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Screen Two: Song of Experience (1986)
WHISTLE STOP BLUES!
Amazed to find I am the first to put thoughts down about this here,a stunning,truly disturbing mid 80's BBC tv play that is begging for a good dvd or blu-ray release,powerfully directed by Stephen Frears and acted by a virtual cast of unknowns, it's a day long journey into the death of innocence and the reality of corrupt adults. Nigel Terry, terrifying as the eye-patch wearing, paedophile railway worker,human as well in his grief and confusion. Superb performances from the youngsters, spot-on period feel,a staggering,forgotten piece of work. This really needs an outing on disc like many shows /plays of this era that have been left by the wayside.
The Ploughman's Lunch (1983)
Something chilling this way comes
Totally agree - have been a huge fan of this film since I saw it on Channel 4 in the mid 80's and while it's been many years since I've seen it it lingers in the mind like a cold stain,with the reprehensible character that Jonathan Pryce plays remaining one of the most mesmerising cold and self-serving people ever committed to film - the final shot,without giving it away,is breathtakingly harsh and sums up his persona in one callous masterstroke.
It is also beautifully crafted/shot and scored,with a dark and entrancing mood maintained throughout. I've literally only just found out today it was released on DVD in the UK a couple of years ago so have ordered a copy.
Extraordinary stuff and one of the great movies of the 1980's. Mike Wesley
Venus Drowning (2006)
DVD at last
Finally - since seeing this at the Festival of Fantastic Films in Manchester a few years back with the director Andrew Parkinson in attendance I have been waiting/hoping for a DVD release..at last, a company called Jinga Films is releasing a DVD in Feb 2014..extraordinary,surreal,disturbing,beautifully acted and almost unclassifiable,I would urge any horror fan to take a chance and snap this up..the wait is over. Part Cronenberg,part Parkinson,if you have seen any of his other films,especially his lauded debut "I,Zombie" you may have an ides what to expect,but this movie is it's own animal and exerts an odd,somewhat erotic hold as it explores it's main character's state of mind and her peculiar obsession,to say the least.
Sleepwalker (1984)
DVD release of the year
Finally granted a release after too long in limbo,director Saxon Logan's sublime SLEEPWALKER hits DVD courtesy of the BFI in a dazzling,all-singing-and-dancing edition. Packed with extras,including two witty,earlier shorts from Saxon,as well as a great feature length interview with the man that is both enlightening and deeply moving,this gem of a movie,a 50 minute masterpiece,could best be described as "Mike Leigh meets a Nightmare on Thatcher St via Italian giallo's" (all will become clear when you watch it). I was fortunate enough a decade ago to meet with Saxon on a number of occasions and see this tremendous prize winner at the Berlin film festival play to appreciative audiences as it should have done back in the 80's - especially at the Festival of Fantastic Films in Manchester - and so it is a real treat that this much neglected film of it's era,stupidly denied a release in the UK,finally has it's day,and emerges blinking into the light,more relevant than ever! Funny,scary,politically charged,stylistically beautiful,please do yourself a favour and buy this DVD and tell all your friends, the wait is over.. Mike Wesley