Showbiz in Soho is artificial, gaudy and vulgar, but Laurence Harvey’s slick promoter-con man thinks he can cheat at the pop music game. Cliff Richard is his new discovery, a teen crooner who digs the bongo drums. Wolf Mankowitz’s portrait of talent, glitz, and double-dealing in music and TV showbiz also stars Sylvia Syms as a Soho stripper and Yolande Donlan as a singing star trying to make a comeback. The disc contains director Val Guest’s uncut original version.
Expresso Bongo
Blu-ray
Cohen / Kino Lorber
1959 / B&w / 2:35 widescreen / 111 106 min. / Street Date January 18, 2022 / Available from Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Laurence Harvey, Sylvia Syms, Yolande Donlan, Cliff Richard, Meier Tzelniker, Ambrosine Phillpotts, Eric Pohlmann, Gilbert Harding, Hermione Baddeley, Reginald Beckwith, Avis Bunnage, Sally Geeson, Kenneth Griffith, Burt Kwouk, Wilfrid Lawson, Patricia Lewis, Barry Lowe, Martin Miller, Susan Hampshire, Peter Myers, Lisa Peake, The Shadows.
Cinematography: John Wilcox
Art Director:...
Expresso Bongo
Blu-ray
Cohen / Kino Lorber
1959 / B&w / 2:35 widescreen / 111 106 min. / Street Date January 18, 2022 / Available from Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Laurence Harvey, Sylvia Syms, Yolande Donlan, Cliff Richard, Meier Tzelniker, Ambrosine Phillpotts, Eric Pohlmann, Gilbert Harding, Hermione Baddeley, Reginald Beckwith, Avis Bunnage, Sally Geeson, Kenneth Griffith, Burt Kwouk, Wilfrid Lawson, Patricia Lewis, Barry Lowe, Martin Miller, Susan Hampshire, Peter Myers, Lisa Peake, The Shadows.
Cinematography: John Wilcox
Art Director:...
- 3/5/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Cliff Richard and the Shadows were Pathé's perfect poster boys for pop when it decided to boost its coverage in the early 60s
In the early 60s, Pathé ramped up its pop coverage. Once the Age of the Teenager had been established, youth became worthy of coverage and even traditional news sources followed suit. As we've seen, Pathé had some youth culture reportage during the second half of the 50s but from 1961 on, the trickle turned to a flood. And who better to represent this shift than the biggest homegrown star of the period?
Cliff Richard and the Shadows ruled British pop from spring 1959 to spring 1963. During that period they had, separately and together, 27 top 10 singles – including 12 No 1s. There were also two massively successful films, The Young Ones and Summer Holiday, with their associated soundtracks: in both cases the lead-off singles and the albums went to No 1.
Broadcast in...
In the early 60s, Pathé ramped up its pop coverage. Once the Age of the Teenager had been established, youth became worthy of coverage and even traditional news sources followed suit. As we've seen, Pathé had some youth culture reportage during the second half of the 50s but from 1961 on, the trickle turned to a flood. And who better to represent this shift than the biggest homegrown star of the period?
Cliff Richard and the Shadows ruled British pop from spring 1959 to spring 1963. During that period they had, separately and together, 27 top 10 singles – including 12 No 1s. There were also two massively successful films, The Young Ones and Summer Holiday, with their associated soundtracks: in both cases the lead-off singles and the albums went to No 1.
Broadcast in...
- 8/23/2012
- by Jon Savage
- The Guardian - Film News
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