Classic Movies on Sky Arts - Series 4 Episode 4 - The Story of Highlander

 

I must have seen Highlander but none of it was familiar. And that would have been in 1986, so that is thirty nine years ago!  Ian Nathan introduces as usual calling the film a "strange and rousing fantasy epic". It was called "a true cult classic" and how the film goes "back and forth in time". Ian and Stephen Armstrong discuss what makes a "true cult classic" and the latter adds that it's "never ever become mainstream"? The story is all about being an immortal. It's Christopher Lambert who plays Conor MacLeod with Sean Connery as his mentor Juan Sanchez Villalobos. The latter was, apparently, only hired for seven days of filming. He bet the director he would not be able to do it, but lost.

The film was called "an early VHS sensation", although Neil Norman reminds us that when first released, the movie was "very badly reviewed". Including him. (I have to mention here (which the team only glossed over) the soundtrack with songs by Queen. I have the CD called A Kind of Magic that I played so many times in those days). It's Stephen who tells us about the concept starting with the highlands of 16th century Scotland. There are a number of immortals who are gradually hunted down by The Kurgan, one of their own. That's it. That's the plot. 

Apparently inspiration for the film first came from Ridley Scott's The Duelists starring Keith Carradine and Harvey Keitel. Gregory Widen wrote the first script and was also taken with the armour and swords in the Tower of London. A journey to the Highlands of Scotland and the the whole concept came together. Adding in a love story in New York was the final piece in the jigsaw. 

Thorn EMI were the producers and it was they who brought in Peter Bellwood and Larry Ferguson to make the script "more palatable" from Widen's dark and dangerous story. They hired Russell Mulcahy as director and we hear about his background in music videos. Christina Newsom thought it was more about the imagery than the story. Stephen tells us that this is his favourite Sean Connery role. He is "so charming". Wd hear about The Kurgan played with relish by Clancy Brown. Christina said he was "a cartoonish picture of evil". The location in the highlands was the remains of Eilean Donan Castle.

Neil Norman liked how the director used opposite eras, the highlands for the 16th century and modern day New York. He contrasts the huge open vistas of Scotland with the claustrophobic urban scenes of New York. Ian Nathan tells us about the swordfights and the rigorous training by the former Olympic fencer Bob Anderson. He has huge experience in choreographing these in films. Stephen Armstrong thought he was the "greatest" in his field. 

Ian Nathan thinks the "heart of the story is about immortality". Christina adds it's about "the sadness of outliving someone" shown towards the end of the film. Stephen adds it's the "perfect Friday night VHS movie". He and Ian talk about how, because of VHS, it became a cult success after disappointing at the cinema. Anyone could hire it from the video shop, or to own it and watch it time and again. The team discuss the sequels that none of them liked. They were nonsense and a disaster. Neil loved the ending when he is no longer immortal. Stephen thought it was "mad" and a one off, with Ian concluding it was "timeless".

The Garden in November

 

There are some nice autumn colours in the garden including above the two large pots of Hostas at the front. Below is the dwarf crab apple, the maypole crab and the silver birch.

There are even flowers starting on the wallflowers below. 

The campanula has more blue flowers.

And the odd rose in flower. 

The bedding border has been cleared of the Dahlias, and already some bulbs are beginning to appear. In November?

It was yesterday, the 14th November that I cleared most of the leaves from the lawn, nearly filling the garden waste bin in the process. It was a combination of a leaf blower and a garden rake. The few that were left were taken by the mower when I cut the grass. Maybe the last cut this year?

Next to the wildflower border in the picture below, I cleared all the Asters that have been poor for the last couple of years. The soil seemed quite good so next to the dwarf wall I planted some Dianthus that I split from the plant that used to be in the large pot that collapsed. 

And then some bits from the Geranium that struggles in the poor soil of the long border. I left a large area to make sure the Asters do not reappear before finding some new plants in the Spring. 

All change in the wildflower border

 

This was part of the wildflower border after I dug up a lot of the disappointing Asters. More came out this week to leave a brand new area for planting. 

One of the large pots with Dianthus in the side patio had disintegrated so out they came and are now planted alongside the dwarf wall.

There was also room for some more Geraniums. The one in the long border that was not happy there provided a number of smaller pieces for the area in the middle. We shall see how this develops in the spring.

Classic Movies on Sky Arts - Series 4 Episode 3 - The Story of Passport to Pimlico

 Ian Nathan, who introduces this series, had already mentioned this movie in previous documentaries. These were referred to in my posts of 27th September 2023 (Sky Arts: The Pioneer Years) and The Art of Film on 27th November 2023 and 1st January 2024. I also reviewed Passport to Pimlico on 3rd March 2025 when we watched the DVD. 

