In another excellent collaboration, revered British actor Dirk Bogarde works under the masterful direction of Joseph Losey, soon after they had created the British film masterpiece ‘The Servant’ together.

Bogarde plays Captain Hargreaves, an army lawyer tasked with defending Private Hamp, portrayed brilliantly by Tom Courtenay of ‘Billy Liar’ and ‘Doctor Zhivago’ fame. Courtenay’s outstanding performance not only earned him the Best Actor award at the 1964 Venice Film Festival but also a much-coveted BAFTA nomination.

Joining this stellar cast were Leo McKern, known for his role as ‘Rumple of the Bailey’ and Barry Foster from Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Frenzy’.

‘King and Country’ transports viewers to the deathly backdrop of World War I, delving deep into the profound impact of war on the human psyche. This project marked the third collaborations between Losey and Bogarde, following the 1954 thriller ‘The Sleeping Tiger’ and the groundbreaking 1963 drama ‘The Servant’. They would pair up again for ‘Accident’ (1967), all of which were available in the Vintage Classics collection.

Crafted from the original camera negative preserved at the BFI, this stunning restoration offers audiences more than just a cinematic experience. It includes a brand-new interview with Tom Courtenay, complemented by an archive interview with the legendary Dirk Bogarde. Additionally, viewers can explore a captivating gallery of ‘Behind the Scenes’ film stills.

The heart of the story revolves around a young soldier, Hamp (Courtenay), who deserts his post during the most harrowing days of World War I. His desperate escape from the relentless barrage of guns and mud was driven by an overwhelming desire to return home. Captain Hargreaves (Bogarde), an aristocratic British Army lawyer, is called upon to defend Hamp before the unforgiving army tribunal. Desertion was a crime that carried the sentence of execution. Hargreaves’s efforts on Hamp’s behalf become increasingly impassioned and sincere.

‘King and Country’ is a gripping and emotionally charged exploration of the human condition in the face of the horrors of war and the brutality of bureaucracy. It is a cinematic masterpiece that continues to resonate with audiences. This restoration ensures that its impact will endure for generations to come.

Pre-order ‘King and Country’ from Studiocanal’s Vintage Classics range.

The post Studiocanal announces 4K restoration of Joseph Losey’s ‘King and Country’ appeared first on Entertainment Focus.

Richard Attenborough (‘Jurassic Park’) is the most notable of the lead actors. He plays George, a nefarious man from the upper echelons of society who serves in the Royal Navy during World War Two alongside Bill Randall (George Baker) and Birdie (Bill Owen). All three men survive the war, though Bill’s wife Helen (Virginia McKenna) isn’t so lucky. Following a chance meeting between George and Bill, the old gang gets together again. They reclaim their dependable wartime ship, the 1087, and take to the high seas for a life of camaraderie.

However, events take a sinister turn when George starts making illegal money on the side. At first he involves his friends in small smuggling jobs. Then the contraband becomes linked to serious and violent crime. Finally, they are embroiled in completing jobs for the unscrupulous Major Fordyce (Ronald Culver) and it’s only a matter of time before they run up against pirates or customs officers.

‘The Ship That Died of Shame’ is adapted from a compelling story by Nicholas Monsarrat (‘The Cruel Sea’). As the title suggests, the ship becomes a character in its own right. It acts like a moderating female influence in the morally compromised world of the male friends. As soon as the corruption creeps in, the faithful and dependable old ship starts to falter. Director Basil Dearden, who had been behind the camera for Ealing’s 1950 classic ‘The Blue Lamp’ (the film that propelled Dirk Bogarde to stardom), is a safe and competent pair of hands for this picture. He extracts excellent performances from his cast.

Richard Attenborough is especially haunting and George. He leans into the role of baby-faced psychopath Pinkie in ‘Brighton Rock’ that he had played some years earlier. George Baker would go on to be a familiar face in British TV and film for many decades, playing a leading role in, amongst many commendable credits, ‘I, Claudius’. But he is best-remembered as ‘Inspector Wexford’. Here, he is suitably saturnine as the level-headed Bill who tries to keep the gang on the right side of the law. Bill Owen would later become widely recognised as Compo in the long-running whimsical comedy ‘Last of the Summer Wine’. His character Birdie is written as a stereotypical loyal working class mate who knows his place. An actor of Owen’s stature is able to imbue the part with more humanity than is suggested by the slightly patronisingly drawn character on the page.

It’s a shame that Virginia McKenna (‘Born Free’) is under-used as Bill’s wife Helen. Some of the supporting actors are given heftier parts. Ronald Culver is chilling as the sinister crime boss Major Fordyce, and Bernard Lee (M in the earliest ‘James Bond’ films) is sympathetic as the customs officer who smells a rat.

It’s remarkable to think that ‘The Ship That Died of Shame’ was released the same year as ‘Rebel Without a Cause’. Whilst the youth-centred American film was a forward-looking revolution in cinema, British films still looked back on the war and its aftermath as the nation struggled to move on from the trauma that it had endured. The contrast between the films is a neat illustration of the national psyches of the countries where they were made. In Britain, rationing had only just come to an end and major cities that had been bombed and Blitzed were still being rebuilt. ‘The Ship That Died of Shame’ successfully reveals something about the post-war British society, but it does so through exciting storytelling.

‘The Ship That Died of Shame’ is a competently put-together picture that is well-acted and has more than enough twists, turns and tension to keep audiences hooked nearly seven decades after it was made. The new Blu-ray release brings crystal clarity to the black and white picture, highlighting Basil Dearden’s talent for creating mood through lighting. Overall, the story is strong and thought-provoking, and there is little heavy-handed moralising. Rather, viewers are invited to make their own judgements about the immoral or amoral actions of the characters. ‘The Ship That Died of Shame’ is an impressive entry to the Ealing Studios canon and the high profile talent in the cast ensures that it will continue to find new audiences.

An extra feature sees Professor of Film Neil Sinyard expand on the making of the film and the historical context in which ‘The Ship That Died of Shame’ was produced.

Cast: George Baker, Richard Attenborough, Bill Owen, Virginia McKenna, Ronald Culver, Bernard Lee, Alfie Bass Director: Basil Dearden Writer: Nicholas Monsarrat Certificate: PG Duration: 95 mins Released by: Studiocanal Release date: 11th September 2023 Buy ‘The Ship That Died of Shame’

The post ‘The Ship That Died of Shame’ Blu-ray review appeared first on Entertainment Focus.

