Palladian, Tree Surgery for Beginners and I Capture the Castle

 

This was my last of Elizabeth Taylor's twelve novels. It was the second she wrote and not quite up to the class of her later works. Twenty-year-old Cassandra is shutting up her home for the last time now that both her parents have died. She's back at her old school, where the headmistress Mrs Turner "reserves intolerance for the truly intolerable". But this was a quick visit before she is off to be the governess for young Sophy at the large and rambling Cropthorne Manor.

Here we find a strange collection of family members. The head of the household is Marion Vanbrugh. He suffers from neuralgia; hence, the darkened room. Sophy is his daughter, never having known her mother, who died in childbirth. Other cousins include Tom, a complicated young man often to be found at the local pub and in conversations with Mrs Veal, the landlady.

The author splendidly captures the interactions between this extended family. There is, for example, one horrible argument between Aunt Margaret and Marion about Tom and his drinking. The death of Marion's wife haunts the story. Tom was equally in love with her, which might explain his state of mind. So a family story where not a lot happens, but as usual it's the prose that impresses. I will look to see which of Taylor's stories I liked best to put on my to-read shelf.

Having enjoyed all of the eight novels by Patrick Gale, this was a big disappointment. The prose is as good as ever, but the story had too many coincidences to be believable. Late on I thought that this must be some kind of farce, but not when there are deaths. Laurence is a strange young man. It seems like an accident that he marries Bonnie. He is not cut out for the state of matrimony. He is only interested in trees. His passion and his job as a tree surgeon.

It's his uncle Darius (as a long-time bachelor) "who perceived in Laurence a kindred, unweddable spirit". There is an interesting section in the middle when Darius persuades him to join him with a free ticket on a cruise, where his uncle is playing bridge. Encounters with Bee and the enigmatic Lala are women whom Laurence is lucky to meet.

However, the crazy coincidences in the second half of the book spoilt the whole novel. I started to wonder who might turn up next, and they do.

This was the first book I chose to re-read from those on my bookshelves. I had forgotten that Cassandra Mortmain is the narrator of this novel. I like how she is writing in the present, describing what is actually happening around her. A kind of diary or journal that is full of wit and insight. She describes her family. Her sister Rose is twenty-one; her reclusive father is eccentric to say the least; and her clever brother Thomas is fifteen and is at school miles away. And finally, stepmother Topaz, who is a lot younger than her father but is OK. Then there is Steven, who is nineteen, not part of the family but does all the jobs. 

They all live in this dilapidated castle miles from anywhere and have no money. Their father refuses to work and royalties from the one book he wrote have long since disappeared. So they eke out a living, not paying rent as required and having very little in the way of food and wearing old clothes. There is a wonderful back story about how their father found the castle and how they explored the ruins the first time and made them sort of habitable. But "anyone who could enjoy the winter here would find the North Pole stuffy". 

 All until who should arrive at their landlord's home but two young men from America. And how their blossoming friendship with the sisters starts to make life more comfortable. Somehow the wealth of this family, especially the generosity of the boy's mother, starts to rub off on Cassandra. The second half of the book has much introspection, as these relationships begin to be a source of tension. Is Casandra growing up at last? The final part develops into a strangely action-packed story that still involves all the family in a plot to get their father writing again. But it all ends perfectly well. 

See my review of 13th July 2012. This is what I said then: , the introduction mentioned two male readers. Christopher Isherwood read the draft in 1949, and Ralph Vaughan Williams (the composer) chose it as his "Christmas Book of the Year" for the Sunday Times. So I am good company, believing this was one of the best books I have ever read. Cassandra is seventeen, and it is her journal that relates her experiences of a year in the 1930s. It is the story of her family, the Mortmains, who live in a medieval moated castle in what would now be termed poverty. But Cassandra's father wrote a highly successful book, so that was not always the way. His second wife Topaz is a wonderful creation, and the family also includes Cassandra's older sister Rose and younger brother Thomas. Their lodger Stephen is a miracle. Things take off when two half-American brothers and their mother arrive at nearby Scoatney Hall, landlords of the castle estate. The characterisation is just marvellous, and the descriptions of the places give a great feeling of intimacy. This is a top class feelgood book that is no wonder, a classic.

