In this rereleased comic drama, Hayley Mills and Hywel Bennett play a couple plagued by a wedding-night disaster and the neighbours’ wagging tongues
‘It’s life, lad. It might make you laugh at your age, but one day it’ll make you bloody cry.” After 54 years, this British movie from the Boulting brothers flares like a struck match with broad comedy, fierce sentimentality and a strange dark sense of life’s painfulness – and it’s an amazingly vivid time capsule of Britain in the 1960s. The Family Way, rereleased on digital platforms, is based on a stage play by Bill Naughton, itself developed from his Armchair Playhouse TV script, and directed by Roy Boulting and produced by John Boulting, with a musical score from Paul McCartney, arranged by George Martin.
Hywel Bennett brings his discontented-cherub presence to the role of Arthur Fitton, a young cinema projectionist in Bolton. Arthur is getting married to Jenny Piper,...
‘It’s life, lad. It might make you laugh at your age, but one day it’ll make you bloody cry.” After 54 years, this British movie from the Boulting brothers flares like a struck match with broad comedy, fierce sentimentality and a strange dark sense of life’s painfulness – and it’s an amazingly vivid time capsule of Britain in the 1960s. The Family Way, rereleased on digital platforms, is based on a stage play by Bill Naughton, itself developed from his Armchair Playhouse TV script, and directed by Roy Boulting and produced by John Boulting, with a musical score from Paul McCartney, arranged by George Martin.
Hywel Bennett brings his discontented-cherub presence to the role of Arthur Fitton, a young cinema projectionist in Bolton. Arthur is getting married to Jenny Piper,...
- 4/30/2020
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Classic sixties romantic comedy The Family Way is the latest exciting addition to Studiocanal’s Vintage Classics Collection. Beautifully restored and with brand new bonus content, The Family Way, starring Hayley Mills and Hywel Bennett, is available for the first time on Blu-Ray, and on DVD and digital from 4th May. To mark the release, we’ve been given 2 copies to give away on Blu-ray.
The Family Way is a tender and funny exploration of the emotional impact of the Sixties sexual revolution, focusing on two sensitive youngsters whose failure to consummate their marriage threatens to derail their life together before it has even begun.
Please note: This competition is open to UK residents only
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The Small Print
Open to UK residents only The competition will close 14th May 2020 at 23.59 GMT The winner will be picked at random from entries received No cash alternative is available Please...
The Family Way is a tender and funny exploration of the emotional impact of the Sixties sexual revolution, focusing on two sensitive youngsters whose failure to consummate their marriage threatens to derail their life together before it has even begun.
Please note: This competition is open to UK residents only
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The Small Print
Open to UK residents only The competition will close 14th May 2020 at 23.59 GMT The winner will be picked at random from entries received No cash alternative is available Please...
- 4/28/2020
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
We have a relatively quiet week of home media releases ahead of us this week, but the titles that are coming out are a rad bunch of films nonetheless. Scream Factory is doing the Dark Lord’s work with both the Collector’s Edition of April Fool’s Day and the HD release of Frankenstein: The True Story. If you missed it in theaters back in January, Nicolas Pesce’s The Grudge (2020) is headed to various platforms this Tuesday, and Arrow Video has put together a stellar Special Edition release of Philip Ridley’s The Passion of Darkly Noon as well.
Other Blu-ray and DVD releases for March 24th include Endless Night, Cabal, Hunter’s Moon, The Zombinator, and The Wizard: Collector’s Edition.
April Fool’s Day: Collector’s Edition
Good friends...with some time to kill. When Muffy St. John invited her college friends up to her parents' secluded...
Other Blu-ray and DVD releases for March 24th include Endless Night, Cabal, Hunter’s Moon, The Zombinator, and The Wizard: Collector’s Edition.
April Fool’s Day: Collector’s Edition
Good friends...with some time to kill. When Muffy St. John invited her college friends up to her parents' secluded...
- 3/23/2020
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Why does CineSavant write so many positive reviews, even for films not commonly thought of as even being ‘good?’ Well, I’m about to offend committed fans of this Hayley Mills thriller… it bothered me in such basic ways that I had to watch it twice to make sure I hadn’t missed something important. Hayley Mills loves Hywel Bennett, a poor boy who gets a chance at the good life. But are they going to be victimized by envious relations, murderous gypsies, a deranged architect? The big superduper plus here is the film’s original music score by Bernard Herrman, one of his last.
Endless Night
Region B Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1972 / Color B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 100 min. / / Street Date , 2020 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £15.99
Starring: Hayley Mills, Hywel Bennett, Britt Ekland, Per Oscarsson, George Sanders, Lois Maxwell, Patience Collier, Ann Way, Leo Genn, Shirley Jones (voice).
Cinematography: Harry Waxman...
