John the Monkey
Frivolous Cyclist
- Location
- Crewe
Joe Kidd
A fairly run of the mill western, with Clint Eastwood as the reluctant gunslinger brought out of retirement. Notable for John Saxon's turn as a Mexican revolutionary, which verges on parody/offense at times to more enlightened eyes.
The Epic of Everest
Recently shown on BBC4, a restored film of the 1924 expedition. Despite the grain, the limitations of the technology of the time, the powerful sense of "it was a different time" when the film discusses the people the expedition encounters, it's beautiful and haunting. The point at which they realise Mallory and Irvine are lost has real emotional punch too. Worth catching on iPlayer while you can.
The Admirable Crichton
A deferent butler saves the hides of his privileged masters when they are marooned on a desert island. Once rescued, the toffs proceed to act as though they saved themselves, concerned only about whether they might be caught out in their lie (with the chief toff saying that they'll have to sack Crichton (the butler) to avoid the awkwardness). Crichton has, it turns out, secured alternative means of support, and leaves to go into business.
At once both delightful, and massively irritating, this one. I couldn't quite regard it entirely as the period piece fluff that I should have, although it was still enjoyable. My sincere hope is that Crichton did very well for himself indeed, bought their stately home and turfed them out, and made it into something thoroughly dreadful, like a golf resort.
A fairly run of the mill western, with Clint Eastwood as the reluctant gunslinger brought out of retirement. Notable for John Saxon's turn as a Mexican revolutionary, which verges on parody/offense at times to more enlightened eyes.
The Epic of Everest
Recently shown on BBC4, a restored film of the 1924 expedition. Despite the grain, the limitations of the technology of the time, the powerful sense of "it was a different time" when the film discusses the people the expedition encounters, it's beautiful and haunting. The point at which they realise Mallory and Irvine are lost has real emotional punch too. Worth catching on iPlayer while you can.
The Admirable Crichton
A deferent butler saves the hides of his privileged masters when they are marooned on a desert island. Once rescued, the toffs proceed to act as though they saved themselves, concerned only about whether they might be caught out in their lie (with the chief toff saying that they'll have to sack Crichton (the butler) to avoid the awkwardness). Crichton has, it turns out, secured alternative means of support, and leaves to go into business.
At once both delightful, and massively irritating, this one. I couldn't quite regard it entirely as the period piece fluff that I should have, although it was still enjoyable. My sincere hope is that Crichton did very well for himself indeed, bought their stately home and turfed them out, and made it into something thoroughly dreadful, like a golf resort.