Ian starts by denouncing the "absurd plot". He talks to Stephen Armstrong about how much it is about what it's like to be British. We hear about how the film is set in 1947 when rationing is at it's height. Christina Newland tells us about the austerity faced by the population. However, when the film was released in 1948/49, rationing was virtually at an end. So some very late words were added to the introduction that paid tribute to the population that experienced the hardship. We still see the area with it's bomb sites. (They were still there when we arrived in London in 1952)

The plot itself is pretty crazy. The discovery of an ancient scroll deems that this part of London was in fact governed by Burgundy. It's independence from the UK ratified by the equally bonkers historian Margaret Rutherford. So this is partly a challenge to Westminster that would have gone down really well with audiences at the time. It's Stanley Holloway, of course, who is made the Prime Minister of Burgundy. However things are not actually that straightforward and problems arise in every increasing circles. Director Henry Cornelius ups the ante. We hear about his background and that this was his very first feature. The presenters talk about the political climate of the time, the comedy and the development of the plot.

It was one of the first films that dealt with what it was like to be working class. Ian Nathan describes the humdrum surroundings and the disillusionment with life after the end of the war. (What would foreign audiences make of customers in a pub dancing around to "Knees Up Mother Brown"). We hear about the large cast and a "soap opera of lives". The ensemble included actors such as Charles Hawtrey,  Hermione Baddeley, Barbara Murrey, Jane Hylton, Sidney Tafler (I think my father knew him) and Michael Hordern. There was also clever casting of the double act Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne playing the face of officialdom. But they were mainly concerned with the cricket score, as they were in their previous films that included The Lady Vanishes.

The movie was not filmed in Pimlico but across the river on the Lambeth Road. We see the huge crowds who surrounded the area to watch the filming take place. However it was not all straightforward. A record hot and dry summer made the filming run way over budget. There were daily rows between the director and producer Michael Balcombe. Ian Nathan concludes that this was "the seeds of Great British soap opera". Neil Norman tells us how the film became so popular and how it still resonates today.

Shy Creatures, You Are Here and Talking It Over

 

Clare Chambers is on a roll. After her excellent Small Pleasures comes another great story. In Shy Creatures we are in 1964 (maybe I'm biased as I was nineteen) and Helen Hansford, an art therapist in a psychiatric hospital is having a thing with Gil, the chief. It's when the silent William Tapping arrives with his aunt (who never recovers from a tragedy) that Helen wants to understand his background. And so begins her quest.

The book then alternates from the sixties, back to when William was a child, living with his aunts. In his later life we wonder why he has never been outside the house in years. This part of the book takes us back in time in steps to reveal a trauma. And that is not when he ventures out, for once, to a fair in the next door park that does not end well. Nor a piece in 1944, when William is seventeen, and playing cards with his aunts. He shuffles and cuts like a croupier even if he has never seen one. "He could cut the deck time and time again one handed and flick and flex them in a neat arc from one hand to the other, or spread and flip them over in a smooth wave".

Back to 1964 and, at Helen's instigation, William, now a permanent patient, is visited by a friend Francis (not seen since their schooldays) and his mother Mrs Kenley. The story of their childhood provides some clues to William's background. I did like how his part of the book was told in stages that take us gradually back in time. And how Mrs Kenley feels somehow responsible for how William has become so with drawn. But those alternating passages that involve the relationship between Helen and Gil I found not quite so interesting. But they do provide a nice counterpoint to William's story.

Two lost souls. Marnie is thirty eight and alone after a divorce. Michael is forty two and not over his split from his wife. It seems they have a mutual acquaintance in Cleo who turns out to be organising a walk on Alfred Wainwrights "Coast to Coast". Of course they both arrive at the first hotel ready for the whole route. There is quite a group and it's handsome Conrad who pals up with Marnie. I was not familiar with the western and northern stretch of the Lake District, we stuck mainly to the southern and central fells. The group dynamic in the first days is quite interesting.

But then suddenly they arrive at the familiar Buttermere and Haystacks. (We found them when we stayed in Keswick in 2008 - see post of 26th June). However, of course it is pouring with rain, the group gradually duck out except for Marnie and Michael who are up for pressing on. And they do. The introduction to part 3 has a section that is by far the most familiar. Grasmere (where we stayed for years) was busy during the day (that's when we were somewhere else - it's very nice early and late). But there is less than a page on Grasmere, except for the pub they visit.

Then more places are familiar: Grisedale Tarn, St Sunday Crag (2005) and Angle Tarn (1995, 2000 and 2016 when we climbed High Street). Back to the story. Marnie and Michael are talking about their lives and after a shaky start, are becoming more friendly. They have their own rooms at the places they stay on the route. However some unexpected events in the last third of the book changes the feel of the book completely. Probably more realistic than a comfortable story, and not poorer for that. Some of the chapters are surprisingly short, averaging six pages. But with You Are Here, this is David Nichols on top form.

Stuart, Gillian and Oliver. They address the reader in shortish pieces, taking you into their confidence. Talking it Over by Julian Barnes is all about their relationships, the first two are married, the men are close friends and knew each other at school and then at University. Oliver is far more erudite than Stuart, but his vocabulary is just a way of showing off. The author has fun with this, all those words we never use in everyday conversation. Oliver ends one chapter with "Yes, I do know, I've used "crepuscular" again.

