Courtesy of Studiocanal
by James Cameron-wilson
Two of the most famous characters Audrey Hepburn ever played were Eliza Dolittle and Maid Marion. In StudioCanal’s new 4K restoration home entertainment release of The Lavender Hill Mob, Audrey Hepburn shares her first film with Stanley Holloway, who played Eliza’s father in My Fair Lady, and Robert Shaw, who played the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin & Marion. Not that Audrey Hepburn actually shares the screen in The Lavender Hill Mob with either Stanley Holloway or Robert Shaw, but she does get the film off to a bright start with a nuzzle with Alec Guinness The Lavender Hill Mob arrived in the middle of the golden era of the Ealing Comedy cycle, two years after Kind Hearts and Coronets and just four years before The Ladykillers. And it remains a pure joy. Unlike heist movies of the future, it manages to be...
by James Cameron-wilson
Two of the most famous characters Audrey Hepburn ever played were Eliza Dolittle and Maid Marion. In StudioCanal’s new 4K restoration home entertainment release of The Lavender Hill Mob, Audrey Hepburn shares her first film with Stanley Holloway, who played Eliza’s father in My Fair Lady, and Robert Shaw, who played the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin & Marion. Not that Audrey Hepburn actually shares the screen in The Lavender Hill Mob with either Stanley Holloway or Robert Shaw, but she does get the film off to a bright start with a nuzzle with Alec Guinness The Lavender Hill Mob arrived in the middle of the golden era of the Ealing Comedy cycle, two years after Kind Hearts and Coronets and just four years before The Ladykillers. And it remains a pure joy. Unlike heist movies of the future, it manages to be...
- 5/1/2024
- by James Cameron-Wilson
- Film Review Daily
The great attraction of The Apprentice – charm is too strong a term for it – is the always vast gap between the Bezos/Musk/Gates level-aspirations of the competitors and their dismally limited abilities. The unspoken foundational irony of The Apprentice has always been that if any of these characters had any real entrepreneurial instinct, they’d be doing the equivalent of what the young Alan Sugar was doing when he started out in the 1960s, and selling car aerials up and down the Charing Cross Road. They’d be too busy slaving away on their new website, chasing orders and “encouraging” their staff to work harder, to muck around with some superannuated reality TV show.
Which is my way of welcoming series 17 of the Alan Sugar show. And the contestants don’t let us down. The show’s producers seem to be engaged in battle against the law of diminishing returns.
Which is my way of welcoming series 17 of the Alan Sugar show. And the contestants don’t let us down. The show’s producers seem to be engaged in battle against the law of diminishing returns.
- 1/5/2023
- by Sean O'Grady
- The Independent - TV
A long-lost episode of Tony Hancock’s 1950s radio show, Hancock’s Half Hour, has been found and restored and will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 next month.
The penultimate episode from the show’s first radio series features the actor and comedian Peter Sellers – who was standing in for Hancock’s regular collaborator Kenneth Williams.
The episode, named “The Marriage Bureau” aired just once, on 8 February 1955, attracting an audience of 6.22 million listeners, according to the British Comedy Guide.
The news was announced by the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society on Twitter, who wrote: “We’re absolutely thrilled that a lost episode of Hancock’s Half Hour has been found, restored, and will be broadcast on Radio 4 on 18 October.
“‘The Marriage Bureau’ was never repeated and has not been heard since 1955. Only episode to feature Peter Sellers,” they continued.
“Sellers plays the parts given in the scripts to Kenneth Williams...
The penultimate episode from the show’s first radio series features the actor and comedian Peter Sellers – who was standing in for Hancock’s regular collaborator Kenneth Williams.
The episode, named “The Marriage Bureau” aired just once, on 8 February 1955, attracting an audience of 6.22 million listeners, according to the British Comedy Guide.
The news was announced by the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society on Twitter, who wrote: “We’re absolutely thrilled that a lost episode of Hancock’s Half Hour has been found, restored, and will be broadcast on Radio 4 on 18 October.
“‘The Marriage Bureau’ was never repeated and has not been heard since 1955. Only episode to feature Peter Sellers,” they continued.
“Sellers plays the parts given in the scripts to Kenneth Williams...
- 9/29/2022
- by Tom Murray
- The Independent - TV
Toot Toot! The Little Engine that Could becomes a tale of the little town that could, when their tiny rail service is discontinued. A crackerjack cast of Ealing regulars — Stanley Holloway, Naunton Wayne, John Gregson — band together to take over the little spur line and keep it running. We get to see a vintage locomotive from the early 1800s in action, but the appeal isn’t limited to lovers of trains — Ealing’s knack for inspired, understated comedy is all over this show. Plus, it’s the company’s first feature in Technicolor, and is beautifully remastered.
The Titfield Thunderbolt
Blu-ray
Film Movement Classics
1953 / Color / 1:37 Academy / 84 min. / Street Date , 2020 /
Starring: Stanley Holloway, George Relph, Naunton Wayne, John Gregson, Godfrey Tearle, Hugh Griffith, Gabrielle Brune, Sidney James, Reginald Beckwith, Edie Martin, Michael Trubshawe, Jack MacGowran, Ewan Roberts.
Cinematography: Douglas Slocombe
Film Editor: Seth Holt
Original Music: Georges Auric
Written by...
The Titfield Thunderbolt
Blu-ray
Film Movement Classics
1953 / Color / 1:37 Academy / 84 min. / Street Date , 2020 /
Starring: Stanley Holloway, George Relph, Naunton Wayne, John Gregson, Godfrey Tearle, Hugh Griffith, Gabrielle Brune, Sidney James, Reginald Beckwith, Edie Martin, Michael Trubshawe, Jack MacGowran, Ewan Roberts.
Cinematography: Douglas Slocombe
Film Editor: Seth Holt
Original Music: Georges Auric
Written by...
- 1/11/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
They’re ‘The Men Who Broke the Bank and Lost the Cargo!’ Alec Guinness and Stanley Holloway shine in one of the funniest crime comedies ever, Ealing Studios’ tale of a pair of nobodies who take the Bank of England for millions. Guinness’s bank clerk follows his dreams into a big time bullion heist, and the joke is that his ad-hoc mob is the most loyal, ethical band of brothers in the history of crime. This being a caper picture, the suspense is steep as well — just what is going to trip up these brilliantly gifted amateurs?
The Lavender Hill Mob
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1951 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 81 min. / Street Date September 3, 2019 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Alec Guinness, Stanley Holloway, Sidney James, Alfie Bass, Audrey Hepburn.
Cinematography: Douglas Slocombe
Film Editor: Seth Holt
Original Music: Georges Auric
Written by T.E.B. Clarke
Produced by Michael Balcon
Directed by...
The Lavender Hill Mob
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1951 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 81 min. / Street Date September 3, 2019 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Alec Guinness, Stanley Holloway, Sidney James, Alfie Bass, Audrey Hepburn.
Cinematography: Douglas Slocombe
Film Editor: Seth Holt
Original Music: Georges Auric
Written by T.E.B. Clarke
Produced by Michael Balcon
Directed by...
- 10/15/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
What ought to be appreciated as one of the most prescient of 1950s suspense films holds a place among the best science fiction movies ever — and it formed a style template for a thousand paranoid spy thrillers to follow. Val Guest pares Nigel Kneale’s fantastic storyline down to its essentials, making his scientist-hero the perfect secret agent to confront a sinister techno-political conspiracy… from outer space.
Quatermass 2
Blu-ray
Scream Factory
1957 / B&w / 1:66 widescreen / 85 min. / Street Date July 30, 2019 / 29.95
Starring: Brian Donlevy, John Longdon, Sidney James, Bryan Forbes, William Franklyn, Vera Day, Charles Lloyd Pack, Tom Chatto, John Van Eyssen, Percy Herbert, Michael Ripper, John Rae, Michael Balfour.
Cinematography: Gerald Gibbs
Film Editor: James Needs
Makeup: Philip Leakey
Art Direction: Bernard Robinson
Original Music: James Bernard
Written by Val Guest, Nigel Kneale from his teleplay
Produced by Anthony Hinds
Directed by Val Guest
Here’s yet another fine 2019 Blu-ray release...