Although set during WWII, ‘Cross of Iron’ in so many ways captures the despairing culture of the late 1970s. Director Sam Peckinpah had made a name for himself by blowing apart the western genre with ‘The Wild Bunch’. He had followed up that hit with the shocking, provocative and violent ‘Straw Dogs’. But he turned his attention to the war genre with ‘Cross of Iron’ towards the end of his career.

In many ways, a movie about the futility of war suits Peckinpah’s directorial style to the ground. He extensively uses slow-motion to graphically depict violence. Blood spurts from dying soldiers as they collapse against barbed wire. The gore straddles the margins of becoming gratuitous. If the viewer isn’t worn down by the relentless depictions of maiming and death, then they will be by the often-unremitting sound effects of artillery bombardments.

Carrying the plot amongst the many sequences of carnage is a stellar cast. It is led by James Coburn, perhaps best-remembered as one of ‘The Magnificent Seven’. His granite, lined face and pale blue eyes ensure that he is utterly convincing as Corporal Rolf Steiner. The Germans are humanised in ‘Cross of Iron’, but mostly through the burning principles of Corburn’s detached Wehrmacht officer. When his platoon captures a Russian boy, his superior officer Captain Stransky (Maximilian Schell) orders the prisoner to be executed. Steiner knows that only a coward and a cad would give such a command and instead hides the boy. Later, the Germans are raided by Russian troops. Lieutenant Meyer (Igor Galo) leads a valiant defence, but is killed in the process. During this time Captain Stransky hides, overcome with fear.

When Stransky gives his report to Colonel Brandt (James Mason), he claims the credit that was due to the deceased Lieutenant Meyer, in the hope of being decorated with the cross of iron medal. He blackmails the homosexual Lieutenant Triebig (Roger Fritz) and pressures Steiner to back up his fictional account. Appalled by Stransky’s deceit and everything the entitled Prussian aristocrat stands for, Steiner refuses. Thus he sets in motion a deadly feud between the two men that it takes the rest of the film to resolve.

The conflict between Steiner and Stransky is brilliantly performed by James Coburn and Maximilian Schell. The suave Swiss actor had a fine line in playing German officers and appeared in Richard Attenborough’s epic about Operation Market Garden, ‘A Bridge Too Far’, the same year. James Mason gives his customarily insouciant performance, and the late David Warner, fresh from ‘The Omen’, is also excellent if all too fleeting as a glowering and morose German officer. On the other hand, Senta Berger is under-used as something of a love interest for Coburn. Peckinpah’s depiction of women in the film veers between two extremes, neither flattering, both lacking nuance. A later scene concerning an all-female Russian detachment owes something to the Sirens in Homer’s ‘The Odyssey’.

‘Cross of Iron’ has an incredible international cast that any other director would have envied. It also benefits from a simple and compelling plot that is given over two hours of screen time to play out. Yet in the final analysis, it doesn’t quite come together as a coherent whole. There’s a nagging feeling throughout much of the film that it ought to be better. As a viewer, it’s not an easy film in which you can lose yourself in the drama. Somehow, the artifice of filmmaking never quite recedes.

In the final analysis, it’s perhaps that the film attempts to be so unremittingly grim that it works against itself, because it ends up feeling more like propaganda than an organic story populated by real characters. It is too earnest and lacks charm. A little reading into the origins of ‘Cross of Iron’ cast some light onto why it never fully resonates. The director’s battle with alcoholism caused many production issues and even cost the film a satisfactory climax.

Nevertheless, a film by Sam Peckinpah is always worth watching, and ‘Cross of Iron’ certainly has its merits. Viewers will remember the rivalry between James Coburn and Maximilian Schell, and indeed this is the most satisfying element of the movie. The colours are vivid and the picture quality is stunningly sharp on this new 4K UHD release. Until ‘Schindler’s List’ in 1993, ‘Cross of Iron’ was probably one of the most terrifyingly brutal cinematic depictions of war. These images don’t fail to make an impression in high definition, even if the drama upon which it hinges is ultimately a bit of a curate’s egg.

Extra features on the 4K UHD release include extensive photo galleries and an audio commentary by filmmaker and film historian Mike Siegel.

Cast: James Coburn, Maximilian Schell, James Mason, David Warner, Roger Fritz, Senta Berger, Igor Galo Director: Sam Peckinpah Writer: Julius Epstein, James Hamilton, Walter Kelley Certificate: 18 Duration: 133 mins Released by: Studiocanal Release date: 31st July 2023 Buy ‘Cross of Iron’

The post Sam Peckinpah’s ‘Cross of Iron’ 4K UHD review appeared first on Entertainment Focus.

Although a French film, ‘Le Mépris’ is shot in Rome and Capri using an international cast. Michel Piccoli plays Paul Javal, a writer who has been offered a bigger cheque than usual for working on German director Fritz Lang’s screenplay for his latest movie, an adaptation of the Homeric legend ‘The Odyssey’. Keen to impress the vulgar American producer Prokosch (Jack Palance), Paul suggests that his wife Camille (Brigitte Bardot) should ride in the producer’s two-seat sports car. Camille feels as if she is being offered to the producer simply to advance her husband’s career prospects. When she also suspects him of infidelity, her love for Paul dwindles at a time when he wants to focus on his career, creating tensions between the couple.

‘Le Mépris’ is a distinctly French film, eschewing a Hollywood approach for fast-paced storytelling for a languorous study of marital relations. It uses metatextual techniques by featuring Fritz Lang, the legendary director of ‘M’ and ‘Metropolis’, as a fictional version of himself, shooting a film that he never made in reality. The opening shot reveals director Jean-Luc Godard filming Brigitte Bardot on a tracking shot as they make the movie. The famous Roman film studio Cinecitta forms the backdrop of some of the key sequences. Large posters for other major movies of the era, such as Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’, can be seen in the key sequence where Camille is persuaded to ride with Prokosch. There are also scenes in cinemas. The audience is constantly reminded that they are watching an artificially-constructed story. The characters we follow are making a film within the film that we’re watching… That’s not to say that the plot is complex. If you understand French or can read subtitles, the story is simple to follow, but the background of a filmmaker’s world is always reinforced.

