My Shakespeare by Greg Doran - Parts 19 - 21

 

Part 19   Hamlet

- 2008: Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon; Novello Theatre, London - Filmed for the   BBC

"It's one of the biggies" says Greg. Especially if performed on the main stage of The Royal Shakespeare Theatre. But this is the Courtyard Theatre. As Hamlet is the longest play in the cannon, coming in at four and a half hours no less, the first job for any director is whether "to cut or not to cut". And how. There are lots of shorter versions available, but Greg sets about sorting his own, looking at two to two and a half hours. (However, when filmed for the BBC, it comes in nearer three). He wants to have a cliff hanger at the interval.

A great cast is assembled headed by David Tennant and Patrick Stewart. There is a lot of interesting stuff about the production, how making it into a thriller, and all in modern dress. (See BBC iPlayer). Greg talks about the process of rehearsal that he has developed over the years, starting with examining the text line by line. There is a nice part about how they play Hamlet killing Polonius. And a bit about the real skull used for Yorick. ("Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him well Horatio ...). As for Patrick's performance as Claudius, "it was distilled to a point where his self-containment had the terrifying intensity of an unexploded bomb". 

The production in Stratford was a sell-out, as was the transfer to the Novello Theatre in London. But then disaster struck! David Tennant suffered a prolapsed disc and was carted off to hospital. We hear how his understudy Ed Bennett rose to the occasion, as did all the actors who moved up one. David was back for the last week, and that recording for BBC 2 that was shown on Boxing Day. Another triumph.

22nd October 1988   The Barbican Theatre, London

20th August 2015   The Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon

Part 20   Love's Labour's Lost

- 2008: Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon

Greg starts with a part about Rosaline and whether she was written as a brown or black character. "The overt racism is troubling". Greg asks if it might have been a talented black boy in Shakespeare's company for whom he wrote Rosaline. For this production, Greg has cast Nina Sosanya who we know quite well from the TV. This was the final play in Greg's three part season after Hamlet and A Midsummer Night's Dream. 

Greg talks about the role of Armado played by Joe Dixon of whom was said "Shakespeare's homage to lifelong immaturity". Double intenders by the bucket load. We get a long run down of the final act "the longest scene in Shakespeare" where we get a full three page analysis. 

Greg was so concerned that at the end, the two main charaters (David Tennant as Berowne and Nina Sosanya as Rosaline) are separated. He thinks about Loves Labours Won (Much Ado About Nothing) and how that might save them. So in 2014, he put on both plays together. See my post of the latter 23rd October 2014.

13th November 2008    The Rose Theatre, Kingston-Upon-Thames

Part 21   Twelfth Night

- 2009: Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon; Duke of York's Theatre, London

A long introduction tells us about Greg and his twin Ruth and what incidents they shared. So Greg always had an affinity for Twelfth Night. He tells us where and when it is being set: an ex-pat crew on the grand tour. Greg talks about all the unsuccessful productions of this play for the RSC over the years: 1998 - 2001 - 2005. But here Greg has a great cast headed by Richard Wilson who was actually not a Shakespeare fan. And two actresses who actually meet for the first time, fall in love, and are married later. Nancy Carroll and Jo Stone-Fewlings. Well, as Greg tells us in detail, the play is all about love. 

When Viola has a long talk with Olivia, Greg describes it line by line. Early rehearsals are at St George's Church in Bloomsbury and after six weeks it's back to Stratford and the Courtyard Theatre. Greg takes the cast to the Knot Garden at New Place. Here he reads a piece by J B Priestly from 1928. Opening night is press night and Greg addresses the assembled cast and ends with introducing - Ruth (see above). He talks about how he didn't quite achieve what he wanted after all. But top critic Michael Billington called it "pleasing production". However we are not told any more about it's reception.  

13th April 1991   The Playhouse Theatre, London

30th October   Watford Palace Theatre

Movies at Home: Code 46, The Titfield Thunderbolt and Far from Heaven

 

A Michael Winterbottom science fiction movie written by Frank Cottrell Boyce. We are in Shanghai where Samantha Morton is giving out fake documents called papelles. She is being investigated by Tim Robbins who gradually falls for her despite being married. But should he trust her? However, the fact that Code 46 concentrates on their affair relegates pictures of the future to a mere backdrop. Arty but interesting. Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian said "it was more difficult and elusive" than these sort of films. Sight and Sound magazine in September 2004 called it "another resounding success for this uniquely talented director". I think Peter was closer to the mark.