Quatermass 2
Blu-ray
Scream Factory
1957 / B&w / 1:66 widescreen / 85 min. / Street Date July 30, 2019 / 29.95
Starring: Brian Donlevy, John Longdon, Sidney James, Bryan Forbes, William Franklyn, Vera Day, Charles Lloyd Pack, Tom Chatto, John Van Eyssen, Percy Herbert, Michael Ripper, John Rae, Michael Balfour.
Cinematography: Gerald Gibbs
Film Editor: James Needs
Makeup: Philip Leakey
Art Direction: Bernard Robinson
Original Music: James Bernard
Written by Val Guest, Nigel Kneale from his teleplay
Produced by Anthony Hinds
Directed by Val Guest
Here’s yet another fine 2019 Blu-ray release...
- 8/6/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Scream Factory™ Presents Two Highly Anticipated Hammer Film Cult Classics Arrive on Blu-rays™! Quatermass 2 Starring Brian Donlevy With Sidney James, John Longden, Bryan Forbes, Vera Day, and William Franklyn And Quatermass And The Pit Starring Andrew Keir, James Donald, Barbara Shelley, and Julian Glover Available July 30, 2019 From Scream Factory™ Hobbs End, Knightsbridge, …
The post Quatermass 2 and Quatermass And The Pit – Two Highly Anticipated Hammer Film Cult Classics Arrive on Blu-rays appeared first on Hnn | Horrornews.net.
The post Quatermass 2 and Quatermass And The Pit – Two Highly Anticipated Hammer Film Cult Classics Arrive on Blu-rays appeared first on Hnn | Horrornews.net.
- 6/18/2019
- by Adrian Halen
- Horror News
Top stars Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis and Gina Lollobrigida earn their keep in Carol Reed’s powerful tale of ambition and excellence performing forty feet above a circus arena. The best circus movie ever is also among Reed’s most exciting, best directed movies, a solid show all around.
Trapeze
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1956 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 106 min. / Street Date September 25, 2018 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Gina Lollobrigida, Katy Jurado, Thomas Gomez, Sidney James, Johnny Puleo.
Cinematography: Robert Krasker
Costume Design: Veniero Colasanti
Editorial Supervisor: Bert Batt
Production Design: Rino Mondelli
Dialogue Coach: Harriet White Medin
Original Music: Malcolm Arnold
Written by James R. Webb & Liam O’Brien from a novel by Max Catto
Produced by James Hill, Harold Hecht, Burt Lancaster
Directed by Carol Reed
For a long time it seemed that Carol Reed had been canonized for The Third Man, Odd Man Out and...
Trapeze
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1956 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 106 min. / Street Date September 25, 2018 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Gina Lollobrigida, Katy Jurado, Thomas Gomez, Sidney James, Johnny Puleo.
Cinematography: Robert Krasker
Costume Design: Veniero Colasanti
Editorial Supervisor: Bert Batt
Production Design: Rino Mondelli
Dialogue Coach: Harriet White Medin
Original Music: Malcolm Arnold
Written by James R. Webb & Liam O’Brien from a novel by Max Catto
Produced by James Hill, Harold Hecht, Burt Lancaster
Directed by Carol Reed
For a long time it seemed that Carol Reed had been canonized for The Third Man, Odd Man Out and...
- 8/18/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Sydney James Harcourtsang the National Anthem to open the Men's Evening Match at the 2016 Us Open of Andy Murray vs. Grigor Dimitrov. Check out the video below...
- 9/10/2017
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
Seven decades after independence, Indian cinema is still struggling to depict the Raj, leaving its screen depictions – from Gandhi to colonial racism – to be viewed almost solely through British eyes
In 1968, 20 years after Indian independence and partition, producer-director duo Peter Rogers and Gerald Thomas released Carry On Up the Khyber in British cinemas. It was a raunchy, imperialistic romp, set against the backdrop of the Raj – the British colonial rule in India that lasted till 1947.
Looking back, the Carry On humour hasn’t dated well. Not only is the sexist slap-and-tickle at odds with modern sensibilities but the film is awash with casual racism. Bernard Bresslaw and Kenneth Williams “brown-up” to play the not-so-hilariously named Bungdit Din and the Khasi of Khalabar, while Sidney James yak-yak-yaks away with his lustful eyes fixed on buxom Brits dressed in saris.
Continue reading...
In 1968, 20 years after Indian independence and partition, producer-director duo Peter Rogers and Gerald Thomas released Carry On Up the Khyber in British cinemas. It was a raunchy, imperialistic romp, set against the backdrop of the Raj – the British colonial rule in India that lasted till 1947.
Looking back, the Carry On humour hasn’t dated well. Not only is the sexist slap-and-tickle at odds with modern sensibilities but the film is awash with casual racism. Bernard Bresslaw and Kenneth Williams “brown-up” to play the not-so-hilariously named Bungdit Din and the Khasi of Khalabar, while Sidney James yak-yak-yaks away with his lustful eyes fixed on buxom Brits dressed in saris.
Continue reading...
- 2/22/2017
- by Joseph Walsh
- The Guardian - Film News
The honeymoon certainly isn't over for these two.
Jessie James Decker's sister, Sydney James, got married over the weekend in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and both Jessie and her husband Eric were in the wedding party. The duo shared fun photos from the festivities, and looked more in love than ever.
Watch: Jessie James Decker Confidently Rocks Her 'Loose Mommy Skin' in a Bikini
"Gonna lick him later #cabo #yummy #churro #allaboutthatbasswedding," Jessie captioned one of the photos of her hubby. "Always inappropriate this one."
Jessie and Eric shared sweet messages about the bride and groom. "Last night was breathtaking, magical, beautiful and a blast!!!!! I am so happy for these two, they deserve every bit of their happiness," Jessie, 28, wrote. "They have the kind of love that will last forever. The way they look at each other you can just feel their hearts!! We are so happy to have you in our family Anthony! We love...
Jessie James Decker's sister, Sydney James, got married over the weekend in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and both Jessie and her husband Eric were in the wedding party. The duo shared fun photos from the festivities, and looked more in love than ever.
Watch: Jessie James Decker Confidently Rocks Her 'Loose Mommy Skin' in a Bikini
"Gonna lick him later #cabo #yummy #churro #allaboutthatbasswedding," Jessie captioned one of the photos of her hubby. "Always inappropriate this one."
Jessie and Eric shared sweet messages about the bride and groom. "Last night was breathtaking, magical, beautiful and a blast!!!!! I am so happy for these two, they deserve every bit of their happiness," Jessie, 28, wrote. "They have the kind of love that will last forever. The way they look at each other you can just feel their hearts!! We are so happy to have you in our family Anthony! We love...
- 1/29/2017
- Entertainment Tonight
Can you feel the love tonight? Jessie James Decker and Eric Decker sure can. The country songstress and her NFL star hubby celebrated her sister Sydney James' wedding in Cabo over the weekend, and despite not actually being the bride and groom, Jessie and Eric certainly fooled us. Jessie shared multiple photos from their Mexican getaway, and each and every snapshot totally proves these lovebirds are more head over heels for each other than ever before. The Deckers brought their two children along as well, 2-year-old Vivianne Rose and 1-year-old Eric Jr. Ahead of the nuptials, Jessie and Eric enjoyed quality time with their family of four and soaked up...
- 1/29/2017
- E! Online
"Three days in hell," indeed!
American Horror Story Season 6 Episode 6 set us off on a whole new nightmare, that will presumably take us through the entire second half of the season.
And this "real" version of the "Roanoke Nightmare" is already about 10 times scarier than the version we've already seen.
It appears that Ryan Murphy didn't fully trust his audience to understand the twist. So he went ahead and pretty much broke it down for us with his interview with E! Online earlier this week – he explained that part of the "twist" would constitute half of the characters (the re-enactment actors) getting brand new roles for the second half of the season.
To top that off, the writers also gave us a ton of expository dialogue and conversations in order to explain, very carefully, exactly what was going on with the mid-season switcheroo.
It's actually not all that complicated. I...
American Horror Story Season 6 Episode 6 set us off on a whole new nightmare, that will presumably take us through the entire second half of the season.
And this "real" version of the "Roanoke Nightmare" is already about 10 times scarier than the version we've already seen.
It appears that Ryan Murphy didn't fully trust his audience to understand the twist. So he went ahead and pretty much broke it down for us with his interview with E! Online earlier this week – he explained that part of the "twist" would constitute half of the characters (the re-enactment actors) getting brand new roles for the second half of the season.
