Watched Last Night

[cassidy]

I watched Tom Brown's Schooldays 1940 last night and found it lacklustre compared to the Robert Newton version. I just could not imagine a Dead End kid as Flashman, John Forrest played the part with more relish and didn't seem to have a good bone in his body. While watching I was remind of Chumps at Oxford and half expected Stan and Ollie to turn round the school's corridor! There was very little atmosphere and Cedric Hardwicke seemed to breeze through the part of the Headmaster Robert Newton beat him hands down in my opinion. Still it was nice to watch a much rarer version, although there was one troubling plot detail that had me wondering and that was the ending of the Brown East friendship? I know they showed a clip of them shaking hands but that never explained East's feud only that it was the Headmasters last wish. I've never read the novel so maybe the answer is in there. I'm off to have a "Murphy" now.

Surely the feud was because East thought that Tom had sneaked on Flashman causing him to be expelled which everyone else also believed until the last day of term when Brook explained that he heard East blurt out during the boxing match that it was Flashman who had done the roasting causing Brook to go to Dr Arnold and tell him the true story.

I too prefer the Robert Newton version which thankfully didn't have Hughie Green in it as a Rugby pupil !!

I trust that you enjoyed your "Murphy"..

[tv horror]

Yes I was aware of what Brook had said, however the film's main plot was their relationship and it was left open ended other than the clip of the handshake. Brown was not that likeable and was as mentioned during the film "Stubborn" no, East was the better person.

[Andy2]

The Hitch Hiker (Edmond O'Brien, Frank Lovejoy 1953. Screenplay and Dir Ida Lupino). Not a Brit film, but definitely worth a watch. Two friends are on a weekend fishing trip when they come across a broken down car and a man standing nearby needs a lift. They invite him into their car and the nightmare begins. The film is fairly short at 70 mins and the story is simple, but the tension slowly ratchets up as the man is cruel and violent and makes no secret of his intention to kill the pair when he's finished with them. Watched on Amazon Prime with truly ghastly picture quality.

[cassidy]

Assassin For Hire (1951) Sydney Tafler with a dodgy Italian accent is the hitman whose money provides musical tuition for his brother played by John Hewer. Ronald Howard is the dogged detective who has his suspicions and Katherine Blake is Sydney's wife. Sam Kydd, Ewen Solon and Martin Benson are all part of Sydney's alibi producing poker playing group. Directed by Michael McCarthy. It passed the time !!.

[Andy2]

My Favourite Year (Peter O'Toole, Dir Richard Benjamin 1982). Another non-Brit film. I've heard lots about this film over the years but never seen it until now.
It is 1954 and TV is in its infancy. Live variety shows are the thing, and Benjy Stone is a junior writer and gopher for one of the most popular ones. The producers manage to get Alan Swann, an ageing swashbuckler type actor to appear, but his glory days are long behind him and he has a reputation for drunkenness and unreliability. Benjy is given the job of babysitting Mr Swann and making sure he attends rehearsals and is sober for his appearance.
Needless to say, all does not go smoothly.
I've never been much of an O'Toole fan, but here he is fantastic. Despite playing a washed-up, rather pathetic boozer and womaniser, he radiates charisma and dominates the stage. The final few minutes when he finds the courage to swashbuckle one last time is quite affecting.
Apparently the Benjy character was based on the young Mel Brookes, and the film was produced by Brookes' production company with script input from him also. Not surprising then that in parts we feel we are watching a Brookes film. Very definitely worth a go.

[Tigon Man]

Wonderwall (1968)

Writer Gerard Brach, and stars Jack MacGowran and Iain Quarrier, reunite from The Fearless Vampire Killers, for this story of an eccentric and absent minded Professor, who stumbles into a whole new world when spying on his neighbours, a young model and her photographer boyfriend.
Perhaps the ultimate sixties counter culture movie, with psychedelic fantasy sequences and George Harrison's sitar music. So much so, that it proved too much for even the most hardened Hippies and was barely released.
In it self, the voyeurism, is treated as innocent and the whole thing itself is rather sweet, with MacGowan's Professor seeing himself as a romantic rescuer of Jane Birkin's depressed model.
With Richard Wattis and Irene Handl.
A quaint curiosity piece.

