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The Bell (1982)
A haunting series
I haven't seen this series since it was first broadcast, and I was all of 17 when I saw it so possibly my memory of it is distorted. But I do remember it being hauntingly beautiful in its on-location (as I remember it) rural setting, not least the underwater scene where Toby (Michael Maloney), a young student about to go to Oxford, discovers the submerged bell of the title; and I was impressed by Ian Holm as the repressed homosexual head of the community in which the action takes place. The drama, based on Iris Murdoch's novel, struck me as very powerful, and my hope of being able to see it again has been rekindled by the discovery that the score was by Marc Wilkinson, who also scored Peter Shaffer's "The Royal Hunt of the Sun" and that terribly titled but wonderful film "Blood on Satan's Claw".
Apologies for not being able to offer a more in-depth review, but since nobody else seems to have written about this series here and I fondly remember it, I hope this review stirs more into being written.
Tales That Witness Madness (1973)
Predictable but enjoyable
This is not one of those Amicus anthologies which present unexpected twists: three out of the four stories are utterly predictable from their initial set up. But then it's like one of those fairground rides - you see what you're going to get (eg a 25 foot vertical drop), but if you're into that sort of thing you can still get a thrill out of the ride (the last story in particular is quite unpleasant - watching it is like watching an unavoidable car accident in slow motion). While none of the acting is quite on the level that you get from Peter Cushing in particular in anthologies like 'The House that Dripped Blood' or 'Tales from the Crypt', it is consistently good (Joan Collins actually being more believable than in the silly story she appears in for 'Tales from the Crypt'), and Freddie Francis directs these with a good sense of atmosphere and character. One I wouldn't mind seeing again.
The Phantom of the Opera (1962)
A splendid villain, but pretty dull Phantom
The film starts off promisingly with the opening night of a new opera on the subject of Joan of Arc, due to be sung by a Maria Callas type soprano. A series of discovered acts of sabotage culminate in the film's first shock-horror moment. So far, it looks as if its going to be an enjoyable hour and a half. Michael Gough is great fun as an eminently hissable villain, and Edward de Souza is fairly watchable, too, as the charming if rather conventional hero. But alas, it all goes horribly downhill from the Phantom's first appearance. Poor Herbert Lom is given a pretty duff script (a lot of ineffectual muttering to himself), and a frightfully tacky hideaway replete with tiger rug and a naff red-upholstered throne. The music this alleged genius writes is pretty awful too - a sort of cross between the worst kind of Gilbert and Sullivan and a Broadway show with truly cringe-worthy lyrics. And why exactly does the phantom rip his own mask off just before rescuing the heroine? A huge disappointment all round.
Mighty Joe Young (1949)
Monster-sized schmaltz
If you're an enormous fan of Willis O'Brien and his work, then do watch this film as it contains some of the best integration of stop-motion animation and live action you'll see in any film. Alas, even that plus is spoilt for me by the model of Mighty Joe Young, who's made to look more like a bemused teddy bear than a ferocious gorilla (his ancestor, Kong, has bags more character in that respect). If you're hoping for a decent story with some sympathetic characters, don't expect any of that from the human actors. This is a big slice of schmaltz, woodenly scripted and very poorly paced dramatically, guaranteed to send you back to the 1933 version of King Kong with all the more admiration and gratitude for what that earlier film achieved.
La putain du roi (1990)
A film too few have seen complete
I first saw this film - attracted by the fact it includes the excellent Timothy Dalton, a film score by Gabriel Yared, and Frederic Raphael as one of the screenplay writers - in the much abridged 90 minute version released on a Spanish DVD (fortunately including an English soundtrack). Even from this - which cuts at least 40 minutes from the original version - I could see this was a beautifully filmed and excellently acted drama. It also explains why so many comments here at IMDb suggest that the story is psychologically implausible. A more complete version of the film has just (in 2008) been released in France (lasting 127 minutes - alas for English speakers dubbed into French and naturally without subtitles): from this it is evident that for the 90 minute version bits were trimmed here and there almost throughout the film. So seeing something approaching the complete film is a revelation - a much harder and more cynical view of the main characters (particularly the king and his mistress), and it is clear that Valeria Golino's character *never* forgives the man who so grievously betrayed her (I'm expressing it in this way to avoid creating a 'spoiler'), but in fact exploits him in the end for her own purposes. All of which makes the genuine love which grows between the central characters all the more poignant and moving - there's a sense of something beautiful which has been warped and made into a destructive force by their social circumstances and the collision between social principle and unbridled yet illusionary 'power'.
