andyrobert Reviews

Cover Girl Killer (1959)

Alfred Hitchcock Would Have Loved A Script Like This

[10/10 · 29 December 2021]

This was a very unusual British film, inasmuch as the cinema audience had an advantage over the characters in the film. In other words, those watching the film knew who the killer was right from the start.

It was nice to see Harry H. Corbett in one of his earlier performances, proving that he was a very good character actor, before being type cast as "Harold" in the much-appraised television series, "Steptoe and Son".

Fire Maidens of Outer Space (1956)

Star Wars It Was Not

[5/10 · 18 December 2021]

I have just watched this film this morning on Talking Pictures.

Some reviewers would say that it defies commercial logic as to why a film like this was ever made. It definitely was never ever meant to be a Box Office Smash, nor an All-Time Blockbuster. It could be determined as a classic - but a classic what?

A lot IMDB members have reviewed this film with heavy criticism and, to tell you the truth, I cannot find any reason to put up an argument against even some of the more scathing comments.

However, I suppose I could say that it paved the way for such commercial successes as: "2001 - A Space Odyssey", "Alien" and the film versions of "Quatermass" and "Doctor Who"; and as far as British Television Science Fiction is concerned, it has come a long way since the 1950s. Such programmes as: "Space 1999", "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" and "Red Dwarf" are now considered to be classics. All these would probably have benefited from the pioneering efforts of such, underfunded, films as "Fire Maidens From Outer Space".

"Fire Maidens From Outer Space" was probably a very low budget film, with contracted actors, and was made as a "Quota Quickie". In other words, it was a government-controlled way of making sure enough British films were available to ensure that cinemas were showing an ample amount of British films, which was, and has always been, dominated by the American market.

I personally enjoyed watching all the lovely "Fire Maidens", as they danced and fawned all over their captives.

I can only assume that, because of the production values of this film, was that it may have been made for an early television play. However, because of some of the frightening scenes, it would have to have been broadcasted very late at night, when the government was assured that all children would have gone to bed. This, in addition, to the period for which television airtime had been allowed, there would have been no slot to put it in. In 1956, television was forced to close down before 11 'o' clock at night, therefore, it would be impossible to show it.

The only thing that I could not understand about the film was why the Senior Astronaut, played by Anthony Dexter, had authority over the four ringed, senior Royal Naval Captain, played by Paul Carpenter. Surely the Captain is always in charge of the ship?

Finally, on a poignant note, I would like to say a few words in commemoration for Susan Shaw and Paul Carpenter: not big stars, but two reliable actors, who died so young.

5 for effort.

Elizabeth of Ladymead (1948)

Probably Would Have Made A Better Mini-Series

[8/10 · 6 December 2021]

At first, I thought this film was going to be about an aristocratic Army officer returning from the Second World War, finding it hard to settle down into civilian life and coping with Peace, as opposed to War. However, as soon as the officer was reunited with his wife, you realised that there was going to be something wrong with their relationship.

His wife, having been alone in their Georgian mansion house with no staff to help her manage the estate, had a boring War and was having to do everything herself. While the husband wanted to settle down to a simple life in the country, she wanted to give up rural life, hoping that her husband would return to Politics, where she would be able to enjoy a more active and useful life in a London fancy apartment.

However, the film came to be more than just a social drama about a married couple adjusting to life after six years of War. Anna Neagle, playing the part of the wife, after being knocked unconscious seemed to start dreaming about her life being paralleled by married couples in the same situation, with the husband coming home from different wars stretching back over 100 years.

Each husband was played by a different actor wearing a different uniform associated with the war that they had just fought in. However, in every part of the anthology, Anna Neagle plays the wife. The parts of the husband's friend and wife's mother were also played by different actors and actresses.

The first husband was played by Nicholas Phipps, an actor who usually appeared in supporting roles in many British film comedies during the 1950s and 1960s. He wore the uniform of a cavalry officer who had just returned from the Crimean War in 1854 and was present at the Battle of Balaclava. This short part of the anthology is about the chauvinistic husband being very disturbed at his wife wanting to join Florence Nightingale as a nurse. He advocated that wives' and women belong in the home - looking beautiful - and not soaking up the dubious glory of life on the battlefield.

The second husband was played by Bernard Lee, who later became more famous as 'M' in the series of James Bond films. He wore the uniform of another cavalry officer, but this time he was an officer having just returned from the Boer War in 1903. This part of the anthology was about his disapproval of his wife having ably managed his estate by herself and her controversial support for Woman's Suffrage and her even more controversial lack of support for the War in South Africa, advocating that the Boers were quite justified in the way they were fighting for their farms, land and their own way of life.