To top that off, the writers also gave us a ton of expository dialogue and conversations in order to explain, very carefully, exactly what was going on with the mid-season switcheroo.
It's actually not all that complicated. I...
- 10/20/2016
- by Caralynn Lippo
- TVfanatic
By Tim Greaves
Between the early 1950s and mid 1980s the Children's Film Foundation was a non-profit making establishment behind dozens of films aimed at a young audience, most of them screening as programme constituents at Saturday morning 'Picture Shows'. I didn't catch many of these during my own childhood. But I do recall a couple of particularly enjoyable ones that I did get to see in the early 1970s: Cry Wolf (1969) and All at Sea (1970), both of which are conspicuously absent from the half dozen or so collections issued on DVD to date. Many of the Cff’s films had a run-time of around an hour, although there were also a number of serials in their catalogue. Masters of Venus was one such production. Comprising eight 15-minute instalments, it arrives on DVD in the UK in a restored release from BFI.
On the day prior to mankind's first mission to Venus,...
Between the early 1950s and mid 1980s the Children's Film Foundation was a non-profit making establishment behind dozens of films aimed at a young audience, most of them screening as programme constituents at Saturday morning 'Picture Shows'. I didn't catch many of these during my own childhood. But I do recall a couple of particularly enjoyable ones that I did get to see in the early 1970s: Cry Wolf (1969) and All at Sea (1970), both of which are conspicuously absent from the half dozen or so collections issued on DVD to date. Many of the Cff’s films had a run-time of around an hour, although there were also a number of serials in their catalogue. Masters of Venus was one such production. Comprising eight 15-minute instalments, it arrives on DVD in the UK in a restored release from BFI.
On the day prior to mankind's first mission to Venus,...
- 7/26/2016
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Clifford Hatts (Obituary, 25 September) designed many memorable productions for BBC Television, including Quatermass and the Pit. I wonder if he was also involved in what for me was more memorable – Hancock and the Pit, a spoof of the sci-fi serial.
I particularly recall an exchange in which Tony Hancock asks Sid James what he would do if an alien appeared. James says he would give it “a punch up the bracket”. “Has it occurred to you,” retorts Hancock, “that a Martian might not have a bracket to be punched up?”
Continue reading...
I particularly recall an exchange in which Tony Hancock asks Sid James what he would do if an alien appeared. James says he would give it “a punch up the bracket”. “Has it occurred to you,” retorts Hancock, “that a Martian might not have a bracket to be punched up?”
Continue reading...
- 9/28/2015
- by Letters
- The Guardian - Film News
The French actor, writer and director disappoints in this tale of an obsessive son and his mother
Julie Delpy is a stylish actor and film-maker who has made movies with Krzysztof Kieslowski, Richard Linklater and Jim Jarmusch, and directed garrulous and witty features of her own. But this film, which she has directed and co-written, is a disaster. It’s an oppressively unfunny and unconvincing mainstream French comedy featuring Delpy herself alongside Dany Boon. This male lead is perhaps best known for starring in the homegrown box office smash Bienvenue Chez Les Ch’tis, (Welcome to the Boondocks, 2008) and Boon’s colossal popularity might be as mystifying to the British as Sid James is to the French.
Related: Venice film festival takes on Everest as it regains ground lost to younger rivals
Continue reading...
Julie Delpy is a stylish actor and film-maker who has made movies with Krzysztof Kieslowski, Richard Linklater and Jim Jarmusch, and directed garrulous and witty features of her own. But this film, which she has directed and co-written, is a disaster. It’s an oppressively unfunny and unconvincing mainstream French comedy featuring Delpy herself alongside Dany Boon. This male lead is perhaps best known for starring in the homegrown box office smash Bienvenue Chez Les Ch’tis, (Welcome to the Boondocks, 2008) and Boon’s colossal popularity might be as mystifying to the British as Sid James is to the French.
Related: Venice film festival takes on Everest as it regains ground lost to younger rivals
Continue reading...
- 9/4/2015
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Ron Moody in 'Oliver!' movie. Ron Moody: 'Oliver!' actor nominated for an Oscar dead at 91 (Note: This Ron Moody article is currently being revised.) Two well-regarded, nonagenarian British performers have died in the last few days: 93-year-old Christopher Lee (June 7, '15), best known for his many portrayals of Dracula and assorted movie villains and weirdos, from the title role in The Mummy to Dr. Catheter in Gremlins 2: The New Batch. 91-year-old Ron Moody (yesterday, June 11), among whose infrequent film appearances was the role of Fagin, the grotesque adult leader of a gang of boy petty thieves, in the 1968 Best Picture Academy Award-winning musical Oliver!, which also earned him a Best Actor nomination. Having been featured in nearly 200 movies and, most importantly, having had his mainstream appeal resurrected by way of the villainous Saruman in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies (and various associated merchandising,...
- 6/12/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
ITV3 has announced that it will celebrate the Carry On films with a new documentary series.
The channel will air three-part documentary Carry On Forever across Easter Bank Holiday weekend, with some of the best-loved Carry On films also being aired back to back.
Martin Clunes will narrate the documentary, which features interviews with stars Kenneth Williams, Sid James, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims and Barbara Windsor.
Carry On Forever will also feature never-before-seen footage from behind the scenes of the movies. The cast will reunite as well in some of the film series's most iconic locations.
Amanda Barrie, Liz Fraser, Bernard Cribbins, Juliet Mills, Sally Geeson, June Whitfield, Shirley Eaton, Fenella Fielding and Jim Dale will also feature in the three-part series.
Mark Robinson, executive producer at Shiver, said: "Carry On is the most successful and best-loved brand in British movie comedy history, influencing generations of comedians.
"Stars like Sid James,...
The channel will air three-part documentary Carry On Forever across Easter Bank Holiday weekend, with some of the best-loved Carry On films also being aired back to back.
Martin Clunes will narrate the documentary, which features interviews with stars Kenneth Williams, Sid James, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims and Barbara Windsor.
Carry On Forever will also feature never-before-seen footage from behind the scenes of the movies. The cast will reunite as well in some of the film series's most iconic locations.
Amanda Barrie, Liz Fraser, Bernard Cribbins, Juliet Mills, Sally Geeson, June Whitfield, Shirley Eaton, Fenella Fielding and Jim Dale will also feature in the three-part series.
Mark Robinson, executive producer at Shiver, said: "Carry On is the most successful and best-loved brand in British movie comedy history, influencing generations of comedians.
"Stars like Sid James,...
- 3/12/2015
- Digital Spy
ITV3 has announced that it will celebrate the Carry On films with a new documentary series.
The channel will air three-part documentary Carry On Forever across Easter Bank Holiday weekend, with some of the best-loved Carry On films also being aired back to back.
Martin Clunes will narrate the documentary, which features interviews with stars Kenneth Williams, Sid James, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims and Barbara Windsor.
Carry On Forever will also feature never-before-seen footage from behind the scenes of the movies. The cast will reunite as well in some of the film series's most iconic locations.
Amanda Barrie, Liz Fraser, Bernard Cribbins, Juliet Mills, Sally Geeson, June Whitfield, Shirley Eaton, Fenella Fielding and Jim Dale will also feature in the three-part series.
Mark Robinson, executive producer at Shiver, said: "Carry On is the most successful and best-loved brand in British movie comedy history, influencing generations of comedians.
"Stars like Sid James,...
The channel will air three-part documentary Carry On Forever across Easter Bank Holiday weekend, with some of the best-loved Carry On films also being aired back to back.
Martin Clunes will narrate the documentary, which features interviews with stars Kenneth Williams, Sid James, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims and Barbara Windsor.
Carry On Forever will also feature never-before-seen footage from behind the scenes of the movies. The cast will reunite as well in some of the film series's most iconic locations.
Amanda Barrie, Liz Fraser, Bernard Cribbins, Juliet Mills, Sally Geeson, June Whitfield, Shirley Eaton, Fenella Fielding and Jim Dale will also feature in the three-part series.
Mark Robinson, executive producer at Shiver, said: "Carry On is the most successful and best-loved brand in British movie comedy history, influencing generations of comedians.
"Stars like Sid James,...
- 3/12/2015
- Digital Spy
The cast of Mortdecai, Ewan McGregor, Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Bettany & Johnny Depp, discuss the making of the upcoming movie in this behind-the-scenes featurette.
