The_Late_Peter_Cook

On Tuesday I watched AN INSPECTOR CALLS, which was (understandably) a bit stagey but had a brilliant performance from Sim. :)

Wednesday I watched FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX which ISN'T a British movie but did feature the likes of Peter Finch, Richard Attenborough and Ronald Fraser.

Last night I watched the Ralph Thomas THE THIRTY NINE STEPS. Not a patch on the Hitchcock classic, but a great perfomance from Kennith More, a top notch supporting cast and great locations filmed in lush colour made for a very enjoyable movie. :)

DB7

I Start Counting (1969)

A convoluted psychological thriller with numerous red herrings but not quite as clever as it believes it is. With a serial killer on the loose paranoia reigns and teenage Jenny Agutter suspects it may be the step-brother she has a crush on and intends to protect from the law. It's a promising enough scenario but the ending is a damp squib; literally.

smudge

CAT AND MOUSE

A tight little B&W thriller B (virtually a two-hander) from a story by John Creasey. Not at all bad. Whatever happened to ANN SEARS ?

SMUDGE

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

Welcome to my house. Enter freely, and of your own will...

The_Late_Peter_Cook

THE GO-BETWEEN - 1972


The first five minutes was full of heart-thumping suspence as it looked like I had a ropey copy and since ordering the movie from Amazon, it's now been deleated. Thankfully the picture settled down and I enjoyed it hugely (not suprising, as Michael Redgrave and Alan Bates are two of my favourite actors and the book itself is another favourite of mine).

Jim

I always fancied Wanda Ventham Smudge, especially when she put a bit of weight on......... cor!!!

Wasn't she in U.F.O? [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif[/img]

Good morning boys.

The_Late_Peter_Cook

NIGHT AND THE CITY - 1950

Beyond the imported American leads and director, lies a first rate British Noir. Francis L Sullivan steals the movie in my opinion, as an old, tired man in married to a scheming Googie Withers. Herbert Lom also features but perhaps it's biggest attraction is the crisp B&W location footage of a post-war London.

smudge

Too right she was Jim ! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsup.gif[/img]

As Mr Winner says in his insurance adverts....Calm down dear ! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif[/img]

SMUDGE

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

Welcome to my house. Enter freely, and of your own will...

smudge

Another British B "BLIND SPOT" (1958) starring a really wooden Robert MacKenzie and a VERY young Michael Caine in a tale of death an diamond smuggling. Typical B fodder and nowhere near as good a CAT AND MOUSE a couple of nights before...

SMUDGE

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

Welcome to my house. Enter freely, and of your own will...

The_Late_Peter_Cook

THE HORSE'S MOUTH - 1959

Saw it years ago one afternoon on C4 and hated it, rewatched the R1 DVD last night and the really enjoyed it! It's very possibly Alec Guinness's best screen performance and certainly Kay Walsh and Rene Houston have never been better! :)

The Criterion DVD came with an interesting booklet, sadly Ian Christie's essay fell into the trap of seeing 'fifties British cinema as cosey.

smudge

Hear hear !

My experience was exactly the same. Saw it on the box AGES ago and thought it deathly dull. Some years later it was recommended to me by an ex-Ealing worker I had chance to talk to and I was amazed by it.

Wish I could remember exactly what the age gap was in watching it ; I can only think that I had learned a lot more about film by the second viewing - and that was a while ago as it was one of the first Laserdiscs I ever bought.

HIGHLY recommended !

SMUDGE

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

Welcome to my house. Enter freely, and of your own will...

Rob Compton

"Ask a Policeman" - which still makes me laugh out loud!

"When the tide goes out in the Devils Cove....." [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/clapping.gif[/img]

" I always spit the blackcurrant ones out!"

If you have no idea what I'm on about, please try to watch it, its an absolute joy.

rgds
Rob

The_Late_Peter_Cook

A HIGH WIND IN JAMACA - 1965

Interesting movie, but one that's very hard to sum-up. MacKendrick does wonders with the children, Anthony Quinn gives a good performance and there's a great 'guest appearence' by Denis Price.

Very enjoyable but lacking a certain something (if I gave it a mark out of 10 it would probably get a 7).

The_Late_Peter_Cook

I've felt that way about a few movies in my time, for example I grew up with the Ealing comedies and adored Guinness in KIND HEARTS, LAVENDER HILL, LADYKILLERS, yet for a very long time THE MAN IN THE WHITE COAT left me cold and unlike the others it wasn't a movie that I re-watched. I got the DVD set a few years ago and loved the movie.

DB7

It has a similar effect on me. I can admire the film for its satirical script and some fine acting but Guinness' characterisation leaves me cold, a driven scientist I can accept but ignoring Joan Greenwood's husky-voiced seduction technique is too much. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/nono.gif[/img]

The_Late_Peter_Cook

Joan's voice could raise the dead... [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif[/img]

Last night I watched:

THE END OF THE AFFAIR - 1955

Not as good as the book, but watchable. Van Johnson does his best and almost succeeds in making you forget he is mis-cast (it was a role crying out for someone like James Mason, Trevor Howard or Richard Burton, if they really needed an American actor, why not Robert Ryan or Kirk Douglas).

Some very good performances from John Mills (an interesting change of pace for him, as a seedy, widowed detective) Peter Cushing (very moving) and a good role for an ofter very under-used Michael Goodlife.