Coming to DVD: Stormy Monday (1988)

Arrow Films will release Stormy Monday, Mike Figgis' feature-length directorial debut from 1988, in July. Accompanying the DVD will be a booklet including a new critical essay on Figgis and the film, 'Mike Figgis: Renaissance Man' written by yours truly

Be sure to order your copy!

Theme Time : John Tams - Sharpe

One of the best dramas of the 1990s, one that all the family could watch, was Sharpe which originally ran from '93 to '97 and whose stirring exploits of a rough and ready British solider during the Napoleonic Wars of the 1800s and made a star of lead actor Sean Bean.

It could have all been so very different of course, as Paul McGann was originally cast as Richard Sharpe, but had to pull out once a game of football between the cast and crew on location saw him suffer a knee injury that made his position untenable. He would go on to appear as Lt. Bush in ITV's Hornblower in the subsequent decade, which was very much the natural heir to this series.  

This thrilling Boy's Own series was based on a series of best selling novels from author Bernard Cornwell that commenced in 1981 and continued until the late '00s. I have fond memories of watching these two hour epic adaptations sprawled across *I think* either a Tuesday or Wednesday evening on ITV. I even bought a boxset of all the films a few years back, but when they seemed to be repeated endlessly on a loop by ITV2 or 3 or whatever, I didn't see much point in actually owning the boxset and passed it on. In 2006 and 2007 Bean returned to the role of Sharpe for two further films, alongside his faithful sergeant Harper, played by Daragh O'Malley, that big Irishman famous for calling Richard E Grant a 'ponce' (and thus scaring his would-be Sharpe co-star McGann) in Withnail and I.

The theme tune comes from the traditional English folk ballad Over The Hills and Far Away, a song which dates back to the 17th century and was performed for the series by John Tams who played the character of Dan Hagman in the series, the oldest man in Sharpe's 'Chosen Men' a former poacher from Cheshire and is the regiment's best shot.

War Requiem (1989)

More a piece of art - both visually and aurally - than a film, War Requiem, Derek Jarman's bleakly beautiful production from 1989, earned itself a welcome and timely broadcast on BBC2 earlier this week as part of the corporation's four year long season commemorating the centenary of The Great War. 

Jarman's film can perhaps be best described as a full length music video to showcase Benjamin Britten's 1962 piece War Requiem (written as a dedication to the then newly built Coventry Cathedral, following the destruction of the original 14th century structure during the unrelenting bombing raids of WWII)  and the poetry of WWI poet Wilfred Owen.

It's a powerful yet lavish anti-war statement that sees archive newsreel footage (much from WWI but also footage from more modern, recent warfare) intercut with recreations of trench and battle sequences and dreamy peacetime moments starring the likes of Nathaniel Parker as Owen, Tilda Swinton as The Nurse, Owen Teale as The Unknown Soldier , Sean Bean as The German Soldier and, in his final film performance, Sir Laurence Olivier as The Old Soldier, silently recalling his memories of The Great War from a nursing home.

A terrific marriage of emotive visuals (looking even better on BBC2's HD) and Britten's affecting and perfect score make War Requiem a haunting piece that lingers with the viewer. Because I feel that, as a piece of art it's wonderful but as a film it's much harder to peg or review, I can understand some of the criticism it faces - that it's alienating, that a film with no spoken dialogue completely set to music is daunting - but then, what is a silent movie if it is not that? Cinema can, and indeed it should be, art too and I think that this understands and displays that belief rather well.

Cleanskin

Cleanskin is a frustrating watch in that it never seems totally sure of what it wants to be; a serious depiction of the turning of a westernised Muslim to radicalism and terrorism, or an attempt to do for Sean Bean what Taken did for Liam Neeson. 

Ultimately it fails on both counts.

The non linear narrative irritates and I found it hard to take seriously Peter Polycarpou aka the Greek bloke off Birds Of A Feather as a dangerous radical Muslim cleric. Abhin Galeya seems like a very competent actor but even so he's up against it with a role that is essentially the villain, albeit one whose motivation is given an even handed approach. Tuppence Middleton, playing his on/off girlfriend over the 6 year flashbacks, is a good actress and very easy on the eye but her character is so underwritten and ill explored that one can forgive her for phoning some scenes in.

I imagine any of the more base right wing tabloid or Nuts magazine reader keen to watch an all action movie in which Sean Bean kicks Muslim ass will be bitterly disappointed too. And Bean, whose features are resembling a haunted and well dusted soda bread these days, is playing a character who frankly is a rather crap security operative; he's blatantly out of shape, slow to react in action, misses glaringly obvious clues and gets people killed.  In fact his most successful takedown is when he beats up a young high class hooker. Yes, it's that kind of film. 

There are some Bourne/Taken-esque guy on guy fight porn though, between the usual incredulous even matched opponents. Tell me why would a Muslim kid on his first 'operation' and with I'm willing to bet no hand to hand combat training give a former soldier any bother?

Much is made of the twist too but frankly I could see it coming a mile off, and again I'm surprised Bean's character didn't!

I can only imagine actors like Charlotte Rampling and James Fox representing Bean's MI5 employers took the money and ran to the bank, whilst quite why Michelle Ryan appears for just one scene (admittedly it's pivotal for what's to follow) that's essentially a monologue from her at the beginning is anyone's guess. Tom Burke is similarly wasted too.

Apart from the fact it is competently directed by Hadi Hajaig I'd say, on the whole, avoid.

Out On Blue Six : Richard and Linda Thompson

You know, I was introduced to this great song by a very strange route way back in 1998. It was the intro/outro theme to Radio 2's weekly reading by Sean Bean of Alan Sillitoe's classic novel Saturday Night and Sunday Morning. The film of course starred Albert Finney

So whenever I hear that song now, I always think of tuning into the radio back then and the story of Arthur Seaton living for his binges at the weekends.

End Transmission

In The Year Of Our Lord 1983

The one that ties the whole grim affair up nicely (or as nicely as possible given the circumstances) This finale always suffers in the comparison for not having the revered big name draws of the previous two - 1974 had Sean Bean and now international star Andrew Garfield, 1980 had Paddy Considine and Maxine Peake, settling instead for journeyman David Morrissey (looking suitably careworn throughout as 'the good-ish cop') and the potential miscasting of a pre Game of Thrones, post Flintstones 2 Mark Addy; though they needn't have worried, if worry anyone actually did, Addy plays his role fine enough - but it is still a grubby gem. 

Like the BBC skipping The Honourable Schoolboy after Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, going straight onto Smiley's People, it's just a shame that the production never adapted Peace's 1977.

Still, I've enjoyed rewatching these.