Endless Night
Region B Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1972 / Color B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 100 min. / / Street Date , 2020 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £15.99
Starring: Hayley Mills, Hywel Bennett, Britt Ekland, Per Oscarsson, George Sanders, Lois Maxwell, Patience Collier, Ann Way, Leo Genn, Shirley Jones (voice).
Cinematography: Harry Waxman...
- 2/18/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
It’s a Brit sex comedy that addresses the basic facts about boy-girl petting — and not much else. A noted ‘adult’ role for Hayley Mills, it pairs her with an unlikable Oliver Reed, trying his damnedest to affect natural charm. Was Reed the reason Hayley chose as her next picture a story about a lady studying penguins?
Take a Girl Like You
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1970 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 98 min. / Street Date June 19, 2018 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95
Starring: Hayley Mills, Oliver Reed, Noel Harrison, John Bird, Sheila Hancock, Ronald Lacey, Penelope Keith, Imogen Hassall, Pippa Steel, George Woodbridge.
Cinematography: Dick Bush
Film Editor: Jack Harris, Rex Pyke
Original Music: Stanley Myers
Written by George Melly
Produced by Hal E. Chester
Directed by Jonathan Miller
Wait a minute — when exactly did they finally stop calling young women, ‘birds?’
When the Hollywood studios all but collapsed at the end of the 1960s,...
Take a Girl Like You
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1970 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 98 min. / Street Date June 19, 2018 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95
Starring: Hayley Mills, Oliver Reed, Noel Harrison, John Bird, Sheila Hancock, Ronald Lacey, Penelope Keith, Imogen Hassall, Pippa Steel, George Woodbridge.
Cinematography: Dick Bush
Film Editor: Jack Harris, Rex Pyke
Original Music: Stanley Myers
Written by George Melly
Produced by Hal E. Chester
Directed by Jonathan Miller
Wait a minute — when exactly did they finally stop calling young women, ‘birds?’
When the Hollywood studios all but collapsed at the end of the 1960s,...
- 6/30/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Just one week after the opening of the excellent indie The Seagull, in which Saoirse Ronan and Billy Howle play star-crossed lovers, they are back at it again. But this time it’s in a much more serious drama, On Chesil Beach. Awkward timing most likely is responsible for the dueling releases starring the young pair, but both movies are well worth seeing, On Chesil Beach, based on the book by Ian McEwan (who also did the screenplay adaptation), is a highly unusual drama set in 1962 and dealing with the delicate nature of love, sex, young marrieds and the pressures and difficulties of physical intimacy for those who aren’t quite ready.
Ronan plays Florence, and Howle is Edward, who are from opposite sides of the social scale. But somehow they find each other and strike up a romance, which we see play out in a number of flashback scenes that are idyllic,...
Ronan plays Florence, and Howle is Edward, who are from opposite sides of the social scale. But somehow they find each other and strike up a romance, which we see play out in a number of flashback scenes that are idyllic,...
- 5/17/2018
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
When it comes to discussing ’60s British horror, most conversations usually begin and end with Hammer’s gothics and their sleazy derivatives. Mind you, it’s not hard to see why—the studio practically revived the genre in the UK during the late ’50s, and competitors would have to be fools to not want to ride their coattails, creating their own bloody (and occasionally brilliant) gothics chock-full of sex and violence. But the ’60s also saw the rise of a different, darker sub-genre—the modern psychological thriller, birthed from Alfred Hitchcock’s visual vocabulary and directors focused less on the supernatural and more on the depths of human cruelty and depravity. These thrillers are violent, sexual, and no stranger to controversy, and on today’s entry of the Crypt of Curiosities, we’ll be looking at three of the best and most noteworthy films.
The first big British thriller of...
The first big British thriller of...
- 7/7/2017
- by Perry Ruhland
- DailyDead
November on Horror Channel sees network premieres for a memorable collection of strange cult oddities and forgotten British horror classics, kicking off with the network premiere of Nicolas Roeg’s The Man Who Fell to Earth, starring David Bowie. Joining Bowie in the realm of the weird and wonderful is Roy Boulting’s psychological ground-breaker Twisted Nerve, Michael Powell’s controversial (and classic) Peeping Tom, Robert Fuest’s Hitchcockian And Soon the Darkness and Jimmy Sangster’s Hammer classic Fear in the Night.
Also, there are UK TV premieres for Emmerdale actor Dominic Brunt’s directorial feature film debut Before Dawn, Lulu Jarmen’s disturbing Bad Meat (review) and Padraig Reynold’s festival favourite Rites of Spring (review).
The line up in full:
Fri 1 Nov @ 22:55 – The Man Who Fell To Earth (1976)
Based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis, this cult classic stars David Bowies (in...
Also, there are UK TV premieres for Emmerdale actor Dominic Brunt’s directorial feature film debut Before Dawn, Lulu Jarmen’s disturbing Bad Meat (review) and Padraig Reynold’s festival favourite Rites of Spring (review).