The Titfield Thunderbolt is a comedy from 1953, although more amusing than laugh out loud. Straight out of Ealing Studios with Charles Crichton as director. Amateurs take over the train to save a railway from closure. But it's the bus company who would profit from the closure who do everything to disrupt their plans. So every misfortune you could think of is here, including a battle with a steam roller. Mostly shot on location, and all the exteriors looked great. This print must have been a top restoration. 

Many of the scenes are like a silent movie with musical accompaniment. I did laugh once when at last we hear they are running at a profit - "the next thing we know, we'll be nationalised". A typically good cast included leading man John Gregson (we saw him in Genevieve). Stanley Holloway and Sid James are in the supporting roles. Alison liked it.

Following the review in this month's Sight and Sound magazine, I found a cheap DVD of Far from Heaven. Released in 2002, it won four Oscars including best actress for Julianne Moore as Cathy. She looked so different in that stylish wig. The opening credits look wonderful, those beautiful exterior shots of Hartford, Connecticut, the location, the cars, the dresses and the colour. We are in the fall and everything looks great. Who wouldn't want to live there. At times it almost looks in 3D. Director Todd Haynes has captured some scenes straight out of Edward Hopper paintings, especially his famous Nighthawks. 

We see early on that the husband Frank (played by Dennis Quaid) is more interested in men. His visit to a club for gays says it all. And when Cathy catches him with a young man, you wonder what will happen. Frank is in turmoil about it.  But it's actually the entrance of the gardener played by Dennis Haysbert that is a distraction for Cathy. The fact that he is black takes the film into different territory. And although race now plays a significant part of the movie, it felt more like a soap opera to me. Especially when things go wrong with a sad ending. See my post of 26th November 2025.

Film Studies Part 4

 

This post was originally dated 22nd August 2025. However there has been a couple of additions since then. There is only one place to start with Part 4 of my posts on Film Studies.

Sight and Sound Magazine

Part 3 of my Film Studies was in February of 2024, but it actually missed out my post of the 18th December 2023 about a trial issue for Sight and Sound Magazine. The first edition of my subscription was the March 2024 edition that I reviewed in my post of the 4th of that month. So far I have received all the subsequent editions all of which have been reviewed on this blog.

The Directors on Sky Arts

I missed the whole of Series 8 when we replaced our TV, so I have only just caught up now they have been repeated on Sky. Those directors reviewed on my post of 20th August this year are:

James Cameron, Steven Soderbergh, Milos Forman, Richard Linklater, Orson Welles, Philip Noyce, David Fincher, Nancy Meyers, Clint Eastwood and Ang Lee.

The Films of Powell and Pressberger

My post of 17th December 2024 looked at I Know Where I'm Going, A Matter of Life and Death and The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.

BFI Open Day

My post of 10th September 2024.

BFI Modern Classics

See my post on Blade Runner of 7th August 2024. 

Art of Film with Ian Nathan on Sky Arts: 

Cold War and Cinema

See posts of 23rd February 2024, 29th February 2024 and 15th March 2024.

World War 2 and Cinema

Posts of 15th April 2024, 19th April 2024 and 27th April 2024.

Classic Movies on Sky Arts - Series 2

Episode 1   The Story of Brief Encounter: 12th September 2024

Episode 2   The Story of Whisky Galore: 18th September 2024

Episode 3   The Story of The Producers: 4th October 2024

Episode 4   The Story of Murder on the Orient Express: 18th October 2024

Episode 5   The Story of I'm All Right Jack : 23rd November 2024

Episode 6   The Story of The Deer Hunter: 5th November 2024

Classic Movies on Sky Arts - Series 3

Episode 1   The Story of The Ipcress File: 11th May 2025

Episode 2   The Story of Kind Hearts and Coronets: 27th May 2025

Episode 3   The Story of The Dam Busters: 3rd June 2025

Episode 4   The Story of Scott of the Antarctic: 19th June 2025

Episode 5   The Story of Flash Gordon: 21st June 2025

Episode 6   The Story of Billy Liar: 2nd July 2025

Classic Movies on Sky Arts - Series 4

Episode 1   The Story of The 39 Steps: 29th October 2025

Episode 2   The Story of Life and Death of Colonel Blimp: 31st October 2025

Episode 3   The Story of Passport to Pimlico: 7th November 2025

Episode 4   The Story of Highlander: 13th November 2025

Episode 5   The Story of The Railway Children: 24th November 2025

Episode 6   The Story of Escape from New York: 29th November 2025

Inside Cinema - Shorts

I said in Part 3 of my posts on Film Studies that I had just started to watch this series on BBC iPlayer. Here they are:

