Art of Film on Sky Arts Season 2 Episode 2 - The Golden Age of the British Screen Idol

 

The first images we see are of who other than Laurence Olivier as Henry the  Fifth. Ian Nathan introduces this episode and telling us "it' s all about glamour". Stephen Armstrong talks about how Cecil Hepworth was the first British film mogul to set up a studio for silent films. And we see Helen of Four Gates from 1920. Hepworth made Alma Taylor the most popular British star. She once made eighteen films in one year! But Neil Norman tells us how the studio failed and her films were lost. Melted down for the silver nitrate. 

We then see a clip from The Lodger (1927) where Ivor Novello is "a huge sensation" says Christina Newland. We hear a lot about Olivier and how actors transferred from the stage to the studio. Neil Norman said that they could also write as well as act. Christina describes how Vivienne Leigh had "huge charisma"  and was "the consummate actress". We see another star in Margaret Lockwood appearing in 1938's Bank Holiday. The highest paid actress of her generation. She was very photogenic and Hitchcock was impressed when he directed her in 1938's The Lady Vanishes. Up next was 1945's Brief Encounter with Celia Johnson. 

Christina talks about Jean Simmons who gained a seven year contract with the Rank Organisation. She was a huge star from a very early age. But then RKO from America bought out her contract to appear in Hollywood movies. Other actors who were a success included Michael Redgrave, James Mason and Deborah Kerr. Stephen Armstrong mentions how the male stars were all of a type; "caddish and roguish" as well as English gentlemen. In the 50's it was all about celebrity. 

But come the sixties, we are into working class heroes. Albert Finney and Laurence Harvey are "angry young men". Then Michael Caine and Terence Stamp and on to The Beatles films and James Bond with Sean Connery. And that changed everything. A long way from Ivor Novello.

Have You Seen .... ? by David Thomson - Part 13: Death in Venice, Dial M for Murder and Strangers on a Train

No, I had never seen Death in Venice before. The acclaimed 1971 film from Luchino Visconti is adapted from the novella by Thomas Mann and stars Dirk Bogarde as the  classical composer Gustav von Achenbach. Set in 1912, we first see his arrival in Venice in the breaking dawn. The cinematography is superb throughout. Venice looks great and so does the hotel where the elderly Gustav makes his last home. His room overlooks the beach. However, there is very little story, a scene on the beach might look fabulous with all the ladies under umbrellas, but it is far too long with no dialogue. Even a long scene at the barbers where Gustav is made up is only saved by the music. Gustav Mahler's 3rd and 5th Symphonies take pride of place. 

But Gustav is not well, actually he's sometimes in agony. Bogarde is superb in what is maybe his greatest performance. He is well known at the hotel and finds solace in it's visitors. The costumes, scenery and design are all marvellous. Shame there is hardly any story. So if you want to look at a painting and hear the music, this might be for you. But David Thomson calls it "a very bad film" and "the sacrifice of storytelling ..... but it does have many admirers".

Dial M for Murder is an Alfred Hitchcock classic from 1954, notable for Grace Kelly at her luminous best. You can see why he wanted her for his next, and better, movie Rear Window. Ray Milland is great as the villainous husband hiring a mug as a hitman. There are surprises in store. English writer Frederick Knott has adapted his own stage play. David Thomson says that it is "very stagey" and that "everything takes place on one set".

I had never see this other 1951 Hitchcock film Strangers on a Train. Originally a Patricia Highsmith idea where two men on a train talk about murdering each other's target. The first murder sees the awful Robert Walker following Harley Granger's wife through a fairground. She sees her pursuer a number of times but does not tell the two men who accompany her. Why does he revel in her seeing him. He has a twisted mind. All the way through we have a really tense movie with some very Hitchcockian moments. In the opening scene at the train station we only see the men from the waist down. And the cigarette lighter is the McGuffin. Thomson thinks that it is "only half a film, with a good deal of padding". 

