vaughan-birbeck Reviews

When Eight Bells Toll (1971)

Unpretentious and entertaining

[8/10 · 13 June 2005]

I saw this at the cinema when it was first released. I was nine at the time and I notice the DVD has now been released with a '15' certificate. Oh, well. I suppose there are some scenes (helpless men shot from a boat as 'payback' for a dead colleague, a very graphic harpooning) that are best not seen by children. In 1971 it just seemed very exciting (and had an 'A' certificate).

I enjoyed the film when I first saw it and while it seems rather dated now, I think it's still worth viewing. It sets out to provide escapist entertainment and on that level it succeeds. My memories of seeing the film 34 years ago (help!) was of the waves crashing against huge black cliffs and *feeling* the cold dampness of North-West Scotland on the edge of the Atlantic. The locations are very well used indeed, the viewer gets a real sense of place.

The cast perform their roles well, Anthony Hopkins and Robert Morley particularly playing mutual antagonism with some nice comic touches.

One reviewer mentioned that Charles Gray's dubbing of Jack Hawkins's voice seemed a bit slapdash. When Charles Gray was interviewed about dubbing Hawkins (which he did quite regularly after the mid-60's) he said that Hawkins insisted on *speaking* his lines even after his voice was gone. The result was to make his delivery very erratic and therefore difficult to voice-over. Jack Hawkins was one of the best actors we've had (Cruel Sea, Bridge on the River Kwai, Ben-Hur, Lawrence of Arabia, etc., etc.) and these supporting roles made a rather sad postscript to his career.

The Scarlet and the Black (1983 TV Movie)

Inspiring true-life adventure

[7/10 · 8 April 2005]

I tuned to this by accident one evening on TV when it seemed there was nothing else worth watching and it grabbed my attention for over two hours.

This is the true story of a man whose conscience will not let him stand by while the world goes to hell around him. Gregory Peck plays an O'Flaherty whose quaint 'Oirish' charm hides a cunning and resourceful leader who has to balance the demands of his conscience with his role as an official in the Vatican government.

Pope Pius makes it clear he understands O'Flaherty's motivation while warning him that if he is arrested, the Pope will not compromise Vatican neutrality to save him. The film does its best to restore Pius XII's reputation - he has been called "Hitler's Pope" - but it is unclear how much he knew of, or even condoned, O'Flaherty's activities. O'Flaherty cannot compromise, and continues with his work despite the Gestapo having orders to shoot him on sight if he is found outside the Vatican, and suffering a failed assassination attempt in St Peter's itself.

Christopher Plummer is always worth watching and his performance here is no exception. Shown first as an arrogant man who feels the Nazis now "own Rome... it's ours", we later see that Kappler is at the mercy of this ruthless regime even as he plays his part in it. Finally the only person he can turn to is his arch-enemy from the Vatican. This is a fairly conventional irony, but during the course of the film Plummer also suggests how Kappler is losing his soul to his inhuman work, becoming isolated from his family as he begins to loathe what he is doing. You feel Kappler hates O'Flaherty not simply because of what he does, but because O'Flaherty represents the better part of himself.

I would give the film more stars but it is about 15 minutes too long and becomes rather episodic towards the end. However, it's a great story, well-acted by a strong cast, and can be viewed and enjoyed many times.

The Legend of Lizzie Borden (1975 TV Movie)

A good reconstruction, despite some sensationalism

[10/10 · 22 March 2005]

I was interested to read the comments of US reviewers of this title, praising its period accuracy and attention to detail. In the UK we tend to take these 'costume dramas' for granted. Considering it was made in the mid-70's, however, the film still looks good and some of the principals look strikingly like their real-life counterparts (especially Ed Flanders as Hosea Knowlton). Only Lizzie's uncle John V Morse, who stayed in the Borden home on the night before the murders, is missing.

As you can probably tell by now I have quite an interest in the Borden case. I saw 'Legend of Lizzie Borden' when it was first broadcast and after 30 years I still think it offers as fair a reconstruction of the crimes and the trial as you can expect in 90 minutes.

The jarring notes are hints of Andrew being some sort of mild necrophiliac and having an incestuous or near-incestuous relationship with Lizzie. I don't believe there is any real evidence for either of these allegations. Much is made of the fact that Andrew wore a ring Lizzie had given him as a schoolgirl. In fact, at the trial, the undertaker Mr Winward could not remember if there was a ring on Andrew's body or not. This was rather embarrassing for the defence but didn't stop George Robinson making a big point of it during his closing address. (Much of the dialogue in the inquest and trial scenes is taken from the record).

