While not exactly a film buff, Gordon Brown was touched when Barack Obama gave him a set of 25 classic American movies – including Psycho, starring Anthony Perkins on his recent visit to Washington. Alas, when the PM settled down to begin watching them the other night, he found there was a problem. The films only worked in DVD players made in North America and the words "wrong region" came up on his screen.
A White House spokesman sniggered when I put the story to him and he was still looking into the matter when my deadline came last night.
Brown, on the other hand, presented a rather more thoughtful gift to the American President in the form of a penholder carved from the timbers of an anti-slavery ship. The sister ship, in fact, of the one that was broken up and turned into the desk in the Oval Office.
This is the sort of gaffe that used to embarrass Americans when we had an idiot in the White House. Isn't refreshing to be respected around the world for our thoughtful and sophisticated diplomacy?
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