Bit of a dvd feast this week, as I've been too
(day 9) to do much else
I finally watched the Battleship Potemkin. It wasn't as basic as I'd expected - by which I mean I thought it was going to be quite unsophisticated and very propagand-y. In the event, there were some clever touches (one - a scene where a child in a pram rolls uncontrolled down a long flight of steps - echoed much later in The Untouchables), and the propaganda was no more in your face than much of what comes out of western studios even today. I suppose the real surprise/interest was that it exists at all.
I dipped into my Laurel & Hardy box set again - it always cheers.
Bellville Rendezvous got a timely re-visit. I'd forgotten - again - how wierd that film is. Is there some message in this film, or is it just whimsical panto?
For some reason I have the dvd of Dune. I first saw this film on video some 15 (or more?) years ago, and really enjoyed it. It has not stood the test of time/march of cgi, and some of the acting now looks pretty poor (not helped I suspect by the techniques needed to fit what I guess is a complicated plot into standard/expected film length).
My final choice was School for Scoundrels: Ian Carmichael 'stars', but is eclipsed by Alistair Sim, Terry Thomas, Dennis Price, Hatti Jacques, John Le Mesurier et al. Delightful.
But I'd rather be well and having to choose between having sex or riding my bike.