The third husband was played by an actor called Michael Laurence in a rare film appearance. As well as looking like Errol Flynn, he wore the uniform of an army captain who had just returned from France, having experienced the grim realities of life in the trenches and the tragic aftermath of the First World War. This part of the anthology was about the husband coming home, from the worst war that had ever been fought up to that time. He was miserably greeted to an empty house and a wife who had become an amoral wastrel and flapper. Without giving to much away, this was the most tragic part of the film.

The last part of the film shows Anna Neagle regaining conscious and telling her husband about her dream and how they came to understand each other again, adjusting to each other's needs and how they both wished to spend their life together.

Throughout the film the underlying theme seemed to be about women's emancipation. In 1854 was about their subjugation; in 1903 it was about how women's freedom and independence was being fought for; and in 1919 it showed how it had all gone too far.

By 1945 the film seemed to be trying to say how everything had gone back to where it was before.

8 out of 10.

ITV Play of the Week: War and Peace (1963) Season 8, Episode 29

An Example of 1960s Experimental Theatre

[8/10 · 29 November 2021]

I remember watching this in 1963. I was about 12 years old, and it was broadcasted on ITV on a Tuesday night at about 8:30. For a 12-year-old, it was a very perplexing programme. I think I only kept watching it, order to stay up late that night. Plus, there was nothing particularly interesting on the other side (BBC) at the same time.

The play seemed to be produced on a circular stage, in the same way that I would imagine early television plays would have been broadcasted, similar to the way some Shakespearian plays have recently been staged. There were lots of actors in period dress, the background was completely dark, and there was no scenery nor props, apart from a raised platform for the characters to sit or stand on.

The other perplexing part of the programme was that the narrator actually appeared on the stage, telling the story as it unfolded. The strange thing was that he was dressed in a modern-day suit, looking rather out of place in a period drama.

This story telling technique of the narrator performing dually as one of the cast and talking to the audience as the story unfolds, with other members of the cast being totally oblivious to him speaking, harks back to the type of plays that were put on by the Ancient Greeks. The narrator also seemed to be acting as a spectator and walked anachronistically amongst the other members of the cast. He also, spookily, seemed to act as a confidante to some of the plays characters, during their period of deep introspection and dark reflection.

I think in the Greek plays, he would have been known as Chorus. Other examples of this are Richard III in Shakespeare's play of the same name; the character of Pseudolus in "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum"; and, more famously, Tevye the Milkman in "Fiddler On The Roof".

I will give the play 8 out of 10 for effort and for reviving an old traditional method of producing a play, at the same time, trying to reinvent the old style of putting on theatrical performances.

The End of the Line (1957)

Neat, Well-Crafted Little Thriller

[8/10 · 18 October 2021]

I thought that this was a neat, well-crafted thriller with a few surprising little twists here and there.

Good performances by Barbera Shelley, who sadly died of COVID 19 earlier this year; and Jennifer Jayne, who can be seen alongside Conrad Phillips in The Adventures of William Tell, which is being rerun on Talking Pictures at the moment, on a Monday morning at 09:30; and Geoffrey Hibbert, who died in 1969 at the young age of 42. Jennifer Jayne is also no longer with us, having died in 2006 at the age of 74. All three actors are sadly missed for the great contribution that they made to British Television and Film.

The only thing that intrigued me about this film was the narration by Alan Baxter, who played the lead. Why was he referring to himself by the personal pronoun, "you", as if he was talking to someone else?

Born of the Sea (1949)

A Good and Unusual Film - But Look for the Moral

[10/10 · 18 October 2021]

This was indeed a very unique film. It was an unusual way of telling a story - but it was a way that actually worked. I am surprised that very few other British films have not been made in the same way.

The film was unusual, inasmuch, as none of the actors actually spoke. The dialogue was put over purely by narration.

This type of film would have been easier to sell to a country where English is not the first, nor accepted language - dubbed dialogue can sometimes be a bit irritating and subtitles tend to distract the cinema audience from what is actually happening on the screen.

However, I think the ending may have been sadly misunderstood, especially by younger audiences, but there was probably a moral or a message in there somewhere, but I do not know where. Perhaps the film makers were trying to say: "The sea gives, and the sea takes away - without any thought for the innocent".

My own thoughts would be that you should never underestimate the power of natural adversity, whether it be weak or strong; and, as well as good training, experience is sometimes the most influential teacher.

Learning the hard way only benefits those who sadly and helplessly look on.

The sea cannot be tamed, trained, nor subdued - it should always be respected.

