That Uncertain Feeling (1941 Ernst Lubitsch)

A real gem, reviewed here.

Great cast: Melvyn Douglas, Merle Oberon, Burgess Meredith, Alan Mowbray, Sig Ruman, Harry Davenport, Eve Arden, Olive Blakeney.

Hard not to imagine Lubitsch acting out the parts for everybody. That scene where Douglas confronts Meredith - they're so polite to one another. It's another Lubitsch trademark isn't it, if you think the beard scene in To Be Or Not To Be or the confrontation over the swords in The Merry Widow.

George Barnes just loves his shadows and textures.

Marked Woman (1937 Lloyd Bacon)

An interesting film, based on the accounts of prostitutes which led to the arrest of Lucky Luciano. Bette Davis is one of the 'hostesses' who initially wants no part in confronting nightclub owner and gangster Eduardo Ciannelli - but when her kid sister Jane Bryan is killed, she finally plucks up the courage to testify with the help of DA Humphrey Bogart.

Her fellow girls are Lola Lane, Isabel Jewell, Rosalind Marquis, and Mayo Methot. With Allen Jenkins, Ben Welden (Kid Galahad).

Quite nasty. Written by Robert Rossen (The Hustler) and Abem Finkel. The first of today's films photographed by George Barnes. Warner Bros.

SAS Rogue Heroes (2022 Tom Shankland, Creator Steven Knight)

Led by posh nutter Connor Swindells, Irish nutter Jack O'Connell and not-normal nutter Alfie Allen. With Sofia Boutella, Dominic West, Theo Barkem-Biggs, Bobby Schofield, Tom Glynn-Carney.

Some of the jolly songs add a rich counterpoint to the events, e.g. George Formby, and 'Let's Not be Beastly to the Hun'.

Did start to notice that the very wide shots distort characters on the edge of the frame, making them look too thin. Whether or not that was a deliberate attempt to replicate the weird distortions that CinemaScope used to throw up, I'm not sure. The DP is Dane Stephan Pehrsson. Did also wonder if the coordinated attacks in the desert in episode three were shot quite dark - all the night scenes in fact, even when there's a full moon.

Great moments like Swindells describing to aggressive Australians the life of a commando - and they back off quick; four MPs threatening to hang O'Connell and their sorry end; audition process for recruits.

Really enjoyed this. "War IS fucking unsafe!" O'Connor musing in desert: "How grand it would be to be a coward - to love life that much." Ends a little unsatisfactorily - 'To Be Continued'. A better ending would have been Swindells captured and the wild bunch free him in a mad and exciting fashion.

The World Is Not Enough (1999 Michael Apted)

'Why put yourself through this?' you may ask. Well, two reasons: Robbie Coltrane and Michael Kitchen. And, as it turns out, Sophie Marceau is not hard on the eye, either.

Robbie doesn't have much of a part, unfortunately, but does get to shoot people and performs with gusto - Kitchen's role is even smaller. The script (by Neal Purves and Robert Wade) is incredibly cheesy, e.g. 'What's the time?' 'It's time for you to die' but the plot itself, involving oil pipelines through central Europe, couldn't be more timely.

Robert Carlyle is rather restrained as the villain. With Denise Richards, Judi Dench, Desmond Llewelyn, John Cleese, Samantha Bond, Colin Salmon, Goldie, David Calder, Patrick Malahide.

Amongst many seriously OTT sequences (I was often looking at the screen saying 'What???') is the attack with a tree sawing helicopter. I was amazed that BMW allowed their car (a Z8, if we must know) to be sawn in half.

It's of course very professionally put together with Adrian Biddle on camera and Jim Clark editing - this is the film he deserted Will Boyd's The Trench for - you can't really blame him. Jim thought the film was 'old fashioned and interminable', the title song crap and the credits sequence 'kitschy'. (None of which I can argue with.) Vic Armstrong was responsible for the action scenes, and the various things that blow up all over the place.

Oh yeah - Bond is Pierce Brosnan.