The line up in full:
Fri 1 Nov @ 22:55 – The Man Who Fell To Earth (1976)
Based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis, this cult classic stars David Bowies (in...
- 10/18/2013
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
In the 1940s and 50s, the Boulting brothers won over filmgoers and critics with a series of classics – from Brighton Rock to Private's Progress. As the BFI begins a retrospective, Michael Newton explores their version of Britain
The history of the Boulting brothers is the history of British cinema in miniature. The brilliance, the comforts and the disappointments are all there. In the 1940s, they take off from documentary realism to reach the heights of noir extravagance, before falling back into a gently unexciting worthiness. At the start of the 1950s they produce two fascinating oddities, characteristic of the oddity of the times. Later that decade, they turn to cosily satirical farce, the products of an exasperated, grump. The 1960s see them trying to get with it and making a middle-aged effort to "swing", but also creating one work that finds a vulnerable, extraordinary beauty in ordinary lives. And after that comes a petering out,...
The history of the Boulting brothers is the history of British cinema in miniature. The brilliance, the comforts and the disappointments are all there. In the 1940s, they take off from documentary realism to reach the heights of noir extravagance, before falling back into a gently unexciting worthiness. At the start of the 1950s they produce two fascinating oddities, characteristic of the oddity of the times. Later that decade, they turn to cosily satirical farce, the products of an exasperated, grump. The 1960s see them trying to get with it and making a middle-aged effort to "swing", but also creating one work that finds a vulnerable, extraordinary beauty in ordinary lives. And after that comes a petering out,...
- 7/26/2013
- The Guardian - Film News
Feature Michael Leader 19 Mar 2013 - 07:00
Michael revisits the 1996 incarnation of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, a magical BBC series that was ahead of its time...
Spoiler warning: While this article is about a 17-year old TV programme, it inevitably discusses plot points that are also present in the currently-broadcasting radio drama remake.
“Let me tell you a story. No, wait, one’s not enough. I’ll begin again...”
So reads the back-cover blurb of Neil Gaiman’s 2006 short story anthology Fragile Things, but it’s as apt a beginning as any for an expedition back through the knotted overgrowths of time to the author’s 1996 foray into television: the six-part miniseries Neverwhere.
Now, let’s get this out of the way first: there is no single, true ‘Neverwhere’. Like its signature setting, a semi-mythological, hidden version of London that exists below the streets of Britain’s capital, Neverwhere is a...
Michael revisits the 1996 incarnation of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, a magical BBC series that was ahead of its time...
Spoiler warning: While this article is about a 17-year old TV programme, it inevitably discusses plot points that are also present in the currently-broadcasting radio drama remake.
“Let me tell you a story. No, wait, one’s not enough. I’ll begin again...”
So reads the back-cover blurb of Neil Gaiman’s 2006 short story anthology Fragile Things, but it’s as apt a beginning as any for an expedition back through the knotted overgrowths of time to the author’s 1996 foray into television: the six-part miniseries Neverwhere.
Now, let’s get this out of the way first: there is no single, true ‘Neverwhere’. Like its signature setting, a semi-mythological, hidden version of London that exists below the streets of Britain’s capital, Neverwhere is a...
- 3/18/2013
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
Though it's described as a spy thriller, thrilling is not how I would refer to Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Adapted from the John le Carre novel of the same name and a story that was previously adapted into a well-respected, six-hour BBC miniseries back in 1979 starring Alec Guinness, director Tomas Alfredson (Let the Right One In) has trimmed those six hours into two and yet it still feels long. Alfredson, however, has made a technically marvelous film that lives and breathes its 1970s setting with grey skies, occasional amber hues and appropriate period attire, but technical proficient isn't where filmmaking ends, you have to tell a compelling story and this search for a Russian mole near the top of Britain's secret service just didn't have enough meat to keep me interested.
The story is guided by George Smiley (Gary Oldman), an ex-agent who was forced out only to later be...
The story is guided by George Smiley (Gary Oldman), an ex-agent who was forced out only to later be...
- 12/9/2011
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Neverwhere is the brainchild of Neil Gaiman, who recently wrote a grand episode for the Doctor, that shows that excellent writing and acting can overcome an old school Doctor Who budget. Richard Mayhew (Gary Bakewell) finds an injured girl named Door (Laura Fraser) and decides to help her despite his fiancé.s protests. He takes her back to his apartment but she disappears. Richard is also menaced by the sinister Mr. Croup (Hywel Bennett) and Mr. Vandemar (Clive Russell), but what is more shocking is that Richard discovers that he.s been .forgotten. by everyone in his life. It has to do with his helping Door and his discover of a mystical, parallel forgotten society called London Below. Now...