The Garden at the end of June

 

Just a few photos from the last couple of days now the awfully hot weather is over, at least for the time being. I had to regularly water the acanthus above to prevent it from wilting. Below, the achillea at the far end has grown tall again. 

Three different varieties of dianthus in these pots at the back.

Below are the echinacea "Sunseeker's White Perfection" (the usual pink varieties are far more dramatic, but this white one is so prolific) and a brand-new verbena "Lollipop". They both like this sheltered place, as does the rose next door, whose flowers are over for now.

The dwarf wallflowers look as if they might be a great success next to the conservatory. 

These daisies are at the far end of the long border.

Below is an early Christmas present from Alison's sister, who found it when they went to Wisley. It's a Salvia Amistad, which, apparently, is one of the best there are.

The new bedding plants (antirrhinum Madame Butterfly) were growing far too tall. Today I cut them down to a lower height. Apparently this might make them bushier. Watch this space.

I saved the best of the stalks for three vases in the living room.

With the rattan chairs gone to the tip, the back patio has a nice display of dianthus in pots. The patio and the dwarf wall now look so much better and are still in good condition after possibly twenty-eight years. 

These tall yellow achilleas come up every year, and every time they fall over. 

Today I found the conical plant supports that have been in the garage for ages. I don't know why I have never used them before, or perhaps I have.

At the very far end I found this Buddleja davidii Franch. It's close to the eleagnus that I pruned after all that tree work in July last year, so it seems much happier with all that space. 

I had left the lawn during the hot weather as advised, so today it had its first mow for two weeks. 

I usually post separately about the tree behind the fence at the far end. But here is the Robinia pseudoacacia in full leaf after flowering, I'm glad to say. healthier than ever.

And finally, a picture of our resident wood pigeons. They sat there for ages.

 

Disclosure Day, Tuner and Virginia Woolf's Night and Day

 

Steven Spielberg is back with his aliens, but this time the story is far less obvious. Actually Disclosure Day is quite obtuse. For me, it was a strange mixture of some exciting and well-staged set pieces but with, at times, some quite stupid plot points. And it was too long. Typically, there were chases thrown in for excitement. But don't get me (or many critics) started on the ending. The fact that this month's Sight and Sound has no mention in their sci-fi edition speaks volumes. 

However, Emily Blunt is excellent as the TV weather girl who is mesmerised by an unwelcome gift. But the way she embraces this new ability is the best thing about the movie. It's just a shame about her boyfriend, who, thank goodness, is absent in the second half. Josh O'Connor playing Josh O'Connor also leaves behind his girlfriend, so we lose the marvellous Eve Hewson later on. I was very disappointed that Colin Firth played the villain; he was totally miscast. The film was written by Spielberg's long-time associate David Koepp. The script was OK, it was just that the story was all over the place.

A partly flawed drama that turns into a thriller. Leo Woodall plays Niki, a piano tuner who has a hearing condition that gives him that sensitivity to work his magic on the instrument. Never having seen a piano tuner at work, this was quite something. His boss Harry is played by Dustin Hoffman, of all people, soon to become seventy-nine years old. During his work, Niki comes across a professional pianist, Ruthie, played by Havana Rose Liu with whom he starts an affair. However, it's when Niki begins working for a bunch of unconvincing Eastern European criminals (to pay for Harry's medical bills) that the film takes a different turn. That might have been OK, except the boss of the baddies is such a horrible character who was played pretty badly. 

But what did interest me was the music that was mostly jazz piano. From the superb "Unsquare Dance" by the Dave Brubeck Quartet (taking me back to my youth and their LP that included "Take Five") to the classic "Tenderly" played as a solo piano. (I found a George Shearing version). Thank goodness that the relationship between the two leads was so much better. Henry K. Miller's full-page sympathetic review in June's Sight and Sound says that director Daniel Roher "provides a satisfyingly unsatisfying, perfectly imperfect ending with a great flourish that draws attention to this loose end that cannot be tied". I thought it was just right.

