The Mouse on the Moon.
1962 United Artists; distributed to DVD by MGM.
Starring: Margaret Rutherford, Ron Moody, June Ritchie, Bernard Cribbins, David Kossoff, Terry-Thomas
Director: Richard Lester
Available at Amazon.
The sequel to The Mouse That Roared, and it's another movie based on a Leonard Wibberley satiric novel. Peter Sellers refused to appear in this one, so he was replaced by Terry-Thomas, and Richard Lester stepped in as director, ironically, at the recommendation of Sellers.
We return once more to the tiny European duchy of Grand Fenwick, the only English speaking territory on the continent. They're having serious money issues again, and their chief export, wine, is now showing signs of being severely combustable. Worst of all, the Prime Minister's (Moody) castle desperately needs new indoor plumbing, and the Duchess (Rutherford) would really like an Imperial Russian sable fur coat. He strikes upon an idea to ask the United States for five million dollars of aid to go to the fictional space program that Grand Fenwick is working on. The U.S. accomodates their request (they sense it as a great PR opportunity, and give fifty million bucks instead), but things get interesting when the Soviet Union donates a rocket to Grand Fenwick. Neither of the two superpowers believe that anything will come of this new "space program".
Grand Fenwick burns through the money necessary for the fur coat, the indoor plumbing, and paving every road in the dichy before realizing, hey, with their combustable wine and this rocket that the Ruskies gave them, they really could try beating the rest of the world to the moon.
Which, of course, they do, despite their efforts to convince officials from the U.S. and Russia otherwise.
Recommended satire, although the absence of Sellers is noticable, and he probably would've added something to the movie that Lester and Terry-Thomas could not.
Showing posts with label richard lester. Show all posts
Showing posts with label richard lester. Show all posts
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Sunday, May 3, 2009
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.
1966 United Artists; distributed to DVD by MGM.
Starring: Zero Mostel, Phil Silvers, Michael Crawford, Jack Gilford, Annette Andre, Buster Keaton, Roy Kinnear
Music: Stephen Sondheim
Director: Richard Lester
Amazon listings: Single DVD. Also available on the MGM Classic Musicals set.
Richard Lester directed the film adaptation of the stage musical featuring music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, as well as a book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart. Zero Mostel and Jack Gilford reprised their stage roles, and Phil Silvers takes the role that he declined for the Broadway production. This was also the final film role for the legendary Buster Keaton, who was 70 years old, and terminally ill with cancer, but he was still able to perform most of his own stunts. Future director Nicolas Roeg served as cinematographer for this film
The film version is different from the stage play, thanks to the efforts of producer Melvin Frank and writer Michael Pertwee, who rearranged the plot and cut most of the songs ("Comedy Tonight" did make the cut, so don't panic!). Shevelove and Gelbart were dissatisfied with the cinematic version of the play.
In Rome, during the reign of Emperor Nero, Pseudolus (Mostel) is a slave who wants his freedom more than anything else from his masters Senex (Michael Hordern) and his dominating wife Domina (Patricia Jessel). Their son, Hero (Crawford), has fallin in love with the virginal Philia (Andre), who comes from the house of a brothel owner named Marcus Lycus (Silvers). Learning this, Pseudolus strikes a deal: he'll win Philia for Hero in return for his freedom. But, Philia has been sold to the great Roman soldier, Captain Miles "I am a parade!" Gloriosus (Leon Greene), who is returning home from conquering Crete to claim her as his own.
Pseudolus blackmails his overseer Hysterium (Gilford) into posing as the corpse of Philia to fool people, but this never works the way they intended. Meanwhile, we also follow the elderly and senile Erronius (Keaton) as he searches for his long lost children, who were kidnapped many years ago.
Every so often, you need some decent camp to watch, and this film was a riot to me. Highly recommended.
1966 United Artists; distributed to DVD by MGM.
Starring: Zero Mostel, Phil Silvers, Michael Crawford, Jack Gilford, Annette Andre, Buster Keaton, Roy Kinnear
Music: Stephen Sondheim
Director: Richard Lester
Amazon listings: Single DVD. Also available on the MGM Classic Musicals set.
Richard Lester directed the film adaptation of the stage musical featuring music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, as well as a book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart. Zero Mostel and Jack Gilford reprised their stage roles, and Phil Silvers takes the role that he declined for the Broadway production. This was also the final film role for the legendary Buster Keaton, who was 70 years old, and terminally ill with cancer, but he was still able to perform most of his own stunts. Future director Nicolas Roeg served as cinematographer for this film
The film version is different from the stage play, thanks to the efforts of producer Melvin Frank and writer Michael Pertwee, who rearranged the plot and cut most of the songs ("Comedy Tonight" did make the cut, so don't panic!). Shevelove and Gelbart were dissatisfied with the cinematic version of the play.
