richardchatten
Joined May 2016
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The second of Hammer's projected series of adaptations from the books of Dennis Wheatley is something of a hybrid, properly belonging to their exotic adventures like 'She'; although the setting also bears a strong resemblance to one of those desolate communities more characteristic of H. P. Lovecraft.
Among the cast Eric Porter and Nigel Stock provide the class, and Hildegarde Neff the continental style. The one Hammer regular is Michael Ripper; with the biggest surprise being Jimmy Hanley as the bartender. It's all very sixties, with the most dated aspect probably Gerard Schurmann's hammond organ score.
Among the cast Eric Porter and Nigel Stock provide the class, and Hildegarde Neff the continental style. The one Hammer regular is Michael Ripper; with the biggest surprise being Jimmy Hanley as the bartender. It's all very sixties, with the most dated aspect probably Gerard Schurmann's hammond organ score.
Following the dramatic impact achieved by his cinema verite reconstructions of Culloden, and of the effects of a nuclear attack on Britain as if modern television crews had been present, Peter Watkins applied the same techniques to the very contemporary subject of youth culture.
As with his earlier subjects it was narrated in a coolly dispassionate tone as it followed the perversely unpredictable subject of exploitation by an authoritarian state of the popularity of a pop singer, in which he managed to take a bleak view of youth and their ability to be manipulated by cynical snake oil salesmen.
As with his earlier subjects it was narrated in a coolly dispassionate tone as it followed the perversely unpredictable subject of exploitation by an authoritarian state of the popularity of a pop singer, in which he managed to take a bleak view of youth and their ability to be manipulated by cynical snake oil salesmen.
Just as 'Grease' was made in the seventies but became the definitive focus for nostalgia for the fifties, 'Absolute Beginners' was another allegedly retro subject that actually celebrated the conspicuous consumption of the eighties.
There's nothing like an expensive flop to lift the spirits, and while 'Absolute Beginners' may have spelled finis for the prospects of Palace Pictures, the money's certainly up there on the screen - with guest stars galore from Mandy Rice-Davies to Irene Handl - and like a seriously destructive car crash your first response might be cover up your eyes, but you know you can't control the irresistible urge to take a closer look.
There's nothing like an expensive flop to lift the spirits, and while 'Absolute Beginners' may have spelled finis for the prospects of Palace Pictures, the money's certainly up there on the screen - with guest stars galore from Mandy Rice-Davies to Irene Handl - and like a seriously destructive car crash your first response might be cover up your eyes, but you know you can't control the irresistible urge to take a closer look.