Strangely enough, the French version, though more complete than the Spanish, cuts some scenes which appear in the Spanish version (one scene in particular adds a certain spice to Golino's character when the viewer is more aware of her motivations from the longer version of the film): so until either the complete German version is released, or a complete English language version is released, those who love this film will have to buy both the Spanish and the French DVDs.
Princess Caraboo (1994)
Entertaining, though what's with the anti-aristocracy line?
First the obvious plus points. Phoebe Cates is charming, and the character actors (notably Kevin Kline and Jim Broadbent) are all splendid fun; plus there's excellent cinematography from Freddie Francis.
SPOILER ALERT: The film is based on a true story, in which early in the 19th century provincials around Bristol and the West Country in the UK were excited by the apparent appearance of a pretty, oriental princess who had allegedly been kidnapped by pirates and had made her escape to England, where she came under the protection of the Worralls (Mr Worrall being a magistrate - not a banker as portrayed in the film). Eventually, ten weeks later, she was revealed as a fraud - she was in fact a certain Mary Baker - yet Mrs Worrall, whose sympathy Mary kept even after being unmasked, arranged for her to sail to Philadelphia. The film implies that she had been facing the death penalty for her deception, and that she was to enjoy a new life in America. The truth, more prosaically, is that Mary Baker tired of life in the States after seven years and eventually returned to England in the 1820s, where she died in 1865. All this info can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Caraboo and at http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/Hoaxipedia/Princess_Caraboo/
All this rather underlines that the film-makers have taken this curious story and given it a harder spin against the English 'establishment', notably the aristocracy (in the form of the prince regent who is purposely made to look ridiculous, a point underlined as 'Caraboo' is apparently faced with the choice of the noble Irish journalist and the foppish and ridiculously dressed up prince). There's no evidence that the historic Caraboo came within spitting distance of the aristocracy, though the British press of the time gleefully had a field day over the gullibility of the local upper classes of Bristol and the surrounding region. Also I'm afraid the contrast of noble/innocent Irishmen (one of Caraboo's fellow inmates is - surprise, surprise - an innocent Irishman) versus evil English power-that-be (the only sympathetic English person who isn't a servant is Mrs Worrall) is becoming a tired cliché. Pity, because otherwise this is quite an enjoyable film.
The Quiet (2005)
An interesting, nearly 'great' film
This could have been a great film: the very emotionally fraught and disturbing situation at its heart is on the whole 'well handled' in that it raises more than just the obvious issues - for instance, it shows the appallingly destructive ways (whether to themselves, or to the other) in which father and daughter attempt to control one another, and the emotionally cramping atmosphere caused by their relationship. Also most of the scenes in college seemed to ring absolutely true. My problems with the film are on one level fairly minor, but enough to stop me feeling this is a true masterpiece.
For what it's worth, my problems were first with Dot's voice-overs talking about Beethoven's creative life and his coping with deafness, which seemed to me superficial and not properly 'thought through'. Clearly the film-makers thought this an important thread in the film, and indeed the climax of the film is accompanied by the moody first movement of the Moonlight Sonata. And very effective that is, though it's not despite Dot's VO comment a late period work at all; for me, the total mismatch between the comment and the music made all the commentary 'fail to add up' in short, seem irrelevant and even pretentious. If only the film makers had dropped most of that commentary, it may not have been an issue at all.
Then again, though I appreciate that it's probably best not to have Dot appear to be some budding concert pianist, I wasn't sure that anything she was seen to play at college would plausibly attract Connor: it might have been perhaps more plausible if she'd been playing something fiery like the finale of the Moonlight, or given what she says about the glories of Beethoven's final period perhaps something like the beautiful variations of the Op. 109 Sonata. As it was, the clunky playing we heard her do in the film would more probably reinforce the 'freak' label. For that reason I found it hard to buy Connor being attracted to Dot, and that section of the plot only seemed to work in so far as it annoyed Nina and her friends.
The film's ending, again, seemed poorly thought out, though I won't go into this as that would give too much of the story away. I'll just say that again it seemed poorly 'thought through' and didn't really seem to leave a 'true resonance' for all that had happened and its emotional and practical consequences.
An interesting film, in short, but perhaps this difficult subject may get a more thorough and thought-provoking treatment some other time?
