The Boys are Back (2009 Scott Hicks)

We watch an interesting double bill about men dealing with the loss of their wives!

Clive Owen does so by building relationships with his two sons, in somewhat unconventional ways, amongst South Australian scenery, directed by Shine's Scott Hicks. The boys younger and older are Nicholas McAnulty and George Mackay, with Emma Booth and Laura Fraser.

Written by Allan Cubitt from Simon Carr's novel.

The Abominable Dr Phibes (1971 Robert Fuest)

Taking a rather different approach to dealing with the loss of his wife (in our double bill), an almost silent Vincent Price takes grisly revenge on the doctors who he considered murdered her (Caroline Munro in stills only), with much humour ("I'm a headshrink!")

Is this the most elegant horror film ever? Former artist and art director Fuest and his a.d. Bernard Reeves cram every frame with beautiful art deco detail, even down to the cups, all handsomely lit by Norman Warwick.

AIP.

Avanti (1972 Billy Wilder)

Juliet Mills on the terrace of the Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria, Sorrento, doubling for Ischia

 

Jack Lemmon, Juliet Mills, Clive Revill (an absolute sensation as the Italian hotel manager), Edward Andrews (J.J. Blodgett).

Brilliantly written by Wilder and IAL Diamond - "The black socks... was it because you were in mourning?" From a play by Samuel A Taylor.

Carlo Rustichelli is only credited as music arranger leading me to infer that the properly catchy melodies are all Italian traditionals.

Notice the brilliant, silent movie opening. Plenty of jokes at the expense of America (and Italy and GB too, come to that). 'Will and Kate Carlucci'. Pippo Franco is Qued's wonderful mortuary guy. So well constructed. Use of 'avanti', three coffins, 'weight problem' etc.

Can't argue with Cameron Crowe: "The prize of Wilder's later-period work." This beautifully constructed, wonderfully written jewel of a film is unfairly undervalued and all but unknown.

The hotel set is very clearly modelled on the Excelsior's actual decor

A view of the front of the hotel - still very much as it is today

Only a few scenes were actually filmed on Ischia - for example, the morgue, harbour and burial scenes, Actually I don't know that! Does anyone?

Shot by Luigi Kuveiller (Profondo Rosso, Warhol's Dracula and Frankenstein. Wilder liked his work on Un Tranquillo Posto di Campagna 1969, directed by Elio Petri, Repulsion-like, with music by Morricone.)

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