Films you've seen lately

[LMcD]

Does anyone have a recommendation for a good supplier of film DVDs? A specialist in that genre, ideally, with the same service levels as (for example) Presto Classical. As a matter of principle, I do not patronise 'the river people'.

Simply Home Entertainment offer a wide range, but they're usually much more expensive than the 'river people' (with whom I have no problem).

[kernelbogey]

Thanks, TS - Hive is new to me - and LMcD.

(I recognise, of course, that I pay more by not buying from the river people. Another way of putting it is that I choose not to exchange my personal data for a discount. But that's a discussion that belongs elsewhere....)

[johncorrigan]

On the Beeb on Sunday past I watched 'Mr Holmes' with Sir Ian playing the title role in what I thought was a very good take on the Sherlock story - he's long retired and keeping bees in Sussex. It was a very beautifully shot film and had some great performances particularly from the young lad, Milo Parker, who befriends the ageing former detective.

[Stanley Stewart]

Another "must" in the Dirk Bogarde collection is John Schlesinger's, "Darling" (1965) with DB well partnered
by Julie Christie in the swinging 60s. Probably a bit dated with the passing of time but Frederic Raphael's script still has
a degree of edge. I also recall Bogarde's John Player lecture at the NFT, hilarious and mischievous, particularly his comments
on the making of Song Without End, a zany biography of Liszt, (1960); must have been a tricky job for the editing
of the BBC 2, Sunday afternoon version. More recently, I was pleased to catch and record a Drama on 3 feature, The Making of
Victim, (1961) on 9 July 2017. Worth hearing if still available. I knew DB on a casual basis but, alas, we never met.
In our last conversation he was so gratified to have recorded 'without a retake' his intros to the R4 dramatisation of
The Forsyte Saga. His journals and off-air DVDs have pride of place on my bookshelves.

[kernelbogey]

I've just seen Darkest Hour, essentially about Churchill becoming PM, the Dunkirk fiasco, the 'fight them on the beaches' speech et al, his relationship with Clemmy, and his terrible self-doubt which was new to me.

As a '45-er who grew up with the shadow of the recent war hanging over Austerity Britain, and over my family for very partiular reasons, Churchill figures hugely in my personal history. When he died in January 1965, one of my University friends went up to London to see the cortege, on the grounds that this might be one of the last great state funerary occasions*. That now seems like more than 53 years ago.

In various ways (young) Joe Wright's film takes a very 21st-century view, which is of course all it could take. I found myself continually wondering Did they research and find that out? - especially his insecurity about his decisions, revealed only to Clemmy (magnificently played by Kristin Scott Thomas); very heavy drinking (The King: 'How do you manage to drink like that during the day?'; Churchill: 'Practice'); miserable begging calls to Roosevelt for money,tanks, ships, anything, when the President's hands were tied by the US's neutral status.

It's quite funny in parts and yet I found myself unaccountably deeply moved by Gary Oldman's portrayal of Churchill's vulnerability, and by the heroics of the Great Speeches. (It's bad timing for remainers for this film to come out just now!)

I hope older forumites - in particuar, not exclusively! - who've seen the film will comment too on whether and how their perceptions of Churchill have been rocked by the film.

* Edit: from Wiki: The funeral was the largest state funeral in world history up to that time, with representatives from 112 nations; only China did not send an emissary. In Europe, 350 million people, including 25 million in Britain, watched the funeral on television, and only the Republic of Ireland did not broadcast it live.

[Serial_Apologist]

Another "must" in the Dirk Bogarde collection is John Schlesinger's, "Darling" (1965) with DB well partnered
by Julie Christie in the swinging 60s. Probably a bit dated with the passing of time but Frederic Raphael's script still has
a degree of edge.

And it's germane to today's celebrity culture in all its emptiness, too... not to mention "Made in Chelsea"

[LMcD]

I've just seen Darkest Hour, essentially about Churchill becoming PM, the Dunkirk fiasco, the 'fight them on the beaches' speech et al, his relationship with Clemmy, and his terrible self-doubt which was new to me.

As a '45-er who grew up with the shadow of the recent war hanging over Austerity Britain, and over my family for very partiular reasons, Churchill figures hugely in my personal history. When he died in January 1965, one of my University friends went up to London to see the cortege, on the grounds that this might be one of the last great state funerary occasions*. That now seems like more than 53 years ago.