Chance Meeting (1954)

Good Cold War Thriller

[10/10 · 23 August 2021]

Billed as a romantic drama, this film starts out as a very touching, "Romeo and Juliet" style love story, with the star-crossed lovers coming from opposing sides of the Iron Curtain. It then builds up into a suspenseful, cold war thriller, finishing with a thrilling chase across England through railway stations, boatyards, and small towns, with Metropolitan Police, MI 5, CIA, and KGB agents in hot pursuit of the runaway lovers.

As other reviewers have noted, the ending seems to be quite open ended, leaving a lot to the cinema audience's imagination.

However, David Kossoff gives a strong political speech towards the end of the film when reading aloud his daughter's farewell letter, with social comments about the futility of the enmity between East and West, saying that it will one day be the downfall of both sides.

The uncredited performances read like a Who's Who of the British Cinema with actors such as: Robin Bailey, Dora Bryan, Joan Sims, Betty Marsden, the ubiquitous Sam Kydd - and am I the only one who noticed Raymond Francis in a similar role to what he played in No Hiding Place as Chief Inspector Lockhart?

Friend or Foe (1982)

A Lovely Film

[10/10 · 21 August 2021]

I don't usually watch films that were distributed by the Children's Film Foundation unless they have special interest for me, or if it was a film that brings back childhood memories of when I used to go to the Saturday Morning Minors Picture Show.

However, this film really surpassed itself. Although it was distributed by the Children's Film Foundation, it would have appealed to grown-ups as well.

At first, I thought it may have been based on the author Michael Morpurgo's own childhood memories of being evacuated himself, but as he was not born until 1943, he was probably inspired by stories that he had heard from older children who had, themselves, been evacuated during the London Blitz.

The story was quite well acted, had the good costume design, good production values and was spot on with the World War 2 atmosphere. Also, I enjoyed listening to Robert Farnon's lulling musical score. He has always been one of my favourite composers.

I watched the film on Talking Pictures this morning and made a recording of it. I might even watch it again.

The Seventh Survivor (1942)

Good Wartime Thriller With A Neat Twist At The End

[8/10 · 8 August 2021]

The scene opens with a neutral merchant ship, sailing to Lisbon. The ship is torpedoed, and six survivors escape in a lifeboat. They are rescued by the crew of a lighthouse - but amongst the survivors is a seventh survivor, a German officer from a U Boat that has also been sunk.

Amongst the others is a German spy and a British agent. But who are they?

As the suspense builds up, everyone starts to distrust each other, with the only one who they are sure of is the German officer. But who is his German contact? And who is the British agent that he must rout out and capture?

Lots of red herrings in this tense mystery which will have you all guessing right up the last two minutes.

Eagle Rock (1964)

Interesting Film - A "Must See" For Amateur Mountain Climbers

[10/10 · 17 July 2021]

As a keen supporter of the British Film Industry, one of my favorite channels is Talking Pictures. I usually give children's films a miss, as I can't watch every single film that comes on the channel. Besides, I saw most of the films that were produced by the Children's Film Foundation at Saturday Morning Pictures when I was a child.

I decided to watch Eagle Rock this morning just out of curiosity, and I found it to be a very interesting film. If you could leave out any thoughts on the various styles of acting, you will find the scenes of the Lake District quite breathtaking and the shots of eagles quite marvelous, along with a story line that is a work of genius.

By his knowledge and skills at rock climbing, I had the feeling that the actor who played "Mr. McTavish" was a real climbing instructor.

Another great feat of film making was using the great John Laurie as a voice over.

Without creating any spoilers, it was a nice touch having the actress who played the young girl as the hero - sorry, heroine - at the end of the film.

Tales of the Unexpected: The Open Window (1982) Season 7, Episode 15

A Light-Hearted Short Story Changed to a Gruesome Drama

[7/10 · 22 June 2021]

As soon as I started watching this episode of Tales of the Unexpected, I realized that it was similar to a story that I had heard read on Radio 4 (then known as the Home Service), when I was a child in the early 1960s. However, the ending was a little more romantic and lighthearted compared to the gruesome and depressing ending that this episode had. This was as well as the scene being changed from rural England to the New England American State of Connecticut.

The story was a variation of a short story written by H. H. Munro - better known as "Saki", and in answer to a previous reviewer, the story was about a girl playing a rather garish joke on her male companion, but Saki's story - as read on the radio - had a more amusing ending than this episode had.

It was nice the see Dina Merrill looking just as lovely as she did in the films' she made in the 1950s and 1960s.

