Film: Meet John Doe

The Autumn tv schedules certainly look promising (thank goodness!), but they haven't started yet. And that was much in evidence this evening, when the decent programmes fizzled out. So I said hey, let me turn to my film list. And the most interesting at the joint highest rating of available films was Meet John Doe, a Frank Capra film in which Barbara Stanwyck plays a reporter, made redundant, who saves her job by coming up with a story about some guy willing to kill himself to make a political protest. When the story grows legs, Gary Cooper steps in as the character in question - with Walter Brennan as his sidekick. Edward Arnold owns the newspaper, and James Gleason is the editor. Sounded interesting.

And it is! See, the whole premise is that this fictional guy believes strongly that civilisation has gone to pot. In fact, most of the common folk seem to agree - and before you know it, a mass movement has started, whose main purpose seems to be nicer to each other. But beware when you found a movement so powerful - power not only breeds corruption, it attracts it, and sincerity can be hard to maintain in the face of powerful forces..

Now, this was made at around the time that the US joined the Second World War, so you can see where the message about solidarity with your neighbours was coming from. And the only thing I'll say against the film is that it does labour the point somewhat. Not that I don't agree with them - they just keep telling us over and over.. and it takes so long.. I mean, when I keep wandering off to do other things while the film is playing, methinks they could do with trimming it. Gary Cooper's generally taciturn demeanour doesn't help with that, either - he spends most of the film looking solemnly statuesque, and frankly, it looks weird when he tries to be funny. Barbara Stanwyck, on the other hand, is brilliant, and unfailingly watchable.

The quality was unexpectedly bad - just a bad print, full of flecks and scratches. But I did enjoy it - throughout, there's something undeniably sweet about it, and my grievances are minor. Apart from the fact that, as I say, I kept being distracted because well, they were harping on the same tune again. Recommended - but beware, you might like to do a crossword or something at various points!

For tomorrow, I'm thinking film again. Next most interesting on my list, at the same rating, is Black Book - the story of a Jewish singer who infiltrates the Gestapo during WWII. Now, I've already seen something along these lines - but having watched the trailer for this, it isn't familiar, so I'm willing to give it a shot. However, I do have an alternative, suddenly - Experience London Events, Concerts & Parties has just advertised the World Cinema Film Festival, which is online this year, streaming for free over the next two days. Tickets from Eventbrite. I can't get many details of the programme, but it starts at 1pm tomorrow, and consists of talks and short films, I believe. Might give it a look - I do have my ticket.

And on Sunday, London Social Detours is hosting a "virtual visit to the Galapagos", complete with a chat about Charles Darwin. So, off I go again with them. Includes a quiz, apparently, for which the prize is one of the millions of books the organiser says her house is full of. Hmm..