Add to the list of puckish rogues, charming ne’er-do-wells and sly adventurers played by Johnny Depp the role of Charlie Mortdecai, cash-strapped British aristocrat and protagonist of the new action-comedy Mortdecai. Based on the charismatic anti-hero of Kyril Bonfiglioli’s popular trilogy (Don’t Point That Thing at Me, Something Nasty in the Woodshed and After You with the Pistol), Charlie Mortdecai is a professional bon vivant and occasional art dealer perpetually at the end of his financial rope.
Upbeat, satirical and utterly British in style and tone, the novels featuring Charlie and his manservant Jock Strapp are often compared to P.G. Wodehouse’s madcap creations, the Jeeves and Wooster stories. In Mortdecai, Charlie charms, schemes and blunders his way in and out of hilariously compromising...
Add to the list of puckish rogues, charming ne’er-do-wells and sly adventurers played by Johnny Depp the role of Charlie Mortdecai, cash-strapped British aristocrat and protagonist of the new action-comedy Mortdecai. Based on the charismatic anti-hero of Kyril Bonfiglioli’s popular trilogy (Don’t Point That Thing at Me, Something Nasty in the Woodshed and After You with the Pistol), Charlie Mortdecai is a professional bon vivant and occasional art dealer perpetually at the end of his financial rope.
Upbeat, satirical and utterly British in style and tone, the novels featuring Charlie and his manservant Jock Strapp are often compared to P.G. Wodehouse’s madcap creations, the Jeeves and Wooster stories. In Mortdecai, Charlie charms, schemes and blunders his way in and out of hilariously compromising...
- 1/14/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
By Tim Greaves
As British noir crime dramas of the Fifties go, The House Across the Lake (1954) is probably as good an example as you could hope to dip into. The tale unfolds in flashback, related by our main protagonist to another character (precisely who is not revealed until the final reel), is embroidered with expositional narration and, though clichéd and not in the least unpredictable, delivers atmosphere by the barrel.
The film is an early entry on the CV of writer-director Ken Hughes (the arguable highpoints of whose career, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Cromwell, remain perennial favourites, whilst his latter-day offerings, Night School and Sextette, are best brushed under the proverbial carpet). Hughes scripted The House Across the Lake from his own source novel, “High Wray”, and also commandeered the director’s chair. Nowadays understandably marketed as a Hammer film, it’s actually the fruit of the company’s earlier incarnation Exclusive Films.
As British noir crime dramas of the Fifties go, The House Across the Lake (1954) is probably as good an example as you could hope to dip into. The tale unfolds in flashback, related by our main protagonist to another character (precisely who is not revealed until the final reel), is embroidered with expositional narration and, though clichéd and not in the least unpredictable, delivers atmosphere by the barrel.
The film is an early entry on the CV of writer-director Ken Hughes (the arguable highpoints of whose career, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Cromwell, remain perennial favourites, whilst his latter-day offerings, Night School and Sextette, are best brushed under the proverbial carpet). Hughes scripted The House Across the Lake from his own source novel, “High Wray”, and also commandeered the director’s chair. Nowadays understandably marketed as a Hammer film, it’s actually the fruit of the company’s earlier incarnation Exclusive Films.
- 9/4/2014
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
‘Doctor Who’ actor Bill Kerr, also featured in Peter Weir’s ‘Gallipoli’ and ‘The Year of Living Dangerously,’ dead at 92 (photo: Bill Kerr and Patrick Troughton in ‘Doctor Who’) Australian actor Bill Kerr, best known internationally for a guest spot in the 1960s TV series Doctor Who, and for his supporting roles in the Peter Weir movies Gallipoli and The Year of Living Dangerously, died on August 28 (or 29, according to some sources), 2014, while watching the TV show Seinfeld at his home in Perth, West Australia. Kerr, whose exact cause of death is unclear, was 92. Born William Kerr on June 10, 1922, in Capetown, South Africa, to Australian vaudevillian parents touring the country, Bill Kerr grew up in Australia, where he became a popular television, stage, and film personality. His show business career began at an early age. “My mother took about 10 weeks off to have me, and when she returned to the...
- 8/29/2014
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
It's the big moment that everyone has been waiting for: Jessie James is about to give birth! The country singer is accompanied in the delivery room by husband Eric Decker, sister Sydney James and her mother, who have rushed to be by her side after the doctor was forced to break her water. "Everything moves kind of slow because my water didn't break on its own," the Eric & Jessie: Game On star explains. "This is real life so I have no idea what's happening." Jessie's mother also gets emotional, tearing up as her daughter goes went into labor. "There's no words to describe what it feels like to see your baby have a baby," she says. "Because to be...
- 5/2/2014
- E! Online
Carry On Cruising - 11.35am, ITV3
This Easter Saturday, be treated to a marathon of Carry On... films from 9.40am to 5.05pm. This charming offering sees the same cast of Sid James, Kenneth Williams and the rest, aboard the SS Happy Wanderer, staffed by a bunch of willing but inept newcomers.
Shrek Forever After - 5.15pm, BBC One
Surely the final instalment in the Shrek franchise, which began with such promise and is now gradually eked out to an adequate conclusion. Shrek (Mike Myers) makes an ill-fated deal with Rumpelstiltskin and is transported to an alternate universe where ogres are enslaved.
Iron Man - 6.40pm, Film 4
Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) makes witty jokes and uses his billions to create the superhero Iron Man, then faces off against a hostile colleague in a smash-bang Transformers-esque finale.
Taken - 9pm, Channel 4
Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson), an ex-cia operative, has exactly...
This Easter Saturday, be treated to a marathon of Carry On... films from 9.40am to 5.05pm. This charming offering sees the same cast of Sid James, Kenneth Williams and the rest, aboard the SS Happy Wanderer, staffed by a bunch of willing but inept newcomers.
Shrek Forever After - 5.15pm, BBC One
Surely the final instalment in the Shrek franchise, which began with such promise and is now gradually eked out to an adequate conclusion. Shrek (Mike Myers) makes an ill-fated deal with Rumpelstiltskin and is transported to an alternate universe where ogres are enslaved.
Iron Man - 6.40pm, Film 4
Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) makes witty jokes and uses his billions to create the superhero Iron Man, then faces off against a hostile colleague in a smash-bang Transformers-esque finale.
Taken - 9pm, Channel 4
Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson), an ex-cia operative, has exactly...
- 4/19/2014
- Digital Spy
Carry On Cruising - 11.35am, ITV3
This Easter Saturday, be treated to a marathon of Carry On... films from 9.40am to 5.05pm. This charming offering sees the same cast of Sid James, Kenneth Williams and the rest, aboard the SS Happy Wanderer, staffed by a bunch of willing but inept newcomers.
Shrek Forever After - 5.15pm, BBC One
Surely the final instalment in the Shrek franchise, which began with such promise and is now gradually eked out to an adequate conclusion. Shrek (Mike Myers) makes an ill-fated deal with Rumpelstiltskin and is transported to an alternate universe where ogres are enslaved.
Iron Man - 6.40pm, Film 4
Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) makes witty jokes and uses his billions to create the superhero Iron Man, then faces off against a hostile colleague in a smash-bang Transformers-esque finale.
Taken - 9pm, Channel 4
Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson), an ex-cia operative, has exactly...
This Easter Saturday, be treated to a marathon of Carry On... films from 9.40am to 5.05pm. This charming offering sees the same cast of Sid James, Kenneth Williams and the rest, aboard the SS Happy Wanderer, staffed by a bunch of willing but inept newcomers.
Shrek Forever After - 5.15pm, BBC One
Surely the final instalment in the Shrek franchise, which began with such promise and is now gradually eked out to an adequate conclusion. Shrek (Mike Myers) makes an ill-fated deal with Rumpelstiltskin and is transported to an alternate universe where ogres are enslaved.
Iron Man - 6.40pm, Film 4
Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) makes witty jokes and uses his billions to create the superhero Iron Man, then faces off against a hostile colleague in a smash-bang Transformers-esque finale.
Taken - 9pm, Channel 4
Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson), an ex-cia operative, has exactly...
- 4/19/2014
- Digital Spy
Feature Alex Westthorp 28 Mar 2014 - 07:00
In a new series, Alex talks us through the film roles of the actors who've played the Doctor. First up, William Hartnell and Jon Pertwee...