Bette Davis double bill: Old Acquaintance (1943 Vincent Sherman) / The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942 William Keighley)

Two Warner Bros. films, based on plays (the first shouts its three act structure at you - the second is more subtle), photographed respectively by the Italians who came up with the Warner Brothers' 'look', Sol Polito and Tony (Antonio) Gaudio.

In Old Acquaintance, I would have to argue that Miriam Hopkins gives an over-the-top theatrical performance, whereas Bette gives a cinematic performance that is infinitely superior - notice how Sherman and editor Terry Morse will stay on Bette and not cut to Gig Young, for example. 

It's a rich, fruity pudding, most enjoyable. Written by John van Druten and Lenore Coffee, based on his play (and, uncredited, Edmund Goulding and Howard Koch). With John  Loder, Dolores Moran (To Have and Have Not), Roscoe Karns and (uncredited) Jimmy Conlin.

Alexander Walker described it as 'one of the most sympathetic portraits that Hollywood ever drew of the unmarried woman'.

The music's by Franz Waxman.

Then, as Q wanted a Christmas film, we stayed in the same box set and watched the incomparable Mr. Sheridan Whiteside in the beautifully structured and timed Man Who Came to Dinner, with its fabulous cast (everyone's fantastic) of Monty Woolley, Bette, Ann Sheridan (brilliant), Richard Travis, Jimmy Durante, Billie Burke, Grant Mitchell, Reginald Gardiner, Elisabeth Fraser, George Barbier and Mary Wickes. Music by Frederic Hollander. Notice how dynamic the editing becomes towards the ending (Jack Killifer).

Music (so important): Frederick Hollander. Also can't say how much I love Durante singing 'Did You Ever Get the Feeling That You Wanted To Stay' in which I'm sure he's playing the piano himself (without hardly looking at it). And Whiteside "Shut your nasty face!"

But the bit that stuck in my head this time was dotty old Ruth Vivian saying "A merry Christmas to you, dear Mr Whiteside!"

The Color of Money (1986 Martin Scorsese)

What - I wondered - would Hawks and Ford have made of Ringmaster Scorsese's constantly moving camera? He and Michael Ballhaus do bring a nervous kinetic energy to the proceedings in which The Hustler's Fast Eddie takes on a new recruit in the shape of Tom Cruise. Walter Tevis's final novel was published just before his death in 1984 - he had - according to the New York Times - also written a screenplay of it - this is credited to Richard Price (Mad Dog and Glory, Sea of Love, Child 44, The Night Of).

Marty and Thelma Schoonmaker have great fun with the tournaments, treating each one differently - I'd swear there's even an homage to Dede Allen (editor of The Hustler) in the one that is all dissolves. But probably my favourite is the one just comprised of snooker balls in a tornado of editing.

Paul Newman won the Oscar, finally. With Tom Cruise and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. And Helen Shaver, John Turturro, Forest Whitaker, Iggy Pop. I did get a bit confused in the second half - does he really lose to hustler Whitaker? The music, which is perhaps a shade too intrusive, is by Robbie Robertson. Skip Lievsay is the supervising sound editor; Tom Fleischman is the re-recording mixer (boy, can he mix music tracks together well - he's like the ultimate film DJ).

So, what of it, though? It may be technically brilliant, but it lacks the emotion of the original.

Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956 Robert Wise)

Another cracking fifties film from Robert Wise, told with a wonderful momentum by he and writer Ernest Lehman (North By Northwest, Sabrina), the story of NYC boxer Rocky Graziano. In only his second film role, Paul Newman gives it his all - amazingly ignored by the Academy. Great flavour of New York, good boxing scenes, with interesting subjective camera in places - editor Albert Akst (obviously with former editor Wise's supervision) was Oscar nominated. Joseph Ruttenberg won his third Oscar, perhaps for the way he does those really well balanced light and shade deep focus exterior shots. (Interestingly, I read here that early on in his career he rejected Toland's deep focus approach, preferring to bring the actors out to the front). Cedric Gibbons also won for Art Direction.

