King Kong has a lot to answer for. Like Konga for example, a 1960s b-movie, which just happens to be getting a reissue from Network.
Described as 'an alternative interpretation of the King Kong Story' and released on DVD on 13th May 2013, it stars Michael Gough as Dr Decker, a botanist and university professor, but also the sole survivor of a plane crash in Africa.
When he returns from the jungle he brings with him a baby chimpanzee (Konga). During the course of his experiments, Decker discovers a serum that causes Konga to grow to the size of a gorilla – and, eventually, to obey his will. Encountering both opposition to his experiments and following a love affair thwarted by a rival, he decides to put the super-sized ape to terrifying use by terrorising London.
Originally produced by Anglo-Amalgamated, it is finally available in a brand-new transfer from the original film elements in its as-exhibited cinema aspect ratio. Special features too, including the original theatrical trailer, an image gallery and press material PDFs.
If you want to pre-order, Amazon is doing it for £7.25.
Find out more at the Amazon website
We featured it on here some years back, but if you want to see Roman Polanski's Repulsion in all its glory, you can later this month at Manchester's Cornerhouse.
It's part of the cinema's Matinee Classics season, which used to involve a free fry-up for your admission fee, but sadly no longer does. But you do get a really good movie, a very dark study of mental and emotional disintegration, specifically of Carole (Catherine Deneuve), in a Kensington flat.Starting in March is a Peter Cook season at the BFI, featuring a couple of cracking movies, as well as some TV highlights.
Obviously, one of them is Bedazzled, which is showing twice. But there's also an outing for the (even better) satire The Rise And Rise of Michael Rimmer, which you can read about here.Yesterday, we were incredibly sad to hear of the death of Shelagh Delaney, who died of cancer, aged 71. She was and is a northern icon, star and inspiration for The Smiths and noted playwright, writing the classic A Taste of Honey when she was just 19. If you've never seen it, there's a special screening of the movie at Manchester's Cornerhouse on Wednesday 30th November.
Special, because this one-off screening of the 1961 ony Richardson-directed kitchensink classic features a Q&A with one of the stars of the movie, Murray Melvin, who played Geoffrey Ingham. He'll be hanging around to take our questions after the screening of the film.
A movie we've raved about in the past gets a new DVD reissue courtesy of Odeon - Haunted House of Horror.
We could ramble on for some time about the movie, with facts like David Bowie being first choice for the lead, the movie being a 60s spotter's dream (see the Carnaby Street scenes) and the fact that it was actually filmed in Southport rather than London in the main. All true. In fact, the Haunted House of Horror is still around to view and will soon be made into apartments - you can find out more about that here.I'll be honest, this is a new one to me, but after reading the write-up, I'm desperate to see The Tyrant King, which is being issued on DVD for the first time by Network.
Why so good? Well, because it sounds so odd and very much of the swinging sixties. Directed by Mike Hodges (Get Carter) and written by Ace of Wands creator (and Sweeney writer) Trevor Preston, The Tyrant King follows three teenagers as they travel around London searching for an answer to a hidden secret. Or as the press release says:Remember Armchair Cinema? No, me neither. I'm sure it was a pretty good series, but even if it wasn't, it spawned one classic episode and one classic TV series which is still on the box right now, The Sweeney. That episode was called Regan and it's just been issued by Network on Blu-ray for the very first time.
Regan might have been intended as a one-off episode, but you suspect that the writers already had one eye on a series, because this is very much the calling card for the entire run of the show. The characters, the background, the plot, the violence, the warts 'n' all portrayal of London and the police force - it's all here. Indeed, Regan's opening line in the episode is perhaps his most famous line from the series: 'Get our trousers on…you're nicked!'When it comes to Norman Wisdom, you expect pretty much all of his output to involve a jaunty flat cap and a cry of 'Mr Grimsdale!' Not a mid-life crisis, a bunch of hippies and the Pretty Things. Which is what you actually get with What's Good For The Goose.
It was Wisdom's last starring role and for Wisdom fans, by far his worst. But for some of us, this is by far his most interesting big screen outing. Essentially because it is so bizarre.The conference starts, but all usually diligent banker can think about are the two girls in the car. The dour conference and post-conference dinner don't help, nor does being the 'outsider' at the event. There's only one thing for it - go where the action is!