We know them best as the twelve very different incarnations of the Doctor. But all the actors who've been the star of Doctor Who, being such good all-rounders in the first place, have also had film careers. Admittedly, some CVs are more impressive than others, but this retrospective attempts to pick out some of the many worthwhile films which have starred, featured or seen a fleeting cameo by the actors who would become (or had been) the Doctor.
William Hartnell was, above all else, a film star. He is by far the most prolific film actor of the main twelve to play the Time Lord. With over 70 films to his name, summarising Hartnell's film career is difficult at best.
In a new series, Alex talks us through the film roles of the actors who've played the Doctor. First up, William Hartnell and Jon Pertwee...
We know them best as the twelve very different incarnations of the Doctor. But all the actors who've been the star of Doctor Who, being such good all-rounders in the first place, have also had film careers. Admittedly, some CVs are more impressive than others, but this retrospective attempts to pick out some of the many worthwhile films which have starred, featured or seen a fleeting cameo by the actors who would become (or had been) the Doctor.
William Hartnell was, above all else, a film star. He is by far the most prolific film actor of the main twelve to play the Time Lord. With over 70 films to his name, summarising Hartnell's film career is difficult at best.
- 3/26/2014
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
When you’re on a role you’re on a role! Once again here is a list of ten actors who achieved cult movie villainy on the strength of one movie. Some of the actors faded into obscurity while others continued their careers without scaling the heights of their defining cinematic performance. Perhaps I should do a one for heroes! Nah! Villains are much more fun!
[Spoilers follow]
Rudolph Klein-Rogge (Metropolis – 1927)
Although dated, Fritz Lang’s utopian masterpiece still has the unique power to fascinate. Not only did the film make a star of Brigitte Helm, it introduced the father of all mad scientists, C A Rotwang, played with eye rolling relish by Lang’s favourite actor Rudolph Klein-Rogge. The Austrian born star specialised in villainous roles so he was a natural for playing the nutty inventor who creates the legendary female robot used to impersonate Helm’s freedom fighter. With his exaggerated mannerisms and facial expressions,...
[Spoilers follow]
Rudolph Klein-Rogge (Metropolis – 1927)
Although dated, Fritz Lang’s utopian masterpiece still has the unique power to fascinate. Not only did the film make a star of Brigitte Helm, it introduced the father of all mad scientists, C A Rotwang, played with eye rolling relish by Lang’s favourite actor Rudolph Klein-Rogge. The Austrian born star specialised in villainous roles so he was a natural for playing the nutty inventor who creates the legendary female robot used to impersonate Helm’s freedom fighter. With his exaggerated mannerisms and facial expressions,...
- 12/22/2013
- Shadowlocked
Tonight, Turner Classic Movies (North America) presents a rare showing of the 1957 British B&W gem Hell Drivers. The film centers on the conflicts that occur when an honest driver for a lorry company (Stanley Baker) confronts corruption in the organization and takes on the criminal ring leader (Patrick McGoohan). The film, directed by Cy Endfield, was regarded as a "B" movie in its day, but has developed a cult following that appreciates its intelligent script and fine cast. Shot mostly at Pinewood Studios, featured actors include Sean Connery, Herbert Lom, David McCallum and his real-life wife Jill Ireland, Sidney James, Gordon Jackson and Alfie Bass. A trivia note is that McGoohan, Connery and McCallum would all shoot to stardom in the next decade playing legendary cinematic spies.
- 9/28/2013
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
★☆☆☆☆ Eyebrows were raised when German filmmaker Oliver Hirschbiegel - best-known for depicting the final days of Adolf Hitler in 2004's acclaimed Downfall - was announced as the director of a new feature focusing on the last two years in the life of Diana, Princess of Wales. Undeterred by his naysayers, Hirschbiegel pressed on with production, and next week unleashes his Diana (2013) onto the unsuspecting general public. Yet, few could have predicted the bizarre, staccato rendering of the "People's Princess" Hirschbiegel offers, with Stephen Jeffreys' ripe screenplay more suited to pantomime theatre than serious cinema.
Bookended by the fatal Parisian car crash that claimed the Princess' life on 31 August, 1997, Hirschbiegel's Mills & Boon-esque misfire centres on the romance between Diana (Naomi Watts) and Pakistani surgeon Dr. Hasnat Khan (Naveen Andrews) following her separation from the Prince of Wales. Distraught by her treatment at the hands of the Windsors, Diana throws herself...
Bookended by the fatal Parisian car crash that claimed the Princess' life on 31 August, 1997, Hirschbiegel's Mills & Boon-esque misfire centres on the romance between Diana (Naomi Watts) and Pakistani surgeon Dr. Hasnat Khan (Naveen Andrews) following her separation from the Prince of Wales. Distraught by her treatment at the hands of the Windsors, Diana throws herself...
- 9/18/2013
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Alec Guinness: Before Obi-Wan Kenobi, there were the eight D’Ascoyne family members (photo: Alec Guiness, Dennis Price in ‘Kind Hearts and Coronets’) (See previous post: “Alec Guinness Movies: Pre-Star Wars Career.”) TCM won’t be showing The Bridge on the River Kwai on Alec Guinness day, though obviously not because the cable network programmers believe that one four-hour David Lean epic per day should be enough. After all, prior to Lawrence of Arabia TCM will be presenting the three-and-a-half-hour-long Doctor Zhivago (1965), a great-looking but never-ending romantic drama in which Guinness — quite poorly — plays a Kgb official. He’s slightly less miscast as a mere Englishman — one much too young for the then 32-year-old actor — in Lean’s Great Expectations (1946), a movie that fully belongs to boy-loving (in a chaste, fatherly manner) fugitive Finlay Currie. And finally, make sure to watch Robert Hamer’s dark comedy Kind Hearts and Coronets...
- 8/3/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
A global byword for quality in British cinema, Ealing Studios made more than 150 films over a three-decade period. Only selected features from both the Ealing and Associated Talking Pictures strands have previously been made available on DVD - until now. To celebrate their recently-launched 'The British Film' collection, Network Distributing have kindly provided us with DVD copies of Spanish Fly, Ealing Studio Rarities Vol. 2 and Edgar Wallace's crime thriller The Four Just Men to give away in one fabulous bundle. This is an exclusive competition for our Facebook and Twitter fans, so if you haven't already, 'Like' us at facebook.com/CineVueUK or follow us @CineVue before answering the question below.
Beginning this April, Network Distributing begins 'The British Film' project: an ongoing programme of releases featuring titles from every possible genre, selected from over eight decades of British film and covering such studios as Gaumont-British, Gainsborough, Ealing, London Films,...
Beginning this April, Network Distributing begins 'The British Film' project: an ongoing programme of releases featuring titles from every possible genre, selected from over eight decades of British film and covering such studios as Gaumont-British, Gainsborough, Ealing, London Films,...
- 5/9/2013
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Timothy Spall in The Syndicate. BBC
Kieran Kinsella
The Syndicate Series 1
The Syndicate, Series One is the pick of Acorn Media’s late April DVD releases. The show is a fascinating character study involving the mundane staff members of a humdrum low-end British supermarket. In the normal course of events, there is nothing particularly intriguing about this group but that all changes when they win the national lottery. When millions of pounds are involved, personal relationships, work rivalries and previously undetected misdeeds suddenly become a lot more important. While the show doesn’t exactly portray the lottery as a bad thing, let’s just say that Kay Mellor’s scripts show us that every silver lining has a massive dark cloud attached to it.
The cast for The Syndicate is top notch and the biggest star among the talented ensemble is Harry Potter actor Timothy Spall. He plays the store manager Bob.
Kieran Kinsella
The Syndicate Series 1
The Syndicate, Series One is the pick of Acorn Media’s late April DVD releases. The show is a fascinating character study involving the mundane staff members of a humdrum low-end British supermarket. In the normal course of events, there is nothing particularly intriguing about this group but that all changes when they win the national lottery. When millions of pounds are involved, personal relationships, work rivalries and previously undetected misdeeds suddenly become a lot more important. While the show doesn’t exactly portray the lottery as a bad thing, let’s just say that Kay Mellor’s scripts show us that every silver lining has a massive dark cloud attached to it.
