Change Your Image
MarvellousMedicine
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
Good Omens: Chapter 4: The Hitchhiker featuring the minisode Nazi Zombie Flesheaters (2023)
League of Gentlemen meets Good Omens
I suppose it shouldn't have been a surprise, seeing as Michael Sheen played Jeremy Dyson in the film League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse to see the guys back as nazi zombies, in a follow-up to the WW2 flashback in Good Omens 1.
Reece Shearsmith is great as the demon who may as well have been called Geoff.
Perhaps the minisodes are not everyone's cup of tea, but it felt like I was watching Good Omens and L. O. G at the same time and it was delightful.
Back to Good Omens, this episode finally convinced me that Crowley is more of and angel that Aziraphale. The bit about never having shot a gun before, to Aziraphale's bemusement sort of confirmed it.
This episode is my favourite of the series.
I do wonder who replaced Mr Fell on stage the follow evening, Legsakimbo?
Q Planes (1939)
Can Someone Please Clone Ralph Richardson!
Oh my, what a delight. Good old Ralph made outshining Larry on screen look as easy as taking your pet mouse for a walk. (Yes that's right Ralph Richardson used to take his pet mice for walks).
Plots a bit silly, but it's just good fun all round. The scenes in the kitchen between Ralph and Larry, and than Valerie and Larry was very charming indeed.
Definitely a good Sunday afternoon movie if you don't want something too serious and you're fed up of James Bond films being repeated on a loop.
The Four Feathers (1939)
To be viewed in historical context
Yes this film is based on a novel that is 118 years old, and filmed some 81 years ago. It provides a window into the psyche of the British mentality of this period in time.
You don't have to agree with how things used to be but just accept that was the way of things back then. You are watching a slice of cultural history. The story is good, especially the parts in the desert, and the cinematography excellent especially for its time.
The absolute star of this film is of course Sir Ralph Richardson. He is such a joy to watch on screen and knows exactly how to play his part to perfection.
The Heiress (1949)
Amazing performance by Olivia De Havilland
I love old movies where we get to see the actresses outshine their male co-stars, and where the female characters are not there for decoration.
Olivia De Havilland certainly proves herself worthy in this film. I especially like her transformation from naive, simple, wallflower into a cold-hearted, and wealthy spinster.
Mr. Denning Drives North (1951)
Mills not quite convincing enough as a hot tempered murderer
Mr Denning played by that nice, lovable Mr Mills, murders his daughter's lover because he's a bit too shady and a bit too foreign. Mills then loses his marbles because he's managed to get away with it, but there's no escaping his own conscience.
Mills' then undertakes some hapless wanderings about the countryside with ridiculous spectacles and a large trench coat. He starts to get us to sympathise with him, and never mind what happens to the gypsies he drags into the affair.
By the end of the film, despite Mills' best attempts to get himself hung for murder, he gets off Scot-free with his family willing to go home and forget all about how daddy cracked a man's head open and dumped his body in a ditch.
Tunes of Glory (1960)
Mills and Guinness showcase the greatest performances of their respective careers
I don't know why we British haven't more affection for Tunes of Glory, it demonstrates how a film can be made to perfection simply by allowing it's two star players to act. There is nothing flashy, there is no especially amazing plot devices, you are captivated by the performances of Mills and Guinness. It's quite simply the best performances given by both men.
I have said this before in other reviews of Mills' work, he can display so much, so simply with his facial expressions and his expressive eyes. He only has to look at the camera in a certain way to convey the deepest emotions. His portrayal of Barrow is the pinnacle of his achievements (and there is a lot to compare it to), Mills' portrayal of men driven to the point of insanity was surely his forte. This performance is understated, with one poignant and deliberate outburst, everything else about Barrow is pure inner pain, magnificently achieved by erratic facial twitching. When you read his autobiography or see him in interviews Mills always states how lucky a man he was, and how wonderful his life had been. What on earth were those inner demons and tragedies he used to turn to when playing these characters? Perhaps there never were any, then by god that's some bloody good acting right there, and by an actor with no formal training either. Yet we only seem to want to lionise him for his 2D military films.
