humphrey-2

I vaguely remember the "Baby" episode of Beasts, which someone describes really above. But it is the opening "Special Offer" episode that stuck in my mind more, mostly because the setting was so mundane.

Like most throwaway 70s telly, I only saw it once, but I vividly remember Pauline Quirke playing a checkout girl in a supermarket who became obsessed with the store's cartoon mascot (a rabbit, I think) called Brightway Billy. She started hallucinating about seeing the rabbit in the shop. I was 12 when it was shown and it totally creeped me out, and created an atmosphere of insanity and hysteria in a very bland setting. At school the next day, every was imitating Pauline Quirke's moon face calling out for "Billy!".

Like others I saw Lost in the Desert as a child. It was the second feature, but the main film is long forgotten. I also remember many scenes very vividly though it must be nearly 30 years since I saw them: the snake, the father dropping flyers, cooking the eggs on a rock, and the bushmen cooking the dog, or so he thinks.

As a dreamy kid who longed to escape from my life (join the club), it was an exciting and terrifying film.

By a weird coincidence I just did an interview for a radio station in Johannesburg in which I mentioned how few South African films I had had the chance to see. I had no idea until now that Lost in The Desert was South African. I would love to see it again, and show it to my nephews who are 4 and 8.

I didn't like it at all, it seemed pointless and silly to me. Just having those two random musical numbers seemed daft rather than stylish. That "Cole Porter" song was horrible.

The subplot about the strange murder game just petered out, it didn't make any sense to me at all. There was also an strange moment when Nino and Louise suddenly were great pals, walking down the street arm in arm, having only met vaguely before that.

It could have been intriguing and fun, but I thought it was fake whimsical and boring.

It was the only thing with English subtitles here in Vientiane, but I wish I hadn't bothered.