The cast for The Syndicate is top notch and the biggest star among the talented ensemble is Harry Potter actor Timothy Spall. He plays the store manager Bob.
- 4/30/2013
- by Edited by K Kinsella
Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway beat The Voice UK in the ratings last night (April 6), overnight data suggests.
The last episode in the current run of Saturday Night Takeaway averaged 6.76 million viewers (30.3%) on ITV from 7pm, compared with the BBC One singing competition's audience of 6.43 million (28.5%). A further 541k (2.4%) watched Ant & Dec on +1.
However, The Voice's audience grew just under 200k from last week's 6.2m launch, scoring the highest peak of the night with 8.7m.
Earlier in the evening, new Doctor Who episode 'The Rings of Akhaten' attracted 5.5m (28.8%) viewers on BBC One between 6.15pm and 7pm.
The figure was down from the 6.18m (29.8%) who tuned in to watch series opener The Bells of Saint John last week.
Back on ITV, gameshow The Cube scored 4.02m (18.1%) at 8.30pm, while The Jonathan Ross Show had 2.25m (10.7%) an hour later.
Over on BBC Two, The Many Faces of Sid James at 7.30pm...
The last episode in the current run of Saturday Night Takeaway averaged 6.76 million viewers (30.3%) on ITV from 7pm, compared with the BBC One singing competition's audience of 6.43 million (28.5%). A further 541k (2.4%) watched Ant & Dec on +1.
However, The Voice's audience grew just under 200k from last week's 6.2m launch, scoring the highest peak of the night with 8.7m.
Earlier in the evening, new Doctor Who episode 'The Rings of Akhaten' attracted 5.5m (28.8%) viewers on BBC One between 6.15pm and 7pm.
The figure was down from the 6.18m (29.8%) who tuned in to watch series opener The Bells of Saint John last week.
Back on ITV, gameshow The Cube scored 4.02m (18.1%) at 8.30pm, while The Jonathan Ross Show had 2.25m (10.7%) an hour later.
Over on BBC Two, The Many Faces of Sid James at 7.30pm...
- 4/7/2013
- Digital Spy
★★★★★ The Titfield Thunderbolt (1953), starring legends of British screen Stanley Holloway, Hugh Griffith and Sid James, is one of those rare things seldom found in cinema - a film which is virtually perfect in every respect. Made by the iconic Ealing Studios and directed by Charles Crichton (who'd been responsible for the studio's previous hits Dead of Night [1945] and 1951's The Lavender Hill Mob), this story of a group of villagers who fight to save their local railway line when it's threatened with closure, is as fresh now as when it was released sixty years ago - which makes this new StudioCanal rerelease all the more enjoyable and satisfying.
Read more »...
Read more »...
- 1/15/2013
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Script for fourth episode of 1955 show catalogued along with those for and by the likes of Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers
When Tony Hancock failed to turn up for three episodes of his radio show in 1955, producers simply replaced him with Harry Secombe as if nothing had happened. The fourth episode followed Hancock and Sid James as they travelled to Swansea to thank him – where they found him singing down a coalmine.
The recorded episode was wiped and continues to be lost, but the script – along with a host of others – has now emerged. They have been catalogued by the actor turned rare books dealer, Neil Pearson.
It is a true treasure trove, featuring scripts by and for comedy stars such as Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers, Frankie Howerd and Kenneth Williams. "It is a rather extraordinary and rather moving collection of material that reminds us of how we used to...
When Tony Hancock failed to turn up for three episodes of his radio show in 1955, producers simply replaced him with Harry Secombe as if nothing had happened. The fourth episode followed Hancock and Sid James as they travelled to Swansea to thank him – where they found him singing down a coalmine.
The recorded episode was wiped and continues to be lost, but the script – along with a host of others – has now emerged. They have been catalogued by the actor turned rare books dealer, Neil Pearson.
It is a true treasure trove, featuring scripts by and for comedy stars such as Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers, Frankie Howerd and Kenneth Williams. "It is a rather extraordinary and rather moving collection of material that reminds us of how we used to...
- 12/3/2012
- by Mark Brown
- The Guardian - Film News
Outstanding actor of stage and screen who made his name as Bri in A Day in the Death of Joe Egg
The British theatre changed for ever when Joe Melia, as the sardonic teacher Bri, pushed a severely disabled 10-year-old girl in a wheelchair on to the stage of the Glasgow Citizens in May 1967 and proceeded to make satirical jokes about the medical profession while his marriage was disintegrating. The play was Peter Nichols's A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, which transformed the way disability was discussed on the stage. It made the names overnight of its author, the director Michael Blakemore, and Melia. Albert Finney took over the role of Bri on Broadway.
Flat-footed, slightly hunched, always leaning towards a point of view, Melia, who has died aged 77, was a distinctive and compassionate actor who brought a strain of the music hall to the stage, a sense of being an outsider.
The British theatre changed for ever when Joe Melia, as the sardonic teacher Bri, pushed a severely disabled 10-year-old girl in a wheelchair on to the stage of the Glasgow Citizens in May 1967 and proceeded to make satirical jokes about the medical profession while his marriage was disintegrating. The play was Peter Nichols's A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, which transformed the way disability was discussed on the stage. It made the names overnight of its author, the director Michael Blakemore, and Melia. Albert Finney took over the role of Bri on Broadway.
Flat-footed, slightly hunched, always leaning towards a point of view, Melia, who has died aged 77, was a distinctive and compassionate actor who brought a strain of the music hall to the stage, a sense of being an outsider.
- 11/7/2012
- by Michael Coveney
- The Guardian - Film News
Pier, which appears in films including Brighton Rock and Quadrophenia, is taken off market by Noble Organisation
One of the most famous landmarks on the south coast, Brighton's Palace Pier, known to millions across the world from its many guest appearances in films, has been taken off the market by its owners.
The Noble Organisation, which has owned the pier since 1984, put it up for sale last year for an undisclosed guide price, but now says it forms part of the group's long-term plans.
A statement from the company denied that lack of offers in the throes of the recession and diabolical summer weather were to blame. "Last year's marketing exercise generated a great deal of interest in the pier and a number of substantial offers. However, a change in strategy led us to conclude that the pier will now form part of our longer-term group plans."
The Grade II...
One of the most famous landmarks on the south coast, Brighton's Palace Pier, known to millions across the world from its many guest appearances in films, has been taken off the market by its owners.
The Noble Organisation, which has owned the pier since 1984, put it up for sale last year for an undisclosed guide price, but now says it forms part of the group's long-term plans.
A statement from the company denied that lack of offers in the throes of the recession and diabolical summer weather were to blame. "Last year's marketing exercise generated a great deal of interest in the pier and a number of substantial offers. However, a change in strategy led us to conclude that the pier will now form part of our longer-term group plans."
The Grade II...
- 10/26/2012
- by Maev Kennedy
- The Guardian - Film News
Rupert Everett's new memoir has landed him in hot water. Again. But he thinks we just need to lighten up
Poor old Rupert Everett thought he'd taken every care to say nothing in his first memoir that could upset his friend Madonna. Then the book came out, she threw a strop and stopped talking to him. His new memoir is less scandalously gossipy, so further fallings-out had looked unlikely – but before its release this week, he was already in hot water again. Everett can't understand it. "What's happened to humour? We're becoming American. Everyone gets so angry over everything."
But I'm not sure how much he really cares, and to my mind you'd have to be even more humourless than Madonna to hold anything against him. After reading Vanished Years, I didn't just want to buy the book but kidnap its author and gallivant about town with him for ever.
Poor old Rupert Everett thought he'd taken every care to say nothing in his first memoir that could upset his friend Madonna. Then the book came out, she threw a strop and stopped talking to him. His new memoir is less scandalously gossipy, so further fallings-out had looked unlikely – but before its release this week, he was already in hot water again. Everett can't understand it. "What's happened to humour? We're becoming American. Everyone gets so angry over everything."
But I'm not sure how much he really cares, and to my mind you'd have to be even more humourless than Madonna to hold anything against him. After reading Vanished Years, I didn't just want to buy the book but kidnap its author and gallivant about town with him for ever.
