Slob with a blog. Vicariously join me on my movie viewing adventures! Visit my blog here: http://jinglebonesmovietime.blogspot.com
297 posts
TOUCH AND GO (Dir: Michael Truman, 1955).
TOUCH AND GO (Dir: Michael Truman, 1955).
Jack Hawkins makes a rare foray into comedy in this lightweight, late period effort from the Ealing Studios.
Following a disagreement with his boss, furniture designer Jim Fletcher (Hawkins) makes the snap decision to emigrate to Australia. Less than enthusiastic are his wife Helen (Margaret Johnston) and teenage daughter Peggy (June Thorburn) with concerns for the family cat and Peggy's new sweetheart.
Aside from the excellent The League of Gentlemen (Basil Dearden, 1960), comedy was not really Jack Hawkins’ forte. Although an otherwise fine dramatic actor, he often seemed a little uncomfortable in domestic situations and was at his best as stoic men of action. Oddly, Hawkins was far more convincing as a naval officer or a pilot than he ever was as husband or father and his performance here is rather broad and lacking in subtlety. In fairness, he is given little to work with in a role which involves little more than expressing exasperation at his wife and daughter.
Scenarist William Rose was an accomplished comedy writer; responsible for Ealing classics such as The Maggie (Alexander Mackendrick, 1954) and The Ladykillers (Alexander Mackendrick, 1955) and later co-scripting Hollywood epic It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (Stanley Kramer,1955). So it is all the more surprising that Touch and Go doesn’t quite deliver the goods. Its attempts at humour are somewhat laboured and never raise the hoped for big laughs in a plot which offers no surprises; the denouncement can be guessed within the first 10 minutes. Which is not to suggest the movie is without merit. It ambles along nicely enough and certainly provides some mild chuckles. The muted colour palette is attractive and the atmosphere is cosily nostalgic.
Viewed today Touch and Go is a quaintly dated period piece. It does not rank among the greatest of Ealing Studios movies but neither is it a complete failure. Ultimately, it is just a little undistinguished and lacks the bite of other Ealing comedies. Still, it is a pleasant enough time waster that will certainly be of interest to Ealing completists.
100+ movie reviews now available on my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME. Link below.
More Posts from Jingle-bones
POOH’S HEFFALUMP HALLOWEEN MOVIE (Dir: Saul Andrew Blinkoff & Elliot M. Bour, 2005).
A sequel of sorts to Pooh's Heffalump Movie (Frank Nissen, 2005), the feature which introduced the character of Lumpy the Heffalump to the Pooh universe. As with the previous movie, this one was also animated by DisneyToon Studios, the television production arm of Walt Disney Pictures. Unlike Pooh's Heffalump Movie, which enjoyed a theatrical release, Heffalump Halloween was a made for video effort. The movie is comprised of roughly two thirds new material, the remainder being recycled from the television special Boo to You Too! Winnie the Pooh (Rob LaDuca, 1996).
Once again, Pooh is relegated to co-star status in a film which largely revolves around Roo teaching his best friend Lumpy about the Hundred Acre Wood's 'trick or treat' traditions on the young heffalump's first Halloween. During the course of which Roo attempts to 'unscare' Lumpy by telling him of the Halloween which was almost a Hallo-wasn't due to Piglet's fears of the spooky season. Taken from the earlier special, this noticeably different footage presents us with the awkward narrative conceit of Roo narrating a story in which neither he or Kanga appear, as both were inexplicably absent from the episode.
Narrative issues aside, the film is passable entertainment for the very young; the toothless, yet sweet, confection contains no real frights for even the smallest of viewers. Children will undoubtedly find Lumpy adorable and may even enjoy the handful of forgettable songs. The expected messages about braveness and friendship are hammered home without a hint of subtlety.
There are certainly worse kid's movies out there than Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie, but there are much better Pooh movies. The youngest and most undemanding Pooh fans will probably be enchanted by this spooky special. Older children and grownups would be much better served by watching Walt Disney's The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (John Lounsbery & Wolfgang Reitherman, 1977), or by reading the original A. A. Milne stories upon which it based.
THE INFORMERS aka UNDERWORLD INFORMERS (Dir: Ken Annakin, 1963).
Based upon Douglas Warner's novel Death of a Snout. The Informers, released in the US as Underworld Informers is a police procedural drama shot in a quasi-realist style.
Chief Inspector 'Johnno' (Nigel Patrick) investigates the murder of an underworld informer or 'snout' (John Cowley) linked to a series of bank robberies masterminded by gangsters Bertie Hoyle (Derren Nesbitt) and Leon Sale (Frank Finlay). Hot on the their trail, the hoods set 'Johnno' up so as to appear to have accepted a bribe. On suspension, he takes the law into his own hands and with the help of Ruskin's brother sets to bring the gang to justice.
Ken Annakin was a talented filmmaker, prolific in his time but vastly underrated today. With The Informers he delivers a crime drama which, 56 years after release, still feels uncompromisingly gritty.