Classic Movies on Sky Arts - Series 2 Episode 3 - The Producers

 

I had never wanted to see The Producers and after this programme I have not changed my mind. I just cannot stand Mel Brooks. However, am I missing something? This episode might tell me. First came the novel and then the play Springtime for Hitler. A change of title for the film. Starring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder. Not at all encouraging so far. Steve Punt called it a "radical idea" and "a dark satire". Sounds interesting. But the clips we saw there were the stars just screaming at each other. All hysteria from Wilder. Mmmm. They are putting on a musical to fail. Maybe not. The New York locations might be OK. 

When it opened, the film received mixed reviews. Some people were appalled calling it "gross, rude, offensive". Others loved it "Best thing they had ever seen". Christina Newland thought it daring while Stephen Armstrong liked it's irreverence. Neil Norman and Kim Newman were no where to be seen. I wonder why. It was left to host Ian Nathan to say that it's reputation has grown. It was daring at the time.

Definitely not changed my mind.

Widow Cliquot, The Critic and The Substance

 

Off to the Rex Cinema in Berkhamsted for what I thought was a French movie, although it turned out to be an American/international production. Including Fourth and Twenty Eight Films. Based on the true story of Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin Cliquot, (Hayley Bennett) the young wife of Francois (Tom Sturridge seen only in flashbacks). When Francois dies when she is in her twenties, Madame Cliquot is being persuaded by her wealthy father in law (Ben Miles) to give up on her idea of running the vineyard her husband started. But her persistence in wanting to keep Francois' legacy alive nearly ends in disaster. There did seem to me to be too much backtracking to the days of their marriage, but director Thomas Napper does well to keep us interested in a not too interesting story. Although the creation and ultimate success of the champagne Veuve Cliquot was worth telling.

Almost Shakespearean in it's tragedy. Well this is the story of an old and belligerent  theatre critic, played by who else but the venerable Ian McKellen. The original play Curtain Call by Anthony Quinn is brilliantly adapted by Patrick Marber. For The Critic we are in 1930's London where critic Jimmy Erskine cannot wait to write a terrible review, especially for the performance of poor Nina Land played by Gemma Arterton. The whole cast are top drawer with Mark Strong almost unrecognisable. I have to say that the sets, the costumes, make up and the lighting are all fabulous. Anand Tucker just about keeps the whole thing together But this film is all about McKellen in a typically effortless role. His Erskine is a terrible person but in the hands of this master actor, you almost forgive him. "A rich and layered performance" said Tom Shone. Sometimes the plot races away in the first half when you struggle to keep up. But later there is more definition to the story. I thought back to January 1968 (that is 56 years ago) when there was this budding young actor playing a gay man in Black Comedy at the Theatre Royal Brighton. I was 23 and McKellen 28.

There is just too much to say about The Substance. The first time I have seen an 18 rated move for a very long time. So why 18? Well there is no sex and only one short bit of violence. The rest is all body horror and a stupid ending. A very modern take on the genre, completely absurd of course but we are hooked into wanting to see what comes next. It's Demi Moore ("horrifyingly good") as Elisabeth Sparkle who has her career in TV fitness brought suddenly to and end by the excruciatingly awful big boss Harvey played by Dennis Quaid. When the invitation to try a new drug comes along, why would she fall for that? 

What comes next has something of a twisted Cinderella story but with gore. Out pops Margaret Qualley as the perfection Elisabeth seeks. But what happens next is expectedly gross. And it just gets grosser. How Demi and Margaret agree to put themselves through all the brightly lit nakedness and physical abnormality is a wonder. Writer and Director Coralie Fargeat has not held anything back. It is all in the special effects in the contrast between deteriorating and perfect bodies. But the message is clear. Trying to do anything for the sake of youth and appearance is rammed down our throats. But it is the objectification by the men that is really horrible. And Harvey is the worst. 