But Oliver doesn't know what he is talking about when he thinks we still might be "living in mud huts, eating frightful food and listening to Del Shannon records". There's nothing wrong with Del Shannon records. I saw him at the Royal Albert Hall in 1985 and his "Runaway" was a huge hit. It's when Oliver realises that he's in love with Gillian that the book takes a massive turn. The author cleverly describes his inner turmoil. For me, I loved the first half, but the second became a bit of a soap opera. Although the writing is top drawer as usual.

Edge of Seventeen by Stevie Nicks

 

Yesterday at the cinema came the trailer for the new movie Christy starring Sydney Sweeney. But what moved me was the song in the background. I knew it was a Stevie Nicks number but I had to revisit the trailer to find it was called The Edge of Seventeen. I'm such a sucker for great pop songs in films. And this was just a trailer. 

How the garden has revived

 

The photo above was one corner of the garden in June. It just happens to be my screensaver. I compared it with how it looked in August after that long dry spell.

And now in November, the shrubs are looking far better and in good shape for next year. Today I cleared some of the asters around the rose. (The spade is a give away). In the border around the conservatory, the campanula has flowered again, and on the far left is the felicia and then the wallflowers that I planted last week. Roll on spring.

Alfred Hitchcock's - The 39 Steps

 

After watching the first episode of the new series of Classic Movies on Sky Arts, I found a second hand DVD of The 39 Steps on eBay. This is a digitally remastered special edition that looked superb. I had already said everything on my post of 29th October. Only to add that the scene on the Forth Bridge was amazing and that there were all those young woman who saved Hannay along the way. And I spotted John Laurie as a crofter where he stays the night. Famous in our house for playing Private Frazer in Dad's Army.

Above at the age of 38 playing the crofter in 1935 and below in Dad's Army 1968 to 1977.

Twin Peaks Season 1

 

It was the obituary and lead article in the March 2025 Edition of Sight and Sound magazine that made me think about David Lynch (see post 22nd February 2025). I had seen most of his films, but not this TV series: Twin Peaks. Some interesting technical stuff in the magazine in the Summer 2025 Edition, and mentions in other months. I found a box set of the first season cheap on eBay and dived in. The screenplay is by David Lynch and Mark Frost.

The Pilot

What struck me at first was the scenery. Set in a fictional town in Washington state near the Canadian border, but actually filmed in towns east of Seattle. Small town America looks great. The over-riding feel of the series is that of a detective investigating a murder of a young woman, Laura Palmer, something that we are now so used to in the many TV series seen over the last decades. And here he is, the FBI detective Dale Cooper played by Kyle McLachlan flown in the solve the crime. He's very smartly dressed, always smiling, the laughing detective. But he is clever, there are numerous times when he spots something others do not see. 

Episode 1

Or is it episode 2? Anyway, the investigation is underway. The local chief of police Sheriff  Harry Truman says he is "beginning to feel like Dr Watson". Lots of interviews with the locals, I was struggling to make out who was who. But that's not unusual these days.

The theme music is so haunting. Angelo Badalmenti received many plaudits for its composition. It is amazing despite being slightly repetitive. 

Episode 2

This was the episode I nearly gave up. Some of the verbal and physical attacks on women would never be shown today. Well, this was filmed in 1990. That's thirty five years ago. There are lots of suspects and Agent Cooper sets up a demonstration to remind us. He also needs some forensics and who should arrive but Albert and his team. Now we are used the forensics to be brainy but mostly nice and laid back. Not Albert. He must be the most loud and horrible guy ever. 

Episode 3

Cooper said at the end of the previous episode that he knows the murderer. But here he says it was only a dream and just has a clue. The best scene was a punch up in the morgue with nasty Albert. 

Episode 4

One of the locals, Sarah palmer has had visions, but of no use. But they are on the trail of a one armed man (used again for The Fugitive). There are now many more scenes that involve couples from the town as we try to work out who is who. Also arriving is Laura's cousin Madeline Ferguson.

Episode 5

It's all very messy, all over the place. We have to remember that this is David Lynch. I'm still not sure who everyone is. More scenes between couples, less on the investigation. The owner of the diner is Norma Jennings played by the wonderful Peggy Lipton. She was famous in her twenties before she married Quincy Jones. After leaving her acting career, she came back in 1990 in her early forties looking better than before. Cooper leads his team to a backwoods cabin, only to find the older Margaret who can tell them about what she saw on the night of Laura's murder. But everything leads to One Eyed Jacks. The episode ends with Madeleine finding a tape in Laura's bedpost. As you do.

Episode 6

 Nothing much to report except Audrey getting a job as a hostess at One Eyed Jacks. And who should be playing black jack but a thinly disguised Agent Cooper. But then the discovery of yet another tape, this time hidden in a coconut.

