More’s hopelessly vain out-of-work actor is joined by a blue chip cast in a zippy tale that does unfortunately rather show its age
Before Richard E Grant’s Withnail, there was Kenneth More’s Chick Byrd. In Alvin Rakoff’s 1964 British drama, Byrd is an out-of-work actor whose breezy, cynical exuberance masks increasing terror of permanent unemployment and, like Withnail, he is desperate for his agent to call, stunned by his flatmate booking a glamorous film job and stuck living in a scuzzy boarding house in Camden Town (although exteriors were shot in Paddington).
After being fired from his job in provincial rep, Chick has come back down to London to try his luck, meeting up with all the old faces, the familiar parade of ageing thespian losers hanging round West End pubs and cafes during the day and mooching desolately past theatres with huge hoardings showing rave reviews for successful actors.
Before Richard E Grant’s Withnail, there was Kenneth More’s Chick Byrd. In Alvin Rakoff’s 1964 British drama, Byrd is an out-of-work actor whose breezy, cynical exuberance masks increasing terror of permanent unemployment and, like Withnail, he is desperate for his agent to call, stunned by his flatmate booking a glamorous film job and stuck living in a scuzzy boarding house in Camden Town (although exteriors were shot in Paddington).
After being fired from his job in provincial rep, Chick has come back down to London to try his luck, meeting up with all the old faces, the familiar parade of ageing thespian losers hanging round West End pubs and cafes during the day and mooching desolately past theatres with huge hoardings showing rave reviews for successful actors.
- 3/12/2024
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
To celebrate the release of The Comedy Man, on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital from 18th March, we are giving away Blu-Rays to 2 lucky winners!
Boasting a career-best performance from Kenneth More and skilfully directed by Alvin Rakoff, this often-forgotten example of the late British New Wave features an outstanding supporting cast including Cecil Parker, Dennis Price, Edmund Purdom and Billie Whitelaw.
The Comedy Man depicts the life of a struggling actor in Swinging London. Fired from his job in repertory theatre after seducing the producer’s wife, Chick Byrd (Kenneth More) moves to London. At 40 years old, he realises this is his last chance to make it as an actor. After moving into digs in London with Julian (Edmund Purdom), a fellow actor, Julian’s career soars after a successful screen test, but Chick’s meets with continued failure.
After a tumultuous event, Chick finally gets a break and finds...
Boasting a career-best performance from Kenneth More and skilfully directed by Alvin Rakoff, this often-forgotten example of the late British New Wave features an outstanding supporting cast including Cecil Parker, Dennis Price, Edmund Purdom and Billie Whitelaw.
The Comedy Man depicts the life of a struggling actor in Swinging London. Fired from his job in repertory theatre after seducing the producer’s wife, Chick Byrd (Kenneth More) moves to London. At 40 years old, he realises this is his last chance to make it as an actor. After moving into digs in London with Julian (Edmund Purdom), a fellow actor, Julian’s career soars after a successful screen test, but Chick’s meets with continued failure.
After a tumultuous event, Chick finally gets a break and finds...
- 3/9/2024
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Lee Grant, the Oscar-winning actress (“Shampoo”) says she decided after her win to try to direct since good roles for older women were limited. It turns out that was about the halfway point of her 98 year (so far) life. What followed was a narrative feature (“Tell Me a Riddle”) and several documentaries, including “Down and Out in America,” which won an Oscar.
When we last ran our list of the oldest living feature film directors in late 2022, where Grant stood was a mystery. Since her breakout in William Wyler’s “The Detective Story” (1951), her first nomination, her year of birth was unclear. But recently she has clarified that that she was born in 1925. That makes her, to the best of our knowledge, older than any of her peers.
Below are listed the 25 oldest. Since our most recent list, Norman Lear, Robert M. Young (both of who briefly were the oldest...
When we last ran our list of the oldest living feature film directors in late 2022, where Grant stood was a mystery. Since her breakout in William Wyler’s “The Detective Story” (1951), her first nomination, her year of birth was unclear. But recently she has clarified that that she was born in 1925. That makes her, to the best of our knowledge, older than any of her peers.
Below are listed the 25 oldest. Since our most recent list, Norman Lear, Robert M. Young (both of who briefly were the oldest...
- 2/16/2024
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
Many kids dream of one day getting to play a superhero/villain in a major Hollywood motion picture. The thing is, while it must be incredibly edifying to see yourself performing fantastic feats on the big screen via the assistance of wires and computer-generated effects, actually making these movies can be a slow, arduous undertaking.