The star is undoubtedly Brigitte Bardot. Whether in blonde or brunette wigs, she is sultry and captivating. The camera certainly loves her. She comes across more sympathetically than Michel Piccoli who plays her weak and selfish husband, though he has a certain charm. Although Jack Palance later won an Academy Award, he’s one of those very successful actors whom I’ve always found to be rather awkward and self-conscious, as if he doesn’t quite know what to do with his hands and is constantly aware that he is being filmed (not always a problem in this picture). Perhaps it’s just that Bardot and Piccoli have a natural and easy chemistry, which the addition of Palance unbalances, but his scenes feel overplayed.

Although there is a deliberate choice to go for a ponderous pace to allow the characters the space to breathe, some of the scenes, especially those that take place in the Javals’ rented apartment, don’t sustain their own weight and become tedious, especially if you’re not tuned in to European cinematic techniques. The footage of Fritz Lang’s ‘Odyssey’ is curious too. The bronze statues are effective, if overused, but the actors in costumes jumping in and out of the sea look faintly ridiculous. It’s curious that the great cinematic visionary was happy to play along.

What works rather better in the film’s favour is the incredible cinematography by Raoul Coutard, which beautifully captures a European summer of the early 1960s. Much of the filming in Capri takes place at Casa Malaparte, a remote and peculiar house designed by Adalberto Libera. The steps leading up to the flat rooftop where Bardot sunbathes and the large windows overlooking the sea are distinctive and unforgettable. The location becomes almost a character in its own right. A sumptuous score by Georges Delerue also adds to the atmosphere and aesthetics of the piece. Overall, ‘Le Mépris’ is a reminder that the Swinging Sixties incorporated continental Europe as well as the UK and USA.

The new 4K restoration of ‘Le Mépris’ looks stunning. It is incredible to think that there has been an interval of six decades since the film’s creation. Star Brigitte Bardot remains around to this day, whereas director Jean-Luc Godard and male lead Michel Piccoli died only recently. The picture quality is sharp and the colours are fantastically vivid. When contrasted with the black and white footage of Bardot at Casa Malaparte in the extra feature ‘Il était une fois’ (‘it was one time’), it’s possible to fully appreciate how good the film looks in high definition.

Cast: Brigitte Bardot, Michel Piccoli, Jack Palance, Fritz Lang Director: Jean-Luc Godard Writer: Jean-Luc Godard Certificate: 15 Duration: 99 mins Released by: Studiocanal Release date: 26th June 2023 Buy ‘Le Mépris’

The post ‘Le Mépris’ 4K UHD review appeared first on Entertainment Focus.

This production translates its literary source material faithfully, and is set in the early part of the Nineteenth Century. The snowy St Petersburg of Pushkin’s story is stunningly recreated in Welwyn Studios and effectively shot by renowned cinematographer Otto Heller. The design is one of the stand-out triumphs of the film. The story deals with human greed and unhealthy obsession. Suvorin (Anton Walbrook) is a Captain in the army, but he is resentful that his humble origins prevent him from joining the officer class, the status from which would allow him to accrue a vast personal fortune. He hears tell of an elderly Countess (Edith Evans) who sold her soul to the devil in order that she might win a fortune at cards, but she has sworn to take her secret to the grave. The unscrupulous Suvorin feigns a romance with the Countess’s ward, Lizavyeta (Yvonne Mitchell), so that he might win the elderly woman’s confidence and eventually force her to expose her secret.

Entwined within the straightforward tale of a man’s ruthless ambition that will hurt anyone who stands in his way is a supernatural twist. Atmospherically, the film is at its most effective when Suvorin pursues the truth behind the cards, later inviting an encounter with the spirit world. Director Thorold Dickinson’s ingenious idea is to show nothing and allow the audience’s imagination, spurred on by Anton Walbrook’s horrified face, to decide for itself what the anti-hero sees. Many directors have since followed suit.

The performances sell the film as a melodrama. Anton Walbrook bravely doesn’t even attempt to make Suvorin likeable. His character is always set apart from others, including his fellow soldiers. The romance between Suvorin and Lizavyeta is unsettling in its coldness, and Yvonne Mitchell is equal to the task of ensuring the audience’s sympathy is firmly with her. Yet the climax in which a clammy-faced Suvorin clutches at a deck of cards is a masterclass in mad obsession. Dame Edith Evans is wonderful as the ailing Countess Ranevskaya. Old enough to have helped to launch the career of Laurence Olivier, Evans had become a stage star in her younger years. She only branched out into cinematic roles much later in her life and career. She would have been in her early sixties when she landed her first major screen role in ‘The Queen of Spades’. The make-up job helps to age her yet further, whilst also giving her a spectral appearance. The final result is a memorable and commanding performance.

This new Blu-ray release comes packed with a number of extra features that illustrate the historical significance of the film and the regard with which it is held. An audio Commentary by journalist and film historian Nick Pinkerton offers a guide to its making, which also comes with an introduction by celebrated director Martin Scorsese (Taxi Driver). There is a lengthy two-part interview with Thorold Dickinson on Saturday Night at the Movies. The director speaks from his home in the English countryside and appears shy and modest, but he explains about the challenges he had to overcome in making ‘The Queen of Spades’. Film critic Anna Bogutskaya pays homage to the movie. Literary critic Professor Philip Horne is also on hand to discuss the film’s success in capturing the essence of Pushkin’s story.

The story of ‘The Queen of Spades’ unfolds in a fairly predictable way, certainly for modern audiences used to morality tales of this nature. The heightened reality of melodrama won’t prove to everybody’s taste. Overall, ‘The Queen of Spades’ is a brilliant adaptation of a classic Russian story. It is especially memorable for stunning design work and committed leading performances. If you enjoy classic British films and ghost stories, this is one to seek out.

Cast: Anton Walbrook, Yvonne Mitchell, Edith Evans, Ronald Howard Director: Thorold Dickinson Writers: Alexander Pushkin (story), Rodney Ackland Arthur Boys Certificate: PG Duration: 95 mins Released by: Studiocanal Release date: 23rd January 2023 Buy ‘The Queen of Spades’

The post ‘The Queen of Spades’ Blu-ray review appeared first on Entertainment Focus.