The great things about Virginia Woolf's Night and Day were the cast, the photography and the locations, all beautifully filmed and set in 1910. Let's start with the cast. Haley Bennet (whom I remember vividly in Widow Cliquot) is surprisingly good as Katherine "Kit" Hilberry, a young independent woman from a well-off family. She's obsessed with astronomy and incurs her father's wrath in not settling for marriage. Timothy Spall in his obnoxious persona. Her mother, played by Jennifer Saunders, is in a different world. Jack Whitehall (splendid as William) is Kit's oldest friend who wants to be more than that. Add in Lily Allen and Sally Phillips (both excellent) and you have a cast to die for. 

The locations are all in the north-east of England: Beamish Museum, County Durham (an open-air living museum that was just perfect); Ryhope Engines Museum, Sunderland; Durham Cathedral (see post of 5th July 2021 for our visit) stands in for Cambridge University; and The Lit and Phil, Newcastle (The Literary and Philosophical Society) are all superb. There are even more on the Northern Echo website. 

The book was adapted by Justine Waddell, and Tina Gharavi directed it with style. See my review on this blog. The film centres on the heroine's struggles in a man's world; the suffrage movement gets a look in, but best of all are the scenes that involve the family and Kit's suitors. In the summer edition of Sight and Sound, Kit Francis Bradbury Rance thought it had a "meandering plot" which didn't seem right. Mark Kermode, like me, loved the cast and how its loosely based adaptation seemed to work. And it did look so good.

Sight and Sound Magazine - Summer 2026

 

Editorial

The summer issue of Sight and Sound is all about science fiction in films. Mike Williams name-checks too many to mention. He says, "We are already living in the future."

Opening Scenes

Nick Bradshaw's article "On Thin Ice" is all about a new film from Sara Dosa called Time and Water that is all about Iceland's melting glaciers.

Editor's Choice

Bristol's Cinema Rediscovered Festival (22-26 July) includes Whistle Down The Wind (1961) and an exhibition from their local heroes: 50 Years of Aardman.

In Production

The director of some fairly recent movies, Brad Bird, has released an animation for adults. Ray Gunn is, apparently, a futuristic sci-fi but with the inspiration of 1940's private detective thrillers. On Netflix in the autumn.

In Conversation

The director/writer Imran Perretta talks about his new film Ish. It's about two Muslim boys growing up in Luton.

Under the Influence

The new black comedy Rosebush Pruning (maybe get some tips) is from director Karim Ainouz. He tells Hope Rangaswani about seven films as influences. But only Pedro Almodóvar's early films struck a chord.

News in Brief

Nothing of interest.

Mean Sheets

The hand-painted posters by Tony Stella include that superb illustration for La Chimera. (See my review).

Reader's Letters

Some interesting items for a change. Stephen Ames remembers Tony Stella with a tribute. Neil Sinyard extols the virtues of Patricia Rozema's Mansfied Park (1999) as the best adaptation of a Jane Austen novel. Terry Hanstock cannot stand the violation of end credits of films on iPlayer, and Peter Jones laments the loss of film studies courses, except for De Montfort University's degree.

The Long Take

Pamela Hutchinson tells us about her love for screwball comedies. (Screwball is slang for a kook, the way baseball player Carl Hubbell started throwing pitches at the end of the 1930s). Anyway, these films are being shown in a season at the Garden Cinema in London. Pamela runs through a history of some of the best of the genre. Including She Done Him Wrong, starring Mae West, might be a controversial choice from 1933. Then that Marilyn Monroe season at BFI Southbank that includes Monkey Business (1952) with Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers. Apparently "these films consoled and distracted audiences through the great deprivations of the 1930s and war years. Then on to more modern creations, including the award-winning Anora (2024) and soon-to-be-released One Night Only.

Flick Lit

Nicole Flattery tells us about the new book London Falling that is by New Yorker journalist Patrick Radden Keefe. His previous books are not what I would ever read, nor is this one. Nicole quotes, 'London, a city seemingly sustained by empty promises of wealth and luxury". What nonsense, when the story is about "a liar, capable of inventing different personalities", who plunged to his death from a high-rise balcony. Keefe seems to just write about sensational stories. I'm surprised at Nicole for picking this book.

