...that Ealing touch

At Screen St Ives we recently showed the 1942 classic WENT THE DAY WELL?, to a packed and extremely enthusiastic audience.  It is a testament to Ealing, the relatively small, independent studio that produced this film, that their output is still delighting audiences some 70 years later.

Perhaps part of what still captivates us in a film like this are the unexpected eccentricities;  Peter Bradshaw memorably describes WENT THE DAY WELL? as:-

a wartime conspiracy thriller, a black-comic nightmare and a surrealist masterpiece in which stoutly English-seeming army types reveal themselves to be Nazis, like the reflected figures turning their backs on us in René Magritte's mirror.

Reminded of Laugharne

Dylan Thomas' Boat House, Laugharne

Last year my wife and I had a very enjoyable holiday in the Welsh town most famous for its association with the great poet Dylan Thomas: Laugharne.  I was reminded of this when I came across two items related to Thomas.  

Alan Clarke's Elephant (1989)

By chance, I found that someone had uploaded this gem to YouTube, in its entirety.

If you've never seen Alan Clarke's ELEPHANT before, I would strongly suggest you watch it now, in one sitting, with no preconceptions.  It's 40 minutes long.

You may not thanks me, but here it goes...

About Elly

My 2012 Cambridge Film Festival experience began on a real high this September when I saw ABOUT ELLY.  I recently saw this Iranian film a second time and it made an even bigger impression.

Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin - Live

The first time I heard a Nik Bärtsch's Ronin track was in one of Sid Smith's (always enjoyable) podcasts.  I was working on something, casually listening to Sid's selection in the background.  At first the Ronin track made little impression, it seemed rather repetitive and harmonically bland.  Gradually, though, it began to tug at my attention: what seemed like a simple repetitive rhythm revealed itself as a rather intriguing, addictive cross-current of rhythms, evolving almost imperceptibly into new intricate yet fascinating patterns, always building tension, working towards an ever more gripping finale.  I was hooked.  

I've been hooked ever since.

...a few observations on Ozu's 'Late Spring'...

The more I watch the exquisitely crafted, understated, finely balanced films of Yasujiro Ozu, the more enchanted I become.

Mark Cousins recently hosted a live messaging session on Twitter as Film 4 screened Ozu's 1949 classic LATE SPRING.  I unfortunately missed it, but managed to capture the chain of tweets here.  

...a quick look at Monsoon Wedding...

It was a pleasure to see Monsoon Wedding (2001) again on the big screen, courtesy of this month's Screen St Ives presentation, particularly when the audience reaction was so warm and enthusiastic (average audience rating a very strong 4.3 out of 5).