Watched last night

[theuofc]

(Rob Compton @ Apr 7 2006, 04:30 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'> It was me who recommended it Barbara, and I'm so glad you got a chance to watch it. Did you think it had more than a few echoes of Rebecca? Old atmospheric house on the Cornish coast; candlelight up the great staircase; weird half mad possessive women etc etc I always enjoy Ray Milland's earlier film appearances, he seems very relaxed in front of the camera. And I thought Ruth Hussey was excellent as his sister. Then there's Gail Russell, who's tragic story I'm sure you know, Barbara. I suspect it would have been filmed in California, not Dover! Glad to know that you didn't think it completely without merit anyway - not a truly great film, but I think it stands out from average from the days when Hollywood was so confident about it's products. Sorry I'm not talking about a British film here, but I think the male lead being born in South Wales helps! rgds Rob [/b]

Hello, Rob,

I thought it was you! I did enjoy the film and especially for the reasons you state. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsup.gif[/img] Ray Milland was quite good in a breezy role like that. Later, he would impress us with his performance in 'Lost Weekend.'

Great call in connecting the film with 'Rebecca.' I hadn't thought of it, but it does have echoes of setting, etc. And they did it all without digital effects. No doubt you are right that 'The Uninvited' was shot on the California coastline, probably near spectacular Carmel where "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir" was shot with another expat, Rex Harrison. I hadn't realised that Milland was from South Wales until a few years ago.

Here's a funny story for you: when I returned the film to the library the librarian was most interested and checked it out also, so your film recommendations are circulating across the water. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/clapping.gif[/img]

Best,

Barbara

[DB7]

The Final Programme (1973)

Muddled apocalyptic sci-fi nonsense with sadly more emphasis on the sets than on the script.

[Fellwanderer]

This evening rather than last night.

A relaxing 90 odd minutes simply lying back and letting A Canterbury Tale wash over me - yet again.

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

[Steve Crook]

(Fellwanderer @ Apr 8 2006, 09:02 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'> This evening rather than last night. A relaxing 90 odd minutes simply lying back and letting A Canterbury Tale wash over me - yet again. FELL [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/angel_not.gif[/img] [/b]

"You can't hurry an elm." [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif[/img]

Steve

[bloodworm]

Last night i sat down and watched "THREADS", a docudrama portraying the effects of a nuclear war. We are fed into the every day lives of 2 Sheffield families who go about the lives as normal and ignore the build up of tension between the USA and Russia that is constantly fed in the media. Slowly as the tension rises they become aware that this is getting serious but now all is too late. Sheffield is bombed. We witness the harrowing scenes of the effects of such a raid, the fallout, the death, and the almost total destruction of the human race. The film, obviously low budget sucessfully gets over the frailties of the human race and how weak and vulnerable the "threads" of human existance are. I found the final part of the film rather stretched going on to attack + 10 years or so but that did not detract from what the film was trying to say. I would recomend this film, not for the acting or special effect but purely for the message held within.

C/U The Worm

[theuofc]

(bloodworm @ Apr 9 2006, 05:35 AM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'> Last night i sat down and watched "THREADS", a docudrama portraying the effects of a nuclear war.... We witness the harrowing scenes of the effects of such a raid, the fallout, the death, and the almost total destruction of the human race. ...I would recomend this film, not for the acting or special effect but purely for the message held within. C/U The Worm [/b]

Hello, CA,

Thank you for writing about this film and the important message it holds for all of us, yesterday, today and tomorrow. When Stanley Kramer directed Nevil Shute's "On the Beach" in 1959, the grim message of the devastating effects of nuclear war, mixups, whatever, should have been clear from day one. Yet 25 years later in 1984, director Mick Jackson gave us the same urgent message graphically spelled out in "Threads." American audiences never saw the film although we did have "The Day After" a year before. Same message, same deaf ears. No matter the date. What matters is the question: when are we going to listen?

Best,

Barbara

[Steve Crook]

(theuofc @ Apr 9 2006, 07:21 AM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'> Hello, CA, Thank you for writing about this film and the important message it holds for all of us, yesterday, today and tomorrow. When Stanley Kramer directed Nevil Shute's "On the Beach" in 1959, the grim message of the devastating effects of nuclear war, mixups, whatever, should have been clear from day one. Yet 25 years later in 1984, director Mick Jackson gave us the same urgent message graphically spelled out in "Threads." American audiences never saw the film although we did have "The Day After" a year before. Same message, same deaf ears. No matter the date. What matters is the question: when are we going to listen? Best, Barbara [/b]

I saw them both and thought Threads was much more powerful because of its documentary style feel. The Day After was spoiled, for me, by being more obviously fictional drama and having so many famous faces in it.