And then we have the substance itself. The kit and material must have taken a long time to plan and are wonders to behold. Whoever made those should have an award. The score was far too modern for me, but probably suited this type of movie. The fact that the two main characters are the same person was suddenly kicked into touch and that spoilt that whole premise. There was, for me, too much repetition in the middle and the well over two hours should have been shorter. So a completely ridiculous but compulsive movie spoilt by the ending that was a gratuitous mess. There was one message that I thought was good. The young cannot be trusted with the most important task when left on their own with a party and booze. This was their undoing. 

The film won the best screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival. Mark Kermode thought it was "impressively outrageous", that it was a huge satire with elements of Jekyll and Hyde (I had not thought of that before he told us) and that he "enjoyed the hell out of it ..... fantastic".

Tom Shone in the Sunday Times thought that the substance itself was "the exact shade of embalming fluid in old Hammer horror movies". (I saw them all at the cinema). He thought it was "compulsively watchable".

Kelli Weston in Sight and Sound Magazine October 2024: elegant compositions give this modern fairytale an uneasy, too perfect beauty that conceals some of it's flimsier elements. 

Holiday in Chichester

 

We had been to Chichester before, but only for a flying visit in an afternoon in 2019. But this year it seemed like a good base to explore this part of the south coast. 

Friday 20th September 

We left at 10am and only had one hold up leaving the M25 for the works to a new junction with the A3. Heading for Midhurst in Sussex, Alison's satnav took us down some lovely but occasionally single track roads instead of the direct route of the A286. Coupled with a heavy rain storm. Eventually we made our destination of Cowdray Park. Well, this was an amazing place, especially in the nice sunshine. A superb café was, predictably, very busy, but only a short wait for a lovely lunch that included spicy chicken thighs. 

We had plenty of time for a stroll around the park, and what did we find further down? The polo ground. Lots of ponies and a match!

I cannot remember ever seeing polo before. Maybe over sixty years ago at Windsor Great Park? Who knows. But this was amazing. Very few people around, especially on the longish deserted walk from the café. We found that it is was the Autumn Cup Tournament and playing had been La Hechicera and La Berta. But for us, Madams Farm beat Bamboleo 9-6 in the second semi final. (We passed two young women putting up the scores).We had met a lady who explained what was going on and some basic rules. It even has two referees on ponies. As an aside, Cowdray Park has the premier polo tournament in Europe. The British Open Polo Championship for the Cowdray Gold Cup. Now dominated by Middle East teams. There are photos of the huge crowds there. We walked back a different way around the polo grounds in pleasant 21C sunshine. A visit to the shop then only 12 miles left to Chichester to find our bungalow and unpack. 

Saturday 21st September

We decided to avoid the crowds on a weekend so a longish walk to the bus station (getting lost) and not too long for a the bus to West Wittering. (Parking there costs an arm and two legs). Another walk from the bust stop in West Wittering to the beach but worth it when we arrived. The tide was on it's way back but enough dry sand for a nice walk. Luckily we found a bench on the dunes for our lunch. As the photo below, this is a quiet place.

Walking back the other way, we found a new building under construction, the state of the art West Wittering and Beach Safety and Facilities Hub. Looks good and it will have an elevated 360 degree lifeguard viewpoint, toilets, showers and medical suite. This is an affluent place. 

A bus back, then tea and cake in M&S in Chichester centre before the walk back to our accommodation. It had been mainly sunny at 22 degrees, although cooler on the beach.

Sunday 22nd September

I had a quiet day, some aches after all the walking yesterday. I went out to find the Sunday paper and a little explore of the surrounding area. Alison went out for a run then into Chichester centre later. I caught up with lots on this blog. There were two Premier League games to watch. It had been cloudy with some bits of rain. Cooler at 18C.

Monday 23rd September

We took the car to the multi story car park near the train station for our trip to Brighton. There we walked down to the sea front via The Lanes and a couple of old haunts. On the front we walked across the pebble beach to a sheltered spot next to a wall to watch the waves with Palace Pier in the background. 