‘The Trial’ was a project he made in 1962. Based on Franz Kafka’s celebrated novel, it concerns the nightmarish story of Josef K who is roused by the secret police one morning and accused of having committed an unspecified crime. K is later put on trial, still with no clear idea as to what law he stands accused of having broken. Now Studiocanal celebrates the 60th anniversary of the film by releasing it on 4K UHD as well as Blu-ray, DVD and digital.

Never a director to bow to the whims of studio executives, Welles was by this time used to making pictures with enormous restraints, mostly budgetary. So long as he could bring to life the film he wanted, he didn’t care. Shooting quickly and reacting to changing circumstances, ‘The Trial’ is the product of this chaotic but creative period of Welles’ career. When financial backing was not forthcoming, rather than abandon the project, he instead scrapped the studio sets he had designed and filmed many sequences inside a deserted Art Deco railway station in Paris (now the Musee d’Orsay) instead. The gloomy location, starkly caught on black and white film stock, affords the movie a ‘film noir’ flavour. However, it creates a fundamental shift from Kafka’s source text, which describes cramped buildings and offices.

One of the most interesting aspects of the film is in the casting of Anthony Perkins as Josef K. The legends that have grown up about the making of ‘The Trial’ suggest that Welles persuaded Perkins that K is “Guilty. Guilty as hell!” ‘The Trial’ was released only two years after Perkins’ career apotheosis, playing the disturbed killer Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’. That film was to prove a mixed blessing. It provided Perkins with cinematic immortality, as he starred in one of the greatest and most influential films of all time. But the gangly former Hollywood leading man was typecast forevermore as psychopaths and weirdos. When ‘The Trial’ was released, Perkins’s Norman Bates portrayal was still fresh in the minds of cinema audiences. There wasn’t a hope in hell he would convince as an innocent man wrongly convicted. Whether or not this hampers the film is up for debate, but it certainly influences the viewing experience.

Although uneasy with the way in which he was asked to play the part, Perkins was in awe of working with and starring alongside the legendary Orson Welles, and he later recounted the experience as a career highlight. Present in almost every scene, Perkins’ portrayal of Josef K is exactly what you might expect: awkward, twitchy, neurotic and slightly unhinged. In Perkins’ favour, he is exactly the right age to play the part, and utterly convincing as a paranoiac. As someone who’s always admired him as an actor, and endured a lot of rubbish to watch some of his later films, there is something poignant about his role in ‘The Trial’. Although he would collaborate three further times with Welles (they spent a lot of time together making ‘The Trial’ and became close), those films sank without trace, and, like much of Welles’ output, made no money at all. This one would be Perkins’ final film of any real significance, coming thirty years before the end of his career (when he died, aged 60, in 1992).

The rest of the cast comprises actors that Welles kept in his repertory company and could reliably call on at short notice. There are roles for Akim Tamiroff, Jeanne Moreau and Romy Schneider. You may also spot Michael Lonsdale, later a James Bond villain in ‘Moonraker’. Welles employs lip-synching and dubbing throughout, which is often noticeable but adds to the unreal, dream-like quality of the film.

When ‘The Trial’ was originally released, Welles expressed disappointment that critics and audiences alike failed to pick up on its humour. There aren’t any laugh-out-loud moments, but those that might pass as contenders feel more like exaggerations or heightened reality. Where Welles himself may be tilting towards humour in his performance as the Magistrate, he instead comes across as over the top. Jackie Gleason had been approached for the part but didn’t commit. Saving money, Welles played the role himself. The stark location filming at night in Zagreb, in what was then Yugoslavia (now Croatia), as Josef K helps his neighbour with her heavy suitcase, add to the gloomy atmosphere of the piece. Imposing brutalist Communist architecture provokes little jollity in the viewer. Nor do the strains of Albinoni’s Adagio, which recur throughout. ‘The Trial’ may in fact be the least funny film I’ve ever seen.

Despite the ‘guilty’ central performance and the end product misfiring on the director’s apparent intentions, ‘The Trial’ is a broadly coherent film and a fairly faithful adaptation of a notoriously ‘incomplete’ literary classic. The bookended illustrations of the accused man waiting at the imposing door is incredibly inventive, and foreshadows the events of the film. There is an iconic moment where Perkins reaches up for a handle on a door at least twice his height, so that he may access the trial room set to send him to his doom. Photography of Josef K in an attic room, being spied at like a circus freak through slats in the wooden frame, is memorably disturbing. Shadows against tunnel walls as figures flee recalls ‘The Third Man’, which Welles had starred in. ‘The Trial’ is imperfect, and a touch broad in parts, but it is also thought-provoking and troubling. It is the kind of film that, watched in company, provides plenty of substance for discussion and debate well into the wee small hours.

In the final analysis, although Orson Welles’s ‘The Trial’, is, as Perkins admitted in an interview in the last year of his life, “a bit of a mess”, it is nevertheless ambitious and inventive filmmaking on a shoestring budget that has a genius’s eye for cinema working steadfastly behind the camera. “The best film I have ever made,” Welles once claimed of ‘The Trial’. See it for yourself and decide. Any Orson Welles film intrigues viewers and deserves an audience. This restored 4K UHD release ensures that the black and white footage is as crisp as it has ever been, which brings out the best in the light and dark contrasts that Welles utilises so skilfully in his direction.

The stunning new restoration also comes with a new 53-minute documentary called ‘This is Orson Welles’. Interviews with modern day leading directors such as Martin Scorsese and Peter Bogdanovich are interspersed with archive footage of Welles talking about his work, and some clips of the Hollywood hills, where Welles never really felt at home. There’s also a brand new one-minute trailer.

Cast: Anthony Perkins, Orson Welles, Jeanne Moreau, Romy Schneider, Michael Lonsdale Director: Orson Welles Writer: Orson Welles (based on Franz Kafka) Certificate: PG Duration: 118 mins Released by: Studiocanal Release date: 21st November 2022 Buy ‘The Trial’

The post Orson Welles’s ‘The Trial’ 4K UHD review appeared first on Entertainment Focus.