While film production in general is often a frustratingly piecemeal process, it gets particularly drawn out when you're dealing with people in complex make-up and tremendously uncomfortable costumes. There are myriad horror stories of actors getting stuffed into suffocating suits that can't be donned or removed easily. You may look and move like Batman in the finished film, but, on set, you feel more like Frankenstein's monster.
Indeed, it often feels like the cooler the outfit looks, the more uncomfortable it is to wear. And if you want proof of this, you need look...
While film production in general is often a frustratingly piecemeal process, it gets particularly drawn out when you're dealing with people in complex make-up and tremendously uncomfortable costumes. There are myriad horror stories of actors getting stuffed into suffocating suits that can't be donned or removed easily. You may look and move like Batman in the finished film, but, on set, you feel more like Frankenstein's monster.
Indeed, it often feels like the cooler the outfit looks, the more uncomfortable it is to wear. And if you want proof of this, you need look...
- 1/7/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
The idea of the late Sean Connery being anything other than a cinema icon may be a difficult one to comprehend, but there once was a time when the Scot was a struggling extra looking for work.
It was actually the director Alvin Rakoff who — in 1957 — gave a 26-year-old Connery his first leading role, although, as he admits to The Hollywood Reporter, it was his late first wife Jacqueline Hill who convinced him to do so.
A young Canadian filmmaker who had come over to the U.K. in the 1950s — becoming the youngest producer/director in the ...
It was actually the director Alvin Rakoff who — in 1957 — gave a 26-year-old Connery his first leading role, although, as he admits to The Hollywood Reporter, it was his late first wife Jacqueline Hill who convinced him to do so.
A young Canadian filmmaker who had come over to the U.K. in the 1950s — becoming the youngest producer/director in the ...
- 11/3/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
The idea of the late Sean Connery being anything other than a cinema icon may be a difficult one to comprehend, but there once was a time when the Scot was a struggling extra looking for work.
It was actually the director Alvin Rakoff who — in 1957 — gave a 26-year-old Connery his first leading role, although, as he admits to The Hollywood Reporter, it was his late first wife Jacqueline Hill who convinced him to do so.
A young Canadian filmmaker who had come over to the U.K. in the 1950s — becoming the youngest producer/director in the ...
It was actually the director Alvin Rakoff who — in 1957 — gave a 26-year-old Connery his first leading role, although, as he admits to The Hollywood Reporter, it was his late first wife Jacqueline Hill who convinced him to do so.
A young Canadian filmmaker who had come over to the U.K. in the 1950s — becoming the youngest producer/director in the ...
- 11/3/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Alvin Rakoff’s black comedy was almost banned – not by overzealous censors but by its own star Peter Sellers who felt the role of a lonely businessman blackmailing a young woman was too close to his own personality. Sinéad Cusack plays the object of Sellers’ misguided affections. Adapted from a play with the squirm-inducing title Call Me Daddy, the beleaguered film was produced in 1970 but wasn’t screened in New York till 1982.
The post Hoffman appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post Hoffman appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 2/3/2020
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
From the golden age of Canadian tax shelters comes a horror movie about a fiendish, fearful freighter fraught with frills, I mean, chills. A notable cast — George Kennedy, Richard Crenna, Sally Ann Howes, Kate Reid — shows up for paycheck duty, and must have gone through real torture getting this one in the can. It’s got a reputation, and if being ripoff-remade is a marker of success, then it’s earned its place on the horror map: See George Kennedy apparently really doused in awful oily bilge water!
Death Ship
Blu-ray
Scorpion Releasing
1980 / Color / 1:78 widescreen / 94 min. / Street Date December 11, 2018 / 19.69
Starring: George Kennedy, Richard Crenna, Nick Mancuso, Kate Reid, Saul Rubinek.
Cinematography: René Verzier
Film Editor: Mike Campbell
Original Music: Ivor Slaney
Written by John Robins story by Jack Hill, David P. Lewis
Produced by Derek Gibson, Harold Greenberg, Sandy Howard (?)
Directed by Alvin Rakoff
What in the living Hell is on board?...
Death Ship
Blu-ray
Scorpion Releasing
1980 / Color / 1:78 widescreen / 94 min. / Street Date December 11, 2018 / 19.69
Starring: George Kennedy, Richard Crenna, Nick Mancuso, Kate Reid, Saul Rubinek.
Cinematography: René Verzier
Film Editor: Mike Campbell
Original Music: Ivor Slaney
Written by John Robins story by Jack Hill, David P. Lewis
Produced by Derek Gibson, Harold Greenberg, Sandy Howard (?)