Episodes 1-10     7th February 2024

Episodes 11-20    28th March 2024

Episodes 21-30   4th May 2024

Episodes 32-40   14th June 2024

Episodes 41-50   13th August 2024

Episodes 51-60   31st October 2024

Episodes 61-70   12th December 2024

Episodes 71-80   14th January 2025

Episodes 81-90   23rd March 2025

Episodes91-96    9th July 2025

Art of Film on Sky Arts - Series 2

How Britain made Alfred Great    30th September 2024

The Golden Age of the British Screen Idol    8th October 2024

The Corda Story   10th October 2024

The Script Supervisor   19th October 2024

David Lean in Black and White    28th October 2024

The Birth of the Moguls   12th November 2024

Wonderland: Science Fiction in the Atomic Age on Sky Arts

Episode 1:   Mary Shelley to Isaac Asimov

Episode 2:   Arthur C Clark to Ray Bradbury

Episode 3:   Margaret Attwood to Ted Chiang

Episode 4:   Quatermass to Christopher Nolan

Have You Seen ......? by David Thomson

My previous post went up to Part 10, reviewed on this blog on 18th January 2024. These are the latest of my reviews:

Part 11   Dog Day Afternoon, Out of Africa and Brazil             24th March 2024

Part 12   Night of the Demon, Sunset Boulevard and Five Easy Pieces    23rd August 2024

Part 13   Death in Venice, Dial M for Murder and Strangers on a Train     7th October 2024

Part 14   Kind Hearts and Coronets, City of God and Taxi Driver      11th November 2024

Part 15   I'm Alright Jack, Move Over Darling and Whisky Galore       17th January 2025

Part 16   A Shot in the Dark, Passport to Pimlico and The Outfit        3rd March 2025

Part 17   Went the Day Well?, Ice Cold in Alex and 28 Days Later         20th June 2025

Part 18   Brief Encounter, Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice and Genevieve   27th July 2025

Movies at Home

Since the end of 2023 there are more posts on this blog: 7th May 2024, 29th July 2024, 11th June 2024, 9th August 2024, 2nd September 2024, 24th September 2024, 17th December 2024, 13th February 2025, 3rd March 2025, 1st April 2025, 30th April 2025, 12th May 2025, 10th August 2025, 6th September 2025 and 23rd September 2025.

The Whole Equation - A History of Hollywood by David Thomson

Despite enjoying six of David Thomson's books on film, this one was a big disappointment. My post of 22nd February 2024 says I found it all a bit of a mess. What a shame. 

I have never included in these posts any of the films I see at the cinema, whether at my local Odeon, Cineworld in Hemel Hempsted or at the Rex, Berkhamsted. However, there are some of the Wonderland series on Sky Arts from years ago, but I may have missed a few. Otherwise I am now waiting for the new autumn schedules to see what Sky Arts might bring me next.

Cremona

 It was when I read the description of these chocolates that something rang a bell. They are made in Cremona. I knew that this town was mentioned in a song, but could I find it on the internet? No luck, despite many searches. When you get to my age, the old brain cells take longer to connect. So I extended my search for songs that mention Cremona and at last found it. "We Opened in Venice" is the title of a track from the musical Kiss Me Kate by Cole Porter. The lyrics continue: "We next play Verona, then on to Cremona. Lots of laughs in Cremona" etc. Then each verse has something else for which Cremona is renowned. The most famous recording is by Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr and Dean Martin. The one I remember is on YouTube, but only the audio.  Searching for a performance I found one from the BBC Proms in 2014. Oh Cremona!

Classic Movies on Sky Arts - Series 4 Episode 6 - The Story of Escape from New York

 

Ian Nathan introduces this episode, the last of series 6. Escape from New York was made in 1980 and 1981. In this dystopian future, the island of Manhattan is now a maximum security prison surrounded by a giant wall. Christina Newsome says "it's one of the key action/sci fi films of the eighties. Neil Norman adds that it is "a film built to last" and that it does stand repeat viewings. Stephen Armstrong thinks "it redefines science fiction". Kurt Russell is the star who is tasked with getting the president out after a plane he is in develops a fault. 

We hear a lot about the writer and director John Carpenter. Christina says he is a true independent film maker. The films he has made are repeated throughout. She adds it has the structure of an old school western. Ian Nathan explains how, on a limited budget, it was almost all shot at night. Neil Norman tells us how the film has a political edge, and Ian Nathan takes us through the great cast.