In Rome, during the reign of Emperor Nero, Pseudolus (Mostel) is a slave who wants his freedom more than anything else from his masters Senex (Michael Hordern) and his dominating wife Domina (Patricia Jessel). Their son, Hero (Crawford), has fallin in love with the virginal Philia (Andre), who comes from the house of a brothel owner named Marcus Lycus (Silvers). Learning this, Pseudolus strikes a deal: he'll win Philia for Hero in return for his freedom. But, Philia has been sold to the great Roman soldier, Captain Miles "I am a parade!" Gloriosus (Leon Greene), who is returning home from conquering Crete to claim her as his own.
Pseudolus blackmails his overseer Hysterium (Gilford) into posing as the corpse of Philia to fool people, but this never works the way they intended. Meanwhile, we also follow the elderly and senile Erronius (Keaton) as he searches for his long lost children, who were kidnapped many years ago.
Every so often, you need some decent camp to watch, and this film was a riot to me. Highly recommended.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
The Knack ...and How to Get It
The Knack ...and How to Get It. 1965 United Artists, distributed to DVD by MGM.
Starring: Ray Brooks, Michael Crawford, Donal Donnelly, Rita Tushingham
Director: Richard Lester
Available at Amazon.
Richard Lester, hot on the success of A Hard Day's Night the year before, directed this film adaptation of Ann Jellicoe's play. Three roommates, womanizing musician Tolen (Brooks), a paranoid teacher Colin (Crawford), and the artist Tom (Donnelly) all compete for the attention from a newcomer named Nancy (Tushingham) after she arrives in London.
A funny, and beautifully shot film utilizing all of Lester's trademarks: oddly edited scenes, subtitles, and disappoving older cast members looking down on the younger generation. Highly recommended.
Starring: Ray Brooks, Michael Crawford, Donal Donnelly, Rita Tushingham
Director: Richard Lester
Available at Amazon.
Richard Lester, hot on the success of A Hard Day's Night the year before, directed this film adaptation of Ann Jellicoe's play. Three roommates, womanizing musician Tolen (Brooks), a paranoid teacher Colin (Crawford), and the artist Tom (Donnelly) all compete for the attention from a newcomer named Nancy (Tushingham) after she arrives in London.
A funny, and beautifully shot film utilizing all of Lester's trademarks: oddly edited scenes, subtitles, and disappoving older cast members looking down on the younger generation. Highly recommended.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Help!
Help! 1965 Walter Shenson Films & United Artists (rights now controlled by Apple Corps).
Starring: The Beatles, Leo McKern, Eleanor Bron, Victor Spinetti, Roy Kinnear, John Bluthal
Director: Richard Lester
Buy Help! at Amazon, or maybe you'd prefer to invest in the significantly more expensive deluxe edition?
An eastern cult is intending to sacrifice a woman to the goddess Kaili, but she's not wearing the sacrificial ring. The cult finds out that the ring, an enormous red stone, is on the finger of Ringo. After several failed attempts at retrieving the ring, they confront the Beatles in a restaurant, and tell them that Ringo will be the next sacrifice if he does not return the ring. Attempts by a jeweler to remove the ring fail. The boys visit a mad scientist named Professor Foot (Spinetti) and his assistant Algernon (Kinnear). When his equipment doesn't have any effect on the ring, Foot decides that he must gain control of the ring. The Beatles are unexpectedly rescued by Ahme (Bron), formerly the cult's high priestess.
The band flees to the Alps, followed by the cult and Professor Foot, where a plot to kill Ringo with a "fiendish thingy" fails. Racing back to England, they are still ambushed on Salisbury Plain despite the presense of British military units. The Beatles embark to the Bahamas, where after Ringo is nearly kidnapped, John, Paul and George pose as Ringo to lure the cult members out, where they are arrested by Bahamas police officers. Foot still pinches Ringo, and takes him to a boat to cut off his finger to get that ring off. Ahme comes to Ringo's rescue, and they swim (well, Ringo can't swim) for it, only to be caught by the cult. Taken to the beach, the cult's Swami named Clang (McKern) tells Ringo that the cult is prepared to fight off the other three Beatles and the police when they come to the rescue, and that he'll die instantly if he tries to warn them. While freeing himself, Ringo waves an arm to ward his mates off, only to see the ring fly off. Ringo puts the ring on Clang's finger, and Ahme declares that he will be the next sacrifice. The movie ends with "Help!" playing, the band running around, and the cult members getting arrested.
Not as good as A Hard Day's Night, but a very funny and enjoyable movie nevertheless. The Beatles themselves weren't that impressed with the final product, and admitted to spending a lot of the production stoned on marijuana. Recommended.