It is probably more true to say that Lizzie desperately wanted Andrew to show his love for her. Instead, he killed her pigeons.

There are only two real flights of fancy: Lizzie stealing the axe from a store (she had no need to and, let's face it, it's a bit obvious); and the testimony at the trial that she tried to buy prussic acid the day before the murders. This is true, she did, but the evidence was *excluded* from the trial by Judge Dewey because the prosecution couldn't prove that Lizzie only wanted the poison for a criminal purpose. Wonderful thing, the law.

Much more revealing is the sense of Lizzie feeling stifled in a mean provincial household when she dreams of a life of travel, fashion and excitement. In the scenes of confrontation between the inhabitants of 92 Second Street, you get a real sense of the tensions that were building up in that confined space, a confinement that was spiritual as well as physical.

I once read a review which said Elizabeth Montgomery portrayed Lizzie as a "wide-eyed zombie". That can be dismissed as rubbish. This is a performance of tremendous scope, showing a Lizzie who was stubborn, vain, calculating, callous and yet strangely vulnerable (you can't help but pity her as she sobs over her slaughtered pigeons). She was a fascinatingly complex woman and this is as good a piece of acting as you will find anywhere.

In 1975 I remember the reconstruction of the murders being described as "overlong and bloody". How times change. I am sure these days they could be far more graphic and true to the brutal nature of the actual killings. Again the film is tempted to go too far by having Lizzie (or more properly Elizabeth Montgomery) strip off before committing murder. This could be one reason why there was no blood on Lizzie's person immediately after the crimes, but the pathologist at the trial stated that if the murderer stood astride Abby Borden, and the first blow that struck Andrew hit a major artery (killing him instantly and releasing blood pressure), there would be very little blood splattering around.

I have waited, and waited, and waited, for UK TV to show this film again. I recently managed to purchase a rare video copy. I am pleased to see that my memory didn't play me false. This is a superb production, a credit to its makers, excellently cast and performed which deserves to be shown again and given a much wider commercial video/DVD release.

Prescription: Murder (1968 TV Movie)

Columbo still refining his technique

[10/10 · 21 February 2005]

This is a fascinating early outing for one of the greatest TV characters ever created. Filmed about three years before the great man was given a regular series, in an uncanny way it both stands alone and acts as a guide to what was to come.

The Columbo formula is in place: immediate suspicion leads to the hounding of the suspect until Columbo's psychological pressure is too much to bear and the victim is helplessly trapped.

I like to think that Columbo spent the years between 1968 and 1971 refining his methods, becoming subtler and more suggestive in his probing while letting his appearance become dowdier and even less threatening. Certainly this is one of the few occasions when he loses his temper on a case. Even when Columbo loses his temper, he is generally working to provoke a reaction.

There are some nice directorial touches here, too, particularly a cut based on the murderer's hands, a hand hitting a piano keyboard with a discordant 'plunk' (very Hitchcock) and Columbo's reflection materialising in a broken mirror.

After years of watching Columbo I am surprised anyone in Los Angeles even thinks about committing a murder. Surely the man is a legend in the local media? What do you mean: 'He's not real'?

The Punch and Judy Man (1963)

A brave try at something different

[7/10 · 9 February 2005]

When 'The Punch and Judy Man' was released Tony Hancock had been one of Britain's favourite radio and television comedians for about seven years. His work was brilliantly written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson who worked many of Hancock's own quirks into his screen character.

Unfortunately Hancock's intellectual pretension came to the fore as he began to feel limited by Galton and Simpson's writing and decided he would try more serious comedy on the lines of Chaplin and Jacques Tati. We can see this ambition in the film's titles: starring Tony Hancock, screenplay by Tony Hancock (and Philip Oakes), based on an idea by Tony Hancock. Apparently Hancock also wanted to direct and photograph the film but Associated British vetoed this.

Ultimately Hancock lacked the intellectual depth and discipline of his heroes and his public didn't want to see him in an unfamiliar role. The result was a box office dud.

Forty years later we can see the film more objectively. The frustration is that the viewer can sense what Hancock was aiming for: a satirical look at celebrity and snobbery within the confines of a fading marriage. For example, the name of the fictional location - Piltdown - suggests the intellectual fraudulence of the town's middle-classes, being based on a faked primitive man which fooled the scientific establishment for half a century.