The camera was cloudy with salt.

Lunch was in Pret-a-Manger before we walked most of the way down Madeira Drive. Quite a way but well worth it. We came back on the Volk's Electric Railway. Despite spending years in Brighton, I had never been on this before. Great pictures on their website.

It has been in operation since 1883.

Towards the end of the ride we passed the outdoor swimming pool.

We took a bus back to the station. Arriving back in Chichester, we had an early dinner at Zizzi as I was off to the theatre in the evening. See separate post on Redlands at Chichester Festival Theatre. There had been some rain the previous night but soon cleared to give a lovely day as the photos above. 

Tuesday 24th September

A quiet morning, needing a rest after yesterday. However in the afternoon we took the car to Bosham. What a wonderful place. Only small, but it has a harbour so lots to see. The tide was out but the sign below was quite right. It had disappeared later when the water covered all the paths at the front. 

Holy Trinity Church was spectacular. 

On the wall were tablets with the name of every vicar since 1204! Of course.

Alison had her ice cream. Other establishments earlier in the week did not have the essential sprinkles.

We found a bench overlooking the harbour. Nobody around. Just wonderful. That was our view.

An interesting shopping arcade but fairly pricey. But the car park was cheap and plenty of spaces. Bosham is fairly isolated (a few really nice houses), otherwise one of the jewels of the south coast. The day had been mainly cloudy with a few sunny breaks and not cold at 17C.

Wednesday 25th September

We had been promised a wet day so we set out to walk to Chichester centre. Arriving at the Cathedral it was so quiet with hardly anyone around. And the sun was out when we walked around the perimeter.

Last time we were here the outside was clad in scaffolding for major roof repairs. Here it is now finished with those lead channels taking the rain from the roof. 

This was my favourite photo.

Then a surprise. We came across Bishop's Palace Garden, new to us as last time was such a flying visit. This was excellent especially as so few people around.

You could always see the cathedral in the background. We stopped off at the Community Garden. Despite visitors not allowed the people there welcomed us to look round. 

They even insisted Alison took some Dahlias home.

They are still doing well today.

Then out into the larger garden.

Upon leaving we saw a long flight of steps up and found part of the old city walls to walk around.

Time for lunch in their superb café: Cloisters Kitchen and Garden. Best ever superior sausage roll.

Time to look inside the cathedral. I spent some time sitting on one of the pews. The sun came out to shine on the walls and through the stained glass windows.

Too many other interesting things to include here. On the way back we stopped off at some of the city shops. The day had, luckily, not been as wet as forecast. One heavy shower while we were in a shop. A pleasant 17C.

Thursday 26th September

Our last day. Another quiet morning with heavy showers on and off. Alison had gone to Portsmouth and got wet. At 2pm I was in my raincoat waiting at the door for the latest shower to pass. I then headed for the city centre to look at some of the old city walls that are Roman in origin.  I started off down the North Wall, part of the Walls Walk. Lots on the internet. They are the most complete walls in southern England and there is a circular walk. Note the main path at lower level.

We had found more of these walls on our tour of Bishop's Palace Gardens. (See above).

There was just time to see a bit more of Chichester before meeting Alison back at the bungalow. In the early evening we went to Pizza Express for dinner, the long wait tempered by the quality of the food. After those heavy showers in the morning, the afternoon was sunny and dry at a pleasant 17C.

Friday 27 September

We were packed and gone by 9.30. Rain on and off all the way home and only 9C! But the sun was out as we arrived back and 14C was fine. The weather had actually been much better than the forecast for the week before we left. Only that one wet morning the day before. 

The Highlights

Redlands at the Chichester Festival Theatre

Cowdray Park Polo

West Wittering 

Brighton 

Bosham

Chichester Cathedral - Bishop's Palace Garden - Cloisters Kitchen and Garden

Chichester Walls Walk