Apparently, the script was originally written by Carpenter at film school in 1974, although it was not made until the beginning of the eighties. The script lay dormant for years, the studios were too nervous to back it. However he found funding through Joseph E Levine's independent Avco Embassy Pictures. With long time producer Debra Hill, they created miracles on a small budget. We hear about Debra, how much she was involved in all Carpenter's films especially as co-writer. She was especially good at supporting strong female characters in big roles. 

Christina goes on to tell us about the joint history of Carpenter and Kurt Russell and the latter's background in film. Here he plays Snake Plissen, basically a hero who became a criminal. Then on to that great supporting cast that included musician Isaac Hayes as the self appointed Duke of New York. Donald Pleasance plays the President, again against type as was Lee Van Cleef as the police chief. We hear about the location as New York itself was too expensive and too smart. Hunting for a run down setting, the location manager found East St Louis that had a lot of empty buildings after a major fire. They were able to turn off ten blocks of electricity to shoot in the dark. Dressed to look like urban New York. The special effects team (that included one James Cameron) had a lot to do.

Neil Norman tells us about the plot and the "ticking clock". Also that the script has a "wider view" of their world in a subtle way. But it is enormous fun.

Stephen Armstrong mentions "the crazies" being a real threat. And later how much was Carpenter in the make up of Snake.

Christina talks about Carpenter and his "strong political views". She thinks that there is "still hope for this place" despite everything that is going on there. 

Ian Nathan describes "the breakdown of civilisation" and how the film is "genre based storytelling" on a limited budget that made a huge profit at the box office. He ends with the movie being "one of the most influential sci fi films ever made".

Sight and Sound Magazine - December 2025

 

Editorial

Tilly Norwood: unexpected item in Hollywood

Mike Williams is not impressed with this A I creation of Tilly Norwood, so his article is one long (deserved) rant against A I in movies. He calls it "a trojan horse for corporate control" and "I cannot believe that anyone who cares about film, arts, creativity, rights and human connection would ever think Tilly Norwood is a good idea". He ends his article with "this is a warning ...... we must reject this machine that drains our humanity for profit etc etc".

Opening Scenes

Once Upon a Time in Tillywood

Dominic Lees this time goes on about whether it is " a violation of copyright". But later on we find Tilly only appears for ten seconds in a two minute "comedy sketch". He goes on to spell out the problems involved in casting an A I performer. "The total artificiality of A I actors means they will lack the human-to-human connection with the audience". 

Editor's Choice

Nothing of interest.

In Production, News and Preview

Interesting but not noteworthy.

In Conversation

Catherine Bray talks to Lynne Ramsay about her new film Die, My Love. Jennifer Laurence plays a new mother "who's on the edge and unravelling". Robert Pattinson plays her husband. This is a really good interview about this film and Jennifer's other movies.

Festival

The Dinard Festival of British and Irish Film is actually (and strangely) based in the French seaside resort of Dinard. Winner of the Hitchcock d'Or (just because he was rumoured to have stayed there) was the British film Dragonfly. It stars Brenda Blethwyn, Andrea Risborough and Jason Watkins. One to look out for. 

Obituary - Diane Keaton

Hannah McGill reminds us that Diane won the best actress Oscar for her role in Annie Hall (1977). As well as all those Nancy Meyers films, she was superb as Kay Corleone in The Godfather where she actually represented the audience. I didn't know that later she was a producer and director.

Mean Sheets

All about Drew Struzan and his "poster work for a series of classic films". More than 150 posters for many of the major franchises. We see four that include Blade Runner: The Final Cut and Back to the Future.

Reader's Letters

Interesting but nothing to report.

The Long Take

Taking the release of the movie The Mastermind as it's theme, Pamela Hutchinson talks about other heist films. These include Jules Dassin's Rafifi (see my review), Ocean's 11 and more. The new movie does sound as if the heist, an art theft, was a "shambolic effort". Pamela adds that "this is a film about state sponsored violence" that might be more awful than the crimes on display. Josh O'Connor stars and a role for Alana Haim (who keeps cropping up). 

Flick Lit

The inspiration for Nicole Flattery's article is Ari Aster's film Eddington where she describes "the pervasiveness of screens in every day life" and "how we are at the mercy of systems we don't understand". A small town in New Mexico is the setting where everyone knows everyone and they are all on their phones. It all ends nastily. But it's a quote from English writer JG Ballard that sets this off: "like living in a theme park that never ends". Nicole refers to his novel Super-Cannes (2000) "where the deluge of information of corporate language" is all out in the open. I remembered, like Nicole, two films adapted from Ballard's books: Crush and the even more disturbing High Rise. His Super-Cannes sounds even worse.