Episode 7

Up at the mill, Shelley is ambushed and tied up. We then have that crucial device of a clock ticking down to an explosion. Just how many times has this been used since. We find out who the killer was and he gets his just deserts. Cooper has been so much more serious in the last two episodes. But even more so in the final scene of the series when, back in his now deserted hotel, a call to his door finds him being shot. End credits.

As for the DVD, when you slip off the plastic cover, you find that the picture was only hiding the main picture on the main DVD box. Here it is.

Classic Movies on Sky Arts - Series 4 Episode 2 - The Story of The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp

 

On Tuesday 17th December 2024 under the title "The Films of Powell and Pressburger", I reviewed a film I had just seen; The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp. This followed watching a Sky Arts programme about these two directors that also included a mention of this movie. My review was certainly mixed, from " a bit of a jumble" to "far too long". It "is a light and witty movie" but I was not impressed by the huge switches in time. I was therefore interested to see what the team thought.

Ian Nathan started with the words that it was "a most peculiar epic, but that is what (Powell and Pressburger) wanted". Neil Norman said it was about so many things and Christina thought it was about "the changing British colonial mindset". It travels from the Boer war to world war two. However, there is no Colonel Blimp in the film, only that this newspaper satirical cartoon character from the 1930's and 40's  inspired this life story of Colonel Clive Candy. Played here by Roger Livesey. 

What was interesting was the reference to "the febrile atmosphere around 1942 against the officer class. In the film there is a "low level mutiny". I remember around the same time my father being pressed to train as an officer when he was quite happy as a corporal. And his joining others at the end of their training in Dundee, rolling down the road bleating like sheep.

Back to the film, and Ian Nathan tells us it's "what it means to grow old". He thinks that it is partly inspired by Powell and Pressburger's own film One of our Aircraft is Missing where age is a factor. And that Pressburger used so much of his own experiences. Add in a love story as Deborah Kerr plays all three different women in those three periods of Candy's life: a governess, a nurse and a driver. Christina says she is "always a smart and fiery character". 

Ian Nathan talks about "some wonderful sets" and where Christina adds "one of the most remarkable shots in cinema history" as the camera moves from inside the barracks where a duel is taking place, and tracks up through the glazed roof into the sky and then back down again outside where a carriage is waiting. Ian tells us about the relationship of Candy and Theo being central to the film. Neil Norman concludes it is "the pinnacle of the director's work together, it is so personal to them". Stephen Armstrong tells us if you are not careful,  "you will miss the most important moment of your life". Ian says it is a "satired celebration of Britishness". The film was restored and released in the 1980's. It does look wonderful. 

My Shakespeare by Greg Doran - Parts 13 - 15

 

Part 13   Othello  

- 2004: Swan Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon; Japan Tour; Trafalgar Studios, London

"Tony and I had been thinking about Othello for years". I marveled at the introduction to this play, going back to 1988 and subsequent productions. The old technique of using a white actor in black make up that is now distinctly not on. (Although I guess completely normal in Shakespeare's time). Particularly interesting was that ten years ago Artistic Director Terry Hands has persuaded Willard White to play Othello with Ian McKellen as Iago. The last production at The Other Place. 

The search for a new Othello goes on. The are off to America and The Lincoln Centre. "I still have the typed list with scribbled notes of potential Othellos that the Lincoln Centre and their casting director Daniel Swee had drawn up. It included Morgan Freeman, Samuel Jackson, Mahershala Ali and Denzel Washington". This was twenty odd years ago.

Lots of stop starts until a trip to South Africa where they met Sello Maake Ka-Ncube, and later watching him in London, they had found their Othello. But funding became a problem with then Artistic Director Michael Boyd. 

A diversion here with the five Jacobean plays that were funded by impresarios Thelma Holt and Bill Kenwright. The first time five unknown Jacobean plays were staged in the West End in the Gielgud Theatre. These were so successful that an extended run ended with an Olivier Award. (Doran adds another note about Thelma taking The Taming of the Shrew and The Tamer Tamed (see previous post) to the Queens Theatre and Judi Denche's Alls Well That Ends Well to the Gielgud.) These background stories go on and on but they are truly fascinating.

Back to Othello and funding being secured from Hori Pro that would include a tour of Japan. Greg and Tony have long discussions about who is Iago. In the middle of which Greg wonders "how do you keep a sense of spontaneity". His views on this are something else. Back to Iago and they ask "what is his problem?". 

Amanda Harris is brought in to play Emilie, Iago's wife. Well into rehearsals, the actors work out their relationships with one another. Quotations from the text are are coupled with detailed explanations. Greg talks about bringing in Lisa Dillon to play Desdemona and describes what she brought to the production. The play opened to mainly positive reviews. Amanda was "acclaimed by several critics" and she won an Olivier award for best supporting actress. Sello and Tony also were praised, although the latter was uncomfortable through the whole run, suffering from stage fright.