Which just happens to be a nearby club (The Screaming Apple) where the mods and hippies hang out. Inside, it's a technicolor dream, with the sounds provided at ear-shattering volume by Electric Banana (played by The Pretty Things). One of the great 'swinging' club scenes ever committed to film. the other is later in the same movie.
Anyway, our Timothy meets up with the two girls and their hipster crowd, becomes a surprise hit on the dancefloor and manages to 'pull' Nikki too. After some knockabout antics, he gets her back to his room for a night of passion.
That's not the end of it either. With his head turned, Timothy skips the conference and has some fun on the town instead - the funfair, the bandstand, the sand dunes, even some swimming in the nude during a day/night session. The day after, he goes out to buy some hipster gear, as well as a new-build flat for his new-found girlfriend, before hitting the Screaming Apple once more, throwing some will shapes too, as it happens.
The turnaround is complete.
Or is it? Deep down, you know it's only a weekend of fun…and like all weekends, soon enough, it's back to the Monday to Friday grind. As Timothy finds out all too quickly. Still, at least there's a happy ending of sorts.
So there should be. Because essentially, What's Good For The Goose is a fun film. Yes, it might have an undercurrent of a midlife crisis, it might also be a poke at the 'establishment', but like Timothy's banking weekend, it's just a piece of escapism - about how you can learn to enjoy life once more if you get over yourself.
It might not work for the die hard Wisdom fans, but lovers of swinging sixties cinema really should grab a copy of this. On the downside, not a lot of restoration has gone into this release - this is still the 'cut' version, although you're only missing a bit of surrealism and nudity from the full version. Extras are a bit lacking too.
But the quality seems up on past video versions I've seen and at £7.99, it's not exactly a big outlay. Like a day out in Southport, it's better than you might expect.
Find out more about the DVD at the Amazon website
I've always been slightly fascinated with More. The first time I saw it was on late night Channel 4, its mix of Pink Floyd, 60s hippiedom and stunning Ibiza landscapes being the perfect post-club comedown. Now its here via the BFI on Blu-ray, Does it still cut it?
In a word 'yes' - although More's value today is more as a period piece than a cautionary drug tale.They both need cash, so after Charlie 'borrows' some money from the bag of Estelle at a party (unbeknown to Stefan), they secure a house breaking job and the money that comes from it. Stefan, who has fell under Estelle's spell at the party, takes the money back (plus interest), discovers drugs, discovers Pink Floyd, falls for Estelle, finds out she's a heroin user (or occasional user anyway) and vows to follow her to Ibiza, when he's completed the 'job' in Paris. What could possibly go wrong?
In a few short weeks, Stefan lands in an Ibiza untouched by mass tourism and rave music, an Ibiza populated by the locals, a gaggle of hippies and odd 'character'. Indeed, one of those is the man Estelle is staying with, Dr Ernesto Wolf, an ex-Nazi and generally shifty character.
Eventually, after necking down an absinthe with Wolf and a purple heart with a an oddball hippy, he finds Estelle, downbeat after 'a little trip' and generally acting differently to the way she was in Paris. Not that Stefan cares - he's in love and he's just happy she's around.
But problems are only just around the corner…
Unknown to Stefan (again), Estelle has stolen money and drugs off Wolf. The pair sneak off in the night from Wolf's hotel, finding a hideaway in the hidden depths of the island - or so they think. It's paradise, that's for sure. The beach, the blue skies, the clear blue sea - it's an escape from the world and the love story Stefan was perhaps dreaming off when he made the boat trip over.
But the slide downhill is about to begin…
First, it's the arrival of Katie, one of Estelle's drug buddies, breaking their peaceful isolation. Then another old friend enters Estelle's life once more - heroin.
Once she's back on it, she's desperate to bring Stefan into that relationship too. He tries it once, gets hooked and…well, everything changes. The love affair between the two is secondary to the love affair the pair have with the heroin.