In various ways (young) Joe Wright's film takes a very 21st-century view, which is of course all it could take. I found myself continually wondering Did they research and find that out? - especially his insecurity about his decisions, revealed only to Clemmy (magnificently played by Kristin Scott Thomas); very heavy drinking (The King: 'How do you manage to drink like that during the day?'; Churchill: 'Practice'); miserable begging calls to Roosevelt for money,tanks, ships, anything, when the President's hands were tied by the US's neutral status.

It's quite funny in parts and yet I found myself unaccountably deeply moved by Gary Oldman's portrayal of Churchill's vulnerability, and by the heroics of the Great Speeches. (It's bad timing for remainers for this film to come out just now!)

I hope older forumites - in particuar, not exclusively! - who've seen the film will comment too on whether and how their perceptions of Churchill have been rocked by the film.

* Edit: from Wiki: The funeral was the largest state funeral in world history up to that time, with representatives from 112 nations; only China did not send an emissary. In Europe, 350 million people, including 25 million in Britain, watched the funeral on television, and only the Republic of Ireland did not broadcast it live.

In an interesting article in last Saturday's edition of The Times, Ben Macintyre argues that there can never be a 'definitive' screen portrayal of Churchill because there was never a 'definitive' version of the man. Different aspects of his character came to the fore as circumstances dictated.
My previous yardstick when it comes to Churchill on screen had been Robert Hardy in 'Winston Churchill The Wilderness Years' (!981, thankfully available in full on You Tube).
I rate Gary Oldman's performance the equal of Robert Hardy's.
I think 'Darkest Hours' deserves credit for not glossing over Churchill's earlier failures.

[Cockney Sparrow]

I thought it was a magnificent performance by Oldman - and pretty good ones by others (including Lily James). An absorbing experience (only interrupted, yet again, by cellophane - when will cinemas realise I'd pay more for a food free screening?)

I've not studied Churchill so I'm no judge, but I presume the tube train scene has to be film maker's licence. (I do remember as a child the funeral being televised).

[LMcD]

I thought it was a magnificent performance by Oldman - and pretty good ones by others (including Lily James). An absorbing experience (only interrupted, yet again, by cellophane - when will cinemas realise I'd pay more for a food free screening?)

I've not studied Churchill so I'm no judge, but I presume the tube train scene has to be film maker's licence. (I do remember as a child the funeral being televised).

It is my understanding that the Tube sequence is totally fictitious. It took them a very long time to travel one stop.

[underthecountertenor]

Did I mention Paddington 2? Great fun - as was Paddington 1.

Took my 89-year old mother to see P2 on December 27th, at her request. We both loved it. I can't BEAR animatronic anthropomorphism normally, but this was well done, and the human cast was wonderful, capped by an unexpectedly brilliant performance by Hugh Grant. Haven't seen P1 yet, but now feel that I should.

[underthecountertenor]

Dunkirk was certainly far superior to the new Bladerunner which was SO long and SO slow.

More like Bladderunner then?

[JimD]

I saw the Tube scene in DH as a kind of legitimate symbolism. That's to say (granting the legitimacy of the portrait of Churchill with his military doubts and under political threat) by what means did he reach a view that he had enough popular support and practical means to go forward? One might interpret it as a kind of consultation, symbolized in the Tube scene. Did Churchill have any means of sensing public 'mood'? We are prepared for some of this by the earlier talk of 'riding the Tube' (a US idiom surely?) Is there any evidence that the 'ask the people' conversation with the King took place?

[Dave2002]

It is my understanding that the Tube sequence is totally fictitious. It took them a very long time to travel one stop.

https://www.thewrap.com/darkest-hour...ground-subway/

[johncorrigan]

More like Bladderunner then?

Funnily enough I held out for Bladerunner, utctenor, which I didn't manage for the excellent 'Hostiles' - had to make one of those fast dashes; but the old bladder doesn't splash it out at the same rate as it did in times past...frustratingly!!!

[underthecountertenor]

Funnily enough I held out for Bladerunner, utctenor, which I didn't manage for the excellent 'Hostiles' - had to make one of those fast dashes; but the old bladder doesn't splash it out at the same rate as it did in times past...frustratingly!!!

I feel your frustration! And mine, at its great age, still manages to send hoax messages to my brain within 5 minutes of the start of any film/opera act lasting more than 90 minutes, suggesting that it might be ready to go again, simply with a view to distracting me from the masterpiece in question.