Black Moon (1975)
A nightmare of the '70s
In the mid-70s when this film was made there was - in the real world - a 'battle of the sexes' with militant feminism in full swing (if not an actual 'war', there was a lot of bruised feelings and anger in the air - witness works of fiction like 'Who needs men?' and 'The Woman's Room'); the student riots of the late 1960s were a fresh memory, as were images of Vietnam (and for British viewers, the latest IRA atrocities). Black Moon may not 'make sense', but it's more understandable as a dream, from beginning to end (forget the idea that any of it is meant to be set 'in the near future'), by a pubescent girl, subconsciously worried by the apparent war between the sexes and disturbed by her budding sexuality (note the juxtaposition of the idealised vision of heterosexual love, presented by music from Wagner's Tristan und Isolde first heard on the car radio, quickly followed by the shocking images of war).
As mentioned elsewhere, this is beautifully filmed, and IMHO captures beautifully the quality of dreams where one event follows another in a 'stream of consciousness' manner (yet with certain obsessive themes), and the dreamer does everything as if it were the most rational thing to do (as one does in a dream). On first viewing I suspected this film to be a rather self-indulgent exercise, but there's a strangely compelling quality about both the narrative and the beauty of the actual cinematography. Highly recommended.
Ryan's Daughter (1970)
A flawed masterpiece
David Lean is not at his absolute best here - go to Lawrence of Arabia for that - but there's still plenty worth seeing here. Above all the wonderful cinematography, capturing the colours and scenery of the west coast of Ireland in the most vivid and alluring manner. There's some wonderful acting, especially by Trevor Howard as the priest. Robert Mitchum, too, is surprisingly good as the long-suffering but ultimately noble husband. There's some disappointments, though; Sarah Miles, who is meant to be playing a girl in her late teens as the story starts, clearly looks to be pushing 30, which rather spoils the credibility of her ingenuous character. And then there's poor Leo McKern's attempted Irish accent (which rather underlines the lack of Irish actors in this drama) - a pity because he gives a reasonable performance and suffers for his art in the spectacular storm scene. Minus points, too, for Jarre's score which reaches the height of ineptitude when the villagers pursue the British truck in the second part of the film: he can't think of anything better here than a jolly jape theme.
In sum, not the greatest Lean film, but even so this is far better than a lot of the 'best' films by other directors, and definitely worth seeing for the spectacular storm sequence.
Zateryannyy v Sibiri (1991)
An extraordinary film
I only discovered this film through becoming fascinated with the music of Leonid Desyatnikov (who also scored 'Prisoners of the Mountains'), and being intrigued by the fact it stars and was produced by Anthony Andrews (of Brideshead Revisited fame). I first tracked down a Danish VHS copy, which inevitably was subtitled in Danish throughout; unfortunately the film, though some of it is in English, is mostly in Russian. I got a fair impression from the Danish version, though, realising that it was excellently filmed and well acted, and the music extremely effective and - in a quite unconventional (for film music) way - highly touching, especially when following the fortunes of the young but very feisty Lilka.
The story, on one level, is about the appalling fate of an English archaeologist, Andrew (aka Andrei) Miller, who is mistaken for an American spy by Stalin's secret police, captured and tortured. When they realise their mistake, they try to conceal it by having Miller sent off to a gulag in Siberia. The grim conditions and the cruelty, not least from fellow prisoners, is believably portrayed. But, like a small oasis, there is kindness in the form of the young girl Lilka, and the female doctor in the camp, Anna, who originally came there to follow her husband when he was sentenced for some unspecified political deviancy.
I am loathe to give a 'spoiler' here, but what I'm going to write in this paragraph may give some of the plot away, so be warned. The Danish version of the film I saw had a suitably downbeat ending. This is largely mitigated in the English version I eventually traced (a second-hand VHS tape) which - unlike the Danish version - has an intrusive voice-over by Andrew Miller at the start whose need is only clear when the voice-over appears at the very end of the film to effectively reassure the audience that he survives to tell the tale at the end 'to ensure that this does not happen again' - a fatuous statement and one which strongly jars with the thrust of the film. I assume this voice-over was put in after some negative previews (studios seem very nervous of audiences' reactions to films which end on a 'downer'). But even with this, the film still comes across most powerfully, and with the English subtitles I was better able to appreciate the initially far from amiable relationship between Lilka and Anna. This is definitely a film worth hunting for, and I very much hope it will one day see the light on a commercial DVD release. The only reason I hesitate to give it absolute top marks is the slight hint of staginess in the final scenes of the film (though this possibly makes sense if one accepts that it reflects Andrew/Andrei's loosening grip on reality). END OF POTENTIAL SPOILER
Altogether an excellent film which deserves far wider exposure.