Watching ‘The Sleeping Tiger’ now, it’s immediately clear that, for a British film of the era, it is a cut above much of the rest. From the opening sequence, in which Dirk Bogarde and his friend Harry Towb hold up a professional psychiatrist (Alexander Knox) at gunpoint, the movie is full of tension, atmosphere, and slick direction. The performances feel alive from the first minute, rather than coming to life part-way through as was so often the case. It feels like a work of art rather than a low-budget potboiler. The reason that the film is classy is that it is directed by Joseph Losey, who would go on to collaborate with Bogarde on memorable titles including ‘Accident’ (1967) and, best of all, ‘The Servant’ (1963). From the opening credits, you wouldn’t know that you were watching a Losey film as he had to keep a low profile owing to his Hollywood blacklisting.

Bogarde plays Frank Clemmons, a young middle-class man with an inquiring mind who has taken the wrong path into violent crime. After holding the psychiatrist Clive Esmond (Alexander Knox) at gunpoint in a failed mugging, Esmond takes the young man into his home for six months to try to break down his barriers and understand why he turned to criminality. In order to get through to him, Esmond has to show Clemmons no weakness or emotion, only patience. But it is a dangerous game to play, because when Esmond isn’t looking, Clemmons embarks on a mission to intimidate his housemaid Sally (Patricia McCarron) and seduce his wife Glenda (Alexis Smith). In the race against time for Esmond to achieve the professional distinction of a breakthrough with his patient, innocent young women face being mortally hurt.

The ebb and flow of the changing relationships within the Esmond household play out with a degree of predictability, but at the same time, ‘The Sleeping Tiger’ is full of satisfying twists and turns that keep the viewer guessing and on tenterhooks. The film is psychologically satisfying, too. Clemmons and Glenda have the measure of one another from the very start, and a simple exchange over the lighting of a cigarette is superficially hostile, but fraught with palpable sexual tension. It’s hard to know who to sympathise with. We see that Clemmons is a manipulative liar, and that in leading Glenda astray, she is betraying her husband and threatening her marriage. At the same time, it’s professional pride rather than adequate care and compassion for his wife that drives Esmond to willingly invite a clearly malign influence into his household in the first place. The fascination is in watching to see how far each character will go, and how deeply they will hurt another in the process. ‘The Sleeping Tiger’, replete with psychobabble that it may be, is a convincing study of the darker side of human nature rarely examined with this level of frankness in British cinema before the 1960s.

With a satisfying script and masterful direction, the performances are all top-notch too. At this stage of his career, Bogarde had rarely been better. Nobody glowered on screen quite as well as he did, and he was already well-versed with playing broken young men holding at bay a torrent of emotion. What he adds in ‘The Sleeping Tiger’ is an animalistic confidence and swagger, that he is clever and talented enough to show cracks in, allowing the audience to know that his tough exterior is merely a charade. His chemistry with Alexis Smith is compelling, and she too signposts the weakening of her defences and her break from a rigid life of dull marital comfort to falling for the temptations of a dangerous stranger with consummate skill. Almost recognising the need to allow the two leads to give the showiest performances, Alexander Knox underplays every scene he’s in, but he is measured and solid.

Look out too for a host of great British acting talent in supporting parts. There’s Hugh Griffith as the police inspector, Harry Towb as Bogarde’s partner in crime, Billie Whitelaw as a receptionist and the dependable Glyn Houston as the housemaid’s unhappy fiancé. The scenes in the nightclub allow for haunting jazz music to aid Clemmons in his seduction of Glenda, enjoyably enhancing the soundtrack.

‘The Sleeping Tiger’ runs to just under an hour and a half and is a breathless gallop, keeping the pace high and the plot forever twisting. It isn’t faultless. There is an implied affection that Esmond’s assistant Carol (Maxine Audley) has for her employer, and to have given that screen time would have added another layer of intrigue for the story, as well as given Audley a more rewarding part. The use of a tiger in artwork in the climatic sequence is also a touch heavy-handed and unnecessary, but it doesn’t diminish the final punch that the film has to offer. Overall, this tight, gripping, clever and brilliantly-performed psychological thriller has much to recommend it. For Losey and Bogarde, it was the start of a special and highly productive professional relationship.

Extra features include a half-hour interview with Bogarde’s official biographer, John Coldstream, who gives an overview of why Bogarde agreed to work with the blacklisted director, as well as a slightly shorter roundup of the movie’s significance by omnipresent film historian Matthew Sweet. Restored for Blu-ray, the black and white print looks better than ever before. You can see every five o’clock shadow hair on Dirk Bogarde’s chin in close-ups. All the better for reading every thought in his character’s mind.

Cast: Dirk Bogarde, Alexis Smith, Alexander Knox, Maxine Audley Director: Joseph Losey (credited as Victor Hanbury) Writers: Harold Buchman, Carl Foreman Certificate: U Duration: 89 mins Released by: Studiocanal Release date: 7th November 2022 Buy ‘The Sleeping Tiger’

[rwp-reviewer-rating-stars id=”0″]

The post ‘The Sleeping Tiger’ Blu-ray review appeared first on Entertainment Focus.

The film sees Schwarzenegger as disgraced FBI agent Mark Kaminski, now working as a small-town sheriff. When a ruthless mobster carries out a hit on an informant, one of the cops caught in the crossfire is the son of Kaminski’s former FBI boss, Harry Shannon (Darren McGavin). Distraught, Shannon hires Kaminski for an off-the-books undercover assignment, promising him a return to the FBI if he brings down Chicago’s top-dog gangster Luigi Patrovita (Sam Wanamaker).

Kaminski accepts, ditching his alcoholic wife without a second thought, faking his death in a chemical plant explosion, and then assumes the identity of a known felon from Miami called Joseph Brenner. Now posing as Brenner he ingratiates himself to Patrovita by taking down a rival’s business, but some of the capos in Patrovita’s organisation are suspicious of this new guy on the block. 

Impressively remastered in a crisp new 4K print, ‘Raw Deal’ is a cynical retread of the ‘Commando’ one-man-army formula. Unfortunately, it is weighed down by an abundance of plot, and a desperate lack of the wit, charisma, lightness of touch, and knowing humour that makes ‘Commando’ such a blast. It even tries to redo the famous “tooling-up” montage and gets it all wrong.

It’s a film that fundamentally fails to play to Schwarzenegger’s strengths, and is all the weaker as a result. At this early point of his career, he could do two things extremely well: be a formidable physical presence, and deliver zinger one-liners. ‘Raw Deal’ makes little to no use of either, and lumbers him with a three-pronged character – former Fed, small-town sheriff, mob enforcer – and he is laughably unconvincing as all three.