TV Eye

Andrew Male is in praise of Cheers (1982 93). Well, for the first five seasons anyway. "Try watching the subsequent six seasons without cringing". Andrew loves how Shelley Long as Diane "becomes the show's vital moral centre" and how her relationship with owner Ted Danson's Sam is a "love-hate romance". She is the "erudite graduate student" dumped by her fiancé. I can only vaguely remember an episode or two, Alison was a big fan. Must find something to watch.

Shoot to Thrill

Kathryn Bigelow and her new movie A House of Dynamite. But only on Netflix!!! Here we have eight pages where Henry K Miller interviews the great director. This is her first film for eight years since Detroit (2017). The new film is a political thriller "moving forward with the relentlessness of a rocket". There is a lot here about her previous films (seen them all) and her career. Shame I will have to wait for a long time to see  new one.

Enemy of the State

Jonathon Romney talks to Jafar Panahi about his Palme d'Or winning film It Was Just An Accident. It was based on his experiences in prison in Iran. More than once. All about his battles with the regime. We hear about all the films he has made. Now his latest comes across as "Panahi's most direct attack on the Iranian regime".

Pinch Me 

Jane Giles tells us all about Harry Lighton's first feature film Pillion. A romantic comedy drama, but hold on. It stars Alexander Skarsgard and Harry Melling. A world premier in Cannes, no less. But when Jane makes reference to films such as The Servant (Joseph Losey 1963) and My Beautiful Launderette (the Stephen Frears classic from 1985) they all have something in common. Pillion is adapted from the novel Box Hill. We hear much about Lighton's history, and when asked about his influences, he includes Joachim Trier's The Worst Person in the World (see my post 14th April 2022). There are lots of references to songs, lots about motorbikes. See review later.

Once upon a Crime

The documentaries Zodiac Killer Project  (directed by Charlie Shackleton) and Predators (directed by David Osit) are discussed with Nick Bradshaw about true crime films. But the article is just a mess and I had never heard of any of the other movies in what is described as a "true crime frenzy".

Critical Thinking

I had never heard of Laura Mulvey, the "film theorist, essayist and academic" who is being awarded the BFI Fellowship. Here are eight pages about her. Apparently her most famous work is "Visual pleasure and narrative cinema" (1975). I found it on the internet but was lost from the very first sentence. It starts "this paper intends to use psychoanalysis ..... etc". There is an interview with Isabel Stevens about her life and her time at Oxford. They talk about lots of films I had never heard of, many of which are old black and white movies. 

Reviews - Films

The first three reviewed are for strange (but worthy?) films: Left Handed Girl (Taiwan), The Ice Tower (France) on at The Rex in mid December, and The Thing with Feathers (UK, France and Sweden) with Benedict Cumberbatch as a sad, mad, dad. Then Palestine 36 and Park Avenue are reviewed before we get to a mainstream release The Choral. See my review. Philip Concannon was not impressed, although Ralph Fiennes was "as watchable as ever". Agreed. 

I would love to see Paul Greengrass's The Lost Bus but it's only on Apple TV+. Although the script is not great. Train Dreams is yet another Netflix film starring Joel Egerton, set in early 20th century Idaho. Then, at last Nicolas Rapolo reviews the Richard Linklater film Blue Moon. Ethan Hawke plays lyricist Lorenzo Hart with "unflagging energy". A "sparkling script" by Robert Kaplow (Me and Orson Welles see my review) and reunited with the same director. "Rest in peace Rogers and Hart, and long live Linklater and Hawke". On at Cineworld next week!

Jay Kelly is more Netflix with Noah Baumbatch directing George Clooney and an all star cast. Pillion is reviewed by John Bleasdale (see previous article). Lesley Sharp appears in a sub-plot in a "spirited performance". Anemone with "the long absent Daniel Day Lewis with his son directing his first film. They jointly wrote the script about a former British soldier in self imposed exile in a cabin in the woods. Springsteen - Deliver Me From Nowhere (see my review) is discussed by Vikram Murthi. This is an artist struggling with his own demons, taking himself off to that isolated mansion to record "these short story songs". However, our reviewer Says that the "real life anecdotes .... are depicted in such hackneyed terms that they feel invented". So not a good review.

I have seen the trailer for I Swear a number of times but decided it was not for me. All about a youth finding he has Tourette's Syndrome. All very worthy and maybe after all the early upsets it may have an uplifting ending. Nick Hasted tells us that the real life John Davidson has been the subject of three BBC documentaries with John awarded an MBE in 2019. Here the film "leans into laughs" and is a "confidently crafted, feel good film". It Was Just An Accident is described in the section Enemy of the State. Being awarded the Palme d'Or at Cannes seems more of a "well done" to the director where it required filming in secret with a hand held camera. A tale of revenge on a man stranded in a small town who may or not be their old foe of state torture.

