The Masque of the Red Death

 Year of Release:  1964

Director:  Roger Corman

Screenplay:  Charles Beaumont and R. Wright Campbell, based on the short stories "The Masque of the Red Death" and "Hop-Frog" by Edgar Allan Poe

Starring:  Vincent Price, Hazel Court, Jane Asher

Running Time:  90 minutes

Genre:  Horror

Medieval Italy, a pestilence called the "Red Death" ravages the countryside.  The evil Prince Prospero (Price) and his friends and courtiers hole up in his palatial castle to wait out the epidemic.  To pass the time, Prospero decrees a lavish masquerade to be held.

This was the seventh of producer/director Roger Corman's series of eight films based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe, and is widely regarded as the best of the bunch.  The script co-written by horror author and Twilight Zone veteran Charles Beaumont and screenwriter R. Wright Campbell combines elements from two Poe stories, "The Masque of the Red Death" and "Hop-Frog" about the brutal vengeance of an abused jester (which makes up the film's main subplot).  Vincent Price who is often seen as very hammy actor, here gives a very strong performance of quiet, silky malevolence.  He is really magnetic here and shows what a good actor he was.  Hazel Court plays Juliana his ill-treated consort, who seeks supernatural vengeance, and Jane Asher plays Francesca, the innocent peasant girl who Prospero seeks to corrupt.  The extraordinarily strange Patrick Magee (best known for his roles in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange (1971) and Barry Lyndon (1975)) plays one of Prospero's most depraved friends.  The film's nominal heroes, David Weston as Francesca's square-jawed lover, and Nigel Green as her noble father, barely register.  The film boasts higher production values that the usual Corman effort, and has strong images, with striking colour photography from cameraperson and future director Nicolas Roeg.  There is real atmosphere in the film, with some dashes of sixties psychedelia.  There are some baffling supernatural elements that don't really work, but this is one of Roger Corman's strongest films.

       Vincent Price and Jane Asher in The Masque of the Red Death

Metropolis

 Year of Release:  1927

Director:  Fritz Lang

Screenplay:  Thea von Harbou and Fritz Lang, based on the novel Metropolis by Thea von Harbou

Starring:  Alfred Abel, Brigitte Helm, Gustav Fröhlich, Rudolf Klein-Rogge

Running Time:  153 minutes (original cut)

Genre:  Science-fiction

In the futuristic city of Metropolis the elite live and play in towering skyscrapers, while the workers toil in underground cities operating the vast machines that keep Metropolis running.  One day, Freder (Fröhlich), the son of the city's ruler Joh Fredersen (Abel), glimpses the saintly Maria (Helm), a teacher from the underground city who is also a spiritual leader to the workers.  Tracking her down to the subterranean caverns, Freder is shocked by the horrible conditions in which the workers live and work.  He becomes inspired by Maria's teaching of a Mediator who will unite the people above ground with those below ground.  Meanwhile Joh Fredersen is concerned about Maria's influence among the workers, and enlists the aid of scientist Rotwang (Klein-Rogge) to construct an evil robot duplicate of Maria.

  This is one of the most iconic films ever made.  It's really the first epic science-fiction film, and it's images echo not only throughout the science-fiction genre, but throughout the whole of pop culture.  Even today, it's influence can be seen in movies, comics, music videos and TV shows.  It's full of memorable images and sequences, from the futuristic city, and the design of the robot.  There is also the hallucinatory imagery of the Moloch sequence, the Tower of Babel, and Death and the Seven Deadly Sins.  The performances are strong, with Brigitte Helm in the dual role of Maria and her evil mechanical duplicate, and Rudolf Klein-Rogge as mad scientist Rotwang.  There is also a strong performance by Fritz Rasp, as the sinister Thin Man, whose scenes are cut from many versions of the film, but are reinstated in the 2010 restoration). While elements have dated, sometimes humorously (biplanes floating among the city towers), it remains, even today, an overpowering visual experience.  The story may be simplistic, but the message of the disparity between rich and poor is as pertinent now as it was in 1927.  The film is available in many different versions of various lengths, including a 83 minute long colourised version released in 1984 with a rock score by Giorgio Moroder and songs by Freddy Mercury, Bonnie Tyler and Adam Ant among others.  The most complete version is probably the 2010 restored version which runs to 148 minutes.