- 9/28/2012
- by Decca Aitkenhead
- The Guardian - Film News
We look back at the work of Herbert Lom, the much-loved Czech-born actor who has died aged 95. His career took in everything from low-budget noir to the Pink Panther movies
Reading on mobile? Watch here
A refugee from the Nazis at the age of 22, Lom arrived in London in 1939 and immediately set about continuing the acting career he'd started in his home city of Prague. His first role was a small but eyecatching one: Napoleon, in the Fox-produced biopic The Young Mr Pitt, with Robert Donat as the wily but principled British prime minister – starts at 6:30. (He would play Boney again in 1956, in the Audrey Hepburn War and Peace.)
Reading on mobile? Watch here
Lom's unmistakeable charisma quickly won him admirers: though lead roles would be few and far between later on, he quickly scored one as the mysterious hypnotist in Brit thriller The Dark Tower, where he exerts his fateful,...
Reading on mobile? Watch here
A refugee from the Nazis at the age of 22, Lom arrived in London in 1939 and immediately set about continuing the acting career he'd started in his home city of Prague. His first role was a small but eyecatching one: Napoleon, in the Fox-produced biopic The Young Mr Pitt, with Robert Donat as the wily but principled British prime minister – starts at 6:30. (He would play Boney again in 1956, in the Audrey Hepburn War and Peace.)
Reading on mobile? Watch here
Lom's unmistakeable charisma quickly won him admirers: though lead roles would be few and far between later on, he quickly scored one as the mysterious hypnotist in Brit thriller The Dark Tower, where he exerts his fateful,...
- 9/27/2012
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
This British scary movie is preposterous and cheesy, if occasionally oddly enjoyable
Like a horror version of Sid James's Bless This House, this British scary movie is preposterous and cheesy, if occasionally oddly enjoyable. It is (but of course) based on a true story of a family in Yorkshire in 1974 – an era haunted by strikes and power-cuts. They believed a poltergeist was plunging their house into darkness. The movie does not present the story as political satire or psychological case-study, merely a somewhat daft ghost story. Just as no one in EastEnders watches EastEnders, no one here mentions the sensational 1973 film The Exorcist, which found millions of fans and whose staggering popularity may, I delicately suggest, account for this true-life phenomenon.
Rating: 2/5
HorrorPeter Bradshaw
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions...
Like a horror version of Sid James's Bless This House, this British scary movie is preposterous and cheesy, if occasionally oddly enjoyable. It is (but of course) based on a true story of a family in Yorkshire in 1974 – an era haunted by strikes and power-cuts. They believed a poltergeist was plunging their house into darkness. The movie does not present the story as political satire or psychological case-study, merely a somewhat daft ghost story. Just as no one in EastEnders watches EastEnders, no one here mentions the sensational 1973 film The Exorcist, which found millions of fans and whose staggering popularity may, I delicately suggest, account for this true-life phenomenon.
Rating: 2/5
HorrorPeter Bradshaw
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions...
- 9/13/2012
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
My father, Stanley Dent, who has died aged 95, swapped the world of accountancy for running Adelphi Films, which produced British feature films throughout the 1950s – comedies, romances, dramas and horror, cheap and cheerful, but good entertainment, featuring stars such as Peter Sellers, Diana Dors, Sid James, Max Bygraves, Tommy Trinder and Dora Bryan.
Stanley was born in London, one of the three sons of Arthur Dent, a successful and charismatic film salesman, and his wife Hettie. He went to Kingsbury county school (now high school), and then qualified as an accountant. During the second world war, he was a gunner in Egypt and Syria. He enjoyed the outdoor desert life, where he learned to steer his jeep by the stars.
Arthur acquired Adelphi Films in 1949 and Stanley joined the company as business director, with his brother David as a producer. Their brother, Harry, had been killed during the war. Adelphi...
Stanley was born in London, one of the three sons of Arthur Dent, a successful and charismatic film salesman, and his wife Hettie. He went to Kingsbury county school (now high school), and then qualified as an accountant. During the second world war, he was a gunner in Egypt and Syria. He enjoyed the outdoor desert life, where he learned to steer his jeep by the stars.
Arthur acquired Adelphi Films in 1949 and Stanley joined the company as business director, with his brother David as a producer. Their brother, Harry, had been killed during the war. Adelphi...
- 8/9/2012
- The Guardian - Film News
Do you remember those old sticker albums that you used to have when you were a kid? There you are, stuck plonk in the middle of a 1983 school playground, clutching a tattered copy of the Return Of The Jedi sticker album, wondering how to fill in those missing gaps. They're frustrating things, those sticker albums – what would happen would be that you would spend your hard-earned pocket money on packs of stickers, only to find that tucked away inside are stickers that you already had. So your next option is to trudge wearily around the school playground asking if you can swap your duplicate sticker for one that you don't have. Of course, it never worked out that way, since the missing stickers were as rare as a sighting of the sun in Britain in June 2012.
Annoying? Well not as annoying as the gaps in Doctor Who's archive. This...
Annoying? Well not as annoying as the gaps in Doctor Who's archive. This...
- 7/17/2012
- Shadowlocked
Actor who made his name at Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop and appeared in the Beatles films, making firm friends with the Fab Four
Victor Spinetti, who has died of cancer aged 82, was an outrageously talented Welsh actor and raconteur who made his name with Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop and found fame and fortune as a friend and colleague of the Beatles, appearing in three of their five films, and with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in Franco Zeffirelli's The Taming of the Shrew (1967).
It was while he was giving his brilliantly articulated and hilarious "turn" as the gobbledegook-shouting drill sergeant in Oh, What a Lovely War! in the West End in 1963 – he won a Tony for the performance when the show went to Broadway – that the Beatles visited him backstage and invited him to appear in A Hard Day's Night (1964).
George Harrison later said that his mother would...
Victor Spinetti, who has died of cancer aged 82, was an outrageously talented Welsh actor and raconteur who made his name with Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop and found fame and fortune as a friend and colleague of the Beatles, appearing in three of their five films, and with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in Franco Zeffirelli's The Taming of the Shrew (1967).
It was while he was giving his brilliantly articulated and hilarious "turn" as the gobbledegook-shouting drill sergeant in Oh, What a Lovely War! in the West End in 1963 – he won a Tony for the performance when the show went to Broadway – that the Beatles visited him backstage and invited him to appear in A Hard Day's Night (1964).
George Harrison later said that his mother would...
- 6/20/2012
- by Michael Coveney
- The Guardian - Film News
The finalists vying to represent Australia in the Young Lions competition at Cannes next month have been revealed.
Australia will be represented in the categories of film, marketer, media, print and digital.
The next stage in the competition will see the shortlisted finalists in marketing, media, print and digital compete in a 24-hour brief, with finalists from the film category completing a 48-hour brief, all following the Cannes competition format.
News Limited is Cannes’ local representative. Director of sales Tony Kendall said: “Every entrant is a credit to the agencies they work for.”
Judge Mat Baxter, CEO of Um, said: ”Anyone watching the finalists’ presentations would be enormously confident that the future of our industry is in great hands.”
The winners will be announced on May 17.
Finalists:
Print
Brett Colliver and Paul Theobald, Clemenger Bbdo Melbourne Serge Bodulovic, Bondi Advertising and Simon Gibson, Clemenger Bbdo Sydney Jack Nunn and Will Brown,...
Australia will be represented in the categories of film, marketer, media, print and digital.
The next stage in the competition will see the shortlisted finalists in marketing, media, print and digital compete in a 24-hour brief, with finalists from the film category completing a 48-hour brief, all following the Cannes competition format.
News Limited is Cannes’ local representative. Director of sales Tony Kendall said: “Every entrant is a credit to the agencies they work for.”
Judge Mat Baxter, CEO of Um, said: ”Anyone watching the finalists’ presentations would be enormously confident that the future of our industry is in great hands.”
The winners will be announced on May 17.
Finalists:
Brett Colliver and Paul Theobald, Clemenger Bbdo Melbourne Serge Bodulovic, Bondi Advertising and Simon Gibson, Clemenger Bbdo Sydney Jack Nunn and Will Brown,...
- 5/4/2012
- by mumbrella
- Encore Magazine
'Cheeky cockney' character actor who graced British screens for more than 60 years
While working on the classic Ealing comedy Hue and Cry in 1947, the actor Harry Fowler, who has died aged 85, was given sage advice by one of his co-stars, Jack Warner: "Never turn anything down … stars come and go but as a character actor, you'll work until you're 90."