- 12/1/2011
- by Jeff Swindoll
- Monsters and Critics
Hitting movie theaters this weekend:
Happy Feet Two - Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Pink
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 - Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner
Movie of the Week
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1
The Stars: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner
The Plot: The Quileute and the Volturi close in on expecting parents Edward and Bella, whose unborn child poses different threats to the wolf pack and vampire coven.
The Buzz: The only drawback to having to choose a movie of the week becomes apparent on weeks such as this one, wherein I have absolutely zero interest in any of the new releases. First of all, I hated what I saw of the first Happy Feet, and the trailer for Happy Feet Two advertises a film which looks to be about as bearable as swallowing a glass full of shards of glass. And so, the...
Happy Feet Two - Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Pink
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 - Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner
Movie of the Week
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1
The Stars: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner
The Plot: The Quileute and the Volturi close in on expecting parents Edward and Bella, whose unborn child poses different threats to the wolf pack and vampire coven.
The Buzz: The only drawback to having to choose a movie of the week becomes apparent on weeks such as this one, wherein I have absolutely zero interest in any of the new releases. First of all, I hated what I saw of the first Happy Feet, and the trailer for Happy Feet Two advertises a film which looks to be about as bearable as swallowing a glass full of shards of glass. And so, the...
- 11/16/2011
- by Aaron Ruffcorn
- The Scorecard Review
Chicago – Though British author Neil Gaiman’s six-part, three-hour miniseries “Neverwhere” first aired in 1996, it feels like a relic from a much earlier period in television’s past. Before digital technology enabled small-screen dramas to appear visually indiscernible from major film productions, in-camera effects and handcrafted sets were the norm. It’s inspiring to observe just how much can be achieved on a shoestring budget.
In light of the film’s subsequent books and stage versions, including Lifeline Theatre’s successful 2010 adaptation, it’s clear that Gaiman’s witty adventure series has struck a chord with audiences around the world. Seen fifteen years after its initial release, the show holds up remarkably well. It utilizes the London Underground’s transit system as the jumping off point for its parallel fantasy world (known as “London Below”), with various creatures and lands inspired by actual locations. For example, the angel Islington (played...
In light of the film’s subsequent books and stage versions, including Lifeline Theatre’s successful 2010 adaptation, it’s clear that Gaiman’s witty adventure series has struck a chord with audiences around the world. Seen fifteen years after its initial release, the show holds up remarkably well. It utilizes the London Underground’s transit system as the jumping off point for its parallel fantasy world (known as “London Below”), with various creatures and lands inspired by actual locations. For example, the angel Islington (played...
- 11/16/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Last night saw the first public word-of-mouth screenings for Steven Spielberg's War Horse as Dreamworks is attempting to create awareness in states other than New York and Los Angeles although other film bloggers will lead you to believe the studio is purposely avoiding the two film-centric states where awareness of the film is already assuredly high. The Film Stage collected a series of Twitter reactions from people who attended the screenings and by my count they are largely positive with the two negative reactions both declaring it "Oscar bait." Of course, I don't know who any of these people are so it's impossible to gauge any real opinion of the film, though based on this small set of opinions it would seem the public is liking what they see. Additionally, a screening of Young Adult took place at West Hollywood's New Beverly Cinema last night followed by a Q...
- 11/2/2011
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Silvio Narizzano, best known for the 1966 swinging London comedy-drama Georgy Girl, died July 26. Narizzano was 84. Based on Margaret Forster's novel, and starring Lynn Redgrave, Alan Bates, James Mason, and Charlotte Rampling, Georgy Girl was considered daring at the time because its plot included sex (of the non-marital kind), abortion, and adultery. For her performance as the homely, ungainly Georgy, Lynn Redgrave was nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award and for a BAFTA in the Best British Actress category. Additionally, she shared the New York Film Critics Circle's Best Actress Award with (eventual Oscar winner) Elizabeth Taylor (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?). Narizzano, for his part, was nominated by the Directors Guild of America. Born in Montreal (Feb. 8, 1927) to an Italian-American family, Narizzano began his show business career on the Canadian stage and television. He later moved to the United Kingdom, where he worked on British TV. Narizzano's first...
- 7/28/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Turner Classic Movies (North America) presents two gems over this weekend that have never been available on home video in America. Tonight at 12:15 Am (Est)(actually Sunday morning), TCM presents the acclaimed 1966 comedy drama The Family Way, starring Hayley Mills and Hywel Bennett as teenage newlyweds who find that fate keeps preventing them from consummating their marriage. Roy Boulting directs and Paul McCartney provides the musical score. On Sunday October 10 at 6:15 Pm (Est), TCM presents a real rarity as part of its tribute to Tony Curtis: the rarely-seen 1970 adventure You Can't Win 'Em All starring Curtis and Charles Bronson as mercenaries in Turkey. The film was directed by Peter Collinson, who helmed the original classic The Italian Job.