TV Eye

Andrew Male asks why dramas set in Liverpool are only about crime. As one writer puts it, "only what I'm allowed to write". A six-part series starring Sheridan Smith called The Cage is exactly that. Andrew asks if Liverpool is "a metaphor for present-day Britain itself". I was just going to mention Z-Cars (1962–1978), but Andrew gets in first. Back to The Cage, Tony Schumacher "cannot help but reinforce age-old cliches about his home city". This is, apparently, a "bleakly witty state of the nation drama". On BBC1.

Cannes Bulletin

Sixteen pages, but why start with Ken Russell's The Devils (1971) – "the screening not to miss" – when I thought this festival was about new movies? But if, according to Isabel Stevens, this was the highlight, I worry about what is to come. However, there was that best director win for Pavel Pawlikowski's German feature Fatherland that sounds interesting, especially as it stars Sandra Huller who talks to Nicolas Rapolo.

There follow reviews of twenty-six films, including Hamaguchi Ryusuke's All of a Sudden, which sounds interesting. Then Parallel Tales, directed by Asghar Farhadi, which stars Isabelle Huppert. But well over two hours long. Fyord won the Palme d'Or but was controversial and not for me. An American film from James Gray called Paper Tiger stars Miles Teller, Scarlett Johanson and Adam Driver. Then Pedro Almodóvar's *Bitter Christmas* sounds just right for me. Then Her Private Hell is the new film from Nicolas Winding Refn, but it might not even be released in the UK.

However, I'm not at all interested in Mark Cousins' The Story of Documentary Film: The 1970's or Stephen Soderbergh's John Lennon: The Last Interview or Emmanuel Marre's A Man of His Time, where France is revisiting World War 2. Discoveries include eleven films that the Sight and Sound critics liked, but nothing there for me. There is a documentary from Bruce Dern called Dernsie: The Amazing Life of Bruce Dern, but here he talks to Nicolas Rapolo about his career. 

Then I nearly missed a single column, a minor conversation piece that has five marvellous quotes from Peter Jackson (who won an honorary Palme d'Or), Demi Moore (on the jury), Emanuele Marre (best screenplay for A Man of His Time), Andrey Zvyagintsev (director of the Grand Prix-winning Minotaur) and Park Chan-wook (jury president).

21st Century Sci-Fi Cinema

Here are sixty pages of groundbreaking films for each year from 2000 to 2026. The feature starts with a long introductory article by Michael Atkinson. But his is just a list of movies strung together with the odd note. But I did like the first full page still from Snowpiercer, starring John Hurt. But what is next is mainly a rehash of articles from previous issues of Sight and Sound. Those movies that interested me are the following:

2001 Donnie Darko. (Is this actually sci-fi? It's definitely weird).

2002 Minority Report. A proper sci-fi Steven Speilberg blockbuster.

2009 Avatar. Not for me.

2010 Monsters. Gareth Edwards's debut, a low-budget success.

2012 Resident Evil: Retribution. Paul W S Anderson's guilty pleasure.

2013 Under the Skin. Jonathon Glazer's memorable weirdness. (That long article from April 2014).

2016 Arrival. Dennis Villeneuve directed Amy Adams in another memorable alien visitation.

2018 High Life. Claire Dennis directs a starry cast of Robert Pattinson and Juliette Binoche.

2019 Add Astra. James gray directed Brad Pitt as the astronaut.

2022 NOPE. Jordan Peele's excellent blockbuster starring Daniel Kalunya.

2026 Synthetic Sincerity. Out in July.

Reality Tech

Seven talking points about artificial intelligence in relation to movies. But none were that interesting.

Then Kim Newman's quiz for a sci-fi movie set in every year from 2001 to 2050. 

There is a newly restored film of The Girls from the 1978 London Film Festival in cinemas. Here is the interview with Sri Lankan director Sumitra Peries by Mark Cousins.

Reviews: Films

Rosebush Pruning. That great cast, but maybe not for me.

Backrooms. See my review 11th June 2026. Kim Newman explains how director Kane Parsons first created those shorts on YouTube from 2022 that were the inspiration for this feature. (I also recognised the dangerous doppelganger from Clark's TV adverts who was the protagonist at the end). However, it was only the casting of Chiewetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve that encouraged me to see the film. Kim liked the set that is a character in itself. "The third significant explorer of this closed universe is .... the viewer. "And that is unsettling.