Fowler took the suggestion and proved its near veracity. Between his 1942 debut as Ern in Those Kids from Town until television appearances more than 60 years later, he notched up scores of feature films and innumerable TV shows, including three years as Corporal "Flogger" Hoskins in The Army Game.
He never attained star status but created a gallery of sparky characters, including minor villains, servicemen, reporters and tradesmen enriched by an ever-present cheeky smile and an authentic cockney accent. He was Smudge or Smiley, Nipper or Knocker, Bert or 'Orace, as...
While working on the classic Ealing comedy Hue and Cry in 1947, the actor Harry Fowler, who has died aged 85, was given sage advice by one of his co-stars, Jack Warner: "Never turn anything down … stars come and go but as a character actor, you'll work until you're 90."
Fowler took the suggestion and proved its near veracity. Between his 1942 debut as Ern in Those Kids from Town until television appearances more than 60 years later, he notched up scores of feature films and innumerable TV shows, including three years as Corporal "Flogger" Hoskins in The Army Game.
He never attained star status but created a gallery of sparky characters, including minor villains, servicemen, reporters and tradesmen enriched by an ever-present cheeky smile and an authentic cockney accent. He was Smudge or Smiley, Nipper or Knocker, Bert or 'Orace, as...
- 1/5/2012
- by Brian Baxter
- The Guardian - Film News
Co-writer of TV sitcoms On the Buses and The Rag Trade
At the height of his writing partnership with Ronald Chesney, Ronald Wolfe, who has died aged 89 after a fall, enjoyed huge success with the sitcom On the Buses; its bawdy humour was panned by the critics but lapped up by the viewing public. Originally turned down by the BBC, the idea for a comedy based around the antics of a driver and conductor giving their inspector the runaround at the Luxton Bus Company appealed to Frank Muir, head of entertainment at the newly launched ITV company London Weekend Television.
Reg Varney played Stan Butler, at the wheel of the No 11, and Bob Grant was his lothario conductor, Jack. The pair made life hell for the miserable Inspector Blake (Stephen Lewis). Blakey's "Get that bus out" and "I 'ate you, Butler" were two of the most frequent lines that flowed...
At the height of his writing partnership with Ronald Chesney, Ronald Wolfe, who has died aged 89 after a fall, enjoyed huge success with the sitcom On the Buses; its bawdy humour was panned by the critics but lapped up by the viewing public. Originally turned down by the BBC, the idea for a comedy based around the antics of a driver and conductor giving their inspector the runaround at the Luxton Bus Company appealed to Frank Muir, head of entertainment at the newly launched ITV company London Weekend Television.
Reg Varney played Stan Butler, at the wheel of the No 11, and Bob Grant was his lothario conductor, Jack. The pair made life hell for the miserable Inspector Blake (Stephen Lewis). Blakey's "Get that bus out" and "I 'ate you, Butler" were two of the most frequent lines that flowed...
- 12/20/2011
- by Anthony Hayward
- The Guardian - Film News
It is, some say, a Roger Moore Bond movie without Roger Moore in it. That’s because Diamonds Are Forever — which celebrates its 40th anniversary this week — is as camp as Glastonbury in June.
Camp? Yes. Camp. Look at the evidence: it has saucy innuendo galore (“You seem to have caught me with more than my hands up”); a Shirley Bassey-delivered title track with Don Black’s ‘ooh-er’ lyrics; a gaudy Las Vegas setting; gay hit men; a moon buggy chase; plus Ernst Stavro Blofeld holding the world to ransom with an outer-space death ray. You know. That kind of camp.
It might have been different had George Lazenby returned for a second bite at Bond, or if American actor John Gavin (from Psycho) had played 007. In fact, Gavin had already signed a contract but, at the last minute, due to studio jitters, Sean Connery was made an offer...
Camp? Yes. Camp. Look at the evidence: it has saucy innuendo galore (“You seem to have caught me with more than my hands up”); a Shirley Bassey-delivered title track with Don Black’s ‘ooh-er’ lyrics; a gaudy Las Vegas setting; gay hit men; a moon buggy chase; plus Ernst Stavro Blofeld holding the world to ransom with an outer-space death ray. You know. That kind of camp.
It might have been different had George Lazenby returned for a second bite at Bond, or if American actor John Gavin (from Psycho) had played 007. In fact, Gavin had already signed a contract but, at the last minute, due to studio jitters, Sean Connery was made an offer...
- 12/14/2011
- by Tony Greenway
- Obsessed with Film
The Wicker Tree
Stars: Brittania Nicol, Henry Garrett, Christopher Lee, Graham McTavish, Clive Russell, Honeysuckle Weeks | Written and Directed by Robin Hardy
Robin Hardy’s spiritual successor to The Wicker Man has taken a very long time to arrive, 38 years to be precise. The Wicker Tree is based on his own novel, Cowboys for Christ, and tells the story of two (seemingly) mentally deficient American Christians who decide to come to the heathen wilds of Scotland to spread the love of Jesus.
I guess the rest of the church was busy: when asked if they really believe in certain elements of the bible, the two have to think long and hard (although I suspect these two would have to think long and hard about tieing their shoelaces, or what their own names are) and can’t reach a committed decision. The heathens, much like the audience thanks to a crushing lack of horror,...
Stars: Brittania Nicol, Henry Garrett, Christopher Lee, Graham McTavish, Clive Russell, Honeysuckle Weeks | Written and Directed by Robin Hardy
Robin Hardy’s spiritual successor to The Wicker Man has taken a very long time to arrive, 38 years to be precise. The Wicker Tree is based on his own novel, Cowboys for Christ, and tells the story of two (seemingly) mentally deficient American Christians who decide to come to the heathen wilds of Scotland to spread the love of Jesus.
I guess the rest of the church was busy: when asked if they really believe in certain elements of the bible, the two have to think long and hard (although I suspect these two would have to think long and hard about tieing their shoelaces, or what their own names are) and can’t reach a committed decision. The heathens, much like the audience thanks to a crushing lack of horror,...
- 10/31/2011
- by Dan
- Nerdly
With the much anticipated release of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy in theatres today, WhatCulture! were challenged with coming up with our 10 best British ensemble casts. With Tinker’s all star British cast – including the likes of Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, John Hurt, Tom Hardy, Mark Strong and Benedict Cumberbatch – it was a bloody hard challenge to come up with ten that could even come close to rivalling such a solid cast!
Read on to discover what we came up with!
10. Gosford Park (2001)
The murder mystery genre is always one that employs a vast and impressive ensemble cast and Gosford Park is a prime example of how effective a film can be when this is done proficiently. A range of talented British stars fill the screen, disclosing the everyday workings of a 1930s mansion house from the privileged inhabitants and their wealthy guests, right down to the most invisible of servants.
Read on to discover what we came up with!
10. Gosford Park (2001)
The murder mystery genre is always one that employs a vast and impressive ensemble cast and Gosford Park is a prime example of how effective a film can be when this is done proficiently. A range of talented British stars fill the screen, disclosing the everyday workings of a 1930s mansion house from the privileged inhabitants and their wealthy guests, right down to the most invisible of servants.
- 9/16/2011
- by Stuart Cummins
- Obsessed with Film
To my mind there’s nothing like a slice of of pure Guinness to ease you into the weekend which gives me a great excuse to flag up the recenty released restoration of Ealing comedy classic The Lavender Hill Mob.
This film is the latest in Optimum’s comendable programme of restoring and, importantly, re-releasing classics of the British film industry’s past into cinemas before the welcome Blu-ray and DVD release.
We’ll have our review of the restored film up on the site shortly but for now we have a clip from the film and its trailer, both of which should have you clicked frantically to see if this film is still playing in your local picture house, then hauling your cyber self across to the nearest DVDery to buy up the disc. It’s that good.
Here’s a synopsis and a hint as to the extras on the new Blu-ray,...
This film is the latest in Optimum’s comendable programme of restoring and, importantly, re-releasing classics of the British film industry’s past into cinemas before the welcome Blu-ray and DVD release.
We’ll have our review of the restored film up on the site shortly but for now we have a clip from the film and its trailer, both of which should have you clicked frantically to see if this film is still playing in your local picture house, then hauling your cyber self across to the nearest DVDery to buy up the disc. It’s that good.
Here’s a synopsis and a hint as to the extras on the new Blu-ray,...
- 8/6/2011
- by Jon Lyus
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
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