The Barefoot Contessa (1954)

Would Make A Great Mini-Series - With Everything The Censors Will Allow

[10/10 · 22 June 2021]

The trailer gave me the impression that this might be a film about Hollywood creating a glittering female star, just to vindictively destroy her afterwards. But it was the foreboding course of true love that destroyed this both fey and gamine creation. A poignant love story, this film would have left cinema audiences of 1954 with tearful lumps in their throats as they exited through the foyer.

If there had been nothing else to praise this film for, it would have been for the superb acting and direction, the excellent production values, and the heart wrenching storyline. Also, Mario Nascimbene's haunting music, makes you feel tearful after just listening to the first few bars.

Edmund O' Brien won the Academy Award for the Best Supporting Actor, but the film really belongs to Ava Gardner, once voted the most beautiful woman in the World, as she lit up the screen with her alluring performance and her exquisite loveliness.

But what made the film so appealing was Humphrey Bogart's touching performance as a man tormented by the thoughts of what he had created, only for it to inexorably slide away from him, feeling hopeless and guilt ridden, with himself being powerless to rescue his lamented creation. It is ironic that his deep and gravelled narration was easier to listen to than that of the other two actors telling their part of the story. You could have listened to his weary, anguished tones for the whole of the film. Once this great actor lured himself away from being type cast as hoodlums and gangsters, he gave great performances in no matter whatever film he was in - such a great loss to the World of Cinema.

If there was ever a moral to this story, it was about whys and wherefores of making one right out of two wrongs. On that note, the ending left a lot up to the cinema audience's imagination, as in 1954 the censorship rules were not as relaxed as they are today.

I will definitely have to watch this film again, but I suggest other reviewers watch it on a wide screen.

Advance to the Rear (1964)

See This Film Before Reading The Book

[8/10 · 22 June 2021]

I have just finished reading Jack Schaefer's book, "Company of Cowards", and by coincidence, I watched this film on TCM this morning. I have to say that, apart from the names of some of the characters, this film bears very little resemblance to the book. For example, in the film, the character of Hugo Zattig, is a villainous and duplicitous, Confederate officer, played by James Griffith. In the book, the character is one of the "Company of Cowards", whose honour is redeemed at the end of the book.

Technically, the book was a historical novel, centred around the fictional character of Jared Heath, himself a disgraced Union officer, busted to sergeant, who was detailed to take charge of a company of other disgraced officers who had also been demoted for crimes such as desertion, disobedience, brawling and other such offences that are not tolerated in any Army, past or present. The end of the novel describes how Jared Heath and his "Company of Cowards" manage to redeem themselves during a heroic battle against Comanche and the Kiowa Indians, with a few of them giving their own lives in the heat of battle.

I should imagine that the producers and MGM had a lot of debate about how this film should be made. Was it to be a film about the true horrors of war and how disgraced soldiers were treated by the other troopers, as depicted in the novel? No, it was to be made as a knockabout comedy, directed by George Marshall, who had already directed James Stewart in "Destry Rides Again" and Glen Ford in a few other films, such as another comedy western, "The Sheepman".

A question had already asked as to whether the television comedy series, "F Troop" was loosely based on this film. Well, as the series was released on ABC a year later, it is probably more than a coincidence that the producers of the series did take some inspiration from this film. Ken Berry would have been a more naïve version of the Glen Ford character.

Jack Schaefer's novel was a very serious study on how the American Civil War was fought, which went on to describe the horror of fighting in the Indians Wars, when many hostile Indian tribes took advantage of the fact that the "white men" were distracted with fighting each other.

There were also some political comments about why the Union government kept changing its mind as to the reason for the war, starting out with political wrangles about why the Federal Government should have control over the distant Southern States; with the economic disparity between the Southern States and the Northern States; the need to keep the Union together; and, finally, the Abolition of Slavery.

Jack Schaefer wrote "Shane", one of the greatest and most realistic westerns ever written and filmed - I wonder what he thought of how his original novel was brought to the screen.

I will give the film 8 out of 10 for the lively performances of Glen Ford and the lovely Stella Stevens.

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960)

A Good Insight into Real Life During the 1960s

[10/10 · 14 June 2021]

When this film was first shown at the cinema in 1960 it was 'X' rated, which meant that anyone under the age of 16 was not allowed into the cinema to see it. I was only 9 years old at the time and still thought that babies came from underneath gooseberry bushes. Even when I saw extracts of the film on the television, I felt that I had sneakily been allowed into a world that was solely privileged for adults only.