Unfortunately other elements creep in, such as the pathos of a little boy slipping his hand into Hancock's as they walk along a rain drenched sea-front. Until this point their relationship has been one of mutual irritation (the boy attends all Hancock's Punch and Judy shows and corrects him when he gets the plot wrong) which is much more satisfying.

The best moments occur with Hancock's gleeful anarchy as he annoys the 'Yaks', self-serving members of a secret society who dominate local business and politics. The ice-cream eating scene is excellent. The final scene with the wife is quite touching a we see them reach new understanding and mutual respect.

Despite good things the film never quite comes to the boil, but the good things are worth watching the film for, such as Lady Jane Caterham's speech to the good people of Piltdown - as wicked an impersonation of the Queen's delivery as I've ever heard.

A last word. For some reason the video release I have cuts two short but crucial early scenes: Hancock shoving a bunch of artificial flowers up the rear of an ornamental china pig to show his frustration with his marriage, and of him raising his hat to the Mayor while actually giving the 'V'-sign with his fingers. Perhaps this was to ensure a 'U' certificate but it seems a poor reason to chop a film.

Shoulder to Shoulder (1974)

A landmark series that should be re-shown

[14 December 2004]

When the actress Georgia Brown accused the BBC of not providing worthwhile roles for women she was challenged to provide a format which did. The result was this epic telling of the story of women's struggle to earn the right to vote.

With a superb cast, excellent writing and top notch production the BBC produced a series which should stand alongside other high points from the 1970's such as 'I, Claudius' and 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy'. For some reason it is neglected and I seem to remember it was undervalued on its first transmission.

Perhaps there are those who don't care to be reminded that less than a century ago women were imprisoned, went on hunger strike and were force-fed simply because they wanted to be part of a democratic society. It was only ten years after the First World War that British women were given the same rights as men.

The programmes don't simply glorify the Suffragettes. Christabel Pankhurst in particular is shown enjoying a comfortable exile in Paris and organising an increasingly militant campaign while her followers are being tortured in prison.

The story of the Suffragettes ranks alongside the Civil Rights movement in the US and should be recognised as such. Even though they are now 30 years old these programmes would easily bear repeating on cable as an important lesson in social history.

Perhaps the powers that be are happier for us to take democracy for granted than remember its true value by showing how it was fought for.

Juggernaut (1974)

Thriller? Disaster movie? No, much more.

[6 December 2004]

On the face of it 'Juggernaut' is a fairly small scale nerve-stretcher about an attempt to hold a shipping company to ransom by placing seven very large and very intricately designed bombs in an Atlantic liner. 1200 assorted passengers and crew will go to the bottom if bomb-disposal expert Richard Harris can't outwit the madman responsible for placing the bombs.

So far, so conventional. But compare 'Juggernaut' with another 1974 release, 'The Towering Inferno'. There aren't any macho heroics here: no all-knowing architect and fire-chief to handle the crisis and provide leadership. Nor are there any 'we must never let this happen again' uplifting platitudes at the end.

In 'Juggernaut' we see flawed and desperate people trying to control circumstances over which they have no real power. The company head constantly dithers over paying the ransom or not; the Government representative is a sneering bully who 'won't give in to people like this' (it then turns out the bomber was a Government explosives expert who was given a pitiful reward for a lifetime of courageous work disarming bombs); the bomb-disposal expert has seen death so many times it has lost its meaning for him, it's a human inevitability however it happens, and that's that. Some people feel Roy Kinnear's entertainments officer is a too-obvious attempt at comic relief, but here again we see someone who is supposed to do his best in all circumstances but comes up against the limitations of his personality and is just as afraid as everyone around him.

And the ending? No sense of 'achievement' in having defused the bombs. Good men, friends and colleagues, have been killed. Richard Harris walks alone on deck, smoking his pipe and nursing a drink. What is he thinking? About the men he has lost, or the inevitable next job that may see his own death? Meanwhile, the ship sails on across the eternal sea.

'Juggernaut' is well-acted and well-scripted (with dialogue by Alan Plater). Dick Lester's direction is less top-heavy with stylistic touches than usual, and he has a particularly deft touch in giving the viewer a sense of isolation and claustrophobia as the bombs are dismantled. This film can act as a piece of Sunday-afternoon escapism or something more thought-provoking. Highly recommended.

