A few mentions that the focus has been all British or Italian productions recently, so let’s have a change with CAT BALLOU (linked) from 1965. It starred Lee Marvin and Jane Fonda. Everyone’s seen it. It’s still a lot of fun.
Archive for March, 2020
Cat Ballou review
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Jane Fonda, Lee Marvin on 29/03/2020| Leave a Comment »
Privilege review
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged George Bean Group, Jean Shrimpton, Mark London, Max Bacon, Paul Jones, Peter Watkins on 28/03/2020| 1 Comment »
Review added in the 60s Retrospectives series of Privilege from 1967. It starred Paul Jones, fresh from Manfred Mann and Jean Shrimpton. The director was Peter Watkins, who won the 1967 Best Documentary Academy Award for “The War Game” (which he’d made in 1965, but it got banned). Privilege was his first feature film, a dystopian satire about a manipulative government-sponsored cult based on pop star Steve Shorter (Paul Jones). It’s a film that was criticized heavily at the time, but whose reputation has grown.
Alfie – review
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Alfie Bass, Bill Naughton, Cilla Black, Eleanor Bron, Graham Stark, Jane Asher, Julia Foster, Lewis Gilbert, Michael Caine, Millicent Martin, Murray Melvin, Shelley Winters, Shirley Anne Field, Sonny Rollins, Vivien Merchant on 25/03/2020| Leave a Comment »
Alfie? Which one? The 1966 Alfie with Michael Caine of course (Linked). Helliwell’s Film Guide, usually a strict critic, called it ‘One of the best 60s films’ so it was an essential next one in the 1960s retrospective series. Well worth seeing again.
Blow-up review
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged David Hemmings, Edward Bond, Jane Birkin, Michelangelo Antonioni, Sarah Miles, Vanessa Redgrave on 22/03/2020| Leave a Comment »
The next 60s retrospective is Michelangelo Antonioni’s BLOW-UP (linked). Filmed in 1966 but really no one saw it until 1967. Starring David Hemmings and Vanessa Redgrave. It remains the definitive ‘Swinging London’ film for me. The visual storytelling works, and though it’s famed forThe Yardbirds appearance, that’s only a few minutes.
Morgan – A Suitable Case For Treatment, review
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Arthur Mullard, Bernard Bresslaw, David Mercer, David Warmer, Irene Handl, John Dankworth, Karel Reisz, Vanessa Redgrave on 21/03/2020| Leave a Comment »
The 60s retrospectives. 1966, and Morgan – A Suitable Case For Treatment (LINKED)starring David Warner and Vanessa Redgrave with Robert Stephens … plus Irene Handl, Bernard Bresslaw and Arthur Mullard. It could have been Hamlet meets Carry On films, but it has become a cult movie.
Accident – review
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Dirk Bogarde, Harold Pinter, Jacqueline Sassard, John Dankworth, Joseph Losey, Michael York, Stanley Baker, Vivien Merchant on 18/03/2020| Leave a Comment »
We move on in the 60s series to another Dirk Bogarde film, Accident (1967). LINKED. One of the three influential Joseph Losey / Harold Pinter collaborations, it co-stars Stanley Baker, Jacqueline Sassard and Michael York. Harold Pinter pops in for a cameo. The quality of script and performance stands out, though it’s low key, more TV series by modern standards.
Darling- review
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Dirk Bogarde, Frederick Raphael, John Dankworth, John Schlesinger, Julie Christie, Laurence Harvey on 17/03/2020| Leave a Comment »
Three Julie Christie films in a row. Latest in the 60s retrospectives, is DARLING (linked) directed by John Schlesinger 1965. Julie Christie, Dirk Bogarde and Laurence Harvey. It was highly acclaimed back in 1965 for its view of “swinging London” and was considered ahead of its time. Time however has not been kind.
Doctor Zhivago – review
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Alec Guinness, Boris Pasternak, Doctor Zhivago, Geraldine Chaplin, Julie Christie, Omar Sharif, Ralph Richardson, Robert Bolt, Tom Courtenay on 15/03/2020| Leave a Comment »
Review added of David Lean’s epic, Doctor Zhivago, (FOLLOW LINK) with Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, Rod Steiger, Tom Courtenay, Geraldine Chaplin, Alec Guinness, Ralph Richardson, Rita Tushingham. The 60s retrospective series continues, and will grow larger if we’re all locked down! It’s always listed as 1965, though it opened on 31st December 1965 in the USA and April 1966 in the UK. It filled screens for over two years, some continuously.
Far From The Madding Crowd (1967) review
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Alan Bates, John Schlesinger, Julie Christie, Nicholas Roeg, Peter Finch, TerenceStamp on 11/03/2020| Leave a Comment »
One of the 60s greats. FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD,(Follow link to review) the 1967 version with Terence Stamp, Julie Christie, Alan Bates and Peter Finch. Directed by John Schlesinger, cinematography by Nicholas Roeg, For period drama, it beats most contenders. The latest in the 60s Films revisited series. That’s the fourth Terence Stamp film in a short time. the series might now divert and follow Julie Christie!
Modesty Blaise – review
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Dirk Bogarde, Joseph Losey, Modesty Blaise, Monica Vitti, Terence Stamp on 11/03/2020| Leave a Comment »
The 60s film retrospectives continue with MODESTY BLAISE (linked) from 1966. Directed by Joseph Losey, starring Monica Vitti, Terence Stamp and Dirk Bogarde. It is spoof James Bond in style, and not altogether successful. It looked good though (in parts) but I found the story un-involving. I’m having a run of Terence Stamp films.
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