[BVS]

Once an Eagle (1976)
A TV miniseries with Sam Elliott, Darleen Carr, Cliff Potts, Glenn Ford (and many others)

Sam Elliot (strange seeing him sans mustache) plays Sam Damon - a soldier who is honourable, brave, compassionate, fierce in battle, but magnanimous in peace, who leads his men by example, rather than pushing them from behind. His conduct is a stark contrast with another officer, West Pointer Courtney Massingale, a political officer, making his career in staff positions rather than in combat, who back-stabs, manipulates, and cons his way to the top.The storyline covers WW1 right through to the end of WW2.
Not a bad series - quite enjoyable and in nice quality on bluray.
Not as good as the book by Anton Myrer but the same can be said of the vast majority of Films/Series

[Tigon Man]

The Flesh & Blood Show (1972)

A group of young actors are hired to perform a show at an end of pier theatre, and are slowly picked off one by one...
Director Pete Walkers variation on Ten Little Indians, has some splendidly creepy scenes of the dimly it theatre backstage, with mouldering costumes and scary props and an edgy music score from Cyril Ornadel.
The acting though is pretty variable and some of the dialogue seems a bit amateurish.
With Ray Brooks, Luan Peters, Patrick Barr and Jenny Hanley.

[Gerald Lovell]

Arabian Adventure (1979). A cut-price Thief of Bagdad re-tread with all the by-numbers elements in place: a wicked sorcerer, handsome brave prince, beautiful useless princess, plucky youngster with cute pet, a desperate mission to accomplish, enchantments, flying carpets and various rogues and beggars. Brian Hayles' screenplay attempts to glue these all into place, but the film still comes apart and it's not helped by dodgy special effects and process work, not to mention what would now be considered questionable casting. Probably hoping to emulate his idol Conrad Veidt, Christopher Lee nevertheless delivers his usual stolid one-note performance as the main villain, Oliver Tobias and Emma Samms are extremely stilted as the juveniles and Puneet Sira is no Sabu as the even more juvenile juvenile. Old stager Milo O'Shea can't do much to help matters and Mickey Rooney's guest performance is embarrassingly awful. In his two scenes, Peter Cushing possibly puts more into his few lines than the rest of the cast are able to muster. Designed for children, I'm afraid only the youngest and most undemanding would love this one.

[Gerald Lovell]

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969). The one with George Lazenby in my opinion is one of the better films with great action sequences, especially the skiing and the stock car race, excellent love interest in the marvellous shape of Diana Rigg (except when she trills "James!" when in danger - Mrs. Peel would've sorted them all out herself!) and a suitably villainous villain courtesy of Telly Savalas whose cunning plan seems almost topical. However, I've got to say that although he can certainly cope with the fights and his acting improves as the film goes along, especially in the Piz Gloria sequences, Lazenby, George Lazenby, just can't pull off the Bondian quips which are delivered cringingly flat. Another failing is the producers' determination to show the public that this is the same man as Connery with numerous references to the earlier films, even in Maurice Binder's title sequence, something they wisely avoided when Roger Moore first came along.

[BVS]

Now and Forever (1956)

Vernon Gray, Janette Scott, Kay Walsh, Pamela Brown & Jack Warner.

A young mechanic (Gray) elopes with 17 year old rich girl Janette Scott (who wouldn't?) & a chase involving police & parents ensues.
A beautiful film to look at in lush colour & some gorgeous scenery. The story & leads are a bit lightweight but I did enjoy the film not least
because of the marvelous supporting cast. Too many to mention but among them were Ronald Squire, Wilfred Lawson, Henry Victor, Marjorie Rhodes
& in a really funny part Hattie Jacques.
A typically breezy pleasant 50's romantic comedy.
It was Miss Scott's first adult film part & her mother Thora Hird had a tiny part as a maid.
I wonder why Vernon Gray's career didn't develop? He was a nice looking, cheery sort of actor & after 1960 he faded from the scene .