John Irvin and his team of writers go out of their way to make what should be a simple undercover cop story, needlessly complicated. It doesn’t work as a thriller as you know that from the casting of Arnie what it’s all going to lead to, so none of the attempts at “who’s the rat?” tension are in any way tense. Thankfully, in between all of the tedious exposition and terrible dialogue, there’s enough explosions and gunfire to keep you mildly entertained.

If you were hoping that this new 4K UHD release would come with a selection of terrific new special features, prepare yourself for even more disappointment. The disc comes with two short featurettes, which have been ported over from a previous 2010 release. The first is a documentary about Arnie’s early career, featuring contributions from a few journalists, and some of his lesser-known filmmaking collaborators. The second is an odd little programme featuring Schwarzenegger biographer Dave Saunders explaining why the film you’ve just watched isn’t very good. Well, I could have told you that.

Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sam Wanamaker, Kathryn Harrold, Darren McGavin, Robert Davi Director: John Irvin Writer: Gary De Vore & Norman Wexler Released By: StudioCanal Certificate: 18 Duration: 105 mins Release Date: 24th October 2022

[rwp-reviewer-rating-stars id=”0″]

The post ‘Raw Deal’ Blu-ray review appeared first on Entertainment Focus.

Revisiting ‘The Piano’ three decades since it was made, it’s not hard to see why it captured the imagination on its inception and came to be considered a modern classic. New Zealander Campion places her country’s history and amazing topography in the foreground of the film. Stunning yet aesthetically-contrasting sequences take place on a golden beach and within dense verdant forests where it seems to rain perpetually. The visuals are sumptuous throughout.

The story is set in the mid-1800s. Ada McGrath (Holly Hunter), mute following a trauma, has been sold into marriage by her father. She arrives on a foreign shore with her daughter Flora (Anna Paquin). Maori tribesmen bring her possessions ashore, but her new husband, frontiersman and forester Alisdair Stewart (Sam Neill), says that the piano is too heavy to be carried and has to be left. Ada lives for music, and is distraught that her piano is abandoned on the beach, but her silent protestations are in vain. Nevertheless, it sets up an unhappy and cold marriage between her and Alisdair. When Alisdair’s neighbour George Baines (Harvey Keitel) learns of Ada’s longing for the return of her piano, he comes to an arrangement with Alisdair and brings the instrument to his property. This gives him the leverage to develop an arrangement with Ada that she can play the piano in return for lessons, and sexual favours, behind Alisdair’s back. Ada is trapped between the cold possessiveness of her husband, the raw and sensual demands of Baines, and her desire to play her piano. Conflicting emotions tear her in different directions.

Although the basis of the plot is a classic love triangle, there is nothing straightforward about ‘The Piano’. Nor are the characters and their motives presented in a cosy black and white fashion. There are no good or virtuous people in the world of Campion’s film, but rather each one is a complex jumble of selfishness and self-sacrifice. Out in the untamed wilderness of the forest, passions run high and bring out long-dormant feelings.

The relationship between Ada and her daughter Flora is just as compelling as the interplay between Ada and the two men vying for her love. Although the mother/daughter bond is entirely credible, there is a troubling inequality to it. Flora is not only her mother’s interpreter, she also at times tries to act as her conscience in order to prevent Ada from landing herself in yet more trouble. By the end of the film, Ada is making decisions that give no thought at all to the welfare of her child. That element, and the deeply unsavoury relationships between Ada and the two men, neither of which is chivalrous, provide audiences with plenty of food for thought. There is a maturity to the storytelling and, for cinema, a rare complexity to the characters that feels more like it belongs to literature. Save for Anna Paquin’s sensitive portrayal of young Flora, there aren’t any characters audiences automatically sympathise with. Instead, the stunning cinematography and vivid landscapes belie a darker heart at the centre of the film.

Another component that helped the film to register in the public psyche is the score. Michael Nyman’s distinctive piano solo piece has become ubiquitous, but it remains undeniably powerful. The music recalls both the tumultuous relations Ada has with the men in her life as well as the changeable nature of the land and the climate she must survive in. The film has stood the test of time, helped no doubt by the period setting. The female leads undoubtedly deserved their Academy Awards, but the actors have enough material to make an impression. With Jurassic Park among his other credits in 1993, Sam Neill had a great year. In ‘The Piano’ he gets to show aspects of his range rarely seen on the screen – cruelty, anger and manipulation. Nevertheless, he is a subtle actor, and instils within Alisdair enough inherent decency to ensure that he is, as with the other characters, suitably enigmatic, leaving audiences conflicted about his fate. Harvey Keitel grabs the opportunity to do something different with both hands. Not only is his Scottish accent impressive, but every other aspect of his performance too. He immerses himself into the role of Baines, and plays the shift in his attitude, which changes Ada’s feelings towards him, with consummate skill.

‘The Piano’ is a film of standout moments that leave a vivid impression in viewers’ minds. The overall impact is one of aesthetic beauty intertwined with emotional brutality. There are imperfections, notably periods of stillness where the pace drops or frames are repetitive. One moment suggestive of the supernatural feels oddly ill-at-ease with the world of the film, and that had the effect of taking me out of the story momentarily. But despite one or two reservations, ‘The Piano’ is a stunning near-masterpiece. Its moral ambiguity will leave you thinking about it for days afterwards, and the performances marry together explosively. This cast plays brilliantly off one another.

Studiocanal’s brand new restoration looks and sounds stunning in 4K UHD. To appreciate the full effect of the vivid New Zealand locations, the film has to be seen in the highest definition. This release also contains a host of extra features. This includes brand new interviews with cinematographer Stuart Dryburgh, whose contribution to the success of the film cannot be overstated, as well as with production designer Andrew McAlpine and Maori advisor Waihoroi Shortland. An interview with Jane Campion and Jan Chapman, along with a ‘making of’ and ’25 Years On’ have been included on earlier iterations of the film’s releases for home entertainment.

Cast: Holly Hunter, Anna Paquin, Sam Neill, Harvey Keitel Director: Jane Campion Writer: Jane Campion Certificate: 12 Duration: 120 mins Released by: Studiocanal Release date: 5th September 2022 Buy ‘The Piano’

[rwp-reviewer-rating-stars id=”0″]

The post ‘The Piano’ 4K UHD review appeared first on Entertainment Focus.

