Features

Alberto Cavalcanti

November 7, 2009 By David Cairns 3 Comments

The reputation of Alberto Cavalcanti has suffered on account of the peripatetic nature of his career – films in France, Britain, Brazil, Israel – and due to his restless switching of jobs – set designer for Marcel L’Herbier, sound designer for Harry Watt. Even in a single country, the UK, where his reputation is the highest, Cavalcanti’s work at Ealing dominates the discourse. On the one hand, this is probably justified by the sheer visual excellence, and moral complexity, of his work on Dead of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Features

Terror (1978)

October 29, 2009 By Mark Emery 1 Comment

Released two years after Satan’s Slave, this was Norman J Warren’s second horror film. In the opening scene, set in the darkness of a wood there is little to see at first, apart from some flickering torches viewed in the distance and the sound of angry voices. This soon changes; a group of three men are seen carefully setting a mantrap in a hole in the ground. When the trap is set they cover it with fallen leaves. The clothes the men are wearing tell us that we are in medieval times. The crowd … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Features, Retrospective Review

Man of Violence (aka Moon) (1970)

October 9, 2009 By Drewe Shimon 1 Comment

Michael Latimer and Sebastian Breaks are not, even by the standards of your average exploitation buff (if such a person exists), names that spring to mind when discussing great British cinema. Then again, like all the other instalments in the BFI’s continually intriguing Flipside series, Man Of Violence, better known in some territories as Moon, is not a typical ‘great British film’. If truth be known, or at least if my opinion be known, it’s not a great film in any sense of the word- ironic … [Read more...]

Filed Under: DVD Review, Features

Saloon Bar (1940)

October 1, 2009 By Britmovie 3 Comments

“Saloon Bar” is an entertaining murder mystery directed by Walter Forde that combines elements of Hitchcock in the story and comedy. The film itself combines a number of entertaining minor stories that take place inside a pub, eponymously named. Customers at the pub discuss the latest news, which involve the hanging of a convicted murderer, but when a clue to the murder case is found inside the pub, the regulars decide to become actively involved in solving the crime and finding out who the real … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Features, Retrospective Review

All the Right Noises (1969)

September 30, 2009 By Drewe Shimon Leave a Comment

Seemingly so obscure that it doesn't even warrant any comments on IMDB, yet simultaneously revered by the tiny few who have seen it, ALL THE RIGHT NOISES is a difficult film to categorise. Taken at face value alongside its director's other work (The Pleasure Girls, That Kind of Girl, The Brute and of course The Bitch), one could easily mistake it for a sleazy sexploitation title, and indeed a tiny part of me is disappointed this isn’t the case. Conversely, the other 95 percent was both delighted … [Read more...]

Filed Under: DVD Review, Features

Gasbags (1940)

September 29, 2009 By Mary Haberstroh Leave a Comment

“Gasbags” takes a humorous look at war and how the victim in real life can turn out to the the victor in a movie like this one. Released in 1941, one year after the London Blitz, the Crazy Gang is the unlikely winner in stealing a secret weapon designed to commit mass destruction on neighboring nations. The gang encounters a number of adventures when they accidentally come into contact with Germany as the result of being forced to go out of the fish and chips business. The film opens with the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Features, Retrospective Review

When the Bough Breaks (1947)

September 26, 2009 By Mary Haberstroh 2 Comments

Being a mother is the hardest job in the world, and it is even more difficult when the mother discovers her husband is not what he appears to be. Living outside of the box is a challenge in a society where certain standards are expected of young women, but can be done successfully when the individual will to survive is strong enough. “When the Bough Breaks” explores the myths and realities of motherhood as well as the complexity of human relationships where trust is involved. The movie opens … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Features, Retrospective Review