Directed by Alvin Rakoff
What in the living Hell is on board?...
- 9/3/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The best thing about vessel bound horror is the dearth of escape routes; hide in a cabin, behind a mast, or head over the side – these are your viable options. This is also the worst thing about same; fewer options can lead to repetition which can lead to boredom. So then, the bigger the vessel, the bigger the hellscape, and when you throw in some creepy Nazi haunting, you end up with Death Ship (1980), an oddly compelling thriller that plays like The Poseidon Adventure meets The Evil.
Okay, that’s a little bit of a sizzle sell; Death Ship doesn’t have the scope of the former or the effects of the latter, but it does achieve a grimy buzz as it progresses. Released by Avco Embassy in early March stateside, critics hated it and audiences failed to come aboard; it only brought in about a third of its $4.5 million dollar budget.
Okay, that’s a little bit of a sizzle sell; Death Ship doesn’t have the scope of the former or the effects of the latter, but it does achieve a grimy buzz as it progresses. Released by Avco Embassy in early March stateside, critics hated it and audiences failed to come aboard; it only brought in about a third of its $4.5 million dollar budget.
- 12/15/2018
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
Ooh, it’s a great week for horror fans, as this Tuesday’s Blu-ray and DVD releases are a stellar bunch of films that will make for great additions to your personal collection of movies to enjoy from the comfort of your own home. Because it is the holiday season, I’m stoked to see Scream Factory show a little love to Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 with their Collector’s Edition Blu that hits shelves tomorrow, and for those of you who enjoy your horror movies with a side of sleaze, William Lustig’s Maniac has been given the 4K treatment by Blue Underground (and the film has never looked better).
The Mangler is also getting a brand new Blu-ray this week, and Scorpion Releasing is resurrecting Death Ship with their new Special Edition release as well. Vinegar Syndrome is keeping busy with both Ice Cream Man and Beware My Brethren,...
The Mangler is also getting a brand new Blu-ray this week, and Scorpion Releasing is resurrecting Death Ship with their new Special Edition release as well. Vinegar Syndrome is keeping busy with both Ice Cream Man and Beware My Brethren,...
- 12/11/2018
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
By Todd Garbarini
Plagiarism, if done willingly and poorly, generally does not go unnoticed and one cannot help but see certain similarities in various works be it literature, art, or cinema. In listening to the audio commentary with author Jonathan Rigby and director Alvin Rakoff on the new, limited edition Blu-ray of 1980’s Death Ship, a horror oddity about an abandoned old ship inhabited by the ghosts of members of the Third Reich(!), a remark is made that the poster for 2002's Ghost Ship was remarkably similar to the poster art for Death Ship, and it’s true that the similarities are uncanny. I can't help but wonder who came up with the idea for the poster for Ghost Ship, as Death Ship was well over twenty-five years-old and seemed to be relegated to the land of forgotten cinema.
Captain Ashland (George Kennedy) is at the helm of a cruise ship,...
Plagiarism, if done willingly and poorly, generally does not go unnoticed and one cannot help but see certain similarities in various works be it literature, art, or cinema. In listening to the audio commentary with author Jonathan Rigby and director Alvin Rakoff on the new, limited edition Blu-ray of 1980’s Death Ship, a horror oddity about an abandoned old ship inhabited by the ghosts of members of the Third Reich(!), a remark is made that the poster for 2002's Ghost Ship was remarkably similar to the poster art for Death Ship, and it’s true that the similarities are uncanny. I can't help but wonder who came up with the idea for the poster for Ghost Ship, as Death Ship was well over twenty-five years-old and seemed to be relegated to the land of forgotten cinema.
Captain Ashland (George Kennedy) is at the helm of a cruise ship,...
- 8/20/2018
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
By Lee Pfeiffer
The Shadowplay niche market DVD label has released the obscure British film noir crime thriller Room 43. The 1958 B&W film was directed by Alvin Rakoff and features some intriguing star turns. The real star of the film is Odile Versois, a French actress who is largely unknown in English language films. She plays Marie Louise, a young Parisian waitress who is framed for a petty crime in a human trafficking scheme. Faced with trial and jail, she accepts the help of a British benefactor, Aggie (Brenda de Banzie), a middle aged tourist who invites her to immigrate to London to work as her personal assistant. Once in London, she is housed with many other comely young women in a building run by Aggie. She is also introduced to Nick (Herbert Lom), an assertive but seemingly kindly businessman who pretends to have her best interests at heart.
