When discussing �Swinging London� cinema as a genre in itself (as opposed to an offshoot of the more provincially-minded �Social Realism� movement), the same names tend to crop up: Alfie, Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush, Blow-Up, Performance, Up The Junction, Privilege, Darling, et al, and quite rightly so- all are classics, and deserve constant re-examination. Yet, as with any genre, there are always those that don�t, for whatever reason, quite garner the same appraisal, and slip the net, … [Read more...]

Those old bugbears of film history- orthodoxy, general consensus and received wisdom- tell us it�s difficult to fully engage with a film in which you feel little or no sympathy for the central character. Unless, of course, you�re the type who delights in watching the bleakest, most uncompromising, scarifying films on purpose to show how much of a hardened cineaste you really are. In which case, don�t worry- I was like that in my early 20s. You�ll get over it. Such beliefs are there to be … [Read more...]

�Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen. I never go where the cock never crows, and of all the felt �ats I ever felt, I never �ad a felt �at felt like this felt �at felt.� Such magical words. The beautiful individuality of the English countryside circa the start of history�s greatest decade, captured forever on grainy, scratchy celluloid. Yes, you got that right- I said scratchy- as the existing transfer of this legendary, much-loved cult film, available only on DVD from its rights owner through a … [Read more...]