- 10/9/2010
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Lee Remick on TCM: Anatomy Of A Murder, Days Of Wine And Roses Schedule (Pt) and synopses from the TCM website: 3:00 Am Baby, the Rain Must Fall (1965) A parolee tries to launch a musical career and keep out of trouble. Cast: Steve McQueen, Lee Remick, Don Murray. Dir: Robert Mulligan. Bw-99 mins. 5:00 Am Wheeler Dealers, The (1963) Texas tycoons try to mix love with finance on a trip to New York. Cast: James Garner, Lee Remick, Jim Backus. Dir: Arthur Hiller. C-106 mins. 7:00 Am Loot (1970) A nurse, her lover and his boyfriend hide the money from a bank job in her dead patient’s coffin. Cast: Richard Attenborough, Lee Remick, Hywel Bennett. Dir: Silvio Narizzano. C-98 mins. 9:00 Am Experiment in Terror (1962) A master criminal tries to force a bank teller to help him pull off a big heist. Cast: Glenn Ford, Lee Remick, Ross Martin. [...]...
- 8/26/2010
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Actor best known for his role in The Sweeney
For decades a versatile figure in regional theatre, both behind and in front of the footlights, the actor Garfield Morgan, who has died aged 78, achieved national recognition as Frank Haskins in the mould-breaking action series The Sweeney (Thames, 1975-78), having spent years playing police officers on screen. He brought narrow eyes and a habitually rueful expression to the role of Haskins, who was continually beset by ulcers and colds and whose somewhat puritanical nature distanced him from his charges, played by John Thaw and Dennis Waterman.
Born and raised in Birmingham, Morgan was initially apprenticed to a dental mechanic. His professional debut was in July 1953, in Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham, as part of the Arena Theatre Company, for the city's sixth summer theatre festival. Also in the company was the future director Clifford Williams.
The following month, Morgan was a founder member of the Marlowe Players,...
For decades a versatile figure in regional theatre, both behind and in front of the footlights, the actor Garfield Morgan, who has died aged 78, achieved national recognition as Frank Haskins in the mould-breaking action series The Sweeney (Thames, 1975-78), having spent years playing police officers on screen. He brought narrow eyes and a habitually rueful expression to the role of Haskins, who was continually beset by ulcers and colds and whose somewhat puritanical nature distanced him from his charges, played by John Thaw and Dennis Waterman.
Born and raised in Birmingham, Morgan was initially apprenticed to a dental mechanic. His professional debut was in July 1953, in Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham, as part of the Arena Theatre Company, for the city's sixth summer theatre festival. Also in the company was the future director Clifford Williams.
The following month, Morgan was a founder member of the Marlowe Players,...
- 2/16/2010
- by Gavin Gaughan
- The Guardian - Film News
The BBFC have passed a trailer for two stories, The Space Museum and The Chase, indicating that both are being lined up for a DVD release in the next few months. The stories were part of Doctor Who's second season and were first shown between April and June 1965.
They feature William Hartnell as the first Doctor along with Jacqueline Hill as Barbara Wright, William Russell as Ian Chesterton and Maureen O'Brien as Vicki, and introduce Peter Purves as new companion Steven Taylor.
The Space Museum was written by Glyn Jones and directed by Mervyn Pinfield, who as Doctor Who's first Associate Producer was responsible for many technical innovations used on the programme.
The Chase was the final story for Ian and Barbara. It sees the Daleks return in their third story for the series, which was again written by Terry Nation. Directed by Richard Martin, it also starred Hywel Bennett.
They feature William Hartnell as the first Doctor along with Jacqueline Hill as Barbara Wright, William Russell as Ian Chesterton and Maureen O'Brien as Vicki, and introduce Peter Purves as new companion Steven Taylor.
The Space Museum was written by Glyn Jones and directed by Mervyn Pinfield, who as Doctor Who's first Associate Producer was responsible for many technical innovations used on the programme.
The Chase was the final story for Ian and Barbara. It sees the Daleks return in their third story for the series, which was again written by Terry Nation. Directed by Richard Martin, it also starred Hywel Bennett.
- 11/3/2009
- by Marcus
- The Doctor Who News Page
In honor of Quentin Tarantino week here at Wamg, this column will tackle the 1968 British psycho-thriller Twisted Nerve. A music highlight of Tarantino’s first Kill Bill film in 2003 occurs during the scene when Darryl Hannah’s eye-patched Elle Driver is walking down the hospital corridors intending to dispatch Uma Thurman and she’s whistling this haunting tune that is at the same time both childlike and threatening. Curious, I read the closing credits and the strange song was identified as the theme from the movie Twisted Nerve composed by Bernard Herrmann. That title was familiar as I had its cool psychedelic U.S. one-sheet in my collection but I’d never seen the film and immediately became determined to track it down. I was able to secure a British Pal import of the film and was pleased to find Twisted Nerve an excellent, nasty little forgotten thriller about a warped young psychopath.