Rudolf Klein-Rogge and Brigitte Helm in Metropolis

Sebastiane

Year of Release:  1976

Director:  Derek Jarman and Paul Humfress

Screenplay:  Derek Jarman, Paul Humfress and James Whaley

Starring:  Leonardo Treviglio, Barney James, Richard Warwick, Neil Kennedy

Running Time:  85 minutes

Genre:  Historical drama

Third Century AD:  Sebastian (Treviglio) is one of the Praetorian Guards for Emperor Diocletian (Robert Medley).  When he intervenes to stop a servant form being strangled by one of the Emperor's bodyguards, Sebastian is reduced in rank to private and exiled to a remote coastal garrison.  Sebastian's religious faith and pacifism, not to mention his celibacy, incense his commanding officer Severus (James), who becomes increasingly obsessed with Sebastian, with tragic results.

Inspired by the life and death of early Christian martyr Saint Sebastian, this homoerotic fantasia, is starling, sexy and more than a little dull.  Despite sharing a co-directing credit with Paul Humfress, the film opens with the title "Derek Jarman's Film", and this is how it is seen today.  Beginning his career in the film industry as a set designer (most notably for the Ken Russell film The Devils (1971)) Sebastiane marked Jarman's directorial debut, and he would go on to become a notable name in British independent film throughout the 1980s and early '90s.  The male gaze has become increasingly controversial, but this film celebrates the gay male gaze.  Filmed under the blazing Sardinian sun, the film mostly consists of bronzed, sweaty men, either naked or mostly naked lolling around on the rocks, wrestling, hitting each other, washing or caressing each other in languorous slow motion.  Despite being successful, the film was controversial for it's copious nudity (when asked about the nudity Jarman responded "we couldn't afford costumes") and also for the fact that, despite being a British film, the dialogue is entirely in Latin.  The acting is variable, with many of the cast seemingly chosen more for their looks than their acting ability, it's an important film in the history of gay cinema.  While it's a powerful film, with some memorable images, if you're not tuned into Jarman and Humfress' brand of homoeroticism, you may find it a long slog.

Richard Warwick and Leonardo Treviglio in Sebastiane 

Madchen in Uniform

Year of Release:  1931

Director:  Leontine Sagan

Screenplay:  Christa Winsloe and Freidrich Dammann, based on the stage play Gesten und heute (Yesterday and Today) by Christa Winsloe

Starring:  Hertha Thiele, Dorothea Wieck

Running Time:  98 minutes

Genre:  Drama

Following the death of her mother, sensitive teenager Manuela von Meinhardis (Thiele) is enrolled at a strict Prussian boarding school, run with an iron fist by a stern, penny-pinching headmistress (Emilia Unda).  Manuela forms a bond with kindly teacher Fräulein von Berberg (Wieck), but as the connection between the two deepens, it threatens to bring ruin for both of them.

Based on a stage play by Christa Winsloe, Mädchen in Uniform is notable for it's sympathetic treatment of lesbianism and all-female cast.  The film is about the love of a fourteen year old for her adult schoolteacher, who also seems to have inappropriate feelings for her, however the creepy factor is considerably lessened by the fact that Hertha Thiele, who plays Manuela, is obviously much older than 14 (she was was 22 at the time of filming, and was, in fact the same age as Dorothea Wieck, who plays her teacher).  A key theme on the film is the conflict between two forms of authority:  The headmistress rules through strict discipline and demands blind, unquestioning obedience.  She also deliberately makes the girls go hungry and has them wear hand-me-down clothes until they fall apart, partly to save money and partly to build character, and, ruling by fear, is hated by her pupils.  Fräulein von Berberg, however, treats her charges with kindness and respect, which is reciprocated by the girls, many of whom develop crushes on her, partly due to her habit of kissing each of them goodnight.  They each receive the chaste kiss on the forehead as almost a sacrament, except Manuela who embraces von Berberg, and kisses her fully on the mouth.  Considering this was a German film, which was released in 1931 when Hitler and the Nazis were on the rise, makes the anti-authoritarian angle even more powerful.  The film is well performed, and visually stylish, using a lot of clever camera angles, and sensitivity to light and shadow, that bring to mind German Expressionism, although this is certainly not an Expressionist film.  It is a heartbreaking and beautiful film, and. milestone in LGBT cinema.