‘They Who Dare’ takes its name from the motto of the Special Air Service (SAS), “Who Dares Wins”. Dirk Bogarde plays Lieutenant Graham, who is put in charge of Operation Anglo. His mission is to bring his men secretly to Rhodes, and to use Greek officers and local guides to help them navigate the difficult terrain. Splitting into two parties, they are tasked with blowing up German airfields. They must then make the difficult journey back to where they came ashore and make good their escape at sea. The problem beyond the difficult topography is that the whole island is teeming with Italian soldiers. In summary, their mission is daring, risky, and almost impossible to successfully pull off. But orders are orders.

At this stage in his career, Dirk Bogarde was a well-established leading man, and one year earlier he had played a Lancaster Bomber in ‘Appointment in London‘. In his mid-30s at the time, gloweringly good-looking and rather saturnine, he was the natural choice to play driven, slightly obsessive young men. His rapport with Denholm Elliott, which carries an often below-the-surface tension for most of the film, is what makes the movie succeed and retains interest in it for fans of their work. There are other notable actors appearing too. It is pleasing to see Bogarde and Elliott share a lot of screen time with a fresh-faced William Russell, some years before he starred in ‘The Great Escape’ and then became the first ever ‘Doctor Who’ companion (alongside Jacqueline Hill) in 1963. There are opportunities for the Greek actors to shine, and Akim Tamiroff is especially memorable as one of the Captains.

The film is directed by Lewis Milestone, a two-time Academy Award-winner, who was behind the camera for ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ (1930), ‘Ocean’s 11’ (1960) and ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ (1962). Although not Milestone’s most stand-out work, it’s clearly the product of an assured and competent director. He makes a relatively small budget go a long way. Behind the scenes, Milestone was a hard taskmaster, ensuring that the actors’ backpacks for carrying their military equipment were loaded with significant weights, believing that they would not pull off acting as if they were heavy. Bogarde later recalled that, “…we all struggled into them and we fell flat on our faces before him.”

One element that can detract from audience’s viewing pleasure is the purple hue that saturates the screen for protracted “day for night” shooting. For the story to make sense, much of it has to be set after dark, but of course filming in such conditions is difficult and expensive, even more so back then. Despite that, the Cypriot locations are well-chosen and add an additional layer of character to the film. There is also the feeling that Robert Westerby’s script has undergone a lot of redrafting, and the action takes on a meandering pace at times. Although Bogarde and Elliott play well-written parts, there is not enough convincing camaraderie among the supporting actors to fully flesh out the film with characters you care about. It is, however, as explained by military historian Saul David in the extra feature interview, a fairly faithful telling of the events of Operation Anglo, and for that, the film deserves more credit than it gets.

If you like action adventure and testosterone-driven (women appear only fleetingly, and invariably stereotypically) World War Two movies from the period just after the war itself, then ‘They Who Dare’ has plenty to recommend it. The fascinating interview with Saul David puts the historical events depicted in the film into context. Restoration work on the film print makes it look sharper than ever before, though as with almost all British films of the era, the colour contrast dates it. I’ve always found Dirk Bogarde a compelling actor, and his central performance, and sparring chemistry with Denholm Elliott ensure that ‘They Who Dare’ can still captivate audiences almost seven decades after it was filmed. ‘They Who Dare’ is a welcome addition to Studiocanal’s Vintage Classics collection.

Cast: Dirk Bogarde, Denholm Elliott, Akim Tamiroff, Gerard Oury, William Russell, Sam Kydd Director: Lewis Milestone Writer: Robert Westerby Certificate: PG Duration: 107 mins Released by: Studiocanal Release date: 5th September 2022 Buy ‘They Who Dare’

[rwp-reviewer-rating-stars id=”0″]

The post ‘They Who Dare’ Blu-ray review appeared first on Entertainment Focus.

‘The Third Man’ sees pulp fiction writer Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) arrive in Vienna to meet his old friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles), only to discover that Lime has been killed in a suspicious car accident. Something doesn’t add up though, and Martins begins asking too many questions. He ends up entangled with Lime’s mistress Anna (Alida Valli), and getting in the way of the investigation led by the British Military Police commander, Major Calloway (Trevor Howard).

As witnesses start disappearing, Martins becomes convinced something is rotten about this case, and demands the police take it seriously. But his interference only puts him in further danger, as he must confront some truths about his friend Harry Lime that he’d rather not know. It cannot be overstated just how good ‘The Third Man’ is. An endlessly entertaining and thrilling crime movie, but also a vividly striking film noir. 

Robert Krasker’s cinematography is on another level. This is one of the most visually stunning pictures from any era of filmmaking. There are images in ‘The Third Man’ that are beyond iconic. The depth of image and extraordinary detail in each frame have led to theories and apocryphal tales over the years that Welles may have had a hand in the filmmaking. It’s all nonsense of course, but speaks to what a great job Reed and Krasker did.

Reed’s direction is so expertly calibrated. Every scene is elegantly structured. Every image is perfectly composed. His use of tilted angles and exquisite wide shots, perfectly capturing the broken post-war Vienna, destroyed and crumbling. Light and shadow have arguably never been so well utilised. But make no mistake, this film isn’t just pretty pictures of Vienna. It has an all-timer script from novelist Graham Greene. Dense, layered, full of darkness and complexity and incredible dialogue. Every character, even those with the smallest parts, are given depth and nuance.

Anchoring all of this is the mighty central performance from Joseph Cotten. The classic film-noir protagonist, he is relatively naïve and innocent, before getting dragged into a world of darkness he can’t believe exists. Then you’ve got Welles. The proto “Brando as Kurtz” larger than life star, who is barely in the film, but once he turns up he draws everyone and everything into his orbit. It’s one of the great supporting performances. His extraordinary monologue on the Ferris wheel still chills your blood.

We’ve not mentioned the music yet. Who would expect an entire score of Austrian folk music played on a zither for a film-noir? But my god it works. It’s catchy, jaunty, strangely melancholic, and just goes perfectly with the film. You couldn’t imagine ‘The Third Man’ with one of those big lush orchestral scores. Anton Karas’s work on this film was so iconic, the first few bars of the theme are engraved on his headstone.

