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Love on the Dole (1941)
Honesty at last
Absolutely stunning movie, finally a true representation of life of the working families of the 30's. A scandal that they could not get this film made in the 30's because it's story was regarded as sordid and dangerous by the board of censors. If like me you come from working class families who lived through that era, the stories this film tells are true.
The movie must have been shockingly brutal to the establishment and credit to the producer's for taking it on.
The downside to the movie is the acting and the direction. The accent's are awful but actors then had to have a clipped middle england accent to get work. I loved the film especially the 4 old ladies holding court on the street. Special mention must go to Marjorie Rhodes character, Mrs Bull who's savage honesty of each situation was a breath of fresh air in the acrid atmosphere of relentless poverty.
Kakushi-toride no san-akunin (1958)
Pure entertainment from Kurosawa
I am not one of those artsy fartsy filim fans that search for some deeper meaning or like to talk about the metaphors used in a filim. I watch all types of movies normally recommended by reading critics, books or magazines about movies, I like just to enjoy the story, acting or the images shown. If I'm lucky most times it is all the previous that combine. I mention this to assure anyone reading this twaddle that, I am not some movie snob that was turned on when I saw the words Kurosawa, subtitles and black and white movie . I have watched a few Kurosawa movies and this is a good filim.
You do have to remember that Hidden Fortress is filmed in 1950's Japan and for a Japanese audience of that time but the basics are all there. Great leading man, some good action sequences, two funny sidekicks, a good story that is well told and some great outside shots.
Zombi 2 (1979)
Italian classic" really?
When talking about filims a favourite critique is " it's of its time" that saying applies to this "classic" of Italian horror. While watching this I was transported straight back to the late 70's . Sitting in the Studio Cinema, Newcastle. Synth music blasting out ,the air heavy with the reek of Hi Karate and Tweed, a young lady beside me whom I hoped would feverishly grab me when she was spooked. Time has not been kind to this pile of ####. The music, cinematography, acting and script are gash. To be fair Richard Johnson keeps his end up quite well, the shark v zombie shots are good and the gore is alright, but its not enough and now with myself being in my 50's the unnecessary nudity seems crass. Mind I was not saying that when I was 17 !
Berlin Express (1948)
Interesting only as a piece of social history
A very average film noir only made interesting as a piece of social history in its location filming around Berlin and Frankfurt. The documentary style voice over used a lot at the beginning of the filim I found irritating and the script and Miss Oberon's performance were poor. The rest of the leading players are average apart from the ever reliable Robert Coote playing his English toff. The images filmed in Germany were sobering to say the least. The portrayal of the distrust in Germans in 1948 and the scale of devastation of Berlin and Frankfurt compared to now was very quite shocking. My father was in Germany just after the war and was guarded when talking about his time there but was visibly upset when he talked about how tough it was just to exist in Germany at that time.
The Long Arm (1956)
An undiscovered gem
Very solid brit crime drama. Fine performance from Jack Hawkins. Thankfully, not so much stiff upper lip as we were used, the humour between Hawkins and his sidekick the John Stratton bubbles along and the mechanics of the plot is nicely constructed and presented. A veritable glut of fine British actors both future stars like Ian Bannon and Stratford Johns and small part favourites like Sam Kydd and Harold Goodwin. Also keep an eye out for a young Nicholas Parsons playing a copper. If you're a resident of London it will be fascinating looking at the sites of our capital and seeing how much it has changed. An undiscovered gem worth digging out
Tall Man Riding (1955)
A nuts and bolts western with the baddie even wearing the obligatory black hat
This filim is from the' C' rated "wild west category not even reaching the lofty heights of 'B' western. It's the time when men were men and anyone who was'nt a white anglo saxon male knew it. A nuts and bolts western with the baddie even wearing the obligatory black hat. The very squared jaw hero is played by Randolph Scott with a grimace, some very run of the mill lines and very little else.
When I was growing up these kind of movies were very much Sunday afternoon TV fare. Scott was never one of my favourites lacking the humour in his roles that Wayne, Widmark and Stewart could provide. Age was also taking its toll in this movie, Scott looking too old and stiff in the action sequences compared to someone like the great Kirk Douglas . Dorothy Malone plays the weepy eyed love interest who just goes thru the motions, but the second female role is handled with confidence and strength by Peggie Castle making a lot of what she is given.
The Pledge (2001)
Jacks always worth a watch
It's a good job we are all different. The variety of different opinions on this filim(Geordie spelling) is I suggest a strong reason for giving it a watch. I loved Nicholsons performance. He and the director got the nuances of the strengths and weaknesses of the Detective Black character just right. Even when he is just average Nicholson is worth watching. As for the movie , well it does seem that it could have been tightened up and shortened especially the first half. For me the Benicio Del Toro character was so ridiculous and OTT I nearly turned off but once the Hollywood hall of famers that Penn employed for bit parts have done their fragments there is a lot less navel gazing, bird flying and scene chewing scenes and the film picks up to finally turn into decent Saturday night cans and a curry movie.