Moor Larkin

Equilibrium
Another Hollywood movie that's really a British Film. Nearly all the lead actors are British.

Easily dismissed as a Matrix mishmash but tries hard to update 1984, if a trifle unsuccessfully. I've seen it twice now, not sure it'll be worth a third.

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smudge

SERENDIPITY (2001)

From British Director Peter Chelsom and starring Kate Beckinsale a Christmassy feelgood movie that's not your usual Hollywood romance. As with FUNNY BONES Chelsom displays a great sense of place and New York is as much of a star of the film as the lead actors.

Some great scene stealing by Eugene Levy as the shop assistant !

SMUDGE

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Moor Larkin

The opening Titles record it was a film made and distributed by the Rank organisation and briefly the opening screen was occupied by:


Peter Arne and Patrick McGoohan got second billing to Betta St John, Alexander Knox, Flora Robson, William Sylvester and Michael Craig but interestingly, Patrick Allen, who probably had much more screen-time than Mr. McGoohan, only made third billing..... I wonder how such things were decided.

The movie was a Philip Leacock epic family saga. I would guess it was meant to spread over a seven year period (or more). It was reminiscent to me of Leacock's last film "3 Sovereigns for Sarah" in that it became increasingly episodic towards the end with huge chunks of time being assumed gone by.



It was a British Cannes Entry for 1957

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The_Late_Peter_Cook

Gala Day (1963)

Included on the 'Beyond Free Cinema' disc of the BFI collection, it's a documentary on the Durham Miner's gala. It's a fascinating slice of life (especially the peeping tom's!) with extra interest for me as I live a bus ride away from Durham.

Room At The Top (1958)

I think I've just noticed a continuity error. The book's set post-war (with Joe looking back at the events from a "present day" perspective) and it's made clear in the film that a) Joe's 25 b) he was a Sergeant in the RAF and a prisoner of war). Yet it seems set in the "present". For example Darren Nesbitt seems to be dressed as a teddy-boy which must make it at least the mid-fifties.

smudge

Billing would be negotiatied by the artistes agent at the time of contracting to the film, although no doubt The Rank Organisation would have some say in this as well. Betta St. John had a Hollywood career behind her, hence (presumably) her top billing, as I don't think she was particularly well known over here. She certainly had a kind of beauty that was unusual and was striking in her last film THE CITY OF THE DEAD for John Llewellyn Moxey in 1960.

HIGH TIDE is a McGoohan film I have never really got into ; must give it another try sometime...

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Moor Larkin

She was also hardly off the screen during the whole movie, bless her!! She definitely worked for that top spot......

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smudge

Not really Watched Last Night, but watched of late...

FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE (1963)

Fired up by Daniel Craig's 007 debut and the acquisition of the new 'complete 007' for Xmas, I decided to revisit the best Bond film ever. It was great to see such a good restoration job on the print ; this is Bond on top form.

Robert Shaw excels as the super sinister Grant, stalking silently through the film then blisteringly good in that close confines fight with Connery in the train compartment. This is a cracking thriller which moves along apace throughout.

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY (1981)

Arguably Roger Moore's hardest outing as Bond when new Director John Glen arrives on the scene. The humour is toned down, and some gritter scenes where Roger even gets a hair out of place ! Shame they spoiled the ending with the naff Maggie Thatcher impressions...

Jeff Wayne's WAR OF THE WORLDS LIVE

This one must've made an impression as for the first time in a very long time I devoured a brand new DVD in a single sitting ; both discs ! Still brilliant after all these years.

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DB7

The Full Treatment
Val Guest production from Hammer's psycho-thriller period. Initially reminiscent of Hitch's Spellbound, recuperating Grand Prix driver Ronald Lewis fights the impulse to strangle his wife and seeks the help of French psychiatrist Claude Dauphin.

DB7

The Homecoming (1973)
Peter Hall's adaptation of the Pinter play. Great performances and menace aplenty but Vivien Merchant's placid acceptance of prostitution is a head-scratcher.

Third Man

The Sandbaggers (Series 1).

excellent spy series on the inner workings of the British SIS.

DB7

The Passionate Pilgrim
Originally intended as a three-part feature starring Eric Morecambe, after funds ran out the director edited the existing footage into a short mostly-silent comedy.

smudge

A WINDOW IN LONDON (1939)

A curious little Michael Redgrave film which starts with a minor flashpoint, then rumbles on for quite a while without really doing much, slowly leading up (not building up) to another flashpoint ; more significant this time.

Then events concertina into each other to form a rather rushed ending, leading up to a strange, almost 'blink-and-you-miss-it', ironic and singularly effective conclusion.

Also starring Sally Gray and Patricia Roc who (IMHO) has never looked lovelier...

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samkydd

I caught this 1967 comedy caper type film last night on one of the Freeview channels, well two actually, and it was quite enjoyable which just shows what other total crap was on the box last night!

It starred Raquel Welch and one of my least favourite actors Tony Franciosa, plus Ronald Fraser, a boyish looking Richard Briars (33 at the time) and Clive Revill (who was excellent as the hotel manager in the Juliet Mills/Jack Lemmon comedy Avanti, but not such a good part in this earlier effort). The film was a bit pants but had some great shots of southern Spain before it became completely concreted to death for holiday and retirement cells.

On a more positive note I'd not seen it before which is quite refreshing these days. Raquel Welch on screen is always a plus as well, and even today at 66/67 she's in fantastic shape.http://www.artline.ro/admin/_files/newsannounce/01.jpg

"...the chairman of Littlewoods stores made a Keynote speech!"

smudge

CONFETTI (2006?)

Seen at a friends house the other night - an attempt at updating the Great British Rom-Com post FOUR WEDDINGS. Thankfully more Com than Rom (not that I wholly dislike that element) the show about novelty weddings was stolen by the gay wedding planners Very brave of Robert Webb and Olivia Coleman to play the Naturist couple, I must say. More than a few laughs filled the room at various points.

PUBLIC EYE - Season 6 Ep. 1 "The Bankrupt" ; Alfred Burke on brilliant form as Marker in a nicely written episode in which NOBODY wins....

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harryfielder

I watched The Angry Silence this afternoon and enjoyed it again.
There were lots of faces (extras) I knew so it must have been made around London..??

Aitch,

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