Ferien in Lipizza (1966–1967)

Not great, but had its good points

[16 November 2004]

A staple of holiday TV in my childhood (along with that interminable version of Robinson Crusoe) 'The White Horses' was a collaboration between RTS (Radio Television Serbia) of Belgrade and BR-TV of Munich, and followed the adventures of Julia, a fifteen-year old girl, played by Helga Anders, who leaves Belgrade to spend a holiday with her uncle Dimitri (Helmuth Schnider), on his stud farm where, with the help of head groom Hugo (Franz Muxeneder), he trains valuable white Lappizaners. In the opening story Boris, one of the horses, is stolen by gypsies who dye his white coat brown so that no one will recognise him. Julia and Hugo set off to find Boris and upon his recovery an affinity is formed between girl and horse thus setting the scene for the adventures that followed.

Originally shown in Germany as 'Ferien in Lipizza', in Slovenian it is known as Poèitnice v Lipici. It didn't reach the UK until 1968, when the BBC began broadcasting a dubbed English language version. Although the series still exists on film (in Germany) it is thought that the English soundtrack has long since been lost. The 'cheesy' theme song, White Horses, sung by Jacky, reached number 10 in the pop charts in April 1968.

The series provided pleasant entertainment in its time. The star, Helga Anders, died at the early age of 38. The sight of Ms Anders in riding breeches lingers fondly in my memory and I'm sad to know she is no longer with us.

The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968)

Superb period details

[3 November 2004]

We have to wait nearly two hours for the eponymous event which climaxes this film. Prior to this we see a series of apparently unconnected episodes which give the viewer an insight into the workings of Victorian society, including anti-intellectuallism and idleness among the 'upper' classes, and brutality and theft among the 'scum' recruited in the slums.

While almost plot less this section of the film does follow a core of characters whose lives are connected by army service. The main character is Captain Louis Nolan, an idealistic professional in an army of amateurs. "England is looking well" he says in the first scene of the film. The irony is that the country that looks so good is a cruel and mismanaged place. Unlike his fellow officers, who have bought their posts, he has worked his way up the ranks of the Indian Army by merit. He despises them and they feel he isn't a 'gentleman'.

Nolan has very definite views on how war should be fought. Faced with the reality of battle and the inadequacies of the commanders (the senile Raglan and the childish Lucan and Cardigan) his impatience and temper have tragic consequences as he impetuously points the Light Brigade ("There, my Lord, is your enemy, there are your guns!") towards the bloody fiasco of which he is the first victim. The man who seems to know best makes the biggest blunder of all. Eye-witnesses said the hideous scream Nolan gave when he was hit stayed with them all their lives and the film re-creates it in a truly chilling way.

Although the film does reflect 1960's attitudes to war and politics (and I actually prefer these to the attitudes of the 21st Century) its setting is so perfectly realized that it hasn't dated as a '60s film'. In fact it seems better with the passage of time. If you can free yourself from the idea of a narrative history and give yourself up to a series of impressions which add new layers of understanding 'Charge of the Light Brigade' makes a fine historical film.

Celebrity Playhouse: Pygmalion (1981) Season 1, Episode 3

A miscast misfire

[13 October 2004]

'Pygmalion' is a classic play about identity and power within relationships. In one sense it is a comedy of manners centered on the single-minded bullying misogynist Higgins, in another a drama about Eliza Dolittle's place in society.

This version misfires on all levels. Robert Powell is too young and too pleasant as Higgins. You can't imagine he is *really* so uncaring as to see Eliza as a mere object of an experiment in phonetics. Twiggy is both too old and too lightweight an actress to convey Eliza's anguish when she has the speech of a lady but is still essentially a common Cockney flower girl.

This version seems to have been put together because Pygmalion is a popular play and would pull in the viewers. It fails to do justice to its source material and even 'My Fair Lady' (the musical travesty which made the whole thing a love story) is preferable.

Waterloo (I) (1970)

Terrific battle scenes, shame about the rest

[23 July 2004]

The battle of Waterloo decided the fate of Europe for a century. It needed a great film to do it justice. What we see of the battle is great. Obviously a great deal of expense, logistical expertise and technical genius went into recreating ten hours of bloody struggle. I assume Sergei Bondarchuk delivered what Dino De Laurentiis wanted.

