SOME RECENT VIEWINGS

THE PRODUCERS : Uma goes to work!

II thought I'd take a few moments to mention some of the more recent movies that I've seen that, while being pretty good, didn't exactly inspire me to write about them. First were two musical remakes of earlier films. THE PRODUCERS starring Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Uma Thurman and Will Ferrell is hugely enjoyable, as is HAIR SPRAY, although neither completely wipes out my fondness for the originals and, for once they are not meant to. The new films are more than able to stand on their own feet. Of the two I preferred THE PRODUCERS. I've been putting off seeing TROY for reasons I really can't explain. I picked up cheap in a sale and, although I thought it overlong (this is the Director's Cut), I was impressed by the spectacle and the overall design. Performances are excellent with Brad Pitt making a more than one dimensional Achilles. The armies of both the Greeks and Trojan are so huge one wonders just how they'd keep then fed during a ten year siege - but, hey, that's movies for you! I thought that the ghost story 1408 started well enough and the early scenes between John Cusack and Samuel Jackson hold promise of frissons to come. Sadly the promise is not kept and the whole thing deteriorates into a special effects nightmare punctuated by a lot of fake Freudian backstory. I had problems getting to the end although I made it, which is more than what can be said for THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK which lasted ten minutes before I switched channels to THE FANTASTIC FOUR. Which, although, and perhaps because, I was not a fan of the comic, I found quite enjoyable.

GREETINGS

Happy Birthday, Jack!

L'ECLISSE/The Eclipse (1962)

I know that Cerpts over at the Land of Cerpts and Honey has been gearing himself up to tackle this movie and it wasn't my intention to write about it myself. But I watched the film again last night for the first time since its original release and it won't let me go back to sleep until I've said my piece. Back in the early 1960's I was lucky enough to see Michelangelo Antonioni's trilogy of films in quick succession and of the three titles, L'AVVENTURA, LA NOTTE and L'ECLISSE, it was L'ECLISSE that impressed me most. In retrospect, several decades later, I'm damned if I can remember why. In my mind's eye it is the other two films that have stayed in my memory. Watching L'ECLISSE again, last night, I felt that this opinion was being justified. But, I awoke about an hour ago and the film was running through my brain and I knew that it was just as brilliant as I thought all those years ago. As the opening title role we hear a trendy little Italian pop song on the soundtrack. Suddenly this changes to something more sinister and disturbing and, for me, this simple musical effect sets the somewhat edgy mood of the rest of the film. The simplest scene seems to have an almost schizophrenic undercurrent; a delightful African dance performed by Vitti during a girly night with friends comes to an abrupt halt when her friend suddenly says "let's stop playing at negroes" and then launches into a racialist description of the people she knew in Kenya as "monkeys still living in trees", an episode soon after this, involving a search for a lost dog which ends with the said dog reducing Vitti to laughter by its antics becomes something darker and disorientating - Antonioni brilliantly using architecture to isolate and alienate his characters throughout the film. I'm deliberately not giving away the plot in this piece as L'ECLISSE should really be experienced without preconceptions although I'm still not sure that after forty years or more I really know exactly what is going on. I look forward to Cerpts review on his blog as he has only seen the film for the first time recently. It is an extraordinary piece of cinema - one that will worm its way into your mind. Rating *****

Click on the link in the right hand column and jump over to The Land of Cerpts and Honey and read Cerpts brilliant piece on this great movie.

HAZEL COURT 1926 - 2008

Oh dear, another favourite is gone! I think it is impossible to be a fan of horror movies during the 1950's and 60's and not love Hazel Court. She was a classical beauty with a voluptuous figure and a wonderful voice. She made a lovely heroine and a delectable villainess in such films as DEVIL GIRL FROM MARS, THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, DR.BLOOD'S COFFIN, PREMATURE BURIAL and, my own personal favourites among her many roles, MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH and THE RAVEN. I certainly never thought of her being in her 80's. To me and, I'm sure, all her fans she will always be one of the great beauties of the screen.

Skiffy Films

"Yes, yes! I promise I'll click on to Skiffy Films"

If, like me, you are addicted to Paleo-Cinema and the Paleo Podcasts, you will most certainly want to check out the latest blog from the prolific Terry Frost. Skiffy Films is devoted to science-fiction and fantasy films. Click on the link on this page.

SON OF THE ANNEX

Happily, I now feel in a position where I can open the Fleapit Annex again. I really want to do some stuff on books, vintage television and music, so the Annex seems the place to do it and all film related items will stay on the Fleapit. The Annex will probably get a completely new look as well. Hopefully this will all take place before the end of this month so watch for the announcement.

JOHN BRAHM BOX SET

I recently received, via Amazon, (the retailer not the river) a box containing the three horror films that John Braham directed at 20th Century Fox during the 1940s. Two of these films THE LODGER(1944) and HANGOVER SQUARE (1944) star Laird Cregar and might be called the heavyweights of the trio while the third, a werewolf tale, THE UNDYING MONSTER is a low-calorie snack. All three titles have been wonderfully restored for the DVD release with THE UNDYING MONSTER looking particularly crisp. Lightweight it maybe but THE UNDYING MONSTER has always been a favourite of mine – fast moving (little more than an hour), beautifully shot and atmospherically directed by Brahm. The thing that struck me about the film when I first saw it on television was that it could easily be remade as a Sherlock Holmes film and I was pleased that this was pointed out by one of the historians in the extras. The two Cregar films – THE LODGER especially – are outstandingly good, both benefiting from powerful and intelligent performances from Cregar, great photography by Lucien Ballard and, of course, great direction from Brahm. Although the set contains lots of interesting extras, including intelligent commentaries it is this very aspect of the DVD release that has prompted me to write this piece. On the UNDYING MONSTER disc there is a documentary about the films of director John Brahm. Roped in are witnesses such as Kim Newman, Steve Jones and Chris Wicking (forgive me for picking these three from many but I know Newman slightly, once worked for Jones and have met Wicking) – all of whom know what they are talking about. After a brief mention of Brahm’s early films the experts settle down for a discussion of the three movies in the set. Unfortunately there is no mention whatsoever of Brahm’s other films that repay viewing : GUEST IN THE HOUSE, THE BRASHER DOUBLOON and THE LOCKET. Even if these films are not even given a passing mention I find it difficult to believe that nobody even thought to make reference to Brahm’s other horror film THE MAD MAGICIAN made at Columbia in 3D in 1954, a film that actually recreates one of the most successful scenes from HANGOVER SQUARE. From the title THE FILMS OF JOHN BRAHM one might reasonably expect it to give an overview of Brahms career, or at best his horror films.This grumble aside, it’s an outstanding release….perhaps Columbia can treat us to a3D dvd of THE MAD MAGICIAN. Oh, yes, I seem to remember a very atmospheric short film directed by Brahm on the doppelganger theme, based on the Joseph Conrad story THE SECRET SHARER and starring James Mason. It was originally included as half of the compendium film FACE TO FACE in 1952.