Freddy

I had the misfortune to pay out money for the rental of
'I'll Sleep When I'm Dead'.

Directed by Mike Hodges who also directed 'Get Carter' and written by Trevor Preston who has a long pedigree( Minder; Hazell; Ruth Rendell) this was a major disappointment. Retired hardman Clive Owen returns to the city to look into his brothers suicide, finds out he had been raped the night before and slit his throat. A tale of revenge. He find the rapist, kills him but another gangland boss has an assassin waiting to kill Owen. Sound familiar. It ends with Owen driving off to we don't know where, was it to his girlfriends(Charlotte Rampling) where the killer was waiting or back to the country.
Perhaps the powers that be realised this was so bad that they thought they would make it interesting by leaving a question mark over the ending. Well they failed. Poor everything and it was so dark:dark:dark:

Freddy

The world wags on.

Jim

Going off the great WH for a moment. I watched a BBC Documentary on Arthur Ransom on Saturday night.

By 'eck, what a bloke! Going to Russia at the time of the revolution; courting Trotsky's secretary; walking over boundaries, (smoking his pipe) gaurded by trigger happy Russians, talking his way out of being summarily shot. Acting as go between with Russian politicians, being accused of being a Russian spy, bringing his girl friend home to the lake district and writing 'Swallows and Amazons'.

A totally absorbing tale, well told by Griff Rhys-Jones. I think I shall save the video as an inspiration!!

He physically unfit for martial service - short sighted and suffered from piles (poor sod)! But never stopped him from doing what he did!! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsup.gif[/img]

Good morning boys.

Harbottle

Hot Enough For June (1964)

Quite enjoyable spy comedy drama starring Dirk Bogarde, Robert Morley, Leo McKern and John Le Mesurier.

Funniest moment for me was at the Czech glass factory when the owner proudly demonstrates the new thin unbreakable glass invented by as he put it one of our friends from East Germany…. Of course eventually the glass smashes spectacularly and the owner turns to said inventor with the cutting retort “Nazi swine!”
[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rotfl.gif[/img]

Rob Compton

"The Way Ahead" (1944) Ustinov's film, directed by Carol Reed, starring David Niven, Penelope Dudley Ward (the more of her films I see, the more I think what a gorgeous smile she has [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wub.gif[/img] ), Leslie Dwyer, Raymond Huntley etc etc. As most know, Ustinov's original screenplay (with Eric Ambler) was entitled and made as an Army training film called "The new Lot".

The top brass were not keen and it was never released as far as I know. I think I've read that it's been "rediscovered" and I'd love to see it, to compare with "The Way Ahead" - the latter is thoroughly entertaining: if you haven't seen it, try to catch it.

Would anyone know if "The New Lot" is available anywhere please?

rgds
Rob

Fellwanderer

Don't know about available - but quite a fair cast list for a training film:

Bernard Lee .... Interviewing officer
Stewart Rome .... Officer
Robert Donat .... Actor (uncredited)
Raymond Huntley .... Barrington (uncredited)
Geoffrey Keen .... Corporal (uncredited)
John Laurie .... Harry Fyfe (uncredited)
Bernard Miles .... Ted Loman (uncredited)
John Slater .... Soldier in truck (uncredited)
Peter Ustinov .... Keith (uncredited)

FELL
[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.gif[/img]

All the best
FELL

A signature is no substitute for a life

Third Man

The Innocents (Jack Clayton) 1961.

Just got this on DVD from the states and really had forgotten how good it was must be quite a few years since I had seen it.
I can imagine audiences in the 60's really going through the wringer on this one as I found this a very chillling film, especially at the grim finale.It must be the first film in years that actually sent shivers up my spine and I had totally forgotten Peter Wyngarde was in in it, now what was he famous for?

Someone told me he was the chap, who Austin Powers was based on.Anyway, a bloody good film deffinately gets into my top 10 horror list. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsup.gif[/img]

Fellwanderer

Jason King?

FELL
[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.gif[/img]

All the best
FELL

A signature is no substitute for a life

Jim

A pal at work gave me 'CONSTANTINE' to watch last night. What crap! I gave up half way through for the sole reason that I couldn't understand what they were saying. Mr Reeves was incoherent at times; almost whispering - so you turn up your volume and the next thing is that there's a full grown 'demon' attacking him; que, loud music!! Turn down volume, ad nauseum! Utter bilge!

[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/angry.gif[/img]

Good morning boys.

The_Late_Peter_Cook

THE TITFIELD THUNDERBOLT - Certainly the weakest of the Ealing comedies and probably the weakest Ealing film I've seen . Despite a good cast, the characters are cardboard, the situation's unreal and it was hard to care.

Rob Compton

Each to their own, of course - but IMHO it's not by any means the weakest Ealing film per se. Helps if you like trains of course!
[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsup.gif[/img]

rgds
Rob

The_Late_Peter_Cook

Well, there's probably a few worser, but to be honest if there is I can't remember watching it! I suspect I'm coming across as an Earling basher, but they've made some marvelous movies, IT ALWAYS RAINS ON SUNDAY, DEAD OF NIGHT, THE MAGGIE etc, in the case of TITFIELD everything is just a bit weak. No characterisation at all (what does the Vicar do when not playing with trains? If Valentine is such a drunk how did he get so wealthy? Come to that, if he is so wealthy, what's he doing in Titfield?).

While watchable, it's probably my least favourite Ealing movie.

Fellwanderer

I'd agree with you.

Although I think it has a good and very likeable cast, there is something about it that means it doesn't quite match up. Not that it would stop me watching it again as I always think I'll enjoy it more.

Of course, if you really want a trains film - I can recommend a better one [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif[/img]

FELL
[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/innocent.gif[/img]

All the best
FELL

A signature is no substitute for a life

Steve Crook

Preach or other church based duties?

Inherited? Earned? Maybe he became a drunk after he became wealthy.

Maybe he likes it there.

Steve

Billy Liar

While the situation is 'unreal' the fight against modernization and profit chasing corporate bullies is very real. It's just a case of taking the film out of context a little. I must admit it's not a 'great' Ealing film but it's certainly not the worst.

glyn horton

Agree that the characters in Titfield are a bit cardboard but the basic story of locals taking over and running their own railway pre-dates the steam railway preservation movement and also the whole British Rail privatisation events in the 90s. I think the bit where John Gregson makes his speech about how the village will change if the railway closes and road transport dominates is incredibly far sighted for 1952. Take a look at how bypasses and motorways have changed towns and villages since then and the point is still relevant today, particularly environmentally. Maybe in some ways it's a good thing but I think this scene is the one point where the film does briefly gets it's head together. Ok, it's 'people playing puffer trains' story might seem a bit twee to some, but there is a serious point about how roads can alter or even destroy the entire character of a town or village.