasn't directly told about them (Random Quest), or didn't happen to stumble upon them (Occasional, Strong). I found out about O,S both times (first the initial discovery, then the video) purely by chance, and am not ashamed to say so. Had I not been looking for Gordon Ramsay things, I never would have found it. And had I not gone to Google the information the other day to put in a request post for this very board, I never would have seen the YouTube link. Both RM and I had already scoured Google back in February for any information on it, and found none. This video was posted in early March. I probably would never have gone back to look.

Sometimes you just get lucky. In the end, it all benefits the fandom, so I'm not sure why some people are so afraid to say so.

[topcat]

I think, with Random Quest, my second theory of a fan having a little.....erm.....fun.... shall we say, is the most logical explanation.

I suspect this fan found out about Mandana's involvement because they had received some form of communication like an autograph and had asked her what she was up to. The fan kept quiet to see just how up to date or 'in the know' MJnet is. Let's be honest, there must have been a whole bunch of fans out there who had been annoyed by the stance that site had suddenly started to take with regard to stifling information not gathered directly by themselves.

These are the original posts on the subject:

"A friend in the UK swears she saw Mandana appear in "Random Quest," a sci-fi movie that aired on BBC4 in late November. Can anyone confirm? My friend happened upon one scene, so she doesn't have details ... but she's certain it was Mandana."

"Not to beat a dead (or nonexistent) horse, but my friend says the following:-- Mandana had a small part in "Random Quest," so she wouldn't be in the main cast list. --If my friend understands what was going on in the scene she saw, Mandana portrayed the main character's ex-wife.........she's a big Bad Girls fan, so she knows Mandana ... and is sure this was her"

"Sorry to report that my friend hasn't gotten back to me. I don't know if she's tired of being hounded about what she saw or if she's too embarrassed to admit she mistook another actress for Mandana.....I'll let everyone know if I ever do hear back from my friend with details. "

So all the info was 3rd hand and from someone who never posted it themselves and then ignored further requests for clarification - but from a very brief viewing they had ascertained the nature of her character and just happened to catch the film at the very precise moment MJ appeared but then didn't watch anymore! Hmmmm.

As I say, I'm not blaming the mysterious fan. I reckon it was a bit of one upmanship that went slightly wrong due to Mandana's role being edited but the info was far too accurate for it to have been just a case of mistaken identity that threw up an amazing coincidence

I don't undertand how torrents work but there are loads of them for Random Quest.

[coolbyrne]

I don't undertand how torrents work but there are loads of them for Random Quest.

I can help with this one.

I've seen Random Quest- downloaded the torrent as soon as it was available online. Did not see Mandana in it, and I was specifically looking for her. Though episodes of Wire in the Blood have been edited, it's always been in airings outside of the UK. I can't imagine why BBC4 would show it full, then show it again with that scene edited out. (I can't imagine it took up so much time that taking it out would make that much difference in terms of fitting it into a shorter airing slot.)

I do suspect there was no "friend", and that the poster was just waiting to see how long it would be until MJ.net confirmed the info, and how they would go about it to make it look like they knew all along. The information is so detailed that I wonder if they didn' t have some connection with the production?

[topcat]

Rogue Films website seems to be up and running but I can't see Occasional, Strong. The director is listed as Steve Green but he is not listed as one of Rogue's directors. Doesn't seem to be an easy search button.