26th February 2009 - The Oxford Playhouse. See post 27th February 2009.

Part 14   Venus and Odonis

-2004: A co-production with The Little Angel Theatre; The Other Place

-2006: Revived in the Complete Works Festival 

-2017: Revived as part of the Rome Season - Filmed by the V&A

I wondered whether to include this chapter, but it was quite interesting. It starts in the summer of 1999 and they are putting on an entertainment at a gathering at Highgrove for Prince Charles. The selection of a Shakespeare poem goes down a treat. Artistic Director Adrian Noble was so impressed that he wondered if the half hour could be extended to a full length play. Then on a trip to Japan in March 2000 to see the Bunraku Puppet Theatre, Greg wonders if this might be a key to performing the above. Fast forward to November 2002 and Greg is visiting Little Angel, the home of puppetry in the UK. Then a long part about their discussions about putting on the play that leads to it's staging in 2004 at Little Angel followed by a short run at Stratford's The Other Place. It gained great reviews.

Part 15   A Midsummer Night's Dream

- 2005: Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon; Novello Theatre, London

-2008: Revived at The Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon

Apparently this is Greg Doran's favourite play. His introduction to this chapter talks about how it was his father who introduced him to Shakespeare. (Ditto). Along with a box of Beethoven symphonies, he came home with Mendelson's music to A Midsummer Night's Dream. Greg was instantly hooked: "those first four evocative chords". But also this recording included extracts from the play. "It contains some of the most beautiful poetry in the English language". Greg explains (obviously in some great detail) the four worlds in the play: The Court, The Lovers, The Rude Mechanicals and The Fairies. 

Greg continues that "it's one of the finest comedies ever written" and "a deep dive into the nature of love". He quotes "one of my favourite lines in the play" ... "And sleep, that sometimes shuts up sorrow's eye". The Rude Mechanicals are always a source of hilarity. He especially liked how Bottom was always seeking to enlarge his part in their performance. There are then three pages about the scene with Pyramus and Thisbe - the play within the play. Greg was glad that the reviews were so good when the play opened. He ends with a note that he and Tony became civil partners in a ceremony at Islington Town Hall.

12th September 2014  The Globe Theatre production at Aylesbury Waterside

I can also vaguely remember seeing it in London when I was a child, possibly as a Christmas treat from the great aunts. 

Classic Movies on Sky Arts - Series 4 Episode 1 - The Story of the 39 Steps

Ian Nathan introduces the new series with a film that is "classic Hitchcock". Christina Newland says how it is "hugely influential", Neil Norman "how it invented the genre", "probably the first action adventure spy film" and Stephen Armstrong "a fast moving perfect story" and "arguably the first real spy movie". Ian tells us all about the John Buchan book, but also how Hitchcock changed so much for the film. It was about "paranoia and panic" but also a "thriller and a comedy romance". 

After we hear all about the story, we hear about the stars: Robert Donat as Richard Hannay and  Madeleine Carroll as Pamela. Handcuffed together, they have apposing demands as he wants to prove his innocence and she wants him arrested. 

Ian Nathan talks about Alfred Hitchcock, his history and working for Michael Balcombe at British Gaumont Studios. Also how the film was mostly shot in the studio in Lime Grove near Shepherd's Bush. Stephen discusses the work of John Buchan and Christina on all those changes to the novel. These included changing the 39 steps from a physical place to something of a code. 

Christina calls Pamela "the quintessential Hitchcock blonde" and Ian Nathan talks about the selection of the cast. Neil Norman adds if you wanted to know about the best British acting talent, they were all here". Stephen discusses how Richard Hannay is so different in the film to the character in the book and about the actor Robert Donat. Christina compares him with Cary Grant. Ian tells us that Madeleine Carroll  was at the time one of the top box office draws in the UK. Her role was actually built up during filming. 

Neil Norman goes on to describe the first ever helicopter chase in movies. And that you will see other  elements, if not the entire script, played out in other films over the decades. All the presenters talk about how much marriage is such an important theme. This film became the first big hit in America for Hitchcock and led to his move to Hollywood. Ian Nathan wraps up this episode with how Hitch became the master of suspense. He made sure we were with Hannay all the way through. Not ahead, not behind, but that we experience his plight in real time. 

One Battle After Another, The Corpse Bride and Springsteen, Deliver Me From Nowhere

 

I almost avoided One Battle After Another when I found it was two and a half hours long. But I'm very glad I gritted my teeth as this film from director Paul Thomas Anderson is a five star belter. He is inspired by another Thomas Pynchon novel after his Inherent Vice, It turns out to be a great action movie that has very decent dialogue that rattles along so you have no time to be bored. Somewhat of a departure for lead Leonardo de Caprio as one pretty stupid idealist who has to rely on others to survive. 

The soundtrack is especially splendid, from The Shirelles 1962  hit Soldier Boy to Tom Petty's American Girl, Survivor's Eye of the Tiger, and tracks from Steely Dan, The Ramsey Lewis Trio and many others. It was transported back to 1962, I'm seventeen and listing songs played on Radio Luxemburg. All alternate with Johnny Greenwood's fine score.