Die My Love stars Jennifer Laurence as that young mum who goes off the rails when the child is born. Jessica Kiang calls it "harrowing, beautiful and very possibly cursed". As Grace unravels, director Lynne Ramsay "asks a lot of the viewer and then, pointedly, somehow admirably, ignores the answer". The director just wants us to feel Grace's pain.

Reviews in Brief

Only a very short paragraph for Nuremberg (too long) and Relay.

DVD and Blu-Ray

A volume of three Japanese ghost stories. That's all.

Lost and Found

Evdokia (1971) is, apparently "one of the greatest Greek films". 

Archive TV

Object Z (1965) is a six part sci fi series seen on ITV. "A curio rather than a restored classic". Then Kaizo Hayashi's Maiku Hama Trilogy - three detective movies from 1994-6. Then Ken Russell's Altered States, at least I have heard of this one. "A philosophical monster movie" from 1980 says Nick Hasted.

Wider Screen - The The Chronicles of Tilda

There is an exhibition in Amsterdam about the life and work of Tilda Swinton. As well as a cinema, there are exhibits such as "sculpture, installations, photos and costumes".

Books

Film Criticism and British Film Culture.: New Shots in the Dark.  A book of essays from various film critics. Another book called The Carbon Arc is a collection of essays on cinema by "a rich pool of contributors" resulting in a "intriguing, bewildering pick and mix". 

From the Archive - a Time to Love

From Sight and Sound Magazine of march 2003, Richard Falcon looked at Todd Haynes's Far From Heaven (2002) starring Julianne Moore and Dennis Quaid that is set in Hartford, Connecticut in 1957. She catches her husband with another man. However it's not long before her association with Dennis Haysbert's gardener takes a  different turn. The fact that he is black ups the stakes. "Looks as beautiful as falling leaves" . (See my review of Todd's film Carol). Richard tells us Todd's film is a "unique homage to the films of Douglas Sirk" especially in relation to this directors' All That Heaven Allows" (1955). The 2002 film is a "ravishing experience" and a top melodrama. With a great Elmer Bernstein score. The colour and retro style looks wonderful. We see two stills from each movie. But the article gets caught up in harping back to Sirk's movie and comparing the two. And then we have another  whole page from that 2003 edition about the same two movies. 

This Month in ....... 1965

The cover and centrepiece of this issue was all about Buster Keaton. Surprisingly for that year, nothing else was of interest.

Swans and Cygnets at Weston Turville Reservoir

 

Boy, how the cygnets have grown. Over the last few weeks, every time I passed the reservoir on one of my walks, the swans were over the very far side near the yacht club. But yesterday they were back near the entrance. The five cygnets are nearly full grown and have only a few of their old brown feathers left. But like naughty juveniles, they are still hanging round their parents. 

I first posted pictures of them on 2nd June.

And then later on 21st August.

On 4th September.

And 18th September.

It's so good that all five cygnets have survived. Last year there were just two.

Classic Movies on Sky Arts - Series 4 Episode 5 - The Story of The Railway Children

 

The first thing we hear is the narration at the start of The Railway Children by seventeen year old Jenny Agutter as Bobbie. Now seventy two, the same lady I remember talking to in the audience of The Globe theatre. Yes, this is a 1970 film from what is now 55 years ago. From the classic book by the great children's author E Nesbitt, it's director Lionel Jeffries (that terrific character actor from films such as Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) who bought the rights having loved the book. He took a draft screenplay to producer Bryan Forbes at EMI films who, by coincidence, was looking for a family film. It was Bryan who persuaded Jeffries to direct his first movie.

It's Christina Newland who tells us the film is "from the point of view of the children" that "sowed the seeds of such films to come". Neil Norman calls it a "bone fide classic". The year is 1905 and the children's father is arrested on a trumped up charge which is why the family have to move from London to the country. We hear about the author of the book who lost his father as a child. Shot on location in Yorkshire, the film looks marvelous.

The cast includes the wonderful Dinah Sheridan as the mother, Jenny playing slightly younger, and Sally Thomsett as the eleven year old Phyllis despite being twenty at the time. and Gary Warren as young Peter. Add in Bernard Cribbins as Perks the porter as well as a superb supporting cast. The station of Oakworth was a main location and they kept the actual name of the real station. The trains themselves were an important part. Some of the old black and white newsreels are wonderful. 