So why does the battle only take up about 50 minutes of screen time? If it really was necessary to cut the running time by half, couldn't we lose Napoleon being sent into, then escaping from, exile? The ball scene, too, establishes relationships which have no further impact on the story apart from giving us a pair of doomed lovers with whom to empathise. (I don't think this counts as a spoiler because the poor lad might as well be named 'Dead-meat' and have done with it.)

As you can see my overwhelming emotion here is one of frustration. 'Waterloo' has tremendous spectacle and some stunning camerawork (the aerial shots of the Allied squares are breath-taking).

It has great performances. Rod Steiger plays a Napoleon who is bitterly aware his days of glory are past as he is disabled by illness and haunted by a sense of his own mortality. Christopher Plummer's Wellington is equally effective, knowing all too well that he simply cannot afford to fail and must keep his nerve until events swing in his favour. Dan O'Herlihy is also very impressive as Marshal Ney, the impetuous red-head who seems to have suffered some form of hysteria during the battle which cost the French their best cavalry.

'Waterloo' delivers some great elements (and some howlers, such as someof the worst faked 'horse riding' I've ever seen) but just fails to be a truly great film. If only the producer/distributors had kept their nerve and left us the full version, it could have equalled Ron Maxwell's 'Gettysburg'.

The Mind of Mr. J.G. Reeder (1969–1971)

An unusual sleuth

[14 July 2004]

Mr JG Reeder is the diametric opposite of Sam Spade, Philip Marlow and Mike Hammer. He is a shabbily dressed, diffident civil servant who prefers a cup of tea and a slice of seed cake to a shot of something stronger.

Despite his outward appearance - of course - Reeder is a master detective with a razor sharp brain. In fact his mind gives him great cause for sorrow. He has, he claims, a criminal mind which allows him insight into motive and method denied to other men.

These stories were well-presented (sadly in black and white) and Hugh Burden had the part of a life-time as Reeder, well supported by Willoughby Goddard as his expansive (in more ways than one) chief, Jason Toovey.

Worth a video release for nostalgia buffs.

Columbo: Dagger of the Mind (1972) Season 2, Episode 4

A favourite Columbo

[2 June 2004]

This may not be the best ever Columbo episode but as it's set in England it remains a favourite of mine.

Apart from the plot the main interest lies in location spotting. We get scenes at London airport and outside New Scotland Yard near Victoria Street which means Columbo could pass Buckingham Palace on the way.

The "London Wax Museum" is actually the Imperial College Library, near the Science Museum in South Kensington (also used as a location in "The Ipcress File"), but it does allow an impressive closing shot of the Albert Hall. We also get to see the Royal Court Theatre and lots of English rain.

Apart from that I'm not sure how much of the film was shot in the UK. The stately home has a definite California feel.

This is a good Columbo entry, only marred by the usual American view of the British: we're either "Pip, pip, old boy" types or " Gor blimey, gavner" cockneys. At the time this was made the top cop show in the UK was 'The Sweeney'. Columbo meets Regan and Carter, now that would be worth watching: "Oh, just one more thing sir, er...you're nicked!"

Columbo: Étude in Black (1972) Season 2, Episode 1

Columbo at his most irritating (SPOILERS)

[21 May 2004]

The Columbo formula - as everyone knows - requires the great one to wear down his opponent almost to the verge of a nervous breakdown until they make the fatal error that reveals their guilt.

For me the great moment in any Columbo story is the point when he knows who the murderer is, then has to set about proving it. In this film 'the moment' comes when he sees Alex Benedict replacing a flower in his tail coat, revealing he had been at the victim's home earlier that night. From there the pursuit is on.

In 'Etude in Black' Columbo seems almost sadistic in his pursuit of Benedict. He 'turns up' at his home (twice, the first time supposedly just for an autograph), at his garage (actually sitting in Benedict's E-Type and revving the engine to pieces, having told the mechanic he was 'a friend') and at the Hollywood Bowl. He is constantly 'sidetracked' in his questioning and 'forgets' to mention the investigation has been changed from suicide to murder and that he is now in charge of the case.

One blot in the film is Cassavetes 'conducting' of the orchestra. There's more to it than waving your arms about. He could at least have tried to keep time with the music. We're being asked to believe this man is a world-famous musician and on this evidence Alex Benedict couldn't direct traffic. Perhaps the pieces for the soundtrack were only chosen after filming.