The first extract that I saw was with Albert Finney cursing and swearing, whilst finishing off his weeks work, making bicycle parts at the factory where he worked. I had never heard language like this on a film before and, again, felt that I had been allowed into a world that was solely for adults only.

The second extract that I saw was where Albert Finney - presumptuously - invited Shirley Ann Field out to the pictures on a Saturday night. Even this made me feel that I had been given a privileged look into the adult world - although, the same scene would not raise many eyebrows today.

This film was first shown on ITV in 1966 on a Thursday evening. However, I was never allowed to see the end of the film because my mother, being a good, well brought up person, switched the television off.

These days you can watch the same film on a Sunday afternoon, accompanied by your infant grandchildren. It is amazing how much has changed since the early 1960s. What was considered to be prurient in those days, is probably required reading for any schoolboy taking GCSE's today.

At this point I would like to say that the book by Alan Sillitoe is also a very good read, but see the film first, as it provides an authentic look into what life was really like in the North of England during the 1960s.

I would like to finish with a few words about Rachel Roberts - a fine actress who died so young.

A great film - 10 out of 10.

Sons of the Sea (1939)

Good "Signing On" Material - Should Be Shown To Every Batch Of Naval Recruits

[10/10 · 31 December 2020]

This is a delightful little wartime-spy drama from 1939, set at the Royal Naval Training College at Dartmouth.

The story line is a little less than credulous, but it is a harmless little film and quite easy to watch. Although it is obvious who the spy is, he is so smooth that you cannot help admiring him. His last line at the end of the film being: "Duty means the same thing in any language", sounds very courageous and honourable - even though we generally despise terrorists and spies in a real threatening situation.

Leslie Banks gives a very stirring performance of which he was always famous for; Kay Walsh looked as lovely as she did in all of her films; and Mackenzie Ward, a leading British actor from the 1930s and 1940s, gives a very smooth performance.

As for Cecil Parker, what can I say? His inimitable style of acting allows him to steal every single scene that he is in - a marvellous actor and always great to watch.

Of course, the real stars of the film are the Parades - sorry - Divisions, as they are called in the Royal Navy - and the Dartmouth Training College itself, not forgetting all the beautiful scenes of Devon, in England, along with the River Dart - a very lovely part of the country.

Although a very dated film, it was enough to make me want to join up again.

10 out of 10.

Incidentally, I am intrigued by the poster that has been placed below the title referring to film that this IMDB page is about. Other than having the same film title, the poster bears no relevance to this film.

After some research, I have come to the conclusion that the poster refers to the film, "Atlantic Ferry", which was, in fact, released in the United States as "Sons Of The Sea". It starred Michael Redgrave and Valerie Hobson, and was released in 1941 as a Warner Brothers First National Picture.

It is possible that the taller man on the left of the poster could be Michael Redgrave, and the woman he is holding may be Valerie Hobson. However, she bears a striking resemblance to Margaret Lockwood, who starred with Douglas Fairbanks Jnr in the 1939 film, "Rulers Of The Sea", made by Paramount Pictures, which, according to other reviewers, has a similar storyline.

As for the older, smaller man, standing on his own, on the right of the poster, I can only make an uneducated assumption as to who the actor is. It could be any of the top male supporting actors in the film. I have never seen "Atlantic Ferry", so it would be hard to even guess the name of the actor, as most of them would have been of similar age when the film was made. Maybe one of the other reviewers can help with this.

The Terrornauts (1967)

Carry On Quatermass

[26 December 2020]

I started to watch this film out of curiosity more than anything. I just wanted to see what Zena Marshall looked like when she was not playing the part of the Eurasian villainess, Miss Taro, in the very first James Bond film, Doctor No. I must admit, she looked just as alluring as a Laboratory Assistant in a Government Space Research Establishment as she did in Doctor No.

The first part of the film gave the impression that it was going to be a serious and thought-provoking study of the work carried out at a space laboratory. The storyline suggested that the first part of was going to be about the Head of a Government Space Research laboratory at odds with the Treasury about lack of funds to finance their research, with the added suspense of receiving strange signals, and believed to be from Outer Space.

However, as soon as Charles Hawtrey bumbled through the door, I knew that this film was never meant to be completely taken seriously. All it needed was for Sid James to burst into the laboratory, chasing after Barbara Windsor, with Hattie Jacques looking on reprovingly, it would have made a pretty good "Carry-On" film.

I haven't given this film a rating as I do not think that it would be fair on those who put so much effort into its production, where the only creditable performance being that of Patricia Hayes as a comic char lady.