Fright (1971)
A good cast wasted in a creaky thriller
This is a clumpy prototype of the slasher films which were to become so ubiquitous by the late 1970s and '80s. It starts off promisingly, setting up the story with Susan George arriving as the babysitter for a slightly odd couple the mother clearly on edge to the point of neurosis and, after they leave, becoming spooked by the thuds and shudders of an old, time-worn house. However the script is clumsily constructed, so moments of tension are dissipated by switching back and forth between the house and the couple's evening out. The repressed virgin routine that Susan George goes through, also, has dated pretty badly and probably seemed fairly risible even in the early '70s when the film was made. Ian Bannen as the ex-husband gone homicidal does not ring true the moments when he growls like an over-excited terrier are as frightening as he gets; a shame because he's so good in such films as 'Tales from Beyond the Grave' (Amicus) and, much later, in 'Gorky Park' and 'Hope and Glory'. As for Susan George, her character simply turns into a sopping wet, quivering pulp of nerves as if she were in 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' instead of this very plodding drama. The DVD was only available as a Region 1, so unable to view it as a rental - I bought it on the strength of its cast. Don't make the same mistake. Alas, I found myself in the end so uninvolved that I passed the time noticing how many times the music score (by Harry Robertson) ripped off Prokofiev's atmospheric Third Symphony.
The Pleasure of Your Company (2006)
Situations without characters
This is a fairly decent bunch of actors coping as best they can with a horrible mish-mash of a script. Absolutely none of the characters are even believable types, let alone genuine individuals who can carry a story. The result is a series of 'situations' - one imagines the script writers saying 'wouldn't it be funny if the main character dreads introducing his parents because they're psychotics into kinky sex' - without any thought of how that situation may affect or influence the nature of that character. And almost none of the situations actually drove the story. But even that might have been OK if the situations weren't all entirely at a brainless teenage level ('The Bridge to Terabithia', also in cinemas at the moment and supposedly aimed at younger (8 years old and upwards) viewers, is leagues ahead in intelligence and the way it involves its audience in the characters).
I enjoy fairly silly comedies like 'Gremlins' - even the character types in that film are consistent and are given a believable context (the way they live, their relationships with other people etc) - but I came out of 'Wedding Daze' (as it's been marketed in the UK) feeling I'd wasted a good hour and a half and the price of three tickets (I went with my wife and son).
The Holiday (2006)
Fun the first time around, but...
I enjoyed this film hugely when it first came out on the big screen. Alas, I have finally revisited it on DVD, and oh dear - what a disappointment! It's not that Cameron Diaz's character has to cope with fairly obvious cultural differences once she's in England - nerve-shreddingly narrow roads, low cottage beams etc: I have to say that these totally chime with my experience with all my American friends who have come over here. But the slipshod plotting (how come the car can't drive up to the the cute little cottage at the beginning, and yet can at the film's end?), the all-too-worthy agony aunt-style philosophising, and too many clangers (Cary Grant's from Surrey, eh?) which evidently only got through due to the whole thing being all too firmly under the control of Nancy Meyers (no room for actors to improve some of their appalling lines, or for someone to point out glaring inconsistencies in the story line): all of these things are too glaringly obvious for comfort.
So I'm less than sure, now, that the film is really much of an improvement on such popular yet brainless romantic comedies like 'Notting Hill' (or indeed most of those embarrassments by Richard Curtis): at least Curtis's productions are quite openly about wish fulfilment, ungrateful though his roles for the American actresses are. And I can no longer see why I thought the characterisation in "Holiday" was particularly "sharp" - it now seems pretty much a mixture of generic and wishful thinking (the Jude Law character, for instance).
Overall, too, this is a seriously poor showing of some fine actors: Jude Law's endless mugging is ghastly to see after such films as 'The Talented Mr Ripley' where he gives a sensational performance. The lack of sufficient chemistry between him and Cameron Diaz (or was it just their trying to get through that awful script?) finally destroys even the latter's performance. And Kate Winslet, at her best in off-beat and feisty roles, is here given the ungrateful task of being a rather worthy, conventional English lass - quite a weepy one at that. So in all, OK if you have just short of 2 hours 20 minutes to waste - but definitely not something to add to your collection.