This is a classic Columbo episode that pairs Peter Falk with his long-time friend and collaborator John Cassavetes. I actually think the scene where Columbo asks Benedict about the cost of his house, furniture and how much he earns was improvised between them. I can see the set-up: "Columbo has turned up unexpectedly at your house, you know he wants to ask you something but you don't know what it is. You have to avoid giving him any real information."

Bread (1986–1991)

Want a few easy laughs? Patronise the working class

[14 May 2004]

It's so easy to survive poverty and economic depression. All you need is the wit and the nerve to outsmart Government bureaucracy. Then you can have a decent home with plenty of food on the table, you can even run a classic Jaguar!

At a time when Margaret Thatcher and her thugs were destroying UK manufacturing industry and throwing whole communities on the scrap heap of unemployment, 'Bread' came along to show working class people were lovable scallywags who could rake in pots of money from the Department of Social Security by running rings around the rules.

I can only assume no-one associated with this condescending garbage has ever been faced with actually trying to prove they are "genuinely seeking work" (which required a file of rejection letters as thick as a telephone directory) or making their remaining £5 (or $8) last until they are allowed more social security.

The alternative was to get a job as a 'security guard' being paid £1.95 (or $3.40) an hour. Oh, and you had to provide your own dog.

If you want to know what working class life was like in Liverpool in the 80's, watch 'Boys from the Blackstuff', not this rubbish.

Star! (1968)

The best film of 1946

[27 April 2004]

Cast your mind back to the late 1960's: the Beatles, space flight, Vietnam, flower children. Despite the prevailing culture - and counter-culture(s) - 20th Century-Fox executives decide the public will flock to see a remake of "The Jolson Story" featuring a female lead character who died over a decade earlier. So they reunite the star, director, and producer of a previous box-office smash and throw millions of dollars into it. It didn't work.

Some reviewers now think this film is ripe for rehabilitation, a lost masterpiece from a golden age. I'm afraid it still doesn't work.

True, there is great talent here, and spectacle. Unfortunately there is also an unsympathetic lead. Mercilessly ambitious from the outset, we are supposed to pity poor Gertie when success - of course - turns out to be a hollow sham.

The other characters are stock figures: the True Friend (whom she can't marry because he's gay); the Man She Should Have Married; the Spurned Suitors; the Neglected Child and, finally; the Good Man Who Redeems Her.

The musical numbers are spectacularly staged and well-performed, but (being taken from stage shows) they can't be integrated into the plot and drop into the film like a row of tombstones: "and then I appeared in...". Presumably Julie Andrews was supposed to re-create Gertrude Lawrence's charisma during these routines but she doesn't actually perform in Lawrence's style (especially her singing voice which was throaty and had a heavy vibrato) and the numbers seem to go on longer than necessary. Also, in an effort to develop a more adult image, Julie Andrews gets drunk and calls someone "a b**t***d".

I've heard recordings of Lawrence singing with Noel Coward and I've seen her act with Charles Laughton in "Rembrandt". I found her singing voice strained and her acting histrionic. Maybe she was more exciting 'live' on stage. (Incidentally "Rembrandt" is seen only briefly and tantalisingly here - I would have given any number of 'witty' Noel Coward lines for a few minutes of Lawrence and Laughton.)

An earlier reviewer mentioned the "original" device of using a newsreel as a framework. Is this intended as irony, or have they really not heard of "Citizen Kane"?

Father Brown (1974)

Flawed, but fondly remembered

[9 March 2004]

I saw the series when it was first broadcast in the UK in 1974. I can't remember it ever being repeated which is perhaps why it has slipped from public memory. The stories also share the problem of the original material: Father Brown seems to pop up everywhere for no real reason, never in an established location with a regular supporting cast. Viewers like to become familiar with characters and their surroundings.

I have just managed to obtain the complete series on DVD and I'm pleased to find they hold up very well. Some of the technical aspects are a little dated: camera movements and editing have a definite 1970's feel, as does the abrupt jump from video in studio scenes to very grainy 16mm film on location.

The series was a prestige project for Lew Grade's ATV (taking on the BBC in the 'classic literature' department). Grade was so determined to cast Kenneth More (who didn't feel he had a very priestly image) that he personally telephoned the actor every day for almost a year, saying: "Good morning, Father. How's Father Brown this morning?" Finally More gave in and replied: "Bless you, my son."