The Crimson Blade (1963)

An Exciting Version of Children of the New Forest

[8/10 · 26 December 2020]

I first saw this film at the cinema not long after it first came out and remember it being a very exciting film, with some stirring music by Gary Hughes, who seemed to specialise in composing music for period action films. Jack Hedley gave as good as the great Errol Flynn would have been able to give.

It seemed to be one of those rare films where the baddies actually won, giving a contrast to the quotation: "History is always written by the winners". This time it was written by the losers.

As children, myself and my friends who came to the cinema with me, were confused by the ending. However, having seen the film many times as an adult, I can only say that the ending would have been misunderstood by younger cinema goers. There was probably a short message or a moral in there somewhere - the producers did not want to rewrite the history books. Unfortunately for the Cavaliers and those loyal to King Charles the First, the Roundheads were a very well organised, fierce, and strong army.

Although, reading about the aftermath of the English Civil War, Oliver Cromwell's Navy struggled to recapture the Colonies.

I suppose the idea of this film was to create a more updated and exciting version of Children of the New Forest, as the characters of Edward Beverley, Gypsy Pablo and the servant, Jacob, also appear in Captain Frederick Marryat's Classic novel.

Daniel Boone, Trail Blazer (1956)

Tears Of Dismay When I Was Not Allowed To See The Film As A Child

[8/10 · 15 December 2020]

Going to the cinema was the highlight of a child's life during the 1950's and films about "Cowboys and Indians" were always very popular. None of us children were really bothered what the film was all about, just as long as there was lots of fighting, shooting, horses galloping and other sorts of action in the film.

I did not even know what the title of the film was. I remember giving the film my own title. I simply called it "The Indian Fighter".

I was attracted by the poster outside the cinema. It had a yellow and red background and had a black and white image of a man in a "Davy Crockett style", coonskin cap, fighting a ferocious, Mohican-like Indian. The poster excited me so much that I could not wait to get home from school to ask my mother to take me to see the film.

My mother agreed to take me to see it and as we walked down to the cinema, I could not contain my excitement.

However, my aura of excitement soon changed to tears of dismay. The man on the door said that it was not a children's film. He said that many nasty things happened in the film that an innocent child should not see - I cried all the way home. I think my mother had to buy me a colouring book to make me feel better.

I have just managed to track down the film and managed to match it against the poster that I remembered getting excited about as a child. The man, who had spoken to my mother at the door of the cinema, was right. Many "nasty things" did happen in this film that "an innocent child should not see".

However, having watched the film on YouTube, to my mind, the film was not as exciting as the poster that I saw outside the cinema depicted it to be; and not as brutal as the doorman at the cinema, who would not let me in to see it, said it was going to be.

If I had have seen it as a child, I would not have known whether it was a "sugar coated" family film that was trying to be a musical, or a comic adventure that was trying to be a violent history lesson about early frontier life in America.

So, after sixty years of searching for the film that I was never allowed to see, with only a childhood memory of the poster to go on, I will give it 8 out of 10.

Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild (2013– )

Could This Lifestyle Evolve With Todays Technology

[8/10 · 15 December 2020]

The episode that I watched was about a woman who was living a very austere life in Ireland.

I wonder if this sort of lifestyle could evolve, moving with today's technology. Would the idea of solar panels and wind power be practical for self-sufficient electrical power? Could water for non-drinking purposes being available by means of a sewage treatment plant? Would being able to find one's own water by means of storing rainwater and creating it by means of a dehumidifier or a vaporising plant be practical? Without harming the environment, would it be possible to have an incinerator for burning rubbish, using the ashes, charcoal and roasted, carbonated granules for land fill, with the exhaust being burned off as energy?

The first part of the programme showed how the woman lived in total austerity. She was living without electricity, running water, and any commercial source of energy whatsoever. The woman had basically gone back to nature and was living off the fat of the land and doing without the things that other people take for granted.

However, I found it amusing when, after showing how she lived like someone from the 18th Century, she was able to climb into a modern, state-of-the-art, saloon car, to go and collect her water.

All That Is England (1932)

An England That Once Was - A Land Of Beauty With Lovely People

[10/10 · 15 December 2020]

This is a cute little British film from the 1930s which I watched on Talking Pictures this morning. It almost makes you wish that you had lived during that era, without the gloomy prospect of the Second World War looming up, which must have changed the British way of life forever.

There were a few recognisable names amongst the actors taking part in this film - which was essentially a commercial. Although, the real stars of this film were the automobiles - the Austin's -which the producers were trying to advertise.