The Shadowplay niche market DVD label has released the obscure British film noir crime thriller Room 43. The 1958 B&W film was directed by Alvin Rakoff and features some intriguing star turns. The real star of the film is Odile Versois, a French actress who is largely unknown in English language films. She plays Marie Louise, a young Parisian waitress who is framed for a petty crime in a human trafficking scheme. Faced with trial and jail, she accepts the help of a British benefactor, Aggie (Brenda de Banzie), a middle aged tourist who invites her to immigrate to London to work as her personal assistant. Once in London, she is housed with many other comely young women in a building run by Aggie. She is also introduced to Nick (Herbert Lom), an assertive but seemingly kindly businessman who pretends to have her best interests at heart.
- 1/30/2014
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
A Planet Fury-approved selection of notable genre releases for December.
Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) 20th Century Fox Blu-ray and DVD Available Now
Six-year-old Hushpuppy (fearless newcomer Quvenzhané Wallis) lives in the “Bathtub,” a southern Louisiana bayou community far removed from the civilized world. Her father Wink (Dwight Henry), a poor fisherman, keeps her at arm’s length but ensures her well-being within the cultural confines of their rough-and-tumble society. Seen through the eyes of the feisty Hushpuppy, the lines between myth and reality are blurred. An impending storm coincides with the melting of the arctic ice caps (and the thawing of some mythical creatures), which changes the world of the Bathtub forever. This heartbreaking little fable came out of nowhere last summer after building some positive buzz on the festival circuit. Shot on 16mm film for under $2 million, Beasts is a true independent film: a fiercely original and moving...
Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) 20th Century Fox Blu-ray and DVD Available Now
Six-year-old Hushpuppy (fearless newcomer Quvenzhané Wallis) lives in the “Bathtub,” a southern Louisiana bayou community far removed from the civilized world. Her father Wink (Dwight Henry), a poor fisherman, keeps her at arm’s length but ensures her well-being within the cultural confines of their rough-and-tumble society. Seen through the eyes of the feisty Hushpuppy, the lines between myth and reality are blurred. An impending storm coincides with the melting of the arctic ice caps (and the thawing of some mythical creatures), which changes the world of the Bathtub forever. This heartbreaking little fable came out of nowhere last summer after building some positive buzz on the festival circuit. Shot on 16mm film for under $2 million, Beasts is a true independent film: a fiercely original and moving...
- 12/14/2012
- by Bradley Harding
- Planet Fury
British-born director known for Anne of the Thousand Days and Mary, Queen of Scots
The film and television director Charles Jarrott, who has died of cancer aged 83, began his career during a golden period of British TV drama, working on Armchair Theatre and The Wednesday Play in the 1960s alongside writers and directors such as Ken Loach, Dennis Potter and David Mercer. Both series were presided over by the Canadian producer Sydney Newman, who encouraged original work – what he called "agitational contemporaneity" – and had an astonishing impact. But in 1969 Jarrott's career took a different turn when he left for Hollywood, thereby increasing his income a hundredfold, while having to contend with far less adventurous material. His best films were his first, two Elizabethan costume dramas, Anne of the Thousand Days and Mary, Queen of Scots, enlivened by the Oscar-nominated performances of Richard Burton (Henry VIII), Geneviève Bujold (Anne Boleyn) and...
The film and television director Charles Jarrott, who has died of cancer aged 83, began his career during a golden period of British TV drama, working on Armchair Theatre and The Wednesday Play in the 1960s alongside writers and directors such as Ken Loach, Dennis Potter and David Mercer. Both series were presided over by the Canadian producer Sydney Newman, who encouraged original work – what he called "agitational contemporaneity" – and had an astonishing impact. But in 1969 Jarrott's career took a different turn when he left for Hollywood, thereby increasing his income a hundredfold, while having to contend with far less adventurous material. His best films were his first, two Elizabethan costume dramas, Anne of the Thousand Days and Mary, Queen of Scots, enlivened by the Oscar-nominated performances of Richard Burton (Henry VIII), Geneviève Bujold (Anne Boleyn) and...
- 3/7/2011
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
UK's Mill at Sonning theatre will premiere a musical about Doris Day this spring as part of its 2009 season. Sally Hughes will play Day in the show. Alvin Rakoff directs, with choreography by Joseph Pitcher. Press notes describe the new musical as, "Doris Day was one of the most prolific actresses of the 1950's and 1960's. A vivacious blonde with a wholesome image. Able to sing, dance, play comedy and dramatic roles, she became one of the biggest box-office stars in the world... But behind the screen, there was a story that rivalled any script Hollywood could ever dream up".
- 2/3/2009
- BroadwayWorld.com
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