The Most Over-rated British Film

[kezzy]

I came upon 'Strangers on a Train' completely un-forewarned as a teenager. Had absolutely no clue as to what was going to happen, and was, as a result, completely gripped.

[batman]

Withnail And I .... annoying people spouting unreal dialogue and presented in a very uninteresting manner.

Trainspotting .... uninteresting people spouting unreal dialogue and presented in a very annoying manner.

[GRAEME]

Originally Posted by batman Withnail And I .... annoying people spouting unreal dialogue and presented in a very uninteresting manner. Trainspotting .... uninteresting people spouting unreal dialogue and presented in a very annoying manner.

Agree about Withnail - I think its rep lies with reflecting the drop out last vestiges of youth of art school wannabees of a certain age.

Totally disagree about Trainspotting - an exhillarating screaming walk on the wideside.

But best of all! Penfold doesn't like If...! Yes!!! The world runs sane again... And I'm safe to go on believing it one of the most important and revolutionary British films of all time.

[Steve Crook]

Originally Posted by Dave Rattigan I find that P&P is something that just clicks one day and you "get" it. Perhaps like British cinema in general. I certainly never considered myself a British film fan in particular up until a couple years ago, and something clicked, and I felt instantly at home with British films. Same with P&P. I'd tried a few of their films, and could just never get into them. Trying to remember which one suddenly grabbed me. Might have been A Canterbury Tale. I'm sure I announced it proudly on these forums! I guess I echo other people's thoughts on Kubrick. My ex used to say he found Kubrick's films "easier to admire than to love". I certainly find that with his later stuff, mid-'60s onwards. Not so much his earlier work, eg The Killing, Paths of Glory. The Cohen Brothers are another that leave me cold. Watched Fargo the other night - now that is very highly rated - but as much as I found it easy to admire the technique etc, it just didn't resonate with me at all. PS. Just for the record, "overrated" says to me merely "popular" as much as it says"critically succesful".

There are some films (& directors) which make you think "that was clever" rather than "that was good". Some can be clever without being particularly good

Steve

[kezzy]

Re Trainspotting, I quite enjoyed it. But soon after it opened, our cat got into the habit of going round to Danny Boyle's house and shitting on his bed. Amazing that she would actually be able to re-enact scenes from the film when, as far as I know, she hadn't even seen it. Eventually Mr Boyle asked if we could try and stop her.

[GRAEME]

Originally Posted by kezzy Re Trainspotting, I quite enjoyed it. But soon after it opened, our cat got into the habit of going round to Danny Boyle's house and shitting on his bed. Amazing that she would actually be able to re-enact scenes from the film when, as far as I know, she hadn't even seen it. Eventually Mr Boyle asked if we could try and stop her.

Just as long as she didn't start doing smack and glassing strangers in pubs!

Choose Felix!

[Steve Crook]

Originally Posted by GRAEME Just as long as she didn't start doing smack and glassing strangers in pubs! Choose Felix!

Steve

[dremble wedge]

Originally Posted by GRAEME Agree about Withnail - I think its rep lies with reflecting the drop out last vestiges of youth of art school wannabees of a certain age.

Well humour's an odd thing at the best of times and there are lots of people I know who don't like Withnail & I.

Personally I love spending a couple of hours in the company of useless alcoholics, demented rural folk, failed actors and ageing, predatory queens - but enough of my nights out and back to Withnail...

I find it quite simply one of the funniest films I've ever seen, just thinking about it now makes me laugh. There are so many funny lines (virtually the entire script) and incidental pleasures that it stands up to repeated viewings and (a real mark of quality) there's something new each time I see it.

After watching it I could never take Franco Zeffirelli seriously again (if I ever did in the first place).

It can surely only be a matter of time before some enterprising examing board sets it as an A-Level text, it says more to me about the human condition than most of the stuff I studied!

[Marky B]

Originally Posted by GRAEME Agree about Withnail - I think its rep lies with reflecting the drop out last vestiges of youth of art school wannabees of a certain age. Totally disagree about Trainspotting - an exhillarating screaming walk on the wideside. But best of all! Penfold doesn't like If...! Yes!!! The world runs sane again... And I'm safe to go on believing it one of the most important and revolutionary British films of all time.

I agree with Bats about Withnail & I and Trainspotting and I stand by Penfold's critique about If......it was bags of s***e.
Ta Ta
Marky B

[penfold]

Originally Posted by GRAEME Agree about Withnail - I think its rep lies with reflecting the drop out last vestiges of youth of art school wannabees of a certain age. Totally disagree about Trainspotting - an exhillarating screaming walk on the wideside. But best of all! Penfold doesn't like If...! Yes!!! The world runs sane again... And I'm safe to go on believing it one of the most important and revolutionary British films of all time.

Funnily, I agreed with you about the first two films....

For the sake of amicable discussion, in what way do you think (apart from in Anderson's own imagination) If... either important or revolutionary?? This Sporting Life I might just have conceded as being important...

[kezzy]

This Sporting Life: important and part of a revolution, if not that revolutionary itself.
If...: important because of its impact and because it helped Anderson find his own voice, revolutionary as being an art film that crossed over to popular acclaim. But still, sadly, desperately, and no matter how many times I try and watch it, a bit pretentious, a bit immature, and for me, a bit boring.
O Lucky Man: masterpiece!

[scholes]

Originally Posted by kezzy This Sporting Life: important and part of a revolution, if not that revolutionary itself. If...: important because of its impact and because it helped Anderson find his own voice, revolutionary as being an art film that crossed over to popular acclaim. But still, sadly, desperately, and no matter how many times I try and watch it, a bit pretentious, a bit immature, and for me, a bit boring. O Lucky Man: masterpiece!

Which schoolboy wouldn't have wanted to place a plasic bag over an unpopular teacher's head and insert a large nail in the back of his head very slowly?

[batman]

I find all Lindsay Anderson's films boring and pretentious .... This Sporting Life is a fine evocation of a time and place but as a film it is IMHO plodding and dull. 'The Mick Travis Trilogy' starts poorly and just gets worse, with Brittania Hospital being an embarrassment to sit through. Poorly written, apallingly acted and directed by Anderson as if he had just been let loose in the village hall. Dreadful stuff!

[Iris]

God, If.... you're right. I'm a recent victim of the hype, I watched it for the first time a few weeks ago, what a disappointment! I don't know it's just achingly dated, but I couldn't see any redeeming features at all, yet it's regarded as a classic. Harumph.

[Iris]

First post, btw!