The Invite. I have seen the trailer a couple of times, and it looks interesting. Nicolas Rapolo tells us about this four-hander that I think looks quite theatrical. This is director Olivia Wilde's third feature after Booksmart (2019) and Don't Worry Darling (2022). This is the classic dinner party, but they don't really know their guests. *Not an entirely predictable story", but obviously very wordy by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack. And I always want to see a film with Penelope Cruz. 

Koln 75. Leigh Singer reviews this film based on Keith Jarrett's legendary actual "landmark hour-long solo improvised concert". (Watch it on YouTube, especially the comments that explain everything.) He is played by John Magaro. Vera Brandes (played by Mala Emde) is the precocious eighteen-year-old promoter. We are in West Germany in the 1970s, and it looks like it. Showing at The Rex, Berkhamsted, but I missed it. 

The Last Viking. A Danish film that looks pretty bonkers from the trailers. But it could be interesting and on at Cineworld and The Rex. A mixed bag of characters at a family summer house, including the search for some buried loot from a fifteen-year-old heist.

Virginia Woolf's Night and Day. Kit Francis Bradbury Rance reviews this adaptation of one of Woolf's more accessible stories. Just looking at the cast for this period drama set in 1920, you know it will be fine. Haley Bennett plays Katherine (Kit) Hilbery, a young woman from a well-off family whose passion is astronomy. There is a supporting cast to die for: her parents played by Timothy Spall and Jennifer Saunders ("on exceptional form"), as well as Sally Phillips and Jack Whitehall. The list goes on. Tina Gharavi directs. 

Relegated to the bottom of the smallest column possible is The Devil Wears Prada 2. I'm surprised it even got a mention.

DVD and BLU-RAY

Gilda. The 1946 movie has a brand new restoration complete with interviews, etc. It starred Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford. Michael Atkinson reviews the film's background and tells us, "Charles Vidor's film is easily his most famous and distinctive. " And "Hayworth's Gilda is an open flame every man and woman would stick their hand into." (Lots more like that). Such as "It's hothouse  danger was a fever that left America's immune systems permanently compromised." 

Crucible of Horror. I might have missed this on first release in 1971. A Hammer horror drama starring Michael Gough.

It's a long time since I watched Leaving Las Vegas, which starred Nicolas Cage and Elizabeth Shue. Great casting of the former as the "suicidally alchoholic screenwriter". Directed by Mike Figgis.

Hammer Volume Seven: Shiops and Giggles. I don't remember having read about these Hammer box sets from Powerhouse Indicator. This volume of four films is basically their "uncelebrated comedy output". Maybe not.

The Cars That Eat Paris. Sounds familiar but not when I read the review. Peter Weir's directing debut.

Insomnia. The Norwegian original from 1997, remade by Christopher Nolan in 2002 with Al Pacino and Robin Willaims. 

Five Easy Pieces. Pamela Hutchinson says, "Jack Nicholson has never been better than in Bob Rafelson's manic, mournful 1970 drama". Here is an outstanding new 4K restoration.

Books

A Sudden Flicker of Light: A Revisionist History of Movies by David Thomson. One to add to my eight volumes of his meaty books on film. When I first skipped through this edition of Sight and Sound, I wondered if there was enough to keep me interested in keeping up the subscription. Then I find here, very close to the end of this edition, a full-page review of Thomson's latest book that goes straight onto my Christmas list. John Bleasedale takes us through "so many revelations" and "so many insights". Yes, it's another history of movies, but this time Thomson "charts a decline" with a worry "that something was wrong from the get-go". But for someone who has made a fruitful career from writing about films, is this a strange or just a provocative look at our obsession with the medium? Just look at that still from Sunset Boulevard (1950) and Gloria Swanson's crazed face.

Jane Fonda by Marilyn S. Greenwald. A book not just about her films but also about her career as an activist, her childhood, three marriages and children. 

From the Archive

Here we have the full article by David Robinson from the Spring 1966 edition of Sight and Sound. All six pages, including photos, are about "A Close Encounter with Stanley Kubrick". But not close enough to get an interview! He visits the studio making 2001: A Space Odyssey. (Of course, this was selected for this sci-fi issue). What I didn't remember was that Kubrick wrote the screenplay (such as it is) with Arthur C. Clarke. I vividly remember seeing this film at the Odeon Leicester Square soon after it opened in 1968. (As apparently did Christopher Nolan). 