Critic Nick Bradshaw tells us that after a long prologue, we get "two screen hours of pell-mell, crazy-quilt cat-and-mouse caper". And that there is so much to relish". Mark Kermode said that it is "Genuinely breathtaking", and Tom Shone in his five star review in the Sunday Times says is "feels so instantly and unmistakably a classic" and "probably Anderson's best film".  

The 20th anniversary of Tim Burton's animation The Corpse Bride was playing non stop in my local Odeon cinema. I cannot remember seeing it before and I was glad I had saved it for the big screen. I did not know that it was partly a musical especially in the first half, but that suited the story. The speaking actors are all excellent and I particularly liked the skeleton's dance. 

See my post of 31st October 2024 for "Inside Cinema Episode 51 - Beyond Aardman"

For the most pretentious title title this year to a decent biopic of Bruce Springsteen. I liked how it concentrated on the gestation of the album Nebraska that was all new to me. There are flashbacks and one tiny flash forward, but the film is mainly set  in a rented house in Colts Neck, New Jersey where Bruce hid away to write some very personal songs for the next album. It followed the hugely popular album The River that Springsteen toured with The E Street Band. But he was not expecting that a full backing band would destroy the meaning of these songs. There is enough on places like Wikipedia not to have to detail here. 

I was impressed with the Oscar worthy performance of Jeremy Allen White as Bruce, an actor I had never seen before. And Jeremy Strong was also good as Jon Landau his manager, surprisingly so caring and supportive, unlike any other manager. Tom Shone in the Sunday Times describes "there's more affection, and even tenderness to his portrayal". And also good was Stephen Graham as Springsteen's father.  I was also amazed to find that Odessa Young,  who plays a fictional waitress in a major supporting role, was cast in the lead as Jane Fairchild in the movie Mothering Sunday.   Overall I was pleasantly surprised at how good the story was. Add in some of Bruce's best tracks and a couple of marvelous poignant moments courtesy of director Scott Cooper, and the nearly two hours was just right.

Have You Seen ...? by David Thomson: My List So Far

 

I started watching films recommended by David Thomson in his book Have You Seen ...? back in September 2022.  I actually listed seventy that I might like to see from the 1,000 movies he has reviewed in this huge volume. This is the list of my posts where I reviewed those I have watched so far. They do include some films not in my 2010 edition.

Part 1   8th December 2022

Shadow of a Doubt, Don't Look Now and Blue Velvet

Part 2   23rd December 2022

Touch of Evil, Mulholland drive and All About Eve

Part 3   17th February 2023

Singing in the rain, M and To Live and Die in LA

Part 4   16th March 2023

Adaptation, Belle de Jour and The Third Man

Part 5   28th March 2023

Casino, The 39 Steps and The Equalizer

Part 6   9th June 2023

The Big Sleep, Blood Simple and Casablanca

Part 7   1st August 2023

Scarface, Vanishing Point and Blow Up

Part 8   12th September 2023

Anatomy of a Murder, The Piano and The Apartment

Part 9   25th October 2023

The Maltese Falcon, Point Break and A History of Violence

Part 10  18th January 2024

The Magnificent Ambersons, Double Indemnity and Chinatown

Part 11  24th March 2024

Dog Day Afternoon, Out of Africa and Brazil

Part 12  23rd August 2024

Night of the Demon, Sunset Boulevard and Five Easy Pieces

Part 13  7th October  2024

Death in Venice, Dial M for Murder and Strangers on a Train

Part 14  11th November 2024

Kind Hearts and Coronets, City of God and Taxi Driver

Part 15  17th January 2025

I'm Alright Jack, Move Over Darling and Whisky Galore

Part 16  3rd March 2025

A Shot in the Dark, Passport to Pimlico and The Outfit

Part 17  20th June 2025

Went the day well?, Ice Cold in Alex and 28 Days Later

Part 18  27th July 2025

Brief Encounter, Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice, and Genevieve

Tony Bennett Tribute

 

Friday Night is Music Night is on Radio 3 (our new go to station) at 7.30pm. This week it came live from Chichester Festival Theatre (where I went to see Redlands) and featured the BBC Concert Orchestra and singers with a tribute to Tony Bennett. I remember seeing him at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1967 with the Count Basie band. I must dig out the programme ......

I found this in the loft. Not a programme exactly, but a souvenir brochure. Despite numerous searches, I cannot find this on the internet.

These are the front and back.

Emma at the Oxford Playhouse

 

It was all so familiar. Jane Austen wrote Emma in 1815 and the adaptations for film and TV go on and on. Here was the Theatre Royal, Bath's production of a script by Ryan Craig. All fine except for a couple of very modern expressions that we could have done without. Directed by Stephen Unwin, there was a lovely humorous tone to the play.

