Reviews

This film is set during World War II, but it is all too relevant today.

We all go about our daily lives while families drown in boats trying to get, in their minds, to a safer place. The once victims of atrocity perpetuate the same on others.

We cannot hide behind a tall wall, as the family in this film do, as instant communication has breached any of our walls.

The film's atmosphere reminded me of that other excellent film, Dogtooth, where living in a toxic environment is the norm.

The wife's mother leaves suddenly, not because she is disgusted by what she can hear behind the wall, but because it is all too close to home and, she would rather not know.

People can so easily adapt to what they know is dreadful, dissociative behaviour, I think it is called. In the film Rudolf Hoss is shown vomiting; is this his body telling him that what his mind is letting him do, is truly terrible?

A total feeling of despair settled around me while watching this film. I think it is a worthy film, bringing the worst of human behaviour to light in a most subtle but impactful way.

Two young people get married in 1962, products of their past and present times. Florence deals with a sexually abusive father and an overbearing mother in an upper-class home. Edward deals with a brain damaged and erratic mother, but luckily in a warm supportive middle-class family.

Love at first sight and a relatively carefree courtship, as seen in flashbacks, lead them to marriage and a honeymoon hotel on Chesil Beach. The wedding night is awkward and ultimately disastrous. Married for only 6 hours their marriage ends.

This is a truly haunting tale. True love cannot overcome their experiences thus far. Florence wants to stay married so they can work through problems; she wants Edward to be happy and will do anything to stay with the love of her life. Edward is too young to understand and is deeply hurt by what he sees as her rejection of him as a man and literally turns his back on her.

As the years go by Edward realises what might have been and is stricken with grief by his loss.

The performances in this film are excellent, no melodrama, just awkward quiet desperation, which make the viewer yearn for a better ending.

Beautifully shot and directed. A film that will stay with you long after the last reel.

Highly recommended for sensitive thoughtful souls.

An amazing film.

The book, The Shape of Things to Come, by H. G. Wells, was published in 1933.

The film was released in 1936.

At this point, the enormous waste of life during World War One and the ensuing Great Plague, commonly known as the Spanish Flu (a misnomer as it did not start in Spain), had come and gone.

Given these dates and times, the prophetic scenarios depicted in this film, are quite something. It is a thought provoking film and one of the greats of cinema history.

The decades long story is set in a place called Everytown.

The war starts in 1940 and devastates the world. Two world orders arise.

One, sees the world return to medieval times ruled by warlords where the remaining population struggles with constant warring with neighbouring groups, deprivation and a plague called the wandering sickness.

Although the viewer is not aware of it at first, the second, the scientists, have developed into a strong free world, building an ideology of peace and technological progress.

When ready, this second group, "clean up" the planet, removing the feudalism.

We then enter a period of progress and technological advancement, culminating in a world without want and making its first steps into space travel.

The main characters are Cabal (Raymond Massey), a man who looks to technology, The Boss (Ralph Richardson), a man who rises amongst the rabble as Everytown's warlord. Theotocopulos (Cedric Hardwicke), the artist and agitator in the new world, who rebels against the idea of progress for progress's sake, and my favourite character, Passworthy (Edward Chapman), a naïve, hopeful character, who questions change, simply wanting a conventional life with family and friends.

This is a brilliant film, its predications of future advances, or perhaps, warnings of what might come, are often spot on. Real life, now only 11 years away from the end point of the film, is different; we have the threat of nuclear annihilation, pandemics, constant regional aggression and warfare and the rise of overt nationalism and isolationism.

Yes, we have technological advances, but people have not changed, the world has not changed.

Seen many times, usually when I am in the mood for a good jolt of fear. This has joined my list of favourite cult films.

The Vampires are real monsters and the, good old, small townspeople simply don't know what's hit them.

An Alaskan town enduring its annual 30 days without sunlight during the winter, become prey to a wandering band of vampires. The ensuing cat and mouse scenario is truly scary in a palpable way.

The storyline, the characters, the script and the performances are spot on.

Makes you wonder what kind of "mouse" you would be. I would probably throw myself straight onto the trap to avoid all the angst.

Brilliant turn by Ben Foster as the stranger, a truly warped and scary character; setting the tone for the rest of the film.

The ending scene is brilliant.

Anyhoo, watch this superior horror film.