Steve

[smudge]

(DB7 @ Apr 7 2006, 07:28 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'> The Final Programme (1973) Muddled apocalyptic sci-fi nonsense with sadly more emphasis on the sets than on the script. [/b]

Somewhat muddled, I agree, but with a distinct style of its time.

Shame they didn't make a better fist of it and allow Jon Finch to develop the character in another story.

SMUDGE

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

[smudge]

Mrs. Smudge's choice tonight - THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD.

I was surprised how effective this still is - Peter Duffell's direction and camera set ups are very good, as is DP Ray Parslow's use of subdued light and colour to build up the menace. Even the 'comic' episode 'The Cloak' has a degree of menace, particularly in the demise of John Bennett's character.

Good stuff ! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/clapping.gif[/img]

SMUDGE

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

[DB7]

They Came to a City courtesy of Terry.

Rather than extensively adapt Priestley's stageplay for the screen, Ealing shot it as theatre-as-film and the results are unsurprisingly disappointing as the majority of the film is taken up with a collection of actors walking around large utopian sets. Priestley appears early on and maybe had too much influence on the treatment.

[theuofc]

(Steve Crook @ Apr 9 2006, 11:28 AM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'> I saw them both and thought Threads was much more powerful because of its documentary style feel. The Day After was spoiled, for me, by being more obviously fictional drama and having so many famous faces in it. Steve [/b]

Hi, Steve,

From the reviews I've read of "Threads" and "TDA", what you say is dead on. I don't know why "Threads" was never shown in the U.S. (or I think it wasn't). To keep it out of competition with TDA?

Barbara

[Captain Casper]

Watched "The Last Days Of Dolwyn". Fantastic.

[Steve Crook]

(theuofc @ Apr 9 2006, 11:20 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'> Hi, Steve, From the reviews I've read of "Threads" and "TDA", what you say is dead on. I don't know why "Threads" was never shown in the U.S. (or I think it wasn't). To keep it out of competition with TDA? Barbara [/b]

Possibly, it's been done before. Look at the history of the two versions of Gaslight. The 1944 version with Charles Boyer & Ingrid Bergman is the better known. But just about everyone that's seen both of them agrees that the 1940 version with Anton Walbrook & Diana Wynyard is far superior.

The American studios tried to have all prints of the earlier version bought up & destroyed. Fortunately, they were unsuccessful.

Steve

[bloodworm]

(theuofc @ Apr 9 2006, 07:21 AM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'> Hello, CA, When Stanley Kramer directed Nevil Shute's "On the Beach" in 1959, the grim message of the devastating effects of nuclear war, mixups, whatever, should have been clear from day one. Best, Barbara [/b]

Hi Barbara,
Thanks for you comments. Having seen "On The Beach" many years ago ( must revisit soon) i remeber that the story line was the inevitable death to Australian towns folk and their final decisions of life culminating in a submarine surfacing in New York and clevely showing that the whole wolrd has gone,whilst Treads is more upfront in its delivery of the same message. I have not seen TDA but anyone with an ounce of working grey matter only needs to see one to get the message. May be we should force feed these films to the powers that control the world.

C/U The Worm

[theuofc]

I watched several episodes of MI5 last night, mainly to see an adult Jenny Agutter. She and some of the guest actors were quite good, the main cast okay. The main thing blocking my becoming immersed in the series was a sacrifice of character development and plot for constant camera movement, constant change in action, constant shifting from character to character to simulate the supposed real-life fast action of MI5, much of it becoming smoke and mirrors. Even the menu is gimmicky. Click this, click that on the desk being invaded. How wearisome, when all I wanted to do was "Play" the thing, not deal with a video game effect before it even began. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbdown.gif[/img]

Not enough screen time for Jenny, a talented actress who is given too little to do--well, yes, one good scene in the episodes (no, not the funny sex one) and too much focus on angsting girlfriends of covert MI5 men and "emotion-charged" scenes between girlfriend and MI5 boyfriend. Who cares! Focus on the characters driving the main plot and stay with them more than two minutes, please. All that movement, all that sound and fury signifying what? Game, Set, Match and Tinker, Tailor, Spy prove quite well that subtlety and stillness on camera are indeed very effective in spy/action dramas. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsup.gif[/img]