Nowhere Boy
A serious contender for my favourite film of 2009, Nowhere Boy is a beautifully crafted and astonishingly accurate portrayal of his life pre-Beatles. Growing up with a Beatle-mad mother I was introduced to their music very early on and John quickly became known as ‘my Beatle’. I was reading the famous Beatles biography by Hunter Davies in primary school, as well as listening to their records whenever I could. My sister and I would watch A Hard Day’s Night and Help! on repeat over the weekends, so much that we can recite them both by heart. Although I don’t -yet- own it on DVD, the Beatles Anthology that was shown on television when I was in grade six remains one of my favourite documentaries about the greatest band in the universe. Needless to say, I was a little nervous about seeing this film.
I shouldn’t have worried. This film exceeded my expectations in portraying one of my favourite human beings. I was so moved by Aaron Johnson’s performance, whom I believed in the part immediately. There were moments when I gasped in wonder at how he became John: from the guitar-playing and singing, to the subtle changes in his facial expression that though small, made me believe in his performance even more. Although it is difficult to highlight any particular scene, the now famous church fete meeting of John and Paul was incredibly well-handled. Kristen Scott Thomas gave a beautifully complicated performance as Mimi, and Anne-Marie Duff (brilliant in Shameless) was revelatory as Julia.
The film is directed by Sam Taylor Wood, an English conceptual artist, and in Nowhere Boy she has created a work that is a worthy addition to my Beatles education.
Highgate
I hope to visit England sometime in the near future, and when I do there are a number of must-see places on my list. Highgate Cemetery is one of these, not least because of its use as a prominent location in Mike Leigh’s High Hopes (1988). This is one of my favourite scenes in the film (please excuse the subtitles – it’s the best video I could find on the web):
Apart from Karl Marx, other famous memorials at the cemetery include Sir Ralph Richardson, John and Elizabeth Dickens (parents of Charles and models for Micawber and Mrs Nickleby), Carl Mayer (Austrian-German screenwriter of The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari and Sunrise) and Douglas Adams. An expanded list of famous interments is available at the official website.
The Resident – New Hammer horror
Sir Christopher Lee
I am embarking on research on Hammer Films for an upcoming Made in Britain project installment, and I’ve come across an interesting mini-interview with Sir Christopher Lee about the new Hammer horror The Resident.
Currently in post-production, the film also stars Hilary Swank and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
Harry B. Parkinson
Born: Blackburn, England; 29 September, 1884
Died: Wallasey, England; 19 August 1970
Known as a typical ‘wheeler dealer’ in the 1920s British film industry, Harry B. Parkinson produced many films in the short series format as well as features, including the sensational titles Trapped by the Mormons (1922) and Married to a Mormon (1922). Both of these films featured American actress Evelyn Brent as the apparent ‘victim’ of the perilous Mormons (Trapped by the Mormons is also known as The Mormon Peril).
No stranger to controversy, Parkinson later produced the feature film The Life Story of Charles Chaplin (1926) without the star’s permission. The film consists of an impersonation of Chaplin by Chick Wango against a travelogue backdrop of London as the star visits significant places from his past. Not surprisingly, Chaplin’s lawyers prevented the release of this film. Despite this setback, Parkinson’s well-produced travelogues in the Wonderful London series of 1924, according to Robert Murphy, provide ‘a startlingly varied and evocative record of London locations and merit further investigation’.
The popularity of talkies in 1929 struck the death knell in Parkinson’s film career, who produced one sound feature A Sister to Assist ‘Er (George Dewhurst, 1930), before leaving the industry to pursue a career in hotel management. His son, Roy Parkinson (born in 1916) followed his father’s footsteps into the film industry, working as a production manager at MGM-British and other studios in the post-war decades.
Still controversial, Trapped by the Mormons was remade in 2005 www.trappedbythemormons.com
View the trailer below.
For a full filmography of Harry B. Parkinson, check out the entry in the BFI database.
Bibliography: McFarlane, Brian, The Encyclopedia of British Film (London: Methuen, 2003)
Murphy, Robert, Directors in British and Irish Cinema (London: British Film Institute, 2006)
Made in Britain
Tim Roth in 'Made in Britain' (Alan Clarke, 1982)
The name of my blog is taken from the raw and brilliant film Made in Britain, directed by Alan Clarke and starring a 21-year-old Tim Roth in his first major film role. Written by David Leland, the film indicts the social welfare system and the larger Thatcher regime in England, as well as exploring the young male psyche. As the skinhead Trevor, Roth assaults both his co-stars and the audience with his racism, apathy and excessive violence. Eric Richard, best known for his role as Bob Cryer on ‘The Bill’ and also his lead in Mike Leigh’s television film Home Sweet Home, provides strong support. Interestingly, this was the first time that Alan Clarke employed Steadicam to ‘shoot the characters in long, continuous takes to give the impression of ceaseless motion and neurotic energy’, a technique he would use stylistically in his later work (Murphy, 2006).
Tim Roth gives an incredibly strong performance in a film that encapsulates so much of the rage and confusion of the time, AT the time of its production.
Filmography: Made in Britain dir. Alan Clarke (1982)
Bibliography: Murphy, Robert, Directors in British and Irish Cinema (London: British Film Institute, 2006)