We hear about the happy ending and how the film's release around Christmas was a big success. Neil Norman says that the movie is "quietly brave" and a "rare family film" that is "rooted so much in reality". Ian Nathan ends with "it treats children as adults". In a good way. 

My Shakespeare by Greg Doran - Parts 16 to 18

 

Part 16   Anthony and Cleopatra

-2006: Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon; Novello Theatre, London. Filmed by the V&A

Greg starts with a trip to Egypt with Tony for inspiration. Three pages could be called "Searching for Cleopatra". He tells us "the language of this play is more lush, more heady with sensuality than any other Shakespeare play". And it all depends on the title roles as they have two thirds of all the lines. So here we have Patrick Stewart and Harriet Walter. Top casting. Patrick was especially good at creating lots of laughs, and Harriet was especially good in the last act.

We hear a lot about Mark Antony, for example a longish piece on how he botches his own suicide. I liked the passage about the snake and why a real one had to be substituted for a false. Michael Billington in his review calls Antony "Shakespeare's most demanding role" and that Patrick was "the best Antony since Michael Redgrave half a century ago.

19th August 2010 at The Royal hakespeare Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon

Post of 20th August 2010

Part 17   Merry Wives - The Musical

-2006: The Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon

Michael Boyd had proposed a Complete Works Festival for 2006. Greg comes up with the idea of a musical version of The Merry Wives of Windsor. He tells us "it's a romp, Shakespeare's sitcom, or as someone once said "it is the I Love Lucy of the Shakespeare canon". We have Falstaff, Bardolph and Pistol are deposited in Windsor, a long way from their normal residence of Eastcheap. 

Songs are required and here Greg is enjoying his role of a  back seat driver, giving more responsibility to musical director Bruce O'Neil along with the composer and choreographer. We hear how the couple who sing the love duet were actually marvelous. And Alec McGowan found he could sing. As did Judy Dench. Top marks for Brendan O'Hea as Pistol, a cross between Russell Brand and Jack Sparrow. 

However, disaster strikes when Des Barrit who was playing Falstaff is injured and the search is on for a lst minute replacement. Who can start immediately! They are so lucky that Simon Callow is free, is perfect and already knows some of the lines. But the critics were not impressed, but what do they know. The production was sold out with standing ovations every night.

17th November 2010 at Milton Keynes Theatre

Post of  18th November 2010

Part 18   Coriolanus

-2007: Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon; Eisenhower Theatre, Kennedy Center, Washington, DC; Theatre Royal, Newcastle; Teatro Albeniz, Madrid, Spain"

An invitation to the British Library involved listening to extracts from their recordings of every production at Stratford. Greg is particularly impressed with Sir Laurence Olivier's performance of Coriolanus in 1959 directed by Peter Hall with dame Edith Evans as Volumnia. We are now at the very end of the Complete Works Festival and Greg is directing Coriolanus before the Royal Shakespeare Theatre closes for a transformation. With Will Houston (Coriolanus) and Janet Suzman (Volumnia) they are described as perfect casting. And Timothy West as Menenius Agrippa. We hear a lot about the set and how they are able to open up the stage to the very back wall, only because it's the last play in the theatre. 

Greg goes into some detail about the different political factions in the play and how he must not prefer one to another. For example: the tribunes. "Was there ever a more self-serving, cowardly, vicious, pusillanimous pain in all literature". He talks about the casting of Janet Suzman and how she is so good: "never a loss for words. She has just delivered a fifty line appeal to her son, surely one of the longest speeches in Shakespeare. 

Greh explains how "it would be very hard to ignore the theme of homoeroticism". Aufidius and Coriolanus declare how much they love their wives, but "how much more they worship each other". "They even dream of one another". Lastly, we hear about the "terrifying bloodbath" at the end. The reviews were great, especially those for Will. Even compared with Larry. There is also a nice postscript about the tour and meeting the "acclaimed actress and director Zoe Caldwell in Washington". She had never played Volumnia because watching Edith Evans in the part, it could never be equaled.  

28th September 2017 The Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon

Post of 29th September 2017

Frankenstein at the Rex Berkhamsted

 

As the poster suggests, there was no general release for Guillermo del Torro's  Frankenstein. I was lucky that the Rex in Berkhamsted had acquired this Netflix film. I did mention in my review of November's Sight and Sound Magazine that it was a shame I wouldn't be able to see it. Revisiting the magazine, it was great to see all those splendid stills from the film. The movie is an adaptation of the Mary Shelley novel, (see below). The dialogue (by del Toro) was just almost OK, but why doesn't he have help? But it's the visuals for which he is quite rightly famed. The sets, costumes, production design and cinematography are all Oscar worthy. From the first scenes of the boat stuck in the arctic ice to the isolated castle where experiments take place, I'm glad I was able to see in on a biggish screen. The story mimics the book as it is set in three parts, the Captain, Victor and the Creature. There is one segment in the latter's story that seemed unnecessary, but then we would have missed David Bradley's blind man, this actor has never been better.

