FANNY LYE DELIVER’D
I first saw Thomas Clay’s extraordinary film at last October’s London Film Festival and I’m still mystified that this is only his third film since his remarkable and highly controversial debut in 2005 with THE GREAT ECSTACY OF ROBER CARMICHAEL. He followed it with SOI COWBOY in 2008 but since then nothing until now.
Clay sets the action in Shropshire in 1657 straight after the Civil War and Cromwell’s victory. Fanny Lye (Maxine Peake) lives with her deeply religious husband John (Charles Dance) and young son Arthur (Zak Adams) on a remote farm enduring a hard yet peaceful existence until two naked strangers seek refuge in their barn. They provide them with shelter despite John’s reluctance and life goes on smoothly until The High Sheriff for the Council of State (Peter McDonald) makes a grand entrance in the style of THE WITCHFINDER GENERAL…
Clay’s screenplay creates fully fleshed characters and intelligent dialogue that would work brilliantly on stage. Still this is a truly cinematic experience superbly shot by Greek cinematographer Giorgos Arvanitis, the long collaborator of Theo Angelopoulos.
The acting is superb with Peake on terrific form – a vulnerable woman who transforms herself into a gutsy heroine in front of our eyes. A compelling film beautifully accompanied by Clay’s thrilling score! (On Demand from Vertigo)
THE GIRL WITH A BRACELET
This intriguing court-room drama follows the story of sixteen-year-old Lise (Melissa Guers) accused of murdering her best friend.
Stephene Demoustier’s sophisticated film lets the action unfold gradually as Lise stands all alone during the trial while her parents and judges struggle to piece together the events of that fateful day of the murder. Newcomer Guers is excellent as the young protagonist delivering a controlled and mesmerising performance as the enigmatic teenager, who is able to convey vulnerability and strength in equal measure.
An intelligent film worth seeking out! (Curzon Home Cinema)
RIDE LIKE A GIRL
Rachel Griffiths tells the remarkable true story of Michelle Payne (Teresa Palmer), who from a young age dreamt of winning the Melbourne Cup. She grew up in a loving environment despite the fact that she was the youngest of 10 children and lost her mother when she was very little. But her veteran horse trainer father Paddy (Sam Neil) and Down’s Syndrome brother Stevie (played by the real Stevie Payne) encourage Michelle to pursue her dreams and enter the toughest two-mile horse race in the world…
A genuine crowd pleaser superbly directed by Griffiths, whose compelling, unsentimental storytelling is perfectly complimented by David Hirschfelder’s stirring score. Truly inspirational! (On Demand)
A FOREIGN AFFAIR
Billy Wilder’s delightful satire made in 1948 takes place in Berlin straight after World War II and follows the story of Phoebe Frost (Jean Arthur), an uptight Iowa congresswoman assigned to investigate the morale of American troops. Her blinkered demeanour begins to rattle after she meets fellow Iowan Captain John Pringle (John Lund), who tries hard to keep his affair with German night club singer Erika von Schlutow (Marlene Dietrich) a secret…
The dialogue sparkles with sophistication and wit and is perfectly complimented by the ace cast. Dietrich shines as always in a role especially written by Wilder, an old friend from Berlin of the twenties. A real joy from one of the greatest masters of Cinema! (Blu-ray from Eureka).
ON THE RECORD
This remarkable documentary focuses on several African American women, who have been sexually assaulted by hip hop co-founder and music producer extraordinaire Russell Simons.
The film begins with Drew Dixon, an intelligent and deeply confident individual, who speaks with raw honesty about her life and promising career as a music executive which was sadly cut short following sexual abuse from Simmons. Dixon was a young woman at the time of the assault and now 20 years later she still carries the wounds from that devastating experience. Urgent, relevant and unmissable! (On Demand from Dogwoof)
CRISS CROSS
Richard Siodmak’s striking 1949 film noir boasts all the elements of the genre – a vulnerable yet tough hero in Burt Lancaster’s Steve still obsessed with his ex-wife Anna (Yvonne De Carlo), a glamorous femme fatale now married to the dangerous gangster Slim Dundee (Dan Duryea).
The mysterious plot includes betrayal and a robbery that inevitably goes wrong aided by a magnificent score from veteran composer Miklos Rozsa that highlights the tension and suspense. Definitely one for the collection! (Blu-ray from Eureka Entertainment)
Also out this week:
INMATE #1-THE RISE OF DANNY TREJO: This terrific documentary marks the remarkable journey of Danny Trejo, who at the age of 12 became a drug addict which led to armed robbery. Inevitably he spent most of the sixties in San Quentin prison where he was named boxing champion for three consecutive years. After his release in 1969 Trejo defied expectations and abandoned the life of an addict by pursuing a career in Hollywood -and the rest as the say is history! (On Demand from Universal)
THE GROUND BENEATH MY FEET: Lola is a fiercely independent business executive in this intelligent psychological thriller from Austria in quite similar fashion to the heroine in TONY ERDMANN. But here Lola’s life is deeply affected by her mentally ill sister instead of an eccentric father and her seemingly strong façade soon begins to crumble…Marie Kruetzner’s flawless direction elicits a tremendous lead performance from Valerie Pachner. (Sky Store, Virgin Media, Amazon, Apple TV, Google and BFI Player)
JUST DON’T THINK I’LL SCREAM: Frank Beauvais experiments with rapid images from over 400 films he has seen in a year while living in a remote village on the French/German border which accompany his narration. It is an exercise in editing which is impressive but Beauvais’ constant, monotonous voiceover about his life during this troubled period of his life finally becomes an endurance test. (MUBI)
George Savvides