- 8/19/2009
- by Travis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Edinburgh International Film Festival
EDINBURGH, Scotland -- Writer-director Chris Cooke and a small but expert cast turn an essentially downbeat story of three losers and the rich man they hope to fleece into a richly humorous and surreal fable. Smartly marketed to an audience that likes its comedy stiletto sharp, martini dry and a little bloody, "One for the Road" could be in for a very profitable ride.
Jimmy, Paul and Mark meet millionaire Richard Stevens at a rehabilitation course after they've each been convicted of driving while intoxicated. Jimmy (Greg Chisholm) is the youngest -- a callow, cheap-suited lad whose father has died leaving a failed business and an empty warehouse. Paul (Rupert Procter) is a flop-sweat salesman with a disaffected wife, two kids and an expensive mortgage. Mark (Mark Devenport) is an affable dopehead. Stevens (Hywel Bennett) is a retired businessman who lives a lonely life in a grand mansion and boasts of the thoroughbred horse he owns.
They make an incongruous bunch at the court-enforced meetings, where a supercilious assessor named Ian (Jonny Phillips) plays touchy-feely games and conducts role-play sessions so that he can write reports to the magistrate that will decide when they get their licenses back.
At the first lunch break, they all go down to the local pub. Cooke cleverly uses the twin devices of the role-play sessions and what become marathon drinking sessions to explore the characters of the four men. Seldom has British pub drinking been so convincingly and unapologetically conveyed. It's both tragic and hilarious.
Jimmy lies to himself and his mother about what he's doing, telling her he's in a business course. "It's the networking opportunity of a lifetime," he says hollowly. He earnestly romances a young woman working behind the bar in the local pub, but when push comes to shove he says he'd better get back to the lads.
Paul is thrown out of his house by his fed-up wife. The option she suggests and he accepts is to live in a tent in their back yard. Mark rides about as a forlorn passenger in his mate's taxi rather than stay home alone. The rich man advertises overseas for a bride, hoping she understands English.
If these episodes sound banal and sad, their depiction and accompanying dialogue are so sardonic and penetrating that the screening here at Edinburgh had the audience in stitches. This is comedy writing and performing at a very high level. The acting is uniformly acute, with all the principals able to portray deep stupidity in a believable and sympathetic manner. Procter, especially, reveals an outstanding ability to deliver outrageously funny lines with a perfectly straight face.
As the plot moves along and the plan of the three losers to sell the boy's inherited warehouse to the millionaire takes shape, it becomes inevitable that they are all heading for a car wreck in some shape or form. But when it comes, it is from so far out of left field that even though it's monstrous, it is unutterably funny.
"One for the Road" is entirely politically incorrect in its affection for its group of drunks, but it's totally clear-eyed in respect to the self-delusion their indulgence breeds. Cooke doesn't preach, but he does make you laugh.
ONE FOR THE ROAD
U.K. Film Council and FilmFour present a One for the Road Films production in association with Strange Dog and Intermedia Film & Video (Nottingham) Ltd.
Credits: Screenwriter-director: Chris Cooke
Producer: Kate Ogborn
Executive producers: Peter Carlton, Paul Trijbits, Robin Gutch
Co-producers: Helen Solomon, Alexander O'Neal
Director of photography: N.G. Smith
Production designer: Jason Carlin
Music: Steve Blackman
Costume designer: Claire Finlay
Editor: Nick Fenton
Cast:
Paul: Rupert Procter
Jimmy: Greg Chisholm
Mark: Mark Devenport
Richard Stevens: Hywel Bennett
Liz: Julie Legrand
Eve: Micaiah Dring
Ian: Jonny Phillips
Running time -- 96 minutes
No MPAA rating...
EDINBURGH, Scotland -- Writer-director Chris Cooke and a small but expert cast turn an essentially downbeat story of three losers and the rich man they hope to fleece into a richly humorous and surreal fable. Smartly marketed to an audience that likes its comedy stiletto sharp, martini dry and a little bloody, "One for the Road" could be in for a very profitable ride.
Jimmy, Paul and Mark meet millionaire Richard Stevens at a rehabilitation course after they've each been convicted of driving while intoxicated. Jimmy (Greg Chisholm) is the youngest -- a callow, cheap-suited lad whose father has died leaving a failed business and an empty warehouse. Paul (Rupert Procter) is a flop-sweat salesman with a disaffected wife, two kids and an expensive mortgage. Mark (Mark Devenport) is an affable dopehead. Stevens (Hywel Bennett) is a retired businessman who lives a lonely life in a grand mansion and boasts of the thoroughbred horse he owns.
They make an incongruous bunch at the court-enforced meetings, where a supercilious assessor named Ian (Jonny Phillips) plays touchy-feely games and conducts role-play sessions so that he can write reports to the magistrate that will decide when they get their licenses back.