I was unsure about the casting. Oscar Isaac puts heart and soul into Victor, but maybe something more subtle was needed. And Jacob Elordi has a thankless task as the Creature. Even Mia Goth was miscast as Elizabeth, and that also goes for  Christoph Waltz as Heinrich and others. Critic Eileen Jones says it's a "big bloated mess" but it isn't. In that nine page section in Sight and Sound, the director called it a "melodrama rather than a horror". He has obviously forgotten the wolves! Jonathon Romney tells us "the film is authentically rooted in the structure of Shelley's novel, beginning and ending her story amid the ice flows of the far north. But the director tells him "most of the dialogue is not from the book" which might have been a mistake. Jamie Graham in the Sunday Times full page review mostly includes an interview with the director without ever concluding whether or not he liked the film. Strange.

Snow in November

 

We have to go back to 2010 for the last time we had snow in November (my post of the 30th), and then it was the last day of the month. Today it was quite heavy for half an hour and then tailed off. So not much of a covering. And by mid morning it had mostly disappeared.

Bugonia, The Choral and Now You See Me, Now You Don't

 

Well that was weird. It all started to feel that way when the screen size opened in it's 1:50:1 aspect ratio. More of a square box so that took some getting used to. The film seemed to me more of a black comedy than a horror. Director Yorgos Lanthimos and writer Will Tracy have remade the Korean movie Save the Green Planet. In Bugonia, Teddy Gatz played by Jesse Plemons is convinced that the corporate queen Michelle Fuller, played by Emma Stone, is actually an alien. When she is captured and held prisoner, it's hard to be convinced when Teddy is just full of conspiracy theories. Especially when we discover that Michelle's company was responsible for experimenting on his ill mother.  

This first half of the film is actually hard work. As someone said "it's a very very long run up to the finale". Where it goes completely bonkers. Sight and Sound magazine had a double page review by Travis Jeppeson where he says it "adheres dangerously close to the cliches of horror schlock without quite managing to subvert them". Hmm, not sure. But "the depth brought by the performances" is spot on but is "everyone gets what they deserve" not going too far? 

Mark Kermode found the film "profoundly odd" and "hard to warm to it", but "it picks up speed" in a race to the conclusion. I thought it was a very black satire. 

The Choral could not be anymore different. Alan Bennet and Nicholas Hytner are reunited after their previous successes of The History Boys and The Lady in the Van. We are in a small town in the north of England (obviously) at the start of the first world war. The young men are beginning to be called up. They go off to a fanfare from a brass band, unlike the somber partings later. The older men still want to put on a concert. Roger Allam and Mark Addy (supported by vicar Alun Armstrong) are stuck for a choir master and as a last resort turn to Dr Guthrie. A superb performance by Ralph Fiennes. I also liked Robert Emms as the quiet pianist. 

We see a lot of the young men not quite old enough to be called up, but help swell the numbers. Tom Shone in the Sunday Times was spot on when he said "the script spends too much time with pursuing the romantic subplots of his teenage choristers". There is a very late cameo from Simon Russell Beale as Elgar. It's his "The Dream of Gerontius" that will be performed, against all the odds. Tom Shone ends his review with the director having "frittered away his drama in pleasing vignettes".

I thought Now You See Me, Now You Don't was badly let down by an awful script. Director Ruben Fleisher (Zombieland (good), Unchartered (OK) and Venom (not for me) does his best to make it a fast production. And he does have a pleasing cast in this, the third in the series. All the characters from those earlier two movies are back, including a smaller role for Lizzie Caplan (Cloverfield). Morgan Freeman pops up but we never know if he survives or not. I'm not sure who had the idea of casting Rosamond Pike as the villain with a strange South African accent. She has come a long way from seeing her in Hitchcock Blonde at The Royal Court in 2003. I will not trouble this review with the plot/story as already it's forgotten. But it does have that attractive cast, some expensive sets, costumes and hardware. Shame about script. That's what you get when five writers are involved. I thought I had only seen the original film, but realise I did see the second with Daniel Radcliffe as the villain. What is it about Hollywood casting Brits in these roles. 

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.