However, for me, it was the beautiful English countryside, with each actor blending in with what I have always called "script narration". In other words, telling the story by using the lines the actors were saying. Each actor explained his or her ideal part of England so that any member of a cinema audience who had never been outside of his or her home town could see what a beautiful place their country is - or, in our case, was - without the rain, of course.

It is a pity that the film had not been in colour, as the scenery would have been absolutely stupendous.

I recommend anyone who would love to see how people lived in those far off days of the glorious 1930s to watch this film. The way people dressed, spoke and the types of cars they drove, certainly made you wish for the good old days.

10 out of 10.

On the Fiddle (1961)

Good Film With Some Great Character Actors In Small Parts

[10/10 · 15 December 2020]

I always find myself watching this film when it comes on the television. It is a comedy with a little bit of suspense and action towards the end when Alfred Lynch and Sean Connery become involved in the Battle of the Ardenne, which they had not bargained for.

This film was made before Sean Connery became famous. Who would have thought in 1961 that this good natured, comical gypsy character would suddenly transform himself into the suave, smooth, and debonair secret agent, James Bond - licensed to kill, with an envied charm for the ladies?

I do not know what always attracts me to this film. I first saw it at the cinema when it first came out in 1961. I was only 10 years old at the time and my childish naivety did not really understand a lot of it, but every time I re-watch it, a little bit more falls into place. I think the film was on with "Master of the World", starring Vincent Price and Charles Bronson, but I'm not quite sure which was the second feature, as both films stood out on their own merits.

I think the reason why I enjoy this film so much is due to the lovely array of stars and British character actors who seem to keep popping up in small parts. Reliable personalities like Stanley Holloway, Kathleen Harrison, John Le Mesurier, and not forgetting the great Cecil Parker, always add a bit of class to a good film.

There are a lot of noticeable 'goofs' and anachronisms in the film - like all the barmaids wearing 1960s blouses, skirts and dresses - but who cares - it was a great film

True as a Turtle (1957)

Genevieve On The High Seas

[10/10 · 14 December 2020]

I went to the cinema to see this in 1958 when I was about 7 years old. Needless to say, I remember very little about the film, but there are a few scenes that stick in my mind.

For example: I remember the scene where Cecil Parker told a very young Keith Michelle (in one of his very early roles, before he became famous on television and at the cinema, portraying Henry VIII) to get off his ship, once in the mess room, and the other time when he was sat in the heads; and at the end of the film, when June Thorburn and John Gregson are seen cuddling up on their bunks together, while water is slopping around their feet, and the other actors are calling after them - a classic romantic ending, if ever there was one.

I have been trying to catch up with this film ever since I first saw it at the cinema and keep missing it when it comes on the television. However, I did manage to watch it on Talking Pictures this afternoon.

It was a very funny film, but very underrated and not as famous as some of the great British comedy films of the 1950s - they don't make them like this anymore.

I'll give it 10 out of 10.

On a poignant note: It was a pity about June Thorburn, a lovely actress, who adorned many a British film and television series. She was taken away so young, at the height of her career.

Meet Mr. Lucifer (1953)

Cannot Help Feeling That This film Was Designed To Encourage People To Stop Buying TV Sets And Come The Cinema Instead

[8/10 · 11 December 2020]

My first impression of his film is that it was designed encourage those thinking about buying a television to reconsider such a purchase and come to the cinema instead.

In the 1950s and early 1960s, most young parents at the time hated the television. It was usually only the grandparents that found it to be a more valued form of entertainment.

Younger married couples with children generally could not afford to rent such an appliance. The cost of a television license in 1953 was £3 per year. The average wage was £200 per year after tax. The average mortgage was £48 per year - and the couple would have had to eat, clothe themselves and their children; and pay gas and electric bills as well.

Parents also thought it to have a detrimental influence on their children. For example: parents felt that their children were not doing their homework properly, not playing outside enough, and spending too much time watching television instead reading books and developing their knowledge of life itself, even though television was giving children an innovative insight into life - surreal as it was.

On the social side, in those day's parents liked to have visitors and liked to spend all night talking - I wish I could remember what they used to talk about. I think it was mostly about what they had read in the national and local newspapers.

Quite often my parents would turn the television off for no reason other than it seemed to be dominating and taking over the whole house.

One man's favourite television show would become another man's load of rubbish. Some members of the family would be enjoying a television programme, whilst other members of the family would find the whole show irritating.

Some people would sit watching the programme with their minds closed and their mouths open. Today that would be considered to be a good form of meditation and a way of relaxing the mind, after a very stressful day at work.

