alandolton Reviews

To Be Twenty (1978)

Memorable film with horrifying ending

[7/10 · 23 May 2024]

This film received similar treatment to the British classic 'The Wicker Man' in that the director's version was too negative and horrifying for the producers, so that it was released in a severely shortened version. Both versions are included on the Raro Video region 2 DVD. It is not immediately clear from the packaging which disc is which, but Disc 1 is the censored version (versione rimontada) which lasts for 81 minutes, and Disc 2 is the director's cut which lasts for 94 minutes. The director's cut includes some full nudity from a young couple (uncredited extras rather than named actors) on a beach within the first three minutes, which is cut from the censored version, so it soon becomes clear which version one is watching. I don't think the censored version is worthwhile, because it substantially tones down the basic point of the film, which is a criticism of the 1970s hippy counter-culture. Both Guida and Carati are good actresses and both were very attractive women, which seems to have misled some reviewers into overlooking just how obnoxious and selfish their characters are. The early scene in which they steal food in a small supermarket and eat some of it while in the shop should be an adequate indication that these are two young women with no sense of right or wrong. Nevertheless, their eventual fate (in the director's cut) at the hands of a gang of rednecks is one of the most horrifying endings of any film I have seen. It reminded me of the treatment of Susan George's character by some Cornish 'rednecks' in 'Straw Dogs', but it is much more graphically depicted and is taken to its logical conclusion. This is not an enjoyable film, but it is a memorable one and the director's cut is worth watching for anyone who can accept that it does not have a happy ending.

The Mouth Agape (1974)

Sad film, with beautiful photography

[7/10 · 10 April 2021]

This is a sad film with beautiful photography and some haunting music. It deals, graphically and unflinchingly, with the gradual death of a woman. Both the male characters (her husband and son) are portrayed as unsympathetic and incorrigible philanderers. The son (Philippe, played by Philippe Leotard) is married to a strikingly attractive woman (played by Nathalie Baye) yet he still cheats on her. Incidentally the cast list on IMDb seems to credit two different women as playing the part of Corinne, one of the women with whom Philippe goes to bed. The actress playing this part is in fact the strikingly attractive Marie-Blanche Dehaux, and she gives a good cameo performance. The film is an interesting reminder of the fashions in 1974, and is also a reminder of the casual racism and anti-immigrant prejudice which was apparently normal in rural France at that time.

Black Killer (1971)

Good performances from Marina Malfatti and Tiziana Dini

[7/10 · 8 April 2021]

This film features good performances by the Italian actresses Marina Malfatti and Tiziani Dini. Bizarrely, although Malfatti is correctly credited in several of the earlier reviews on IMDb, and is also correctly credited on Wkikpedia, the cast list for this title on IMDb has been changed (vandalised) within the last year or so to credit Malfatti's part to a little-known actress named Marina Rabissi. I attempted to correct this some months ago, but the change has not been made. Malfatti looks convincing as a Native American, but the weakest feature of this film is the 'brownface' make-up of some of the Italian actors playing the O'Hara brothers who are the villains of this movie.

Bill Brand (1976)

Passionate, partisan 1970s political drama

[6/10 · 21 October 2019]

I can remember enjoying this series when it was first broadcast in the summer of 1976. Not having seen it for 35 years, I bought the DVD to see how it would appear so much later. Bill Brand is a socialist who is selected as Labour candidate for a Lancashire textile constituency, following the death of the sitting Labour MP. He holds the seat with a small majority. Although Brand is married with two young children, he is having an affair with an attractive young woman named Alex (an excellent performance by Cherie Lunghi). Early in the series, Brand's wife begins divorce proceedings. Brand also gets into trouble with the Labour whips for voting against the Labour government. There is a very strong supporting cast. Arthur Lowe plays the Prime Minister, Arthur Watson (loosely based on Harold Wilson) - although he does not get much screen time. Alan Badel has a major role as David Last, a left-wing Cabinet minister and member of the 'Journal group' (a character clearly based on Michael Foot). Geoffrey Palmer and Nigel Hawthorne both appear as Government ministers from the Gaitskellite wing of the Labour party. Looking back 36 years after the series was broadcast, the series' weaknesses are obvious. Brand's political opponents are stereotypes. Although we are clearly meant to sympathise with Brand's politics, his behaviour towards his wife is appalling. The writer, Trevor Griffiths, was unduly pessimistic in his political forecasting. During the series the Prime Minister resigns through ill-health and is replaced by a Gaitskellite who has no sympathy with the traditional Labour left. In reality Wilson was succeeded by Jim Callaghan, a centrist who wished to keep the party united: he in turn was subsequently succeeded by Michael Foot, and the Gaitskellites left the Labour Party to form the SDP. Finally, it is unfortunate that Griffiths chose to give Brand's mistress the same name as a well-known former Rangers footballer: I can remember this being criticised in 1976 by Rangers supporters who felt that Griffiths (a Catholic) was deliberately baiting them, and it seems even more inappropriate given that the footballer in question subsequently developed into one of Britain's most successful managers. Despite these weaknesses, I still found the series remarkably gripping and very watchable as a reminder of British politics in the 1970s.