The special features on the disc are kicked off with an audio commentary featuring the film’s assistant director (and future director of four James Bond films) Guy Hamilton, internationally renowned actor and Orson Welles biographer Simon Callow, and also Angela Allen who was script supervisor on ‘The Third Man’.

‘Shadowing The Third Man’ is a feature length documentary produced by StudioCanal, directed by Frederick Baker and narrated by John Hurt. The documentary charts the production of the film, and features new and archival interviews from the main cast and crew.

Next up is a short interview with zither player Cornelia Mayer, who of course also treats us to a performance of the Harry Lime theme. The next special feature is an interactive map of Vienna on which you can select different areas to see how it looked during the film compared to how looks in the present day. It also shows which scenes from the film were shot there, and also a Vienna tour guide provides further information. You could spend a long time exploring this special feature.

‘The Third Man on the Radio’ is a 30-minute radio play from 1951 written and performed by Orson Welles. This is a wonderful little addition to the disc and makes for a great listen. He really is the greatest radio performer ever. This is followed by two audio only interviews with Joseph Cotten and Graham Greene at the National Film Theatre from 1987 and 1984 respectively.

There’s an alternate opening to the film, with narration by Joseph Cotten rather than Carol Reed as used in the final film. ‘The Third Man: A Filmmaker’s Influence’ is a short programme featuring notable directors talking about their love of the film and how it has influenced their careers. Contributors include Martin Scorsese, Ben Wheatley, and John Sayles.

The disc is rounded out with a 20-minute documentary about the 4K digital restoration, followed by ‘Dangerous Edge’ a PBS documentary from 2012 all about the life of Graham Greene. 

For more information on the StudioCanal Vintage Classics collection, visit the recently launched website. This treasure trove of detail takes film fans deeper into their favourite films with behind-the-scenes stills, never-seen-before vintage campaign books, specially commissioned writing, clips, extras and trailers.

[rwp-reviewer-rating-stars id=”0″]

The post ‘The Third Man’ Blu-ray review appeared first on Entertainment Focus.

To celebrate this landmark, we have taken a dive into this wonderful selection of British cinema, and selected some of our favourite Vintage Classic titles to revisit. Our first choice was Michael Powell’s beguiling, visually stunning masterpiece ‘Peeping Tom’. One of the most controversial films ever made in Britain, and restored by StudioCanal in 2010 to mark the film’s 50th anniversary.

You often hear of filmmakers being sent to “movie jail”. The story goes that some poor director will helm a financial failure or two, and therefore studios no longer want to hire them. They spend a few years in “movie jail” atoning for their sins and rebuilding their reputation, and eventually they might be allowed to make a comeback. 

It’s a far rarer thing for a director to make a film that doesn’t just send them to movie jail, but completely tanks their entire career as well. That is what happened to Michael Powell after the release of ‘Peeping Tom’. The film was so notorious, and so critically reviled, he was never able to make a film in Britain or America ever again. One of the most renowned filmmakers in the world, and his career was effectively over.

The film tells the story of Mark Lewis (Carl Boehm) a young photographer and cameraman in London, who murders women whilst filming them with a portable camera, allowing him to capture their dying expression of fear and horror. Making lurid use of light and colour, ‘Peeping Tom’ is both a shocking serial killer movie, and also a fascinating vision of the violating and voyeuristic nature of filmmaking.

Powell is an extraordinarily ambitious filmmaker, who throughout his career always understood the danger of art, the danger of creating, and how artistic obsession can drive someone to be willing to die for their art. With ‘Peeping Tom’ he took this to the logical next step, and explored the disturbed psyche of an artist who is willing to kill for their art.

Often compared with ‘Psycho’ which was released two months after ‘Peeping Tom’, and to much greater acclaim, both films deal with mild-mannered young men, who have voyeuristic tendencies, issues with their parents, and an uncontrollable desire to murder people. It’s fascinating that one went on to become one of the key texts in film history, and the other was swept under the rug and essentially forgotten for two decades.

It is now rightly recognised as the influential prototype slasher film, which dared to take viewers into the mind of a psychopath. Carl Boehm gives a chillingly sympathetic and disturbed performance, filled with so much pain and fear. But ultimately it is the genius of Powell that takes your breath away. He knew that cinema was a voyeuristic artform, albeit from the safety of a darkened movie theatre. With ‘Peeping Tom’ he turned the gaze and made the viewer complicit, and audiences and critics alike were horrified. An extraordinary film, which still possesses the power to disturb.

This excellent release from StudioCanal comes with an audio commentary from historian and professor of film Ian Christie. There is also a terrific introduction from one of Powell’s greatest cheerleaders, Martin Scorsese. ‘Eye of the Beholder’ is an exceptional short documentary from 2005 about Michael Powell and the making of ‘Peeping Tom’. This programme features extensive contributions from Ian Christie, Martin Scorsese, and Thelma Schoonmaker.

‘The Strange Gaze of Mark Lewis’ is a 25-minute French programme from 2004 produced by Studiocanal with Bertrand Tavernier, Charles Drazin, and Olivier Bouvet taking a more academic and psychoanalytic view of ‘Peeping Tom’.

Next up is a ten-minute interview with renowned filmmaker and Oscar winning editor, Thelma Schoonmaker, who was married to Michael Powell from 1984 until his death in 1990. Schoonmaker has been very active, in collaboration with Martin Scorsese in ensuring Powell’s work has been preserved and restored for future generations to discover. In this interview she talks about Peeping Tom, the vociferous reaction it received, and the damage it did to his career. He was only 55 when the film was released. As Schoonmaker comments, imagine if Scorsese hadn’t been allowed to make any films after 1997 when he was the same age. Think of the films we’d have missed.

This excellent release is completed with a short restoration comparison, revealing the incredible work done to bring this visually sumptuous film back to life. There’s also a trailer and a gallery of stills from behind the scenes.

For more information on the StudioCanal Vintage Classics collection, visit the recently launched website. This treasure trove of detail takes film fans deeper into their favourite films with behind-the-scenes stills, never-seen-before vintage campaign books, specially commissioned writing, clips, extras and trailers.

[rwp-reviewer-rating-stars id=”0″]

The post ‘Peeping Tom’ blu-ray review appeared first on Entertainment Focus.