Thanks for flagging this lovely film up Wadsy
We finally saw it tonight,due to our limited freeview transmitter we had to rent a DVD LOL

rgds baz

[Gerald Lovell]

Spring Song (1946), aka: Springtime. Silly but mildly enjoyable romantic comedy with numerous forgettable songs, mainly told in flashback, and involving a landed gentry brooch and mother and daughter showgirls. Carol Raye plays Janet Ware and her mum who get entangled with two generations of Norchesters stiffly, and where required, caddishly played by Peter Graves. It's somewhat implausibly played out by the leads and Lawrence O'Madden, Alan Wheatley and David Horne while diminutive chanteuse Leni Lynn screeches out a couple of songs, but it passes the time without too many demands and is competently co-written and directed by Montgomery Tully from a time when he was still doing larger projects.

[Odeonman]

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969). Another failing is the producers' determination to show the public that this is the same man as Connery with numerous references to the earlier films, even in Maurice Binder's title sequence, something they wisely avoided when Roger Moore first came along.

And yet in the pre-credits sequence Lazenby quips "this never happened to the other fella"!

[Gerald Lovell]

The Seventh Survivor (1941). Six passengers of the Santa Maria en route to Lisbon are cast adrift when the ship is torpedoed and they are joined by the stranded captain of the U-Boat which did the deed when it is sunk. They all end up in a British lighthouse and it becomes clear one of their number is a German spy with vital information the captain is eager to have and another is a British agent. Will he or she reveal themselves before the captain's comrades arrive?
Although very talky and there's not much action, this is a rather tight little wartime thriller, not so much a whodunnit but a who is it. The characters are all stereotypes and there are no big star names, but reliable character actors Austin Trevor, Linden Travers, John Stuart, Frank Pettingell and Martita Hunt all do competent jobs, Felix Aylmer and Henry Oscar are government types and comedy relief is provided by lighthouse keepers Wally Patch and Ronald Shiner.

[BVS]

The last couple of days we have watched a couple of Joe Meek related fims - the first.....

Telstar: The Joe Meek Story ( 2008)

Joe Meek was the songwriter/producer for the 1960s hits 'Telstar','Just Like Eddie', 'Have I the Right' and 'Johnny Remember Me'. The film shows Meek's initial success with the multi-million selling record,Telstar, his Homosexuality and problems with Debt,Paranoia,Depression and drugs dependancy - culminating in tragic circumstances.
The Film starts off as very funny but be warned that the last 30 mins or so get quite dark,there are quite a few cameo appearances by people who worked with Meek in the 60's,it is a very well cast film and we thoroughly enjoyed it.Great film if you are interested in 60's music

Live It Up! (1963)

A lightweight 60's film with quite a few well known faces including Kenny Ball,Ritchie Blackmore,Chas Hodges (of Chas and Dave),Gene Vincent,Steve Marriott and Heinz Burt.
Quite an enjoyable film for anybody with an interest in 60's music

[Odeonman]

The last couple of days we have watched a couple of Joe Meek related fims - the first.....

Telstar: The Joe Meek Story ( 2008)

Joe Meek was the songwriter/producer for the 1960s hits 'Telstar','Just Like Eddie', 'Have I the Right' and 'Johnny Remember Me'. The film shows Meek's initial success with the multi-million selling record,Telstar, his Homosexuality and problems with Debt,Paranoia,Depression and drugs dependancy - culminating in tragic circumstances.
The Film starts off as very funny but be warned that the last 30 mins or so get quite dark,there are quite a few cameo appearances by people who worked with Meek in the 60's,it is a very well cast film and we thoroughly enjoyed it.Great film if you are interested in 60's music

Live It Up! (1963)

A lightweight 60's film with quite a few well known faces including Kenny Ball,Ritchie Blackmore,Chas Hodges (of Chas and Dave),Gene Vincent,Steve Marriott and Heinz Burt.
Quite an enjoyable film for anybody with an interest in 60's music

I remember having to sit through Live It Up when I was taken to see A Stitch in Time at the local Odeon the week after Christmas 1963. All I remembered of it was Patsy Ann Noble singing Accidents Will Happen.