Dorothea Wieck and Hertha Thiele in Mädchen in Uniform

 

Jungle Cruise

 Year of Release:  2021

Director:  Jaume Collet-Serra

Screenplay:  Michael Green, Glenn Ficarra and John Requa from a story by John Norville, Josh Goldstein, Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, based on Walt Disney's The Jungle Cruise ride

Starring:  Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Édgar Ramírez, Jack Whitehall, Jesse Plemons, Paul Giamatti

Genre:  Fantasy adventure

Running Time:  127 minutes

1916: While the First World War rages in Europe, Dr Lily Houghton (Blunt) and her brother MacGrgeor (Whitehall) arrive in Brazil intending to head down the Amazon in search of the legendary "Tears of the Moon", which has the ability to cure illness, heal wounds and lift curses.  They hire steamboat captain Frank Wolff (Johnson), who conducts cut-rate jungle cruises for tourists, to ferry them down the Amazon.  Along the way they encounter various natural and supernatural threats, as they are pursued by the ruthless Prince Joachim (Plemons) who is determined to claim the Tears of the Moon for the German war effort.

Inspired by the popular Disneyland theme park ride, Jungle Cruise hearkens back to old school adventure films.  Mixing elements from Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, The African Queen (1951) and the Uncharted video game series, it is a mixed bag.  The story is pretty disposable and unoriginal, there is an over reliance on CGI effects, but it works due to the chemistry between Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, both of whom are hugely charismatic and engaging performers.   Édgar Ramírez is buried under layers of CGI as an undead conquistador, but Jack Whitehall is funny as Lily's foppish posh brother.  It's a funny, charming film and there are some exciting sequences.  However it is overlong, and there is a lack of a strong villain.  It's the kind of film that in years to come will probably be a staple of bank holiday weekend TV.  It's certainly worth watching and enjoyable, but really nothing special.

  

Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson in Jungle Cruise   

Viva Las Vegas

Year of Release:  1964

Director:  George Sidney

Screenplay:  Sally Benson

Starring:  Elvis Presley, Ann-Margaret

Running Time:  85 minutes

Genre:  Musical

Racing driver Lucky Jackson (Presley) arrives in Las Vegas to compete in a Grand Prix Race.  However, his car needs a new engine.  Lucky manages to raise the money fairly easily, but loses it in a hotel swimming pool.  In need of money to not only buy the engine but to pay his hotel bill, Lucky and his mechanic sidekick Shorty (Nick Blair) end up working at the hotel.  However, Lucky soon finds himself distracted by the hotel's swimming instructor Rusty Martin (Ann-Margaret).

Elvis Presley acted in 31 films in his career, and the quality could be politely described as... variable.  In his early roles, such as Jailhouse Rock (1957), he showed real talent as a dramatic actor, and he always had a lot of charisma, but the films soon deteriorated into formulaic vehicles, as Elvis himself admitted.  Viva Las Vegas is one of his better films, however.  You'll pretty much be able to guess how everything is going to work out five minutes after the opening credits, but it's an enjoyable ride.   Elvis' considerable screen presence is on show here, and he has very strong support from Ann-Margaret, as the swimming instructor who manages to resist the King for about five minutes.  There is real chemistry between them, and allegedly they did have an on-set romance.  There are ten musical numbers, of which the title number is the best, although the others range from "passable" to "pretty good".  The climatic motor race is pretty exciting even if the end is never really in doubt.  The racing scenes and the musical set pieces are well-staged by veteran director George Sidney, but the dialogue scenes are mostly flat, although lifted by Elvis and Ann-Margaret.  Even if your not a fan of Elvis, it is a fun, inoffensive, time-passer.  