But one stellar performance is not enough to make a film gold standard, and we are treated to another superior performance, perhaps even the better performance of the two. Guinness knocks the socks off of us with his performance as Sinclair. It is truly fantastic, and the final scene is perhaps the greatest scene you will ever see him in. Before I saw this film I was dubious, Guinness playing a rowdy, flame-haired Scot, full of whiskey and bullying Mills? I just didn't think it would have been possible, Guinness does not come across as that kind of masculine figure. Just compare these two in Great Expectations. Your money would be on Pip, not Pocket if they were to have ever relived their boyhood scrap, and as they both aged Mills was definitely the more physical actor of the two. But Guinness not only proves us all wrong he becomes Sinclair so convincingly, he gives his character so many aspects to delight in. In the space of 5 minutes he turns Sinclair's character into one near identical to Barrow the loss of his family, his regiment, his sanity, you end up feeling more sorry for him than you did Barrow. This film is the reason why Guinness deserves to be known as the greatest British film actor of all time.
The Singer Not the Song (1961)
Once Upon A Time in 1960/1961
... An actor (Bogarde) under contract had no choice but to work on a film he knew was never going to be anything special owing to the miscasting of his co-star. Mills is too old at 52 to be playing this role.
Rank Wanted Dirk to sign another contract with them so the director (Baker) was told to let Bogarde do whatever Bogarde wanted to do. Bogarde decides to ramp up the camp and help turn this rather overlong film from mediocrity into a cult classic, for all the wrong reasons.
As if things aren't bad enough on set, Mills decides to start a near 40 year feud between him and Bogarde. Bogarde apparently had a bit of a breakdown during filming over it. Whatever Mills said or did, he felt the need to put it right when he heard Dirk was dying and apologised (according to Mills' autobiography). Probably something to do with Bogarde's step son (for want of a better word), and Mills disapproved of how the lad was being parented on location. Tensions between the two are heightened because of Mills' popularity with the crew, and Bogarde's increasingly odd behaviour.
Then we have the screenplay adaptation from the novel. Homosexuality is worked into the story, probably to liven the whole thing up a bit. The script called for Anacleto to explicitly inform Locha that he was in love with Fr Keogh. According to Bogarde's biographer, Bogarde couldn't bring himself to say it, such was his loathing for Mills. This line was re-written to be a little less obvious and in doing so ensuring half the audience missed this forbidden love aspect of the film. Ironically though it probably meant it got past the censors and the catholic's embraced the film as a debate on faith.
In the book Locha has an infatuation with the priest which Anacleto exploits, Fr Keogh has no desire for Locha, he just makes Anacleto think he does and double crosses him (in order to save Locha and the town from Anacleto). This leads to the shoot out at the end.
I have absolutely no idea whether this is meant to be happening in the film or not? I can't tell from Mills' performance whether he is in love with Locha or Anacleto, both, or none of them at all? It's a very bizarre love triangle.
By the way Mills did a better job of an Irish accent in the Gentle Gunman, alongside Bogarde about decade beforehand. Baker should have pulled him up on it. Mills did a fantastic portrayal of a man in love with his best friend in the film The Family Way. His performance as Ezra Fitton is one of his greatest achievements. So therefore by the standard of his performance in TSNTS we can assume Mills' is just as fed up with the whole thing as everyone else was.
One can only imagine how both actors must have hated that final scene!! Poor Bogarde having to embrace Mills like that after the man had sent him to the verge of a nervous breakdown.
This film is unique. It's just about held together by Bogarde and Mills. They do just enough to make it interesting, but not enough for us to understand what their characters are meant to be feeling.
The only reason why this film is getting an 8 from me is because it has the audience scratching it's head over what the true meaning of the film is all about. You end up with some pretty heavy interpretations, it's all about the message! No wait, it's all about who is delivering the message! No it's all about forbidden love of a celibate priest and a young woman! No it's all about the forbidden love of two men who love each other (back in 1961 at least)! In the end we really only have the title to go on.
I can see why this film is a cult classic, it's so bad it's good, and all the happenings behind the scenes and Bogarde's subversion of the film makes it even more enjoyable.
I really would like to see it available to buy in widescreen format. A widescreen version does exist on YouTube but it's so grainy you miss a lot of the facial emotions of Bogarde and Mills. The pan and scan copy you get on DVD cuts out parts of crucial scenes.
I don't know if there is sufficient interest in this film to warrant a good HD widescreen issue, but If there ever is I'd buy it.