In Great Britain, at the time of this film's release, the only Television Broadcasting Service was the British Broadcasting Corporation - BBC for short. On most days, television was only broadcasted for 6 hours a day - from 5 o' clock in the afternoon till 11 o' clock in the evening, starting with Children's Hour. The rest of the evening was dominated with News, Documentaries and plays that children did not usually understand - or were not allowed to stay up and watch.

So, apart from the fact that in those days televisions were always breaking down, going fuzzy, and Dad having hang from the roof guttering, in order to position the aerial to the right advantage, it is very difficult to imagine what sort of disrupting influence that television had on our lives, as this film seems to suggest. My schoolteacher always used to say that the television has an "off" button and it usually worked.

The Ship Was Loaded (1957)

Every Small and Uncredited Role Played Play By A Star

[10/10 · 10 December 2020]

I watched this film on Talking Pictures this morning and it brought back many happy memories.

I remember my Mother and Father taking me to see this film when I was 7 years old, not long after it was made. David Tomlinson and Ronald Shiner seemed to turn up in a lot of British films in those days. At 7 years old, I was not old enough to recognise the names to some of the actors that I saw at the cinema. I can only say that my naïve child's mind was sometimes curious about the way the same men turned up in different films playing different characters. It was very confusing - I used to think that they just looked like each other.

Incidentally, this was the third time that I had seen David Tomlinson donning the uniform of an officer in the Royal Navy. The other two films were "Up the Creek" and "Further Up The Creek.

Although not too well known, the film is interesting inasmuch as nearly all the supporting and uncredited roles are played by well-known actors. Familiar faces like, Joan Sims, Joan Hickson, Alfie Bass, and the ubiquitous Sam Kydd, all made the film worth watching. It almost ran like a potted history of British Cinema of the 1950s and '60s.

I also enjoyed seeing Eunice Gayson, looking just as lovely as she did in the first two James Bond films, Doctor No and From Russia With Love, where she played the casino croupier, Sylvia Trench.

Some of the scenes were shot in and around Portsmouth. As a man who served in the Royal Navy and having lived and served in Portsmouth for most of my working life, I recognised some of the locations, especially the area that stood in for the "Harbour Hotel".

In the background I could see the seating area of Spice Island - a lovely part of Portsmouth which has not changed very much since 1957. Although, I think The Union Hotel, has possibly changed names many times since this film was made. The view of Spice Island suggested that the hotel might have been The Coal Exchange, which is next to the Still and West public house.

I was a bit confused about the other locations in Portsmouth, but I think they may have been distorted for security reasons, as with the name of the warship.

Ever since William Shakespeare penned his immortal lines in such plays as Twelfth Night and Midsummer Night's Dream, cases of mistaken identity have always been a good formula for comedy.

As an ex-Navy man, myself, who has lived in Portsmouth for most of his life, there are a lot of flaws in the storyline that I could pick out, but why bother? It was a very funny film and it passed an hour and a half this morning while my wife was doing the hoovering.

The Next of Kin (1942)

A Military Training Film That Became A Box Office Classic

[10/10 · 20 November 2020]

This film was originally produced as a Military Training film. It was designed not only to make British servicemen aware of the need for security and to keep secrets, but to give the general public the same awareness as well.

The film puts good emphasis on just how easy it would have been to become careless and not realise who you were talking to. It showed that even the smallest and most insignificant piece of information could be of use to a Foreign Power - all part of a large jigsaw puzzle.

However, to anyone else this film comes over as a very good wartime spy thriller.

Mervyn Johns plays the part of a very skilful fifth columnist working for German Intelligence. His performance is so good that you would almost mistake him for being the hero rather than the villain. You could go on believing this until, at the end of the film, you come realise what damage his duplicitous and despicable deeds have done.

At the very beginning of the film, his accomplice is caught by the British, along with the rest of the network making up his organisation. However, himself being older and wilier, survives right up till the very end. The last scene shows how he manages to carry on with his sneaky and contemptible work, continuing to remind the audience that you cannot be too careful about who you are talking to, or sitting next to.

It was nice to see many of the celebrated actors of the day appearing in cameo roles. Names such as Jack Hawkins, Nova Pilbeam, Thora Hird and, the ever reliable, Naunton Wayne and Basil Radford, would have given the film the right amount of box office appeal.

Incidentally, the "goof" that is reported as a "geographical error" on IMDB was probably deliberate. As, with many films about England that were made during the Second World War, it was sometimes necessary to give false geographical locations, should a recording of the film be seen by an agent of a Foreign Power. With this in mind, it should be noted that, in the case of this film, the town of Westport on the Northern Coast of England, is deceptively fictitious for security reasons.