A lot of people think I am a miserable git but I made this for all those lovey dovey people (oh and as my friends can attest I finished this before the current HMV ads started to screen)
14 February 2008
6 February 2008
If....(only)
"White riot - I wanna riot
White riot - a riot of my own
White riot - I wanna riot
White riot - a riot of my own" - The Clash
What Happened? What Happened to british cinema? I recently watched two classic british films back to back and was left flabbergasted. How could we produce such sublime mainstream and world relevant work then but not now? The first was Michelangelo Antonioni's 1966 "Blow Up" starring David Hemmings and Vanessa Redgrave. The plot folows a single day in the life of Thomas a David Bailey styled photgrapher and the horrible truth he may or may not have uncovered. The film is brimming with what it is to be cool and british. Thomas drives round in his Rolls Royce buying antiques, taking photos and seducing groupies. If you want to know where Mike Myers gets his idea of Britian that is used in the Austin Powers films its from this. We see the cool britiania of the sixties, where life was what you wanted it to be a celebration of colour and characters without being that over the top. The film showcased not just the life style but also the people, some even before they were famous. Here is a scene where Thomas stumbles into a club where the Yardbirds (who eventually morphed into Led Zepplin) are playing, we see David Hemmings in his first role before appearing in "The charge of the light brigade" (another great British film of the 60s) and "Barbarella", We see the yardbirds with both Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page, the girl in thre stripey tights is journalist Janet Street-Porter and apparently future surrealist Micheal Palin is in the audience.
The film is dripping with sex. Hemmings is a playboy and hits on every female in the film and its not just skin baring (although it does contain the first full frontal nudity in a British film) but erotic too. Atone point Hemmings seduces a supermodel with the camera during a photoshoot barking orders at her and eventually mounting her all with clothes on and although they are just working it is so sexually charged and not some cheesy micheal bay looking sex scene and it gives you a great iconic image that im sure everyone has seen before.
And the film was a success too. A worldwide success. It cost $1,800,000 and made $20,000,000 million back, but not just financially but also critically aswell notcing up 2 oscar nominations, 3 BAFTA nominations and won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes film festival. It was a Relevant British film that celebrated being British celebrated the underground and didn't need to import a US actress to be the marquee name.
Blow up won the Palme d'Or in 1967 the next winner wasn't until 1969 and it to was a British film Lindsay Anderson's "If...." The plot of "If...." sounds like a typical stuffy British film. Set in an Public boarding school it follows three boys as they rally against the cruel prefects and inept schoolmasters but St. Trinians this isn't! Although we see the school days laid out before us and watch the traditions of the school there is abubbling of something almost intanglible that makes you see more. Hostility bubbles from ever surface and you don't feel you are watching another heady tale of glorious schools days but the seeds of rebellion against those who might think they know better but don't. The reason this works so well is the direction of Lindsay Anderson and the performance of Malcolm McDowell in his debut, look at this scene below its not just a student standing up against a prefect who is powermad but a call to arms.
what Anderson brings to the film is absudity. and freedom. For brief moments we see what they are fighting for, whether it's in the piece of african chanting that McDowell's Mick Travis listens to or the use of both colour and black and white film which was used to 'texture' the film, or in just absurdist moments like this
The original title for the film was "Crusaders" and thats what the film's protaganists are, but watching them it's not just there fight it's all our fight against those he use power and act in a superior and hierartical fashion through the class system. Why this film won the Palme d'Or 2 years after Blow Up was because there was no awards ceremony in 1968 due to the riots in France as University students, muscians, poets, and teachers took to the streets to protest against the bureaucracy the engulfed the education system and the way they had been treated. The film was of the time and spoke to the audience who could identitfy with what was happening. Although it was the schools microcosm it was universal in theme. It was British to the core but spoke a language we could all speak. If only British films were like this today. Looking at the nominations for Best british film at the BAFTA's this year (Antonement, Control, this is England, The Bourne Ultimatum, and Eastern promises) really aren't really British films with Bourne Ultimatum mostly funded by American movie and starring a cast of Americans in America. And Eastern promises starring an Australian (yes I know she was born in Kent) and A sweedish American, and a French man directed by a canadian. This leaves Atonement, Control, and This is England none of which are set within a contemporary setting. But maybe just made a film like This is england can speak to us about identity and racism its a shame that although nominated this film was never given the big push that british films need just like the french do with their cultural laws. ah if Only