The History of Mr. Polly (1949)
You will know within 5 minutes if you will get this film or not
Ever found yourself caught up in a daydream when you should be doing something more important? But just can't help it and prefer to live there than in reality?
Ever wondered what your place in the world is and tried so hard to fit in and follow convention? even though deep down you're not really sure if a conventional life is the one you'd really Belong in?
If you Can relate to these sentiments this is the film for you. You will instantly recognise yourself in Mr Polly. Otherwise I concede you will not understand the appeal of this film. Mr Polly is not meant to be a hero he is just a man who finally finds the courage to follow the beat of his own drum. He starts the film a work shy oddball, one of life's failures who has fallen into a domestic situation with his cousin and contemplates Suicide. But he can't even do this right. Realising that at nearly 40 that if you don't like Your life you can change it instead of ending it, he sets off into the countryside and finds his place in the world.
It's an unusual topic for a film and therefore as time has marched on It's peculiarity has helped to turn it into a minor gem.
John Mills plays the part of Mr Polly wonderfully. This is also the first film he produced and shows he was keen to flex his acting abilities. Apparently the audiences at the time didn't like him playing a middle-aged odd ball, but Modern audiences will be free to see his characterisation without the preconceptions of John Mills being the definitive military hero. The rest of the cast are good too, even Juliet does a good turn as Uncle Jim's Niece.
The musical score is very good and really adds to the comedy/action scenes of the fight with Uncle Jim and the Suicide Attempt. Sometimes the films scores In old films can be a bit too much for my liking, but not in this case.
Dunkirk (1958)
A good film to show children about Dunkirk
I much prefer this film over Nolan's version. I am a big fan of historical accuracy over sensational plot improvements for modern audiences.
Modern audiences may not like old films because the British of the 1940s are very different to the British of the 2020s.
The stiff upper lip, class system and clipped English are mostly long gone now. These films should really be viewed as period classics now. Much like we should expect a Shakespeare play or Dickens adaptation to be of its time.
We should also accept those who were responsible for making these films in the first place all had first hand experiences of WW2 either in service or on the home front. By and large the films of 1950s probably hold more accurate and less propaganda elements than films of the 1940s.
I purchased the Blu-ray restoration of Dunkirk for my young children to learn so much more about the Dunkirk evacuation (owing to a recent anniversary of this event) than I could have ever hoped to explain. Thankfully films of this era were subject to strict censorship, which makes viewing with children possible (my children are aged 4-7). Yes there are parts of this film that were upsetting for them but none of them had nightmares. They were glued to the film and they have watched it twice now. It's so nice to be able to watch a film with children that does not hold back on the realities of war and defeat.
Personally I really like the parts of the film set in France following Tubby and his men. This is probably because my grandfather was in the BEF at the time and was part of the evacuation. I don't know what hell he went through because he never told us, but I can certainly see why at the time so much of the film focusses on this little squad. John Mills is playing the role of every Dunkirk BEF veteran for the families in the audience. He was so good at these types of role. My children also liked the character Tubby Bins most of all and didn't really understand the events back on the home front which is to be expected at their age.
For anyone wishing to purchase this film the Blu-ray comes with wonderful colour footage filmed by John Mills and his wife. Some of the scenes he is in are filmed by his wife at the same time but you get to see them in colour.
The October Man (1947)
A must see for any John Mills fan
Enough has already been said about the plot of this film, so I won't go into that aspect of it.
Anyone who is fan of John Mills will not be disappointed by this film. Up until this point Mills had mostly spent the last decade and a half as a matinee idol portraying England's blue-eyed son, dutifully packed off to war with a cheeky smile on his face.
In the October Man we get to see him portray a character suffering PTSD, trying to rebuild his life and facing prejudice for suffering mental illness. Sadly times have not much changed, you only have to look at what happens to our ex-service men who end up homeless and abandoned on the streets of Britain. These tortured characters he would portray in later films of the 50's and 60's, most famously as gin-soaked Captain Anson (Ice Cold in Alex), but perhaps even better as Colonel Barrow (Tunes of Glory).
A slight man, with expressive eyes and facial features he knew exactly how to use these physical attributes to convey to the audience genuine emotional feeling. He is after all, one of only a few actors to win an Academy Award for a role that had no dialogue (Ryan's Daughter).
It would be fair to say without Mills this film would be average at best, and you really don't know what he is going to do at the end of the film when we hear the train approaching.