All the actors threw themselves into the proceedings led by the excellent India Shaw-Smith as Emma Woodhouse. ("A perfect, meddlesome, pert, bossy-boots"). The polar opposite to the lead she played in the Amazon Prime film The Pines Still Whisper. (just watched the trailer). Ed Sayer was born to play George Knightley and seventy year old William Chubb enjoyed being the elderly father Mr Woodhouse.  

There were a couple of innovative features. In between scenes, the lights on the stage go down and the scenery is moved by the shadows of some of the cast. In particular, it might have been understudies Charlie Norton and Jordan Kilshaw who, in tandom, moved the furniture. And then there was Hugh Osborne, an exceptional silent butler. The two hours plus interval was spot on. 

Wendover Brook

The photos above were taken on my walk last week on my way back from Halton to Weston Turville Reservoir.  The brook was completely overgrown and there was no sign of any water.  I wanted to compare these pictures with the ones I took in February last year. Then all the banks had been cut back and the bottom had been cleared. Maybe it's time to do it again. 

Sight and Sound Magazine - November 2025

 

Front Cover

Here is Guillermo del Toro pictured for his new movie Frankenstein.

Editorial

Mike Williams talks about "the enduring appeal of Frankenstein as a source for a movie". He goes on "The Monster's horror stems from it's humanity". Giving a patched up human something of a brain is completely novel in movies. Mike goes back to Bernie Wrightson's illustrated Frankenstein (1983) as a source for del Toro's movie. But then why does Mike tell us about A.I. and chatbot?

Opening Scenes

Isabel Stevens looks at the climate change background to the latest film by Paul Greengrass The Lost Bus. A shame that its only on Netflix. 

Editor's Choice

Here are recommendations for the BFI London Film Festival. The only one that caught my eye was The Mastermind from director Reichardt.

In Production

Hurrah! The creator of the brilliant animated film Flow (see my review) that won the Oscar, is working on his new movie Limbo where, apparently he has completed the first thirty eight minutes. Also a Sinead O'Connor biopic is underway.

News

Just about Sudanese cinema.

In Conversation

Hope Rangasuani talks to Derek Cianfrance about his new film Roofman with Channing Tatum that is due out this month. His previous films include Blue Valentine and the terrific The Place Beyond the Pines.

Report

Philip Concannon studies the return of VistaVision that was the 1950's inspiration for IMAX. Just because IMAX was used for One Battle After Another but only shown in this format in very few cinemas. Philip includes lots of technical stuff, all beyond me.

Mean Sheets

This is all about Graham Humphries whose hand drawn posters are quite startling. We see four of these.

Reader's Letters

Nothing of interest.

The Long Take

This month Pamela Hutchinson looks at the rise of audience numbers, especially those of young people.

TV Eye

Andrew Male looks at how the BBC (from 1970 - 1984) commissioned original drama for their series Play for Today. Channel 5 is actually reviving some of these productions. Most notable are the number of the then fairly unknown writers who today are household names. From Caryl Churchill (The After Dinner Joke), Mike Leigh (Abigail's Party) as well as Alan Bennett, Denis Potter, Alan Bleasedale, Willy Russell and others. Andrew talks about "the strange and wonderful diversity of the original Play for Today". 

Flick Lit

Nicole Flattery explores the work of novelist Edith Wharton and the film Materialists' director Celine Song. How one of the films that inspired her was Edith's The Age of Innocence that she says "makes absolute sense". Then comparing the book with Dakota Johnson's (professional) matchmaker Lucy in Materialists. Nicole found "a totalising darkness" when I found the rich people and colour palette distracting. 

Black Film Bulletin

Nothing familiar.

Bringing out the Dead

Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein gets a nine page feature for it's release on 17th October on ..... Netflix. A two and a half hour epic. Some great stills including Jacob Elordi as the Creature and Oscar Isaac as Frankenstein. Apparently the film is "authentically rooted in the structure of Shelley's novel". Shame I wont be able to see it.

The Art of the Steal

Beatrice Loaza tells us about Kelly Reichardt's movie The Mastermind about a snatch and grab raid on an art gallery in the 1970's. An unemployed family man J. B. Mahoney (played by Josh O'Connor) is not your normal thief and it sounds like his plan is doomed to fail. "A coming undone" film is a clue to how it pans out. And who should play the wife but Alana Haim. Kelly did huge research into 70's culture, and there is an interesting page on her inspirations for this story.

Cinema is breath to him

Rebecca Miller has made a five part documentary called Mr. Scorsese. On Apple TV+ so I will never get to see it. Philip Horne interviews the director. 

Venice Film Festival: Portrait of a Lido on Fire

The festival seems more like a damp squid, nothing exciting except one film that was snubbed by the jury: No Other Choice is the latest from the brilliant director Park Chan-wook. A follow up to his superb Decision to Leave (2022) and a "blood and guts black comedy". Right up my street.

