To my shame, I have not caught all the "new" Dr Who adventures, but, as a regular viewer of the show as a child in the Seventies, I watched this episode in a spirit of curiosity. I was certainly not prepared for the strongly emotional experience it proved to be. By the end of this programme - for me, one of the most powerful pieces of television I have seen in years - I was in floods of tears, and I am crying now as I write this, days later. It was truly wonderful to see Sarah Jane and little K9 again, and it was so moving to hear the Doctor and Sarah Jane talk of their time together, of their original parting, and of the roads that both had travelled since. Their final scene almost tore my heart out, and I don't really see how the producers of this show, who have evidently made characterisation a priority, could really rise much higher. First class acting honours go to Elisabeth Sladen, who, reprising her role as Sarah Jane, almost thirty years after her original appearances, not only gave a fantastic performance but looked absolutely stunning, and to David Tennant, who brought a new depth to his role as the Doctor. This episode really made a mark on me and, silly as it sounds, I strongly suspect that the memory of it will remain with me forever. It may only be science fiction, but the themes explored - love, loss, and mortality - really are universal. On a hopeful note, it would be really, really nice if K9 and Sarah Jane got their own series.I know it was tried unsuccessfully in the early 1980's but these days, with a different approach, who knows?
Reviews
5 Reviews
To the Victor
(1938)
Charming family entertainment
8 March 2005
The lives and loves of Cumbrias sheep-farmers, their women and, indeed, their dogs (Owd Bob of the title being one such) in the early Twentieth Century are depicted with warmth and humour in this gentle Ealing style comedy-drama adapted from Alfred Ollivants immortal canine classic and directed by future Disney stalwart Robert Stevenson (Mary Poppins, The Love Bug etc).
Canny auld Scot, Adam MacAdam (Will Fyffe), and incomer David Moore (John Loder), engage in a battle of wits as they prepare their sheepdogs, Black Wull and Owd Bob respectively, for competition in a forthcoming sheepdog trial. To add spice to the tale, it turns out that one of the dogs might be a sheep-worrier, and, be warned, its a real heart-breaker when the guilty mutt is eventually identified and dealt with in the customary fashion. Pass the Kleenex please!
The romantic interest is provided by a young and extremely lovely Margaret Lockwood who, throughout the film, exudes natural charm from every pore. Later the same year, she would, deservedly, find international fame as the dazzling star of Hitchcocks The Lady Vanishes though here, playing MacAdams gorgeous, headstrong daughter Jeannie, her very considerable acting skills are not greatly stretched.
To summarize, a light-hearted, mildly sentimental piece of good, old-fashioned entertainment of the type we see far too little of these days. Definitely worth a watch.. especially for sheepdog fanciers!
(Trivia - John Loder later married Hollywood star Hedy Lamarr who,in my opinion, bore a striking resemblance to Margaret Lockwood).
Canny auld Scot, Adam MacAdam (Will Fyffe), and incomer David Moore (John Loder), engage in a battle of wits as they prepare their sheepdogs, Black Wull and Owd Bob respectively, for competition in a forthcoming sheepdog trial. To add spice to the tale, it turns out that one of the dogs might be a sheep-worrier, and, be warned, its a real heart-breaker when the guilty mutt is eventually identified and dealt with in the customary fashion. Pass the Kleenex please!
The romantic interest is provided by a young and extremely lovely Margaret Lockwood who, throughout the film, exudes natural charm from every pore. Later the same year, she would, deservedly, find international fame as the dazzling star of Hitchcocks The Lady Vanishes though here, playing MacAdams gorgeous, headstrong daughter Jeannie, her very considerable acting skills are not greatly stretched.
To summarize, a light-hearted, mildly sentimental piece of good, old-fashioned entertainment of the type we see far too little of these days. Definitely worth a watch.. especially for sheepdog fanciers!