Starring: The Beatles, Leo McKern, Eleanor Bron, Victor Spinetti, Roy Kinnear, John Bluthal
Director: Richard Lester
Buy Help! at Amazon, or maybe you'd prefer to invest in the significantly more expensive deluxe edition?
An eastern cult is intending to sacrifice a woman to the goddess Kaili, but she's not wearing the sacrificial ring. The cult finds out that the ring, an enormous red stone, is on the finger of Ringo. After several failed attempts at retrieving the ring, they confront the Beatles in a restaurant, and tell them that Ringo will be the next sacrifice if he does not return the ring. Attempts by a jeweler to remove the ring fail. The boys visit a mad scientist named Professor Foot (Spinetti) and his assistant Algernon (Kinnear). When his equipment doesn't have any effect on the ring, Foot decides that he must gain control of the ring. The Beatles are unexpectedly rescued by Ahme (Bron), formerly the cult's high priestess.
The band flees to the Alps, followed by the cult and Professor Foot, where a plot to kill Ringo with a "fiendish thingy" fails. Racing back to England, they are still ambushed on Salisbury Plain despite the presense of British military units. The Beatles embark to the Bahamas, where after Ringo is nearly kidnapped, John, Paul and George pose as Ringo to lure the cult members out, where they are arrested by Bahamas police officers. Foot still pinches Ringo, and takes him to a boat to cut off his finger to get that ring off. Ahme comes to Ringo's rescue, and they swim (well, Ringo can't swim) for it, only to be caught by the cult. Taken to the beach, the cult's Swami named Clang (McKern) tells Ringo that the cult is prepared to fight off the other three Beatles and the police when they come to the rescue, and that he'll die instantly if he tries to warn them. While freeing himself, Ringo waves an arm to ward his mates off, only to see the ring fly off. Ringo puts the ring on Clang's finger, and Ahme declares that he will be the next sacrifice. The movie ends with "Help!" playing, the band running around, and the cult members getting arrested.
Not as good as A Hard Day's Night, but a very funny and enjoyable movie nevertheless. The Beatles themselves weren't that impressed with the final product, and admitted to spending a lot of the production stoned on marijuana. Recommended.
A Hard Day's Night
A Hard Day's Night. 1964 Proscenium Films & United Artists (now controlled by Miramax Films).
Starring: The Beatles, Wilfrid Brambell, Norman Rossington, John Junkin, Victor Spinetti, Anna Quayle
Director: Richard Lester
Buy A Hard Day's Night at Amazon.
The screenplay for A Hard Day's Night was written by Alun Owen, who spent several days with the Beatles, and wrote the movie from a viewpoint that the group had been trapped by their own fame. However, their biggest problem isn't their own fame, but Paul's "clean" grandfather (Brambell), who was brought along on the train to London because he's "nursing a broken heart". Hassled by their manager (Junkin, bearing absolutely no resemblance to Brian Epstein at all), and other distractions on the train, they retreat to a caboose for some privacy.
On arrival in London, they are taken to a hotel where all involved feel trapped. The night after Grandfather causes a minor disturbance at a casino, the band is taken to the theater where their performance will be filmed. Bored with the length of the preparations of the show, Ringo takes a walk, trying to have a quiet drink in a pub, walking alongside a canal, and riding a bike. He returns, and the show goes on as planned. Paul's grandfather remembers there's a trap door on the stage, and makes an unscheduled appearance during the show's final song, "She Loves You".
A decent and very influential movie. Seek it out immediately!
Starring: The Beatles, Wilfrid Brambell, Norman Rossington, John Junkin, Victor Spinetti, Anna Quayle
Director: Richard Lester
Buy A Hard Day's Night at Amazon.
The screenplay for A Hard Day's Night was written by Alun Owen, who spent several days with the Beatles, and wrote the movie from a viewpoint that the group had been trapped by their own fame. However, their biggest problem isn't their own fame, but Paul's "clean" grandfather (Brambell), who was brought along on the train to London because he's "nursing a broken heart". Hassled by their manager (Junkin, bearing absolutely no resemblance to Brian Epstein at all), and other distractions on the train, they retreat to a caboose for some privacy.
On arrival in London, they are taken to a hotel where all involved feel trapped. The night after Grandfather causes a minor disturbance at a casino, the band is taken to the theater where their performance will be filmed. Bored with the length of the preparations of the show, Ringo takes a walk, trying to have a quiet drink in a pub, walking alongside a canal, and riding a bike. He returns, and the show goes on as planned. Paul's grandfather remembers there's a trap door on the stage, and makes an unscheduled appearance during the show's final song, "She Loves You".
A decent and very influential movie. Seek it out immediately!
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