Reviews; Films

So many promising films this month after last times disappointing two. Bugonia stars Emma Stone. Is she an alien despite being the CEO of a biomedical company. Yorgos Lanthimos directs a Will Tracy screenplay. A long review from Travis Jeppesen concludes that it "adheres dangerously close to the cliches of horror schlock". But "it's played well" with the "depth brought by the performances of Stone and Jesse Plemons". It seems to be loosely based on the Korean movie Save the Green Planet (2003) and three more English language remakes of Korean films including the terrific Oldboy (2003) from Park Chan-wook that was remade by Spike Lee in 2013.

Next comes The Mastermind from Kelly Reichardt (see above) reviewed by Nicolas Rapolo. It stars Josh O'Connor, Alana Haim and Hope Davis. Set in the 1970's complete with documentary footage from the time. An art theft may not go well.

Then Hedda transports Ibsen's heroine to the mid 20th century and "preserves much of the original story". Kelli Weston describes the main characters (Tessa Thomson is Hedda) and Nia Dacosta has adapted the play and directed the movie. Imogen Poots plays Hedda's old classmate. All the old relationships are there, but Kelli thinks it is "bold and striking, but not wholly convincing".

It's Catherine Bray who reviews Frankenstein (see previous note). She sets out the background to the film and says that the early scenes have an "emotional heft". She added "Jacob Elordi  is superb as the Creature" and that Oscar Isaac as Victor "does a fabulous job". It's a shame I won't see it as just on Netflix. 

Steve is previewed by Philip Concannon. A star vehicle for Cillian Murphy who plays the head of a boarding school for last chance teenagers. Add in Roger Allam as the local MP and a visiting film crew. Although closure of the school maybe on the horizon.

One Battle After Another

This month the reviews of big films just keep on coming. (See my review of this movie). Nick Bradshaw tells us that after the long prologue, we get "two screen hours of pell-mell, crazy-quilt, cat-and-mice caper". And "there is so much to relish". Even a mention for Johnny Greenwood's score. He ends with the film being "a terrific ride".

The Smashing Machine

Reviewed by Jessica Kiang. I had not realised that this was a biopic of the real life wrestling MMA star Mark Kerr played by Dwayne Johnson, heavily in disguise. I'm not surprised it had a poor showing at the box office even with Emily Blunt playing his long suffering girl friend Dawn.

A House of Dynamite

John Bleasdale reviews this Kathryn Bigelow movie. I'm so disappointed that it's only on Netflix.

Then five more reviews of films that are of no interest before we get to .....

Spinal Tap 11: The End Continues

Even the title is one of the reasons I'm not into these movies. I never got the original though I did give it a go. Leigh Singer does his best to put us in the picture with his review. But as a non-devotee I will let others decide. Leigh says "the basic joke is their crudely overblown, if sometimes charmingly naive insanity".

Honey, Don't

Saffron Mave reviews the second in Ethan Coen's and Tricia Cooke's trilogy following their Drive Away Dolls (see my post). The film is also co-produced by Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner of Working Title. An absurd, brightly coloured thriller starring the striking Margaret Qualley as private eye Honey O'Donoghue. She is like a modern sharp talking Humphrey Bogart. See my review on this blog. The critics were mainly unimpressed, the audience was sparse, but I loved it. Bring on number three.

After the Hunt

The review sounded interesting, but cannot find it's release in cinemas. Julia Roberts stars in a Luca Guadagnino film.

Caught Stealing

This was being shown in local cinemas, but Matt Smith with his punk Mohican haircut put me off. Again reviewed by Philip Concannon, it's the latest from Darren Aronofsky but it sounded too violent for me. The director's films are "not light hearted affairs". Austin Butler stars in "a portrait of a sad and broken world". 

DVD and BLU-RAY

Michael Haneke: A Curzon Collection

A box set of eighteen of his films, including those made for TV, are in a box set of 14 discs on Blu-Ray. Geoff Andrew describes them: "The TV films here may not be as immediately personal or brilliant as Haneke's later work". 

The Graduate

A three disc box set on Blu-Ray is "a gorgeous transfer". 

And lots more reviews.

Lost and Found

The films of Nick Zedd. Pass.

Wider Screen

Nothing.

Books

Darkness Visible: The Cinema of Jonathon Glazer

From Sexy Beast that starred Ray Winstone (with that iconic photo) to Under the Skin and Zone of Interest.

Also Mark Kermode's Surround Sound. The stories of movie music.

From the Archive

We have to be Intimate

At the BFI Southbank in October/November comes Love, Sex, Religion, Death: The Complete Films of Terrence Davies. An extended feature that includes a number of interviews he gave to this magazine over the years. The best part was his piece called On Acting which included a comparison of British and American.

This Month in ...... 1955

Here is Gavin Lambert's feature about Fritz Lang as well as a picture of the front cover which was a still from Jean Renoir's French Cancan. The only review of note from that edition was David Lean's  Summer Madness that starred Katherine Hepburn.