Standouts among the cast are the distinctively voiced Nigel Patrick as the wronged 'Johnno' and Harry Andrews as his tough superintendent. Derren Nesbitt makes for a thoroughly unpleasant bad guy, while impressing further down the cast is Colin Blakely as the brother of the murdered snout.
The movie can be seen as something of a ‘missing link’ between the depiction of the friendly copper of TVs Dixon of Dock Green (1955 -76) and the more complex characterisation of the police force in The Sweeney (1974-78). Indeed, it seems ahead of its time in its depiction of the police and their relationship with the criminal underworld. It benefits from use of London locations from the banks of the Thames to backstreet Soho dives, shot in crisp black and white by cinematographer Reginald Wyer.
Some of the characters in Alun Falconer and Paul Durst's screenplay do border on stereotypes, while the climatic big punch up between good(ish) guys and the bad guys verges on the comic, but overall this is still fairly hard-hitting stuff.
With some stylish direction from Annakin and a quality cast The Informers is a solidly entertaining, if occasionally nasty, gangland thriller.
Visit my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME for a longer, more in-depth review of The Informers. Link below.
THE LADYKILLERS (Dir: Alexander Mackendrick, 1955).
Alec Guinness heads an ensemble cast in the last great Ealing comedy.
Seemingly mild mannered Professor Marcus (Guinness) leads a gang of oddball criminals, masquerading as classical musicians, in the planning and execution of a daring bank van raid. When their elderly landlady Mrs Wilberforce learns of the wrongdoings they all agree she must be silenced. However, Mrs Wilberforce is not as easy to do away with and their perfect crime begins to go awry.
Disguised with an oversized set of false teeth, Alec Guinness is excellent in his role as the cardigan wearing criminal. An outstanding ensemble cast makes up the rest of the gang. Cecil Parker as a corrupt retired army major, Herbert Lom as a Soho gangster, a subdued Peter Sellers as a cockney spiv and Danny Green as a dim-witted heavy; all give superlative performances. Upstaging them all, however, is the marvellous Katie Johnson as the seemingly frail Mrs Wilberforce who outsmarts the robbers.
One of a handful of Ealing productions shot in Technicolor, cinematographer Otto Heller's beautiful muted colour palette lends it an oddly surreal, atmosphere. This is complemented by Jim Morahan's excellent art direction; the wonderful tumbledown Victorian house in which much of the movie is set adding to the general off kilter ambience.
Director Alexander Mackendrick fashioned a deliriously dark comedy of the highest order; the only film blacker in the Ealing canon is Kind Hearts and Coronets. He elicits career best performances from his distinguished cast in what is among his greatest films.
William Rose's screenplay balances the light and dark with tightrope precision; neatly offsetting the contrasting worlds of ruthless criminals and twee little old ladies. Some broad farce involving an escaped parrot should sit uneasily with the otherwise subtle humour but, amazingly, the whole thing gels perfectly.
The Ladykillers is a masterpiece among comedy movies. Its mix of humour and thrills is irresistible and as an ambassador for the Ealing legacy it cannot be bettered.
Visit my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME for a longer, more in-depth review of The Ladykillers. Link below.
THE SON OF KONG (Dir: Ernest B Schoedsack, 1933).
How would the makers of Son of Kong manage to top the groundbreaking, blockbuster original King Kong (Merian C Cooper & Ernest Schoedsack, 1933)? Short answer: they wouldn’t. But neither did they try. Ernest Schoedsack returns as producer/director but Merian C Cooper, his collaborator on the first movie, bowed out when RKO slashed the budget. Scriptwriter Ruth Rose also returns, as do cast members Robert Armstrong as Denham and Victor Wong as Charlie the Cook.
A month after the disastrous events of the first movie, beleaguered showman and moviemaker Carl Denham escapes his creditors by chartering a ship to Kong's Skull Island, in search of mythical hidden treasure. Joined by an animal trainer cum singer (Helen Mack) and shady ships' captain (Frank Reicher) and faithful cook Charlie, the gang are cast overboard by a mutinous crew and arrive on the island via rowboat. After a hostile encounter with the native islanders they encounter the ape sinking into quicksand. Denham and the singer rescue pint-sized Kong who then befriends the pair as they battle a cave bear and brave a massive earthquake in their search for riches.
Although this movie lacks the grandiose special effects set pieces of the original King Kong, Kong Jr is still an impressive beast. Smaller than his pa at 12 foot, as opposed to Kong’s 20ish foot, Kong Jr is also more anthropomorphised than his father. The stop motion ape is, once again, beautifully animated by special effects genius Willis O’Brien. Yet with more human like expressions he is less menacing than his dad, but likewise less sympathetic.
Son of Kong adopts a much lighter, more comic tone than its predecessor and a result the movie is, sadly, less impressive, less poignant and less engaging than the original King Kong. But it is by no means the disaster it was initially perceived to be. Its special effects are still superlative; the performances are strong and at barely 70 minutes it doesn’t outstay its welcome. Lower your expectations (slightly) and you will find The Son of Kong a highly entertaining time waster.
Visit my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME for a longer, more in-depth review of Son of Kong! Link below.