(Trivia - John Loder later married Hollywood star Hedy Lamarr who,in my opinion, bore a striking resemblance to Margaret Lockwood).
The Stars Look Down
(1940)
Essential, dark drama
27 February 2005
Director Carol Reeds version of A.J. Cronins novel of poverty, greed and unfulfilled dreams still seems fresh today despite its sixty years.
Michael Redgrave stars as Davey Fenwick, a bright man from a poor mining background, who wins a scholarship to university. He hopes to graduate and then enter politics, so as to work to end the suffering of his kith and kin and their ilk.
However, his plans change when he meets and falls in love with Jenny Sunley (played by Margaret Lockwood), a strikingly beautiful but manipulative and materialistic little minx who has just been cruelly dumped (why???) by her boyfriend, Daveys old friend, the ruthlessly ambitious Joe Gowlan (Emlyn Williams). Understandably smitten, Davey marries the lovely but self-centred Jenny and, at her instigation, quits university and moves home to work as a schoolteacher. But his world is turned upside down when trouble at the pit, Jennys restlessness and the reappearance of Joe, whom Jenny still loves and who is now flashily well-to-do,combine.
At the time, this was one of the most expensive films ever made in Britain. But it was well worth the investment. It assured Carol Reeds reputation and gave to film audiences and to posterity a grimly realistic picture of life at the sharp end in 30s Britain. The all-star cast too got a chance to show their ability, giving terrific performances; Redgrave is superb as the disillusioned idealist, Williams is thoroughly unpleasant as the unfeeling, cynical Joe while Margaret Lockwood, one-time screen ingénue in her first wicked girl role, gives a wonderful performance as the drop-dead gorgeous, vixenish, gold-digging Jenny.
As social commentary this is a great movie, but, on another, more profound level,it works as a dark, despairing canvas depicting the often destructive nature of human relationships. Essential viewing!
Michael Redgrave stars as Davey Fenwick, a bright man from a poor mining background, who wins a scholarship to university. He hopes to graduate and then enter politics, so as to work to end the suffering of his kith and kin and their ilk.
However, his plans change when he meets and falls in love with Jenny Sunley (played by Margaret Lockwood), a strikingly beautiful but manipulative and materialistic little minx who has just been cruelly dumped (why???) by her boyfriend, Daveys old friend, the ruthlessly ambitious Joe Gowlan (Emlyn Williams). Understandably smitten, Davey marries the lovely but self-centred Jenny and, at her instigation, quits university and moves home to work as a schoolteacher. But his world is turned upside down when trouble at the pit, Jennys restlessness and the reappearance of Joe, whom Jenny still loves and who is now flashily well-to-do,combine.
At the time, this was one of the most expensive films ever made in Britain. But it was well worth the investment. It assured Carol Reeds reputation and gave to film audiences and to posterity a grimly realistic picture of life at the sharp end in 30s Britain. The all-star cast too got a chance to show their ability, giving terrific performances; Redgrave is superb as the disillusioned idealist, Williams is thoroughly unpleasant as the unfeeling, cynical Joe while Margaret Lockwood, one-time screen ingénue in her first wicked girl role, gives a wonderful performance as the drop-dead gorgeous, vixenish, gold-digging Jenny.
As social commentary this is a great movie, but, on another, more profound level,it works as a dark, despairing canvas depicting the often destructive nature of human relationships. Essential viewing!
Madness of the Heart
(1949)
Great sets, actors and cinematography let down by a lousy script.
20 February 2005
I hate to be critical of something into which a great many people invested a lot of time, money and effort but it has to be said that Madness of the Heart is far from being a classic.
Neither a superb cast, a substantial budget, exotic settings nor the presence of the sublimely gorgeous and extremely talented Margaret Lockwood in the leading role can save this film from its dire script.