It's not obvious at first, but things gradually start to crumble as the heroin doses crank up, made worse when Wolf's heavies finally catch up with Estelle. He wants his drugs back - or at least - he wants them to work off the 'debt' selling drugs on the island. There's no escape from the island, so there's no choice.
The relationship breaks down even more, but the drugs keep coming, despite attempt to get clean. It can only end one way - badly. You've probably guessed it does. I'll not spoil the ending with the detail.
As an anti-drugs movie, I'm not sure More completely works. It's just a little too glamorous. It stars Mimsy Farmer in her prime, looking stunning in just about every scene (despite playing a hardened heroin addict). But at the same time, it's not a pro-drugs flick either, it's a little too bleak for that too. In essence, writer / producer / director Barbet Schroeder pitches it about right.
I'm not sure the plot quite works either. The time in Paris is a little rushed and the relationship between the two lead characters at the start of the movie doesn't quite sit right either. The demise at the end is a little rushed too, almost as if Schroeder didn't know where to go next.
Yet despite all of that, I love More. All the more so (if you pardon the pun) in Blu-ray. It's a visual treat.
The high-definition version turns up those bright colours - the blue of the sea and the sky, the white of the houses, not to mention the brightness of the hippie gear. It's just a joy to watch.
Then there's that Pink Floyd soundtrack. Or should that be The Pink Floyd, with the band, just post-Barrett, knocking out some haunting grooves that fit the mood perfectly. That alone is worth the admission.
Some nice extras too, the usual hefty BFI booklet, trailers for other Schroeder flicks and a newly-commissioned documentary on the story behind More (which, annoyingly, wasn't on my advanced copy).
In short, a great thing to watch, even with its occasional shortcomings. And if you are going to watch it, watch the Blu-ray. It really is that impressive (just compare it to the rough 'n' ready trailer on the disc). It might not keep you away from drugs, but it'll probably tempt you into booking a holiday to Ibiza.
Find out more about the Blu-ray at the Amazon website
After a seriously long wait, there is now a confirmed UK DVD release for 1960s psychedelic classic What's Good For The Goose.
Odeon is releasing the film Norman Wisdom perhaps didn't want to talk up in his later life, the tale of a middle-aged banker called Timothy Bartlett. He's suffering from a mid-life crisis and during a banking conference in Southport, hooks up with the local hipsters, starting a relationship with teenager Nikki (Sally Geeson) as well as taking in The Pretty Things at the local psych hangout.
It's a film you have to see to believe. Odeon is releasing it on 26th September with trailers and a booklet, with a pre-order price of £9.70 on Amazon. See over the page for one of those Pretty Things club scenes that perhaps have kept the movie so notorious.
Find out more about the DVD at the Amazon website
Some classic Ken Loach is heading back to the big screen - Kes - which originally dates back to 1969.
Over 40 years on and the movie has had a complete restoration, hitting the cinemas as part of the BFI celebration for the director's 75 birthday. More on that here.
So far, screenings have been confirmed as:
London BFI Southbank: Fri 9 - Fri 23 Sep 2011
Dublin Irish Film Institute: Fri 9 - Thu 15 Sep 2011
HMV Curzon Wimbledon: Sat 10 - Sun 11 Sep 2011
More are likely to be added. Check this site for additional screenings. If you've never had the pleasure of this tale of a boy, a bird and Barnsley, see the trailer over the page.
As part of the Vintage event taking at the Embankment in London over 29th, 30th and 31st July, there's a programme of rather cool movies screenings by the BFI, headed up by Ken Russell himself.
The headline act is, as we type (although not 100 per cent confirmed), Ken Russell presenting a screening of his 1975 adaptation of Tommy at the BFI. Not only that, the screening on Sunday 31st July will also feature a Q&A with the eccentric director too, right after the big screen showing.
If that's not enough, other movies are showing too, the likes of The Party's Over, The Damned, The Lavender Hill mob and so on. Full details over the page.
BFI website
I'd ever heard of Black Joy before the advance notice came through from Odeon, but I'm certainly glad I made the effort to secure a copy.
It's an obscure movie, but with some familiar faces - Norman Beaton and Floella Benjamin for example - featuring in this play-turned-film that endeavours to show the gritty streets of mid-70s Brixton through the eyes of someone alien to it, Guyanan immigrant Ben, played by Trevor Thomas.