With Pier Angeli, Everett Sloane, Sal Mineo, Eileen Heckart, Harold J. Stone, Joseph Buloff (shop owner), Robert Loggia and Steve McQueen (both uncredited).

Score by Bronislau Kaper. An MGM release, which made Newman a star.

Young McQueen

Young Newman has the sort of face Cocteau would draw

Mister 880 (1950 Edmund Goulding)

Fluffy concoction from regular Capra collaborator Robert Riskin, based on a true story, with one joke - the counterfeiter Burt Lancaster is searching for is the nice old man Edmund Gwenn who's constantly in his presence. There's a comment in the inevitable court scene (every crime must be punished) when it's announced that the Service has spent more time in pursing this man over ten years than any other case - but he's only counterfeited a total of $50 in that time - thus a complete waste of manpower. (It's more likely he got away with it so long because the treasury weren't that bothered about finding him. Did love the irony though that he made more money - according to IMDB - selling the film rights than he ever made from... Hang on, he only made 50 bucks. He might have sold the rights for $100. I think I might be spending far too much time thinking about all this.) 

Whilst pursuing his man, Lancaster falls for Dorothy McGuire, who naturally enough is the counterfeiter's friend who lives in the same building. 

Also, it seems to be purely the old man's war record that makes the judge go easy on him - by the way, he was serving in the war in his late sixties? And why not make anything of that fact the his bills all contain a mis-spelling of 'Washington'? A wasted plot point.

So a curious film, but Edmund Gwenn is as watchable as always. With Millard Mitchell.

Photographed by Joe LaShelle with good feel for Brooklyn locations (studio based or otherwise). Fox.

Collision (2009 Marc Evans, Creator Anthony Horowitz)

We wanted more Horowitz and this was well overdue, centring around the investigation of a pile up on the A12 in which all sorts of characters and plots are revealed. Written by Horowitz and Michael Walker.

With trickle effect (my new writer's term) we learn that investigator Douglas Henshaw has lost his own wife in a car accident, which has left his daughter in a wheelchair, but also seems to have been having an affair with police officer Kate Ashfield (who is refreshingly in charge of the accident scene).

Loads of familiar faces: Lenora Crichlow, Claire Rusbrook, Paul McGann, Dean Lennox Kelly, Phil Davis, David Bamber, Sylvia Syms, Nicholas Farrell. Lucy Griffiths is the waitress, Shaun Prendergast the reporter, Matt Ryan the waitress's BF, Di Botcher (Stella).

The plots are numerous and sinewy, laced with unexpected revelations, and a killer of an ending. I like the man responsible for Henshall's wife's death (Ben Crompton) doorstepping him and forgiving him for his anger - deserved a punch in the face. But the most poignant story for me is Griffiths as the naive waitress who believes the rich businessman is genuinely interested in her, whereas she's clearly in a long line...

DP Christopher Ross, editor St. John O'Rorke.

It Happened Tomorrow (1944 René Clair & co-scr)

..with Dudley Nichols (from a host of source stories). This displays the same light but sure fantasy touch as Clair's The Ghost Goes West and I Married a Witch. 'The last twenty minutes are the best thing I did in Hollywood. The real story only starts at the end, when the hero learns he is going to die' Clair told Charles Thomas Samuels in 'Encountering Directors'.

Dick Powell is shown tomorrow's newspaper by John Philliber, which brings him to the attention of the paper's editor George Cleveland, and a fortune teller Linda Darnell and her uncle Jack Oakie. Amusing stuff includes a hold up in the background, Darnell in drag and a 'man' climbing through her window, and an annoyed bookie Edward Brophy. With Sig Ruman, George Chandler, Paul Guilfoyle, Jimmy Conlin, Robert Dudley, Charles Halton. Photographed by Archie Stout, music Robert Stolz.

An independent Arnold Pressburger film, set in the early twentieth century.

Dead To Me - Season 2 (2020 Creator Liz Feldman)

The body's in the freezer. 'If there's a power cut, they're fucked', says the Q. There's a power cut.