 

Elvis Presley and Ann-Margaret in Viva Las Vegas

How to Get Ahead in Advertising

 Year of Release:  1989

Director:  Bruce Robinson

Screenplay:  Bruce Robinson

Starring:  Richard E. Grant, Rachel Ward, Richard Wilson

Running Time:  94 minutes

Genre:  fantasy, comedy

Denis Dimbleby Bagley (Grant) is a stressed British advertising executive, who is approaching a breakdown while trying to develop a campaign to sell pimple cream.  One day he notices a boil on the side of his neck, which grows at an alarming rate, and quickly develops into a second head, with it's own ruthless personality.  Before long, the boil is taking control of Bagley's life.

Actor turned writer-director Bruce Robinson first made name for himself with the cult film Withnail and I (1987), and here he reunites with Withnail star Richard E. Grant for a satirical attack on advertising in particular and modern British life in general.  It's hardly subtle, but is pretty funny in places.  The humour is very British, with it's schoolboy delight in mess and gleeful surrealism.  Richard E. Grant dominates the film as the alternately hilarious and terrifying antihero Bagley.  Grant is at his manic best here, all flailing limbs, wolfish grins and waspish one-liners.  Rachel Ward provides the beating heart of the film as Bagley's sympathetic wife, Julia, and she does the best she can with the little that she is given to do.  Richard Wilson, who would shortly become Britain's favourite grumpy old man Victor Meldrew in TV sitcom One Foot in the Grave (1990-2000), plays Bagley's crusty boss.  Fans of British television might recognise other familiar faces in small roles, and Sean Bean makes a brief appearance.  The voice of the boil is provided by an uncredited Bruce Robinson.  The amount of hectoring and speeches about the evils of the modern world does become a little tiresome, even though it's hard to argue with what the film has to say, and even though it is very much a product of the late 1980s, it is still quite pertinent.  It's not a great film, the special effects look very cheap, and it's awkwardly paced and runs out of steam before the end.  it does have a moment though, and it is worth a look because it is funny, if you like surreal British dark comedy, and Richard E, Grant gives a fantastic comic performance.

Richard E. Grant learns How to Get Ahead in Advertising

Diva

 Year of Release:  1981

Director:  Jean-Jacques Beineix

Screenplay:  Jean-Jacques Beineix and Jean Van Hamme, based on the novel Diva by Delacorta (Daniel Odier)

Starring:  Frédèric Andréi, Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez, Richard Bohringer, Thuy Ann Lu

Running Time:  117 minutes

Genre:  Crime, thriller

Paris:  Young opera-mad postman Jules (Andréi) makes a secret tape of American soprano Cynthia Hawkins (Fernandez), who refuses to allow herself to be recorded, and steals one of her gowns. The next day Jules finds himself in accidental possession of another tape which implicates a senior police officer, Saporta (Jacques Fabbri), in an international human trafficking ring.  Soon Jules finds himself pursued by two mysterious men who want his tape of Cynthia, as well as the police, and a pair of ruthless hitmen in the employ of Saporta.

Based on a 1979 novel by prolific writer Daniel Odier under the pseudonym Delacorta, this film was a sizeable cult hit in the 1980s and became one of the key films in the French cinéma du look movement of the 1980s and 1990s which were noted by a slick, beautiful visual style and spectacle.  This is certainly a beautiful film to look at moving from sparse rooms bathed in icy blue light, to a gorgeously romantic Paris dawn, elegant hotel rooms to elaborately painted garages which seem almost to be decorated by artfully wrecked cars, the whole thing drips with early '80s cool.  The film's centrepiece, and it's undoubted highlight, is an incredible chase through the streets of Paris and through the city's Metro system, in an incredibly exciting sequence.  While the film's complex narrative doesn't always make sense, and it is overlong, it doesn't really matter.  Jean-Jacques Beineix directs with style and verve and has a real eye for quirky visual details and eccentric characters.  The performances are good with the wide eyed  Frédèric Andréi making an engaging lead and Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez effective as the titular diva, the rest of the characters are more like a collection of odd and quirky details.  Gérard Darmon and Dominique Pinon are creepy as the vicious hitmen.  It feels very much a product of it's time, but it still works well, and is some great entertainment.

Gêrard Darmon and Dominique Pinon in Diva