British Cinema

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demoncrat

Dark Places (1974, Don Sharp)

Robert Hardy inherits a stately, if crumbling pile.
The neighbours all welcome him with open arms so everything's fine ...
Or not ahem. Regardless how the film wants me to believe Chris Lee and Joan Collins are siblings , I enjoyed this mish mash that wants it all harumph.
Hardy likes a drink, so just imagine Keith Floyd trying to renovate an ancestral pile . Will revisit this abode ...

Have you got the recent Nucleus Bd, D?

Just wondered what it was like, image quality wise?

[Demoncrat]

Sadly not D, merely a dvd. Tis a bit dark (cough) in places.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

The Belstone Fox (1973)

Is the nick name given to a young fox cub, called Tag, that's reared with a litter of fox hound puppies after surviving being orphaned following the clubbing to death of it's mother and siblings. Tag forms a bond with a pup named Merlin until it's time for Merlin to join the rest of the hunting dogs to which Tag soon becomes their prey.

Beautifully filmed in the English September countryside, The Belstone Fox is as steeped in old English traditions, no matter how morally dubious they now seem, as the likes of Penda's Fen, Robin Redbreast and Children of the Stones and although the film features no ancient druidic monoliths it's finale takes place in huge rocks far older than any standing stones.

Whilst it's no Watership Down in it's treatment of animals, one sequence as the fox leads the hunting pack of dogs onto railway lines is truly devastating.

A special mention to Eric Porter, Jeremy Kemp and Bill Travers who keep the narrative on track and give the film as much human drama as animal.

[Susan Foreman]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

The Belstone Fox (1973)

Is the nick name given to a young fox cub, called Tag, that's reared with a litter of fox hound puppies after surviving being orphaned following the clubbing to death of it's mother and siblings. Tag forms a bond with a pup named Merlin until it's time for Merlin to join the rest of the hunting dogs to which Tag soon becomes their prey

From that description, it sounds like the 1981 Disney cartoon 'The Fox And The Hound'

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Susan Foreman

From that description, it sounds like the 1981 Disney cartoon 'The Fox And The Hound'

Disney used the same source material of David Rook's book The Ballad of the Belstone Fox. According to the Network features they gave the animated film a happier ending.

[Rob4]

Thanks for the reminder of The Belstone Fox, a 'scarred for life' feature from the 70s. Definitely NOT Disney

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Rob4

Thanks for the reminder of The Belstone Fox, a 'scarred for life' feature from the 70s. Definitely NOT Disney

The Network Blu looks stunning. It's one of those joint restorations with the BFI. Pleased i picked it up back in January this year.

[Demoncrat]

The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry (Hettie Macdonald)

Jim Broadbent abandons his wife (Penelope Wilton) to walk to Berwick-On-Tweed to visit an old colleague. Rivetting or what?
Tough. This one I merely put on to kill some time today as I got up too early on me day off.
More fool demon. Was in floods of tears at one point ahem.
Yes, there's more to this than I'm letting on ahem.
Recommended.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demoncrat

The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry (Hettie Macdonald)

Jim Broadbent abandons his wife (Penelope Wilton) to walk to Berwick-On-Tweed to visit an old colleague. Rivetting or what?
Tough. This one I merely put on to kill some time today as I got up too early on me day off.
More fool demon. Was in floods of tears at one point ahem.
Yes, there's more to this than I'm letting on ahem.
Recommended.

Hettie Macdonald directed three episodes of Doctor Who.

One of them was Blink.

I see Linda Bassett is in it playing a character called Queenie. Her character in the excellent Larkrise to Candleford was also called Queenie. How's that for some useless info you never needed to know, D.

This film sounds really good to be honest. Reminds of a UK version of Lynch's Straight Story.

[Demoncrat]

Enjoy D. You get to see quite a bit of the country.