More ripe shenanigans in fantasy land, Laguna Beach, Not Of This Earth.

I thought it might play better with a glass of wine. It didn't.

The Crown - Season Five (2022 Peter Morgan)

First two episodes - can't remember the last time I was so bored.

Not sure Dominic West is right for Charles.

Third picks up as Al Fayeds enter story. Fourth goes back to being boring, save for two scenes: 1. Margaret tells off Elizabeth for denying her her one shot of happiness - great performance here from Lesley Manville. Then Queen Mother tries to prevent Liz from being honest about her feelings in public 'annus horribilis' speech - Philip comes to her defence. 

Five - can't remember what it was about now - boring. Six dips toe into murder of Tsar Nicholas II and family (a truly disgusting episode in Russian history) and how it peripherally connected to our Royals; makes up some stuff about Prince Philip, blah blah.

Whole episode on Bashir setting up Di (Elizabeth Debicki) - it's a documentary, already? And this is the problem. It's too recent, and as such is no fun any more.

The Interview goes live, cross cut to Guy Fawkes night, cross cut to William at Eton. Is it becoming a wee bit pretentious? Nice to see Richard Cordery, though, as (Marma)Duke Hussy - spent entire episode trying to remember his name. Very clumsy divorce episode cross cut to normal couples doesn't work at all - even the music doesn't work any more.

Weak ending is vague suggestion Charles wants to get in league with Blair, and decommissioning of Britannia.

Up In the Air (2009 Jason Reitman)

A brilliant screenplay (Reitman and Sheldon Turner having adapted Walter Kirn's novel), but disappointingly filmed shot-reverse shot throughout, with nary a long take in sight.

With George Clooney and Anna Kendrick are Vera Farmiga, Jason Bateman, J.K. Simmons, Sam Elliott, Danny McBride, Zach Galifianakis, Melanie Lynskey.

I didn't even realise the irony that we watched a film with this title after Battle of Britain.

Battle of Britain (1969 Guy Hamilton)

Triggered by episodes of Foyle's War, and the fact that William Boyd included it in his list of 'worthy war films' (discussed here), I'm not sure I'd seen this since I was a kid at the cinema. It's an incredible piece of work, with jaw-dropping aerial scenes - we're definitely watching the 'Making of' - it's probably as good as the film. Talking of which, there's perhaps not enough of a strong on-the-ground story - in that respect, it's the exact opposite of The Way to the Stars, which features absolutely no footage in the air. Thus, Susannah York and Christopher Plummer's relationship is not at all interesting, and just about everyone else is reduced to vignettes or non-parts, or that propel the (military) story (Olivier etc.). It needs more of everything: drama, humour, suspense, even sex.

So it's both breath-taking and disappointing.

Great that William Walton's excellent score has been restored. Great cinematography in Panavision by Freddie Young and several aerial cameramen. Kudos too to First AD Derek Cracknell, production designers, pilots etc. And to Bert Bates for putting it all together.

Written by James Kennaway and Wilford Greatorex, based on the book 'The Narrow Margin' by Derek Dempster and Derek Wood.

And something of a memorable cast: Robert Shaw, Michael Caine, Michael York, Kenneth More, Ralph Richardson, Harry Andrews, Trevor Howard, Curd Jürgens, Ian McShane, Nigel Patrick, Patrick Wymark, Michael Bates, Robert Flemyng, Barry Foster, Edward Fox.

Agatha Christie's Marple: The Blue Geranium (2010 David Moore)

Marple gets it wrong! At least in Stewart Harcourt's adaptation, in which she recounts the story in flashback to Donald Sinden, in order to save an innocent man; originally one of Christie's 'Thirteen Problems' published in 1932.

Sharon Small, Toby Stephens, Claudie Blakely, Joanna Page, Claire Rushbrook, Kevin McNally good as detective, Jason Durr, David Calder, Paul Rhys, Patrick Baladi.

Good music from the always reliable Dominik Scherrer, DP Peter Greenhalgh. It was filmed in Hambleden, and at Mapledurham Mill.