White riot - a riot of my own
White riot - I wanna riot
White riot - a riot of my own" - The Clash
What Happened? What Happened to british cinema? I recently watched two classic british films back to back and was left flabbergasted. How could we produce such sublime mainstream and world relevant work then but not now? The first was Michelangelo Antonioni's 1966 "Blow Up" starring David Hemmings and Vanessa Redgrave. The plot folows a single day in the life of Thomas a David Bailey styled photgrapher and the horrible truth he may or may not have uncovered. The film is brimming with what it is to be cool and british. Thomas drives round in his Rolls Royce buying antiques, taking photos and seducing groupies. If you want to know where Mike Myers gets his idea of Britian that is used in the Austin Powers films its from this. We see the cool britiania of the sixties, where life was what you wanted it to be a celebration of colour and characters without being that over the top. The film showcased not just the life style but also the people, some even before they were famous. Here is a scene where Thomas stumbles into a club where the Yardbirds (who eventually morphed into Led Zepplin) are playing, we see David Hemmings in his first role before appearing in "The charge of the light brigade" (another great British film of the 60s) and "Barbarella", We see the yardbirds with both Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page, the girl in thre stripey tights is journalist Janet Street-Porter and apparently future surrealist Micheal Palin is in the audience.
The film is dripping with sex. Hemmings is a playboy and hits on every female in the film and its not just skin baring (although it does contain the first full frontal nudity in a British film) but erotic too. Atone point Hemmings seduces a supermodel with the camera during a photoshoot barking orders at her and eventually mounting her all with clothes on and although they are just working it is so sexually charged and not some cheesy micheal bay looking sex scene and it gives you a great iconic image that im sure everyone has seen before.
And the film was a success too. A worldwide success. It cost $1,800,000 and made $20,000,000 million back, but not just financially but also critically aswell notcing up 2 oscar nominations, 3 BAFTA nominations and won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes film festival. It was a Relevant British film that celebrated being British celebrated the underground and didn't need to import a US actress to be the marquee name.
Blow up won the Palme d'Or in 1967 the next winner wasn't until 1969 and it to was a British film Lindsay Anderson's "If...." The plot of "If...." sounds like a typical stuffy British film. Set in an Public boarding school it follows three boys as they rally against the cruel prefects and inept schoolmasters but St. Trinians this isn't! Although we see the school days laid out before us and watch the traditions of the school there is abubbling of something almost intanglible that makes you see more. Hostility bubbles from ever surface and you don't feel you are watching another heady tale of glorious schools days but the seeds of rebellion against those who might think they know better but don't. The reason this works so well is the direction of Lindsay Anderson and the performance of Malcolm McDowell in his debut, look at this scene below its not just a student standing up against a prefect who is powermad but a call to arms.
what Anderson brings to the film is absudity. and freedom. For brief moments we see what they are fighting for, whether it's in the piece of african chanting that McDowell's Mick Travis listens to or the use of both colour and black and white film which was used to 'texture' the film, or in just absurdist moments like this
The original title for the film was "Crusaders" and thats what the film's protaganists are, but watching them it's not just there fight it's all our fight against those he use power and act in a superior and hierartical fashion through the class system. Why this film won the Palme d'Or 2 years after Blow Up was because there was no awards ceremony in 1968 due to the riots in France as University students, muscians, poets, and teachers took to the streets to protest against the bureaucracy the engulfed the education system and the way they had been treated. The film was of the time and spoke to the audience who could identitfy with what was happening. Although it was the schools microcosm it was universal in theme. It was British to the core but spoke a language we could all speak. If only British films were like this today. Looking at the nominations for Best british film at the BAFTA's this year (Antonement, Control, this is England, The Bourne Ultimatum, and Eastern promises) really aren't really British films with Bourne Ultimatum mostly funded by American movie and starring a cast of Americans in America. And Eastern promises starring an Australian (yes I know she was born in Kent) and A sweedish American, and a French man directed by a canadian. This leaves Atonement, Control, and This is England none of which are set within a contemporary setting. But maybe just made a film like This is england can speak to us about identity and racism its a shame that although nominated this film was never given the big push that british films need just like the french do with their cultural laws. ah if Only
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