The premise is promising enough; a lovely young Englishwoman (Lockwood) falls in love with an aristocratic Frenchman (played by Paul Dupuis) but is promptly struck blind. Despite this tragedy, the couple marry and move to Monsieur's stately pile in Provence where their happiness is sorely tested by his family's negative attitude toward disability and the murderous machinations of his psychopathic former intended (a scary turn from Kathleen Byron of Black Narcissus fame).
The camera work is great and the sets and the set pieces are fantastic (especially the evening ball) but the dialogue is risible in places and the film's ending frankly ludicrous! The actors do their best - Lockwood, in particular, shows her mettle and is very convincing as a blind woman - but it is clearly an uphill struggle. The writer apparently collaborated with Hitchcock on some of his early films but you would never have guessed!
I am, to put it mildly, a huge fan of Margaret Lockwood but I have to admit that this is not one of her better films. If you like her and you like vintage thrillers, then The Lady Vanishes, Night Train to Munich, Girl in the News or Cast a Dark Shadow (several of which are inexplicably unavailable in PAL format on either DVD or video) are far, far better; this one is for die-hard fans only.
Neither a superb cast, a substantial budget, exotic settings nor the presence of the sublimely gorgeous and extremely talented Margaret Lockwood in the leading role can save this film from its dire script.
The premise is promising enough; a lovely young Englishwoman (Lockwood) falls in love with an aristocratic Frenchman (played by Paul Dupuis) but is promptly struck blind. Despite this tragedy, the couple marry and move to Monsieur's stately pile in Provence where their happiness is sorely tested by his family's negative attitude toward disability and the murderous machinations of his psychopathic former intended (a scary turn from Kathleen Byron of Black Narcissus fame).
The camera work is great and the sets and the set pieces are fantastic (especially the evening ball) but the dialogue is risible in places and the film's ending frankly ludicrous! The actors do their best - Lockwood, in particular, shows her mettle and is very convincing as a blind woman - but it is clearly an uphill struggle. The writer apparently collaborated with Hitchcock on some of his early films but you would never have guessed!
I am, to put it mildly, a huge fan of Margaret Lockwood but I have to admit that this is not one of her better films. If you like her and you like vintage thrillers, then The Lady Vanishes, Night Train to Munich, Girl in the News or Cast a Dark Shadow (several of which are inexplicably unavailable in PAL format on either DVD or video) are far, far better; this one is for die-hard fans only.
The Lady Vanishes
(1938)
Classic Movies just don't get any better than this!
7 February 2005
A cracking plot, sparkling dialogue, great characters and sublime direction make The Lady Vanishes an all-time must see.
Marking the peak of Hitchcock's British period, it is an exquisitely crafted, finely wrought, cinematic treasure, boasting a cast which reads like a veritable Who's who of British acting talent from the Golden Age of British Cinema.
While the director, writers and supporting cast all deserve credit, the film very much belongs to its leading lady, the lovely Margaret Lockwood, who, as feisty heroine Iris Henderson, somehow manages to be heart-stoppingly beautiful, supremely sexy, spirited, cute and adorably vulnerable all at the same time! Now where can I meet a girl like that?
The Lady Vanishes is, for every reason, but especially because of Miss Lockwood, the very best of the very best; a landmark movie which is truly unmissable! Buy it, rent it, steal it if you must, but make damn sure you see it
Marking the peak of Hitchcock's British period, it is an exquisitely crafted, finely wrought, cinematic treasure, boasting a cast which reads like a veritable Who's who of British acting talent from the Golden Age of British Cinema.
While the director, writers and supporting cast all deserve credit, the film very much belongs to its leading lady, the lovely Margaret Lockwood, who, as feisty heroine Iris Henderson, somehow manages to be heart-stoppingly beautiful, supremely sexy, spirited, cute and adorably vulnerable all at the same time! Now where can I meet a girl like that?
The Lady Vanishes is, for every reason, but especially because of Miss Lockwood, the very best of the very best; a landmark movie which is truly unmissable! Buy it, rent it, steal it if you must, but make damn sure you see it
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