For those old bus aficionados amongst us. It's a 1949 Bedford OB

Odette (1950 Herbert Wilcox)

My obsession with the women operatives of the SOE began when I heard an archive recording - from the sixties - of Odette Churchill talking about being tortured by the Nazis, and how she was able to disassociate herself from what was being done to her by floating out over the trees of the Bois de Boulogne. 'Woman's Hour' was never more interesting.

I don't really know Anna Neagle, but this is a Neagle-Wilcox production (they were married in 1943); she was a big star especially in WW2. This is an authentic-feeling depiction of Odette Churchill's wartime exploits, given added verisimilitude by the presence of the real Maurice Buckmaster, head of operations of section F at Orchard Court. Location filming in France helps - it's a most impressive film shoot from Max Green aka Mutz Greenbaum. What, I wondered, did the French make of seeing Nazis in Marseille in 1950?

And a good cast - Trevor Howard, Peter Ustinov (memorably cold-blooded), Marius Goring and Bernard Lee. Written by Jerrard Tickell and Warren Chetham Strode.

An oft-repeated statistic is that the average life expectancy of an SOE operative in France was just six weeks, but I can't verify the source. My copy of 'A Quiet Courage' seems to have gone walkabout.

Sr. (2022 Chris Smith)

Sweet film about the Robert Downeys Senior and Junior (and Junior Junior) and their unconventional life. The clips are in pristine condition - need to watch the wacky looking (well, they all are) Greaser's Palace. Hoped we'd see Jr.'s debut in Pound - we did.

Your Christmas Or Mine? (2022 Jim O'Hanlon)

Dreadful film which should be buried in an unmarked grave. Due to a Film Mistake, Cora Kirk ends up at her boyfriend's father's house (populated by Alex Jennings, Harriet Walter and David Bradley) whilst Asa Butterfield meets the GF's family - Danny Mays, Angela Griffin et al. The first thing you hear is sleigh bells; it's not as bad as a Hallmark film, but you just know from the incessant Christmas music and constant snow that it's going to be rubbish. OK, some of the cast save it. Make it a marked grave.

Film comes with own scalpel, conveniently.

Ball-Trap on the Côte Sauvage (1989 Jack Gold)

Rare TV film, for people experiencing Michael Kitchen withdrawal. Andrew Davies' screenplay is pretty successful catching British types in holiday camp in Brittany (Cornwall, or somesuch). Jack Shepherd and Zoe Wanamaker are the voices of reason amidst strangely-accented and crazy Miranda Richardson and gun-wielding alcoholic Kitchen, Peter Howitt and Erika Hoffman, Louis Emerick and Liz Whiting. The kids include Katerina Hadjimatheou, Jamie Groves and Sarah Smart (her debut).

Foyle's War: Elise (2015 Andy Hay)

I am - as we all know - a sucker for SOE stories - is it really true that in the field the behind-the-lines agents' average life expectancy was only six weeks? Knowing Anthony Horowitz, it's true. 'Elise' was the codename of such an operative, killed on her third day in operation. Her brother (Jesse Fox) thinks - how? - that - oh yes, I remember how - that she was set up and starts murdering those responsible, starting with the woman who recruited her - our Hilda Pearce. The last ever Foyle is a corker, has a most powerful ending followed by a sweet dessert (I think the only time Sam kisses Foyle).

Oh yes - put Sam in danger again why don't you - though this time she has the backing of another useful ex SOE member (Julian Lewis Jones).

All cast: 

The regulars: Michael Kitchen (Foyle), Honeysuckle Weeks (Sam), Ellie Haddington, Tim McMullan, Rupert Vansittart, David Weyman, Jeremy Swift.

This film: Conleth Hill, Leo Gregory (odious black marketeer), Katherine Press (the unfortunate Elise), Emma Fielding (her mom).

Good music Colin Towns, photography Tony Coldwell, editing David Thrasher. And the piano music we hear is of course 'Für Elise' by Beethoven = 'For Elise'.