BOUF

The opening titles (in funky 1970 font) are accompanied by the Foundations singing the title song, the hook of which sounds a lot like "Fly Me To The Moon" (aka "In Other Words"). If this film were set when Kingsley Amis, the novelist, set it, and when "Fly Me To The Moon" had its first success (mid-1950s) it might work better. Transposing the action to the dog-end of the swinging 60s is an awkward fit for a story about a young woman who comes from the North of England to a dull Southern town, and is determined to cling to her virginity, rings slightly false, but that's not the only problem. It's a curiously lifeless mix of sketch-comedy turns and a soapy boy-meets-girl sequences which never quite gels. Oliver Reed seems to be on automatic, Sheila Hancock is wasted, Noel Harrison is creepy, but Hayley Mills, despite being slightly too old for the central role of the girl is such a positive force, that every time she's on screen she almost saves this plod. She is a brilliant actress and an inspirational human being - at least that's the vibe I get from her performance in this pale adaptation of a very funny novel.

White Australian artistic expression has often been a hybrid of various external influences. A recent cinematic example is "Moulin Rouge" - Baz Luhrman's counter-intuitive, medley mash-up of musical and melodramatic segments, borrowed from other artists. "Goddess" may have found a wider audience had it adopted some of Luhrman's magpie muddle style. Laura Michelle Kelly plays a housewife, whose husband leaves her for long spells to care for their infant twin boys on an idyllic Tasmanian farm. Laura, a Londoner, and former professional singer, is so frustrated by her isolation that she takes to streaming herself (on the www), singing cabaret songs which describe her life. When Laura's performances attract the notice of a powerful agent (Magda Szubanski), Laura is whisked off to Sydney and turned into an internet star. Hubby, (Ronan Keating) an Irishman, who records whale songs in the Antarctic, stays at home to look after the kids...He resents the boot being on the other foot; conflict and hilarity ensue.This isn't an unusual scenario for a romantic comedy. It's fine; but this kind of high-gloss soufflé needs much more experienced hands to make it entertaining for 90 minutes. "Goddess" has its moments, but the problem is that it feels like a nice little vehicle with a two-stroke motor that's been given a limmo chassis and no V8 motor. Perhaps it started life as a one-woman cabaret show, on to which writers and producers have grafted all kinds of extras, which dwarf its original charm. The songs are... okay, and probably work well, in the intimacy of a cabaret, performed by someone who can reach out into the room and pull you into her world. Laura Michelle Kelly may be very charming on a stage. On film she tries too hard, she has too few expressions, which wear thin. The director also tries too hard, as do the choreographer and the costume designer. Many of the songs and the dances almost work. The songs haven't got the oomph that the 70s/80s Hollywood/Broadway staging tries to lend them; the choreography seems borrowed from a similar school; it's of the aerobic, try-hard variety, which seldom communicates any joy. Ronan Keating is fine, in an understated way, but he looks awkward. Magda S. (the first time I've found her only slightly funny) seems hampered by her English accent. (Why are the 3 main characters Anglos?). Nothing quite works. It may have been lovely film on a much more intimate scale. The photography is very pretty.

I was lucky enough to buy a British DVD copy of this little gem - an excellent transfer. Mostly set in the gold-mining town of Jacksonville, Oregon, it's a Technicolor western with a great story, fascinating characters, excellent acting, lovely music, beautiful art direction, costumes and fabulous outdoor scenery. Right from the opening, you get a good feeling of what it was like in Oregon, how people lived and thought; and we're quickly plunged into their lives. Dana Andrews and Susan Hayward are at their best and most beautiful, photographed by Edward Cronjager. Andrews, a scout, turned trader, is not his usual taciturn hero. There's a lightness to him. Susan Hayward's cheeky independence is very appealing, and she looks particularly fresh and beautiful. Patricia Roc, makes her USA movie debut as Dana Andrew's maidenly sweetheart, and Ward Bond is a really scary villain. His menace from his first appearance is palpable I've never seen him photographed to such unnerving effect. Brian Donlevy plays a likable banker, who has a gambling problem, and is accused of murder. Andrews helps him escape a lynch mob, but I'll give no more away. There's even time for a few songs from local minstrel, Hoagy Carmichael. This is director Jacques Tourneur's first western and it seems to me that he brings a very European eye to the production - the overall colouring is ravishing.