Reviews

January 8th

The Italian Job

We thought we might be in trouble for our January film night when Chudleigh was once again deep in snow. But our ever-reliable projectionist, Nick, was certain he could get down from Taunton and home again as long as New Exeter Street and Exeter Road were clear. So we set up the Woodway Room hoping that our loyal members would be able to make their way from the four corners of Chudleigh for another enjoyable evening. And so it proved to be, with your chair rather anxious not to let down our very first sponsor.

We not only had a good turn-out, but several new people came along to give our community cinema a try, as well as members of the South Devon Mini-Owners Club. They helped us promote ‘The Italian Job’ with three of their endearing cars, at Chudleigh Late Night Shopping, and they can claim to have seen Ray’s first attempt at making an advert. This unique promotion for SLJ Auto Services was not only informative but amusing and witty. Well done Ray, and we look forward to the next one for Quest For Zest in February.

 Although revised in 2003 with Mark Wahlberg, and set in America, the original, 1969 version of ’The Italian Job’ that we watched is still the best. At least, as far as the Chudleigh audience is concerned. Featuring some old favourites – Michael Caine, Noel Coward, Benny Hill, Irene Handl, John Le Mesurier - it was still felt by many that it was the cars that stole the show. The iconoclastic Mini Coopers, driven so exuberantly and with such skill, are still received with appreciation and affection. Fiat offered to provide as many cars as the crew could crash, plus a Ferrari and fifty grand, but the filmmakers did the right thing and refused.

 Assembling a motley gang of low rent losers Charlie Croker (Caine) heads out to Turin where, through an audacious piece of traffic management, and with run-ins with the Mafia, the lads rob an armoured car and get away with $4 million in bullion. Except that, as everyone knows, they don’t. Loaded with gags, girls, cars and gold the depiction of plucky Brits making off with Italian loot is fast, funny and always worth another look. And despite it appearing on TV shortly before, it was all the more enjoyable for seeing it on the big screen.

The director Peter Collinson was orphaned as a child, and adopted by Noel Coward, who paid for his education.

This was Coward's final film and it was a struggle for him to remember his lines, so his long-term companion, Graham Payne (who plays Keats in the film), was brought in to help him.

Screen writer, Troy Kennedy Martin should receive his share of credit for the film’s continued popularity. He wrote many scripts for TV, from ‘Z-Cars’ to ‘The Old Men at The Zoo’ and ‘Edge of Darkness’ as well as for Hollywood films. When he died last September, he had just finished scripting an ambitious six-part TV work on global warming called Broken Light, based on the writings of James Lovelock.

11th December

‘It’s A Wonderful Life’

There was a lot going on in Chudleigh on 11th December, but the audience in the Woodway Room were sure they had made the right decision. Quite a few new faces joined the regulars and chatted over the mulled wine and mince pies before learning some interesting details about the film and its star, James Stewart, from Kate Tresidder. The society is fortunate to have such an enthusiastic expert on the committee, her knowledgeable, illustrated talk helped us to appreciate the film even more.

We screened the original, black and white film on the day that a coloured version was being advertised on TV. Most people, although curious to see it, felt their enjoyment was enhanced by the period feel of b & w.

The great majority voted ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ excellent or very good, with no one disappointed. Evidently the strong message of moral certainty was something felt missing in today’s complex world of relativism. The portrait of Bedford Falls as a microcosm of American life in the forties, comes across as rather too good to be true. Nevertheless it has provided an entertaining escape for several generations, and there is plenty with which even the most cynical can identify.

This film can be seen as a fantasy, or even pantomime, with its black and white characters of good and evil. We have the wicked, cold-hearted example of rampant capitalism, Mr. Potter, contrasted with our hero, family man, George Bailey, the ‘ordinary Joe’ trying to help everyone.

Director, Frank Capra, aided by his gifted cast, draws us into a confrontation of life with one individual removed. George is forced to face that possibility by his guardian angel, and the audience is left to reflect on their personal contribution to the lives of those around them. This is a light-hearted story that has become a part of Christmas for many, and will probably continue to be so for many years to come.

13th November

The Duchess

Film night on 11th November was so stormy that it blew our banner off the railings at the front of the Town Hall! However, Chudleigh folk are hardy and know what they want - in this instance, local top class entertainment so that they don’t need to get in the car and drive out of town. In fact people arrived with tales of trees across the road on the A380, hold ups on the A38 driving from Plymouth and Exeter, dreadful conditions on the M6 and flooding in the Teign Valley, but most walked through the wind and rain to their own community cinema.

It was good to welcome some new faces on such a dire night, and 38 of the 42 who returned their feedback slips, rated ‘The Duchess’ as ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’.

The seventeen year old Georgiana (Keira Knightly), was pushed into an arranged marriage to fulfil her mother, Lady Spencer’s (Charlotte Rampling), ambitions, but left her totally unprepared for a lonely life with an unfeeling husband. He found it easier to communicate with his beloved dogs, than his wife. The hugely wealthy Duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes), had primarily married her to provide him with an heir, Georgiana produced two daughters and his patience wore thin. He then took his wife’s only close friend, Lady Bess (Hayley Atwell), as his mistress, and eventually Georgiana is trapped in a ménage a trois.

Georgiana’s only outlet seemed to be through the turbulent political activities of the time. With revolution in France and America these were uncertain times in England. She became the darling of high society and was admired for her colourful and original fashions, by all classes. She was attracted to Charles Grey (Dominic Cooper), the handsome, young protégé of Charles Fox (Simon McBurney). He used her to advance his career and draw the crowds to his open meetings, and she was pleased to oblige, as their sexually charged relationship gradually lead to the inevitable bedroom scene.

The consensus from the audience was that ‘The Duchess’ was a beautiful film that they all enjoyed, but they also reflected on the impossible life a spirited young woman was expected to live at that time. There were some who enjoyed the spectacle, but were disappointed that Saul Dibb, the director, hadn’t been able to include further aspects of the Duchess of Devonshire’s colourful and fascinating life, detailed in Amanda Foreman’s well researched book.

This was only Dibbs’ second feature film, the first being ‘Bullet Boy’, an urban gun-crime drama. But although hoodies, prisons and the East End are replaced by corsets, country estates and posh English, the two films do have similarities. They are both about young people defying social conventions and expectations to create better lives for themselves.