More's performance, of course, is the axis around which all the stories revolve. He has great charm and a wonderful way with witty one-liners (I almost suspect More ad-libbed these). He can also suggest Father Brown's knowledge of human nature and our capacity for evil, showing how the priest is more saddened than shocked when this is revealed (such as the coin collector/miser in "The Head of Caesar"). Another highlight is his intellectual duel with Arnold Aylmer about the nature of evil in "The Dagger with Wings". These pieces of exposition are, for me, the highlight of the series.

As you can see, I'm a real fan! If you're tired of Miss Marple and bored with Hercule Poirot. If you want classic period detective stories which aren't Agatha Christie - I'd recommend giving Father Brown a try. The DVDs will certainly make regular appearances on my player.

Duck, You Sucker! (1971)

A descending spiral of violence [SPOILERS]

[24 February 2004]

As other reviewers have noted this is a great Leone film. For too long it has been in the shadow of the 'Dollars' Westerns. With some restored footage the story now makes more sense and the mood of the piece has become clearer.

The film appears to start as broad comedy, with the robbery of a luxurious stagecoach, but there are dark undertones even here. As the passengers describe Juan (Rod Steiger) as an animal they stuff their mouths with rich food and wine (in wonderfully revolting extreme close-up), revealing their own base natures. Soon the passengers (including a Catholic Bishop) are stripped of all symbols of their status and dumped naked into a pig pen.

A massive explosion announces the arrival of Sean (James Coburn). Juan sees Sean as a magician, a partner sent by Providence to help him achieve his life's ambition: to rob the Banco Nacional at Mesa Verde. Sean won't join forces with a 'chicken thief'. A tit-for-tat battle of explosives and guns again seems light-hearted. Eventually Sean wearily agrees to help Juan 'get inside' the bank. What Juan doesn't know is that the bank is now a prison. He finds no money but frees plenty of political prisoners and becomes a 'great, grand, glorious hero' of the Revolution. From being a happy-go-lucky bandit Juan is now committed politically.

It's at this point that the mood of the film changes. We have seen some evidence of the Revolution in Mesa Verde: martial law and a small execution squad. As the film progresses the Revolution becomes an impersonal killing machine: Juan's children are murdered; Sean refers to a body of soldiers he intends to kill as 'a few uniforms', their individual identity is lost; a Revolutionary leader betrays his people who are executed in their dozens; towards the end of the film thousands are being slaughtered in huge pits by soldiers using machine-guns and rifles. The amusing earlier scenes are a distant memory.

It is this change of mood that makes the film I know as 'A Fistful of Dynamite' so powerful. The flashbacks in which Sean remembers his younger self enjoying life with a good friend and a beautiful girl extend the themes of disillusion and betrayal that are played out in detail in the main story.

At the end Juan is left totally alone, his children are dead, his closest friend is dead, all he has left is a life of mourning and regrets. This is a bleak ending to a very pessimistic view of the corruption and loss of ideals, and the unbreakable cycle of brutality that always seems to follow when we listen to 'the people who read the books'.

Lock Up Your Daughters! (1969)

Learn to listen

[17 February 2004]

I saw this film on TV and have waited thirty years to see it again. For me, it is one of the most under-rated films of all time.

Why isn't it more appreciated? Perhaps because you have to listen to the dialogue (which is also 18th Century speech, not Shakespeare but far from modern), or keep track of at least three main plots. This is not a simple 'romp', it is based on work by Vanbrugh and Fielding.

The script is literate and witty, but the overall theme is - sex. In pre-Victorian England, the desire for sexual fulfilment is regarded as a healthy and natural part of life. Men want it, women want it, and they'll do anything to get it.

The film is performed by a great cast. I defy anyone to recognise Christopher Plummer as Foppington under the make-up, wig and costumes. There's one scene where he is hilarious simply getting up out of a chair, as unsteady as a new born deer. After making love for the first time, he explains that he has a servant to do that sort of thing for him.

The rest of the cast is filled with marvellous character actors: Georgia Brown, Jim Dale, Roy Kinnear, Kathleen Harrison, Roy Dotrice, Glynis Johns, Peter Bayliss and Fenella Fielding. Not big names, perhaps, but they fill their roles to perfection. So my advice is: watch the film with care, more than once, to get the flavour of the dialogue, then enjoy the free-spirited age that is brought to life for you.

And, by the way, it's the *fourth* rung that's missing...