At the first lunch break, they all go down to the local pub. Cooke cleverly uses the twin devices of the role-play sessions and what become marathon drinking sessions to explore the characters of the four men. Seldom has British pub drinking been so convincingly and unapologetically conveyed. It's both tragic and hilarious.
Jimmy lies to himself and his mother about what he's doing, telling her he's in a business course. "It's the networking opportunity of a lifetime," he says hollowly. He earnestly romances a young woman working behind the bar in the local pub, but when push comes to shove he says he'd better get back to the lads.
Paul is thrown out of his house by his fed-up wife. The option she suggests and he accepts is to live in a tent in their back yard. Mark rides about as a forlorn passenger in his mate's taxi rather than stay home alone. The rich man advertises overseas for a bride, hoping she understands English.
If these episodes sound banal and sad, their depiction and accompanying dialogue are so sardonic and penetrating that the screening here at Edinburgh had the audience in stitches. This is comedy writing and performing at a very high level. The acting is uniformly acute, with all the principals able to portray deep stupidity in a believable and sympathetic manner. Procter, especially, reveals an outstanding ability to deliver outrageously funny lines with a perfectly straight face.
As the plot moves along and the plan of the three losers to sell the boy's inherited warehouse to the millionaire takes shape, it becomes inevitable that they are all heading for a car wreck in some shape or form. But when it comes, it is from so far out of left field that even though it's monstrous, it is unutterably funny.
"One for the Road" is entirely politically incorrect in its affection for its group of drunks, but it's totally clear-eyed in respect to the self-delusion their indulgence breeds. Cooke doesn't preach, but he does make you laugh.
ONE FOR THE ROAD
U.K. Film Council and FilmFour present a One for the Road Films production in association with Strange Dog and Intermedia Film & Video (Nottingham) Ltd.
Credits: Screenwriter-director: Chris Cooke
Producer: Kate Ogborn
Executive producers: Peter Carlton, Paul Trijbits, Robin Gutch
Co-producers: Helen Solomon, Alexander O'Neal
Director of photography: N.G. Smith
Production designer: Jason Carlin
Music: Steve Blackman
Costume designer: Claire Finlay
Editor: Nick Fenton
Cast:
Paul: Rupert Procter
Jimmy: Greg Chisholm
Mark: Mark Devenport
Richard Stevens: Hywel Bennett
Liz: Julie Legrand
Eve: Micaiah Dring
Ian: Jonny Phillips
Running time -- 96 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Edinburgh International Film Festival
EDINBURGH, Scotland -- Writer-director Chris Cooke and a small but expert cast turn an essentially downbeat story of three losers and the rich man they hope to fleece into a richly humorous and surreal fable. Smartly marketed to an audience that likes its comedy stiletto sharp, martini dry and a little bloody, "One for the Road" could be in for a very profitable ride.
Jimmy, Paul and Mark meet millionaire Richard Stevens at a rehabilitation course after they've each been convicted of driving while intoxicated. Jimmy (Greg Chisholm) is the youngest -- a callow, cheap-suited lad whose father has died leaving a failed business and an empty warehouse. Paul (Rupert Procter) is a flop-sweat salesman with a disaffected wife, two kids and an expensive mortgage. Mark (Mark Devenport) is an affable dopehead. Stevens (Hywel Bennett) is a retired businessman who lives a lonely life in a grand mansion and boasts of the thoroughbred horse he owns.
They make an incongruous bunch at the court-enforced meetings, where a supercilious assessor named Ian (Jonny Phillips) plays touchy-feely games and conducts role-play sessions so that he can write reports to the magistrate that will decide when they get their licenses back.
At the first lunch break, they all go down to the local pub. Cooke cleverly uses the twin devices of the role-play sessions and what become marathon drinking sessions to explore the characters of the four men. Seldom has British pub drinking been so convincingly and unapologetically conveyed. It's both tragic and hilarious.
Jimmy lies to himself and his mother about what he's doing, telling her he's in a business course. "It's the networking opportunity of a lifetime," he says hollowly. He earnestly romances a young woman working behind the bar in the local pub, but when push comes to shove he says he'd better get back to the lads.
Paul is thrown out of his house by his fed-up wife. The option she suggests and he accepts is to live in a tent in their back yard. Mark rides about as a forlorn passenger in his mate's taxi rather than stay home alone. The rich man advertises overseas for a bride, hoping she understands English.
If these episodes sound banal and sad, their depiction and accompanying dialogue are so sardonic and penetrating that the screening here at Edinburgh had the audience in stitches. This is comedy writing and performing at a very high level. The acting is uniformly acute, with all the principals able to portray deep stupidity in a believable and sympathetic manner. Procter, especially, reveals an outstanding ability to deliver outrageously funny lines with a perfectly straight face.
