Reviews

Okay I'll admit this now I was always likely to enjoy this "romp" as I'm a fan of George MacDonald Fraser's scripts, director Richard Lester and actor Malcolm McDowell, who in terms of physique is completely miscast as the title character Harry Flashman (either Oliver Reed or Alan Bates, both co-stars here would have been much more in keeping) but if you don't know that it doesn't matter!

As with all Lester films much of the fun is in the cartoon-like staging of the action (Flashmans attempted escape from Von Bismark's castle by wooden horse is a particular highlight) and deployment of dialogue in the margins - a comment from a background character here, an insult from someone unseen among the thong there. Anyone watching this in Britain can have the added pleasure of playing spot the future star under a carpets of facial hair and out-sized head wear. The locations are both beautifully regal and dismally damp and dark during a Bavarian winter caught by the ever so slightly diffused lenses of DP Geoffrey Unsworth.

If you enjoyed the Three and Four Musketeers films you'll probably find this slice of derring-do well worth your time. One day we might even get the chance to see a full length restoration edit MacDonald Fraser was disappointed with the handling of the film by 20th Century Fox and swore he'd not become involved with any adaptations again, with his death now 10 year ago it's surely time for someone to consider bring Flashman back to the screen - anyone from the BBC reading this? A short series of 90 min Sherlock type dramas would surely sell far and wide.

What can one say? Other than this is a film that should be seen just so you can say to yourself "I saw that - what was I thinking!?!" So much of Winner's oeuvre is pure hackery with all the directorial style of TV of the same era just with a much bigger budget and more nudity, sex, gore and violence. And that's the case here as a young women snags a suspiciously, cheap apartment in a town house full of strange neighbours.

I'll say no more about the story but will mention the music score by Gil Melle which is a tremendous, full blown bombastic affair worthy of Bernard Hermann or Pino Donaggio. I didn't recognise the name but he also worked on varied genre fare such as The Andromeda Strain, Blood Beach, the Ultimate Warrior and loads of TV work including Killdozer, Questor Tapes, Frankenstein:The True Story, The Six Million Dollar Man pilot and many more all coming after a fine jazz career on the renowned Blue Note label.

The other thing I'll mention is Winners amazing ability to assemble a cast which is clearly far too good for the lowbrow material that he has signed them up for. The Sentinel is typical of this - packed with spot the veteran actor and spot the future star names from the first few minutes to the very moment. Even in the smallest roles you'll go "goodness I never knew he/she was in this". So if nothing else Winner did give plenty of young actors a high profile break - he's not all bad!

Doc McCoy is released from jail through connections who cross and get crossed as McCoy and his wife Carol look to make it to safety with a suitcase of cash.

Sam Peckinpahs 1972 crime drama is in his second tier of quality along with films like Cross of Iron and Ballard of Cable Hogue that is to say not Wild Bunch but still very damned good. The lean, mean environment and amoral characters are well matched, in truth you'd do well to avoid both. That includes our two "heroes" who, while they are given a touch more humanity at appropriate moments are also ready to kill at the drop of a stetson.

Peckinpahs regular lensman veteran Lucien Ballard gives The Getaway a feel that is both vivid and washed-out as his cameras survey the flat grey Texan vistas, stucco walls and (often) splintered wood paneling. The trademark cross-cut/slow-mo editing still pleases in concert with Quincy Jones fragmented score which, like that for Dollars (1971) makes interesting use of voices as instrument sounds.

I have not seen the remake but I can only imagine that any comparison would only make this version look all the better, Alec Baldwin v Steve McQueen? Nah I didn't think so!

Slow, deliberate, creepy, grimy, grim, repressed.

The recreation of one of Britains most famous serial killers crimes and the impact on one family in particular is nothing if not sober in tone.

Director Richard Fleischer had recent "true crime" form with his version of The Boston Strangler 1968, Fleischer shoots with hand-held cameras under realistically dim lighting, creating an intimate close up portrait of the house and its occupants.

As such the performances have to match, and do. Richard Attenboroughs in particular. His portrayal of Christie will come as a shock to those who only know him from the Jurassic Park series or Miracle on 34th Street. John Hurt and Judy Geeson as the young, ill-educated Evans couple do well though Hurts accent is a little wayward early on.

Although clearly not a top-draw production being hampered by some less than crisp plotting, low budget and a cast tending to the wooden, Thirst nonetheless manages, after a slow uncertain first third to develop into a quiet enjoyable light horror drama.

The production is at its peak when it veers closest to "traditional" Gothic territory - indeed the sequence in Kate Davis' home where she progresses through a spiraling sensory nightmare is almost worthy of Mario Bava - lead actress Chantal Contouri even shares a passing resemblance to Bavas female lead Barbera Steele as she becomes overwhelmed by visions.

One thing that struck me was that for a film made in sunny new world of Australia much of the production had the feeling of the Old World with mock tudor buildings, rough hewn stone and brickwork and lead decorated windows. I can only surmise this was a deliberate ploy as its harder to invoke atmospheric horror in a world of concrete, glass and wood panelling.