This Month in ..... 1992

On the cover was Sigourney Weaver's Ripley for the first of the Alien movies. Reviews included those for Robert Altman's The Player and Bille August's Palme d'Or-winning The Best Intentions.

The Main Border in June

 

It may not be the best time of year for the main border, but there has been a change in the last week or so. Starting with the lupin at the very far end.

Then some astrantia and geraniums.

The white flower is Astrantia Snow Star.

 

Two foxgloves have appeared, having been planted at least two years ago.

Lastly, the latest addition is a dark purple astrantia.

Classic Movies on Sky Arts - Series 5 Episode 5 - The Story of The Lion in Winter

 

This was the last in the current series of Classic Movies on Sky Arts. The Lion in Winter was released in 1968 and is the story of King Henry II and the succession to the crown. Set during a cold Christmas time in the 12th century, Neil Norman says it's a "complicated family saga about succession". In those days the king could choose who would be his successor. Henry's three sons arrive for the holiday, as does his queen. Eleanor of Aquitaine has been locked away and only released for Christmas. Peter O'Toole plays Henry, and Katherine Hepburn plays the queen. Christina Newland tells about her history.

So, according to Steven Armstrong, there starts a "vicious bout of politicking". Ian Nathan explains that the film is actually fairly accurate historically, especially how much the crown dominated this country and France. Then it's Steven who explains how "they behave like a twentieth-century family", with all the plotting, backbiting and deals that are so familiar on TV these days. Ian says how the story is adapted by James Goldman from his own Broadway play and that the script "is a thing of wonder". Christina tells us that the play was not that successful.

Neil Norman talks a lot about how the film came about. When one movie that was to star Peter O'Toole fell away, its replacement was partly influenced by the actor. This time directed by Anthony Harvey. Neil continues with how the film has a Shakespearean sound but with a contemporary edge. Ian adds for a historical epic it is "very talky". We hear about the cast: the brothers are Anthony Hopkins in only his second film as Richard, Nigel Terry as John and John Castle as Jeffrey. Timothy Dalton plays the King of France who gets caught up in this family squabble. Christina adds how the family are all in this "complex game" of succession. Neil thinks it has "unbelievable authenticity".

We are then on to the stars. Ian talks about the career of Peter O'Toole and how he played the same role in Becket, then Katherine Hepburn's history. The team agreed that she had the spirit that was exactly right for Eleanor, and she won the Oscar. Ian tells us about all the locations and that it was "the most claustrophobic movie ever made". He gives a special mention for the costumes that matched the cast's personalities by Margaret Furse, who was nominated for an Oscar. And the score by John Barry that won the Oscar for best original score. Steven added towards the end that there were "an awful lot of silences" in the film with long single shots. Ian tells us the film was a great success critically and at the box office. It was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including winning for best adapted screenplay. Neil Norman concludes, "You could put two older stars together and make it box office."

The Garden in June

 

I have already posted about the main border, roses and wildflower border, so here are some different pictures of the garden. The one above is taken through the living room window. On the very far left is the spiraea japonica.

The hypericum below has more flowers than last year.

These dianthus were grown in pots last year 

These cosmos were grown from seed in a tray and now out near the dwarf wall.

Then these wallflowers were from the garden centre. Fortunately, they are a dwarf variety.

 

I had to cut back the campanula that had grown over the path by the conservatory.

At the front, these geraniums are quite happy with very little sun.

The Hydrangea macrophylla looked sorry for itself a few weeks ago. But suddenly it has perked up and has those lovely flowers.

The Acanthus next to the dwarf wall has thrown up these flower spikes. But boy, are they prickly. It does need water to survive.

Next, a photo of the far end of the garden with the wildflower border on the left, the hypericum on the right and the mock acacia towering above at the back.

Finally, I must have put down too much of the Pro Kleen Grass Green lawn fertiliser granules, as the grass has grown far too lush. It needs cutting every three or four days, and I collect four boxes from the lawnmower each time. Along the dwarf wall border are the antirrhinum Madam Butterfly bedding plants.