Following on from our recent review, check out this newly-restored trailer for the (newly-restored) big screen version of Deep End from 1970. Check out the BFI site for details of screenings in May.
Creeping about the West End in search of film obscurities being something of a hobby of mine, your pal Scenester fair leapt out of his office at 5.30 one chilly Monday evening, throwing his coat on as he did, to make his way once more to BFI Stephen Street, for a screening of Deep End, a forgotten gem from 1970. I confess to not having heard of this film before, although I am at a loss to say why, in view of the gritty subject matter, year of production, authentic London locations and strong cast.
The list of films dealing with society's changing sexual mores, young and older people and their contrasting attitudes to sex is a particularly lengthy one, but I can safely say that this one is a real oddity, even by the standards of the time.
The story concerns Mike, (John Moulder-Brown) a young lad who has started work in his first job as a public baths attendant, in an age where the 'baths' were not simply for swimming, but were also to bathe in, there still being people who did not have the luxury of a bath in their own home. Mike is a pleasant sort, but very inept and shy with girls, and the fact that one of his co-workers is the sexy Susan, (Jane Asher) means his hormones are running crazy.
Susan introduces Mike to the seedier side of bath house life, where attendants can earn a few tips doing 'favours' for their customers. Mike's complete lack of experience leads to many embarrassing moments, including one with a notable cameo role for Diana Dors as a buxom matron, who projects all manner of football-related fantasies onto Mike whilst she paws him into submission.
The baths are frequented by a long succession of frustrated women, scruffy men and schoolchildren, the latter being of particular interest to a lecherous teacher (Karl-Michael Vogler) whose bottom-slapping and 'come hither' behaviour would earn him an appearance in court in these more protective times. Mike, of course, only has eyes for Susan, and has determined to disrupt her relationship with her soon-to-be fiance (Chris Sandford, a face no doubt familiar to almost everyone reading this article, such was his ubiquity in 60s and 70s films and TV). His farcical attempts to split the two lovers up only serve to make Mike more miserable and Susan more attached to her man.
The lengthy scenes where Mike follows the couple around town, first to a cinema showing a truly hilarious excuse for an adult film (little more than some poor quality dominatrix spouting pseudo-scientific babble in an elegant house), and later on to the inevitably expensive nightclub, well beyond Mike's modest means, are spellbinding for their shots of the streets, cafes and people in their late 60s/early 70s finery. Mike ends up eating more hot dogs than could ever be healthy for a body, served by the ever-present Burt Kwouk, during his long waits around Soho to catch a glimpse of the seductive Susan, always accompanied by her fiance. If this is all beginning to sound like 'Here we go round the bike sheds' or 'Carry on up the S-Bend', I would stress that the scenes with Mike going through adolescent agony and frustration are handled with a great deal of sensitivity, even when Mike kidnaps a cardboard cut-out that looks like a scantily-clad Susan, from outside a strip joint. And is if to compound his misery, he is forced to hide out in a prostitute's 'workroom' to evade the strip-joint owner’s heavies. His awkwardness in front of the ageing pro, one of her legs in plaster, summons up pathos as well as hilarity in roughly equal measure.
As our hero tries and fails over and over again to get something more than Susan's attention, the film starts to take a surreal turn, with Susan losing the stone from her engagement ring in the snow. Their eccentric method of retrieval staggers the viewer, as does the fate of our two leads. To tell you any more of the plot would be plain cruel. I will however mention that the shots of London just after the glad-tide of the 1960s had receded are a joy of discovery, the clothes on the backs of our actors are a reminder of how good even everyday store clobber could be then, and I am sure I wasn't the only one whose eyes were on stalks throughout the film, at the ethereal beauty of Jane Asher, with or without her clothes.
This expertly-restored film will be getting a 'selected cinemas' release from 6th May, and I hear the Flipsiders have come up with a very special treat for us at their screening at the NFT on 4th May. We'll have to sit tight until July for the DVD/Blu-Ray release for this one, but I'm sure you’ll agree it’s worth it.
The Scenester