FilmFlaneur

Sorry Hollywood, but nothing I have seen of yours of late can match Jallikattu (2019) an Indian Malayalam-language independent 'action thriller survival film' In the film, a bull escapes from a slaughterhouse in a hilly remote village and the villagers set out to hunt it down. The hunt reveals greed and an escalating situation of violence, and hysteria and absurdity. Ultimately it is not the cow which is out of control, but the absurdity of human nature shown in the mob. If you enjoyed the crescendo of irrationality of Aronofsky's Mother! (2017) say, then this is the film for you. After seeing this I was compelled to see other of Pellissery's films that I could find. None of the two of three I have seen are as audacious as this but the gangsterish Angamaly Diaries is very good (featuring as its conclusion a remarkable Steadycam extended single shot sequence, involving dozens of actors) although his latest Malaikottai Vaaliban was a bit disappointing. But the director is one to watch.

A wartime film about the UK's Women's Institute and the visit of Mrs Roosevelt may seem likely a dated subject and worth passing over these days, but you'd be wrong. I would say this is possibly director Lance Comfort's greatest film and an overlooked gem of British 40's cinema. Comfort was a director who did well in melodrama but whose star faded with changing tastes and ended up in B movies and television.

Other reviewers have covered the plot here, but more generally despite some speechifying, suffice to say that even with plenty to say, the film moves briskly along with no dull scenes, As others have also said, in its response to the English landscape, an almost mystical sense of place, and sometimes noir-ish cinematography, GREAT DAY recalls the contemporaneous Powell and Pressburger cult film A CANTERBURY TALE (reinforced by its use of two of the same actors Portman and Sim) and would make a great half of a double bill.

Portman is outstanding as a down-at-heel ex-soldier and the large cast includes a number of women, all excellent in their roles. Part wartime propaganda piece, part feminist women's picture, and part portrait of a (it must be said) mostly middle class community GREAT DAY is one of those films I return to often, If you love the less well-trodden byways of British Cinema and want to discover one of its brightest examples look no further. There is a good copy to be seen on YouTube.

An enjoyable early B & W crime show from the UK, apparently conceived as a possible syndicate sale to the USA. It unfortunately never materialised, so was cancelled after one series (39 episodes). Fading star Robert Beatty is the the tough-acting Canadian brought in to assist a far less physical Scotland Yard, at the same time learning local mores and argot. Somewhat similar to the more famous Scotland Yard series, 999 benefits from a larger budget as well as a greater use of location shooting. In fact a good deal of the pleasure to be had is from this extended use of 50's streets and locales which add greatly to the mise en scene, as well as providing a large dollop of nostalgia. There's a host of familiar British character actors to enjoy doing their thing. The series boasts technical advice from official police sources, and although one doubts everything is as was in real life there's more than enough of nostalgia and contemporary colour on view here to keep modern viewers happy. As the series progresses (presumably as a result of overseas sales reaction) there is an increased reliance on gun play to raise the excitement of what purports to be a realistic series. Disc three is of especial interest as in one episode there is a chance to see a young Robert Shaw playing a henchman, while in another UK TV fans will spot the rare appearance of two future Doctor Whos, William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton, in the same show - although disappointingly not in the same scene! Apart from one weak episode which packs hero detective Maguire undercover to Germany, the series is even and is well worth seeking out.