Ticked another film off the list tonight, with Brighton Rock at the BFI. Now, this was advertised as having a panel discussion. I don't know your definition of a panel discussion, but to me, it suggests two things - a panel, and a discussion. This had, in contrast, a lone man (maybe a member of some panel, who knows?) and what I would describe as a speech, rather than a discussion. But maybe I'm being picky. Certainly, the seats are comfortable, and I always like to hear people give speeches at the BFI - there's a slightly muffled quality to the mic and if you get someone with a nice soft voice, it can be very soporific.
The film is a gangster film, made in 1947 and set in Brighton, between the wars. As the programme notes pointed out, no other British seaside town seems to have been as popular a setting for crime films as Brighton. This one, apparently, really annoyed the good people that organise tourism in Brighton, what with all that fighting. The film was actually banned in the Netherlands and Sweden, when first released!
That seems really strange to these jaded eyes. But times change. A very young Richard Attenborough plays the chief hoodlum - and a very well spoken one at that. And oh my, the hapless heroine has to be in with a fighting chance of being the most insipid female I've ever seen, onscreen or in real life. Almost as bad as Shelley Duvall in The Shining, when Jack Nicholson is chasing her through the deserted hotel with murderous intent, and she's wailing, and I always just wish he'd catch her and stop the wailing, once and for all.. but I digress. So, not that bad, but nearly.
Still, it's a charming film, and oddly compelling.
Tomorrow, so far, the plan is for another film, and I have a choice of two, both rated at 7.2 - Paradise: Hope and Thief. I'm thinking Thief sounds more interesting. It's playing, nice and cheaply, as ever, at the Prince Charles.
No comments:
Post a Comment