Tumgik
#George sewell
mariocki · 1 year
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Doctor Who: Remembrance of the Daleks (25.1, BBC, 1988)
"Frightening, isn't it? To find that there are others better versed at death than human beings."
#classic doctor who#doctor who#remembrance of the daleks#1988#bbc#seven#ben aaronovitch#andrew morgan#sylvester mccoy#sophie aldred#simon williams#pamela salem#karen gledhill#dursley mclinden#terry molloy#george sewell#jasmine breaks#michael sheard#harry fowler#joseph marcell#peter halliday#unlike my last few classic who watches‚ where I've been catching up on serials that somehow eluded me as a youth‚ this one is an old#favourite; actually it may be if not the first bit of Who i ever saw then the earliest bit i remember seeing (not on first transmission tho#as i was not quite born). an action packed spectacle (surely one of classic who's grandest fx showings? the dalek shuttle landing in the#playground STILL looks impressive in 2023) and an intelligently scripted plot which elevates a bit of standard back and forth shenanigans#i probably didn't pick up on the refs to fascism as a nipper‚ but kudos to Aaronovitch for threading in a commentary on racism that feels#organic and genuine and not just stuffed in. goes easier on the continuity refs than Attack of the Cybermen but there's some nice callbacks#and it's lovely that they got old Who hands like Sheard and Halliday to fill in some of the smaller parts. also Prof Jensen and Allison my#beloveds; such wonderfully drawn characters full of dry wit and real exasperation‚ responding genuinely to an incredible situation#perhaps not the high octane masterpiece i remember from my youth‚ but a very solid bit of old who and a wholesome revisit
79 notes · View notes
uwmspeccoll · 11 months
Text
Shakespeare Weekend!
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
The next illustrated collection of Shakespeare from our holdings is the second edition of The Works of Mr. William Shakespear: In Ten Volumes published by Alexander Pope (1688-1744) and Dr. George Sewell (d. 1726) for Jacob Tonson (1655-1736). Pope’s second edition was published in eight volumes in 1728, followed by supplementary ninth and tenth volumes. Sewell is only credited within the tenth volume. 
Volume One includes a preface by Pope followed by Nicholas Rowe’s biographical essay Some Account of the Life of Mr. William Shakespear and a poem in memory of Shakespeare by English dramatist Ben Jonson (1572-1637). Plays contained within volume one include The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and Measure for Measure. 
Pope’s editions of Shakespeare were the first attempted to collate all previous publications in order to help determine authorial text and regularize Shakespearean metre. He consulted twenty-seven early quartos restoring passages that had been out of print for almost a century. Pope also took liberties in removing about 1,560 lines of material that didn’t appeal to him. Some such lines were degraded to the bottom of the page with his other editorial notes. At the time, his editorial hand was met with some criticism and dismissal but historically it may be seen as one of the first scholarly approaches to Shakespeare.  
Pope followed in Rowe’s footsteps including scene divisions, stage directions, dramatis personae, and full-page engravings preceding each play. Volume One’s engravings are attributed to French artist Louis Du Guernier (1677-1716) and Englishman Paul Fourdrinier (1698-1758). Dedicated readers of Shakespeare Weekend may notice some of the engravings’ extreme similarities to François Boitard’s work from Rowe’s volumes, particularly in the frontispiece interpretation of Shakespeare's Stratford monument.
Tumblr media
View more Shakespeare Weekend posts. 
-Jenna, Special Collections Graduate Intern 
35 notes · View notes
capsource · 1 year
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Silent Hill Downpour caps
Available for anyone who wants to use them, no credit needed but super appreciated. All these caps are 3840x2160. Some of the characters have sub folders to divvy up the caps into more manageable downloads, but if there are any issues, please feel free to let me know!
In this folder, you will find: Anne Cunningham | Bobby Ricks | Charlie Pendleton | Frank Coleridge | George Sewell | Howard Blackwood | JP Sater | Murphy Pendleton
Folder can be found [ here ] Buy me a [ ko-fi ] if you’d like!
21 notes · View notes
sasaofastora · 10 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
~ George Sewell ~ Gen One ~ Founder ~
Read George's story here.
I had a lot of fun making moodboards for each of the characters in the Finch Legacy so far- including portraits of my sims made on the ToonMe app.
9 notes · View notes
ratarttra · 11 months
Text
Tumblr media
13 notes · View notes
claudia1829things · 5 months
Text
"BLEAK HOUSE" (1985) Review
Tumblr media
"BLEAK HOUSE" (1985) Review
In less than I year, I have developed this fascination with the works of Charles Dickens. How did this come about? I do not know. I have seen previous Dickens movie and television adaptations in the past. But ever since last year, I have been viewing these adaptations with a vengeance. And one of them turned out to be "BLEAK HOUSE", the 1985 adaptation of Dickens' 1852-53 novel.
Adapted by Arthur Hopcraft, this eight-episode miniseries conveyed the affects of Jarndyce v Jardyce, a long-running legal probate case involving the existence of more than one will. The heirs and their descendants have been waiting decades for the court to determine the legal will, for the sake of a large inheritance. Among those affected by the Jarndyce v Jardyce case are:
*John Jarndyce - a wealthy English landowner, who happens to be the proprietor of the estate, Bleak House. Jarndyce had inherited it from his uncle Tom Jarndyce, who had went mad waiting for a verdict on the case before committing suicide. *Richard Carstones - Tom Jarndyce's grandson and John Jarndyce's cousin, who also became one of the latter