BBC 4 is repeating the documentary Voyage to Mars: the Longest Goodbye on Wednesday evening; a timely showing in that plans to visit the Red Planet are likely to gather pace in the next five years or so. Coincidentally, the Legend channel is showing the 1978 film Capricorn One that afternoon. This is the one where the trip to Mars is a hoax, leaving three astronauts earthbound and in peril. More recent dramas, such as The Martian, feature top actors (Matt Damon and Jessica Chastain head a strong cast) and the science is more plausible. This was not the case in the 1950s and 1960s, of course, although Rocketship X-M (1950) was pretty good for a low-budget offering from a minor production company (Lippert); having Lloyd Bridges on board helped. Their original destination was the Moon and they went off course; Abbott and Costello left for Mars in 1953 and somehow ended up on Venus! Conquest of Space (1955) was better; Eric Fleming (who went on to play the trail boss in Rawhide) was the lead and the director, Byron Haskin, went on to make Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964). In case you ever wondered, the same year’s Santa Claus Conquers the Martians really is one of the worst films ever made – but my record for watching a film to the end has remained intact!
RED ROCK WEST (1992) Saturday 9 September 9.00-10.55pm Legend (Channel 41) Film noir made a modest comeback (in colour) in the early 1990s with two films directed by John Dahl. The most celebrated one was the splendid The Last Seduction (1994), but this earlier work is almost as good. Unemployed Nicholas Cage is mistaken for a hitman and thinks he has it made, until the real assassin turns up – and very few actors could do ‘crazy’ as well as Dennis Hopper. CRIME OF PASSION (1957) Monday 11 September 7.00-8.45pm TP (Channel 82) Having seen at least 30 of her films, I thought I knew Barbara Stanwyck’s CV pretty well but this late-entry film noir is an unknown quantity! Furthering her husband’s career by sleeping with the chief of police isn’t a problem for her until he looks to promote someone else. Whilst it isn’t Double Indemnity, there is a great cast (Sterling Hayden, Raymond Burr, Fay Wray and Royal Dano) and director Gerd Oswald was known for making this kind of material very atmospheric. LION (2016) Tuesday 12 September 9.00-11.20pm Film Four P Based on a true story, and popular in cinemas, watching Lion will be a pleasant two hours viewing for members. Five-year-old Saroo falls asleep during a train journey, ends up alone in Calcutta and is subsequently adopted by an Australian couple. Dev Patel then plays the grown-up Saroo as he returns to India in search of his family. BALLOON (2018) Thursday 14 September 11.40pm-1.35am BBC 4 I highlighted this German drama when it was premiered during lockdown, but it is worth mentioning again. Two East German families plan an audacious escape to the West. It is humorous, tense and a very rewarding watch.
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It was in the summer of 2008 that I went to work at the Regent and we had two films that ran for weeks and weeks: Mamma Mia! and Wall.E. The plot of the latter – a robot picks up rubbish on a desolate planet Earth, with occasional input from an indolent and obese human supervisor – struck me as being remarkably prescient. Until, that is, I caught last week’s documentary iHuman. Advanced AI in the hands of the military and a handful of super tech companies or governments doesn’t bear thinking about. Just 24 hours later, X (formerly known as Twitter) was removing the ban on political advertising. Here we go then . . .
ELMER GANTRY (1960) Sunday 3 September 10.00pm-1.00am TP (Channel 82) A first showing on TP for this excellent drama in which a ‘snake oil’ salesman in the 1920s Midwest finds his true calling as an evangelist. It is almost certainly more relevant in 2023, of course. Burt Lancaster is superb and won an Oscar, as did Shirley Jones for her portrayal of his ex-girlfriend turned prostitute. Director Richard Brooks also won for his coruscating script although it was The Apartment that won most of the major awards, that year. DEATH RACE 2000 (1975) Monday 4 September 10.05-11.40pm TP (Channel 82) Younger members (do we have any?) might be more familiar with Jason Statham’s 2008 update. However, the original is the bee’s knees, for lovers of cult films, and the story (car racers earn extra points for running over pedestrians), actors (David Carradine and a yet-to-make-it Sylvester Stallone) and producer Roger Corman all belong to the 1970s. And this was when I saw it for the first time – at the old Coliseum in Aberystwyth (now a museum and coffee house) with Pam Grier’s Sheba, Baby as the support feature. Such double bills are long gone and we’ll not see their like again. Shame! BLUE BOX (2021) Tuesday 5 September 10.00-11.25pm BBC 4 P Documentary film-maker Michal Weits investigates the work of her great-grandfather, Yosef, who became known as the Father of the Forests for his pioneering work in Israel and Palestine. She discovers that her family are reluctant to discuss this part of their history, and the truths she uncovers are not always palatable. FISHERMAN’S FRIENDS (2018) Wednesday 6 September 9.00-11.15pm Film Four P I am not ever so keen myself, but if you enjoyed The Phantom of the Open and The Duke (and clearly you did) then settle down in a favourite chair and watch this true story of the Cornish fishermen who signed a record deal. It is light, diverting fare and there is the sequel to look forward to at some future time, no doubt. |
By David JohnsonChairman of Lyme Regis Film Society Archives
March 2024
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Updated 27.3.2024
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