Private Road

I bought a copy of this film from the writer/director some months back, having, if I remember correctly, traversed a few IMDb links and read some favourable reviews, including a co-poster's tip about where to get hold of it.

I've always had a fondness for films that focus on personal relationships and carry little in the way of political baggage. When done well, and 'Private Road' is done well, they become quite timeless, so much so that it's sometimes hard to appreciate that this film is now nearly forty years old. On one level the film is a sort of middle class kitchen sink drama, while on another it is a universal tale of a journey into adulthood which starts with passion and goes on to labour under the collective burden of real world responsibilities and the changing nature of friends and family.

I enjoyed the naturalistic handling and Platts-Mills' light touch. The couple and the friends had just enough style to involve, but not so much as to alienate the viewer. The use of the sub-plots of Peter's friends' lives and other, unexpected incidents, to test the maturity of the couple was effective and quality cameos, such as Patricia Cutts' literary agent, gave a certain richness to the texture of the film, without diverting from its main focus.

Deliciously handsome, Bruce Robinson, plays affable, dilettantish author, Peter, who quite understandably falls for the adorably timid, emotionally frail pixie, Ann (Susan Penhaligon), and their sweetly tumultuous relationship, fraught with obtuse parental meddling, financial woes, erotic exultation, and naïveté makes for compelling cinema, this uniquely photogenic pair are one of the more charming screen lovers! Private Road is a delicate, witty, playful, earnestly romantic film; a memorable, smartly written love story told without sentimentality, replete with engaging, naturalistic performances, pithy dialogue and a refreshingly light directorial touch. It is both a rare and hugely satisfying experience to watch such a humane, emotionally intelligent film dealing so sensitively with the exquisite travails borne of nascent love as the eminently lovable Private Road.

The enervating conflicts between, Ann's reserved, controlling, conservatively middle-class family, along with boyfriend, Peter's profound anxiety over his best friend, Stephen's (Michael Feast) disturbing drug addiction, and his own mounting frustrations regarding the crass, innate emptiness of copywriting, plus his pronounced lack of ambition has lost none of its tender pathos. Gifted filmmaker, Barney Platts-Mills nuanced follow-up to cult classic Bronco Bullfrog (1969) vividly remains no less enthralling seen today than upon its initial theatrical release in 1971. Wholly deserving of its status of forgotten mini-masterpiece, if the colour palate were, perhaps, a little cooler, originating from navel-gazing Scandinavia, 'Private Road' may well have been unearthed a little sooner! The meticulous BFI restoration is sublime, images are sharp, colours are warmly appealing, soundtrack is perfectly crisp, and the two exciting bonus shorts are most welcome additions!

Is one of the best films i have seen in a long time. I felt like my kidneys were being squeezed in opposite directions; what a laugh! As a Withnail fan i was amazed to see Bruce's performance. What an all rounder. A film full enough of greatness that i wanted to undo my belt and fall asleep on the sofa. Platts-Mills, give me more.? What's happened to him? and Susan Penhaligon. Why have artists such as these not blossomed into view and been able to create more of such richness. I was delighted to see Presburger and Powel star Katheline Byron. Puts this film squarely into the deserved lineage of great British movies. I recommend this film greatly. Get out and see it.

Director was in attendance for this one, interesting guy, stopped making films in the 70s but recently started again, and will release "Zohra: A Moroccan Fairy Tale" this year, having been convinced that there are now acceptable distribution routes for his work so that he can make enough money from it. Shh don't mention the m word Barney! Another pretty much unknown British director has his work resurrected by the Edinburgh film festival, most famous for his movie Bronco Bullfrog (1969) a film about skinheads.

It fits into the post-the-Wave theme of the festival well, although initially it seems quite otherwise. A young writer, Peter, who is very cool and dismissive of dad and all that word represents, sum total of the stodgy prudish corporate world of the post-war generation. He lays a dopey but pretty publisher's assistant and they have a great time together, he's like firecrackers, but not scary, defo weaving the right magic for her. Artist status and a clown, and pretty, yeah he's been dealt a royal flush in the romance stakes. Anyway the two of them think they are Belmondo and Karina, and above everything, and head off to the Scottish highlands. He soon discovers though that life requires some discipline, even the life of an artist, and the radical invention that they've come up with, their silly lackadaisical Bohemian life starts to become a credit card that they can't finance.

The initial hate figure of Mr Halpern (Ann's father) gradually comes to be seen as someone who has everyone's best interests as heart. The film develops well and is very very natural. In the end it's about friendship and how having real friends is the most important possession you can have, how they get you through the hard times.

The acting is very good and Platts-Mills seems to have encouraged everyone just to act themselves. It all comes off superbly, he shoots without artifice, yet cleanly and efficiently, and with some kind of a spartan beauty, very natural.

Highly intelligent and realistic fare, seems totally shocking that this has fallen by the wayside. Platts-Mills films are available via his personal website.

I recently purchased this movie on DVD, hence my review. For those of you looking for it the DVD is available direct from the writer/director Barney Platts-Mills website www.platts-mills.com, price £13.

I was expecting great things from this film judging by the reviews already on IMDb and the critical reviews by professionals quoted from newspapers and magazines. And it is certainly a good film, but sadly not a great film in my opinion. Platts-Mills has an unusual style of script-writing/direction, perhaps comparable only to Mike Leigh (Abigail's Party, Nuts in May). This movie has a simple enough story, and stars the lovely Susan Penhaligon as Ann Halpern. She is the rather spoilt daughter of a wealthy stockbroker. She meets struggling author Peter Morrissey (Bruce Robinson) and their relationship develops. They go away to live together, initially in a remote cottage in Scotland, then subsequently in a London flat. He takes a job in London in an advertising agency as he can't get his books published. This movie centres around Ann and Peter's own relationship, their relationship with Ann's parents, and the relationships with their rather close circle of friends, one of whom is junkie.

All the characters are well-played in a semi-improvised style - it's just that, for me at least, the story doesn't really go anywhere. And some things I didn't like: far too many fluffed lines are left in the final cut in the interest of 'reality' and the sole use of the f*** word (by Ann) is dipped out from the soundtrack even though this DVD is distributed in the U.K with a 15 certificate.

We do at least get to see some classic British cars from the 1960s/70s in this film. Ann's father drives a Rover 3500 V8 and Peter drives a Triumph Herald convertible belonging to Ann (her father bought it for her but she doesn't have a full licence to drive!).

In summary: a good film but ultimately disappointing for me as I was expecting more.