As the plot moves along and the plan of the three losers to sell the boy's inherited warehouse to the millionaire takes shape, it becomes inevitable that they are all heading for a car wreck in some shape or form. But when it comes, it is from so far out of left field that even though it's monstrous, it is unutterably funny.
"One for the Road" is entirely politically incorrect in its affection for its group of drunks, but it's totally clear-eyed in respect to the self-delusion their indulgence breeds. Cooke doesn't preach, but he does make you laugh.
ONE FOR THE ROAD
U.K. Film Council and FilmFour present a One for the Road Films production in association with Strange Dog and Intermedia Film & Video (Nottingham) Ltd.
Credits: Screenwriter-director: Chris Cooke
Producer: Kate Ogborn
Executive producers: Peter Carlton, Paul Trijbits, Robin Gutch
Co-producers: Helen Solomon, Alexander O'Neal
Director of photography: N.G. Smith
Production designer: Jason Carlin
Music: Steve Blackman
Costume designer: Claire Finlay
Editor: Nick Fenton
Cast:
Paul: Rupert Procter
Jimmy: Greg Chisholm
Mark: Mark Devenport
Richard Stevens: Hywel Bennett
Liz: Julie Legrand
Eve: Micaiah Dring
Ian: Jonny Phillips
Running time -- 96 minutes
No MPAA rating...
EDINBURGH, Scotland -- Writer-director Chris Cooke and a small but expert cast turn an essentially downbeat story of three losers and the rich man they hope to fleece into a richly humorous and surreal fable. Smartly marketed to an audience that likes its comedy stiletto sharp, martini dry and a little bloody, "One for the Road" could be in for a very profitable ride.
Jimmy, Paul and Mark meet millionaire Richard Stevens at a rehabilitation course after they've each been convicted of driving while intoxicated. Jimmy (Greg Chisholm) is the youngest -- a callow, cheap-suited lad whose father has died leaving a failed business and an empty warehouse. Paul (Rupert Procter) is a flop-sweat salesman with a disaffected wife, two kids and an expensive mortgage. Mark (Mark Devenport) is an affable dopehead. Stevens (Hywel Bennett) is a retired businessman who lives a lonely life in a grand mansion and boasts of the thoroughbred horse he owns.
They make an incongruous bunch at the court-enforced meetings, where a supercilious assessor named Ian (Jonny Phillips) plays touchy-feely games and conducts role-play sessions so that he can write reports to the magistrate that will decide when they get their licenses back.
At the first lunch break, they all go down to the local pub. Cooke cleverly uses the twin devices of the role-play sessions and what become marathon drinking sessions to explore the characters of the four men. Seldom has British pub drinking been so convincingly and unapologetically conveyed. It's both tragic and hilarious.
Jimmy lies to himself and his mother about what he's doing, telling her he's in a business course. "It's the networking opportunity of a lifetime," he says hollowly. He earnestly romances a young woman working behind the bar in the local pub, but when push comes to shove he says he'd better get back to the lads.
Paul is thrown out of his house by his fed-up wife. The option she suggests and he accepts is to live in a tent in their back yard. Mark rides about as a forlorn passenger in his mate's taxi rather than stay home alone. The rich man advertises overseas for a bride, hoping she understands English.
If these episodes sound banal and sad, their depiction and accompanying dialogue are so sardonic and penetrating that the screening here at Edinburgh had the audience in stitches. This is comedy writing and performing at a very high level. The acting is uniformly acute, with all the principals able to portray deep stupidity in a believable and sympathetic manner. Procter, especially, reveals an outstanding ability to deliver outrageously funny lines with a perfectly straight face.
As the plot moves along and the plan of the three losers to sell the boy's inherited warehouse to the millionaire takes shape, it becomes inevitable that they are all heading for a car wreck in some shape or form. But when it comes, it is from so far out of left field that even though it's monstrous, it is unutterably funny.
"One for the Road" is entirely politically incorrect in its affection for its group of drunks, but it's totally clear-eyed in respect to the self-delusion their indulgence breeds. Cooke doesn't preach, but he does make you laugh.
ONE FOR THE ROAD
U.K. Film Council and FilmFour present a One for the Road Films production in association with Strange Dog and Intermedia Film & Video (Nottingham) Ltd.
Credits: Screenwriter-director: Chris Cooke
Producer: Kate Ogborn
Executive producers: Peter Carlton, Paul Trijbits, Robin Gutch
Co-producers: Helen Solomon, Alexander O'Neal
Director of photography: N.G. Smith
Production designer: Jason Carlin
Music: Steve Blackman
Costume designer: Claire Finlay
Editor: Nick Fenton
Cast:
Paul: Rupert Procter
Jimmy: Greg Chisholm
Mark: Mark Devenport
Richard Stevens: Hywel Bennett
Liz: Julie Legrand
Eve: Micaiah Dring
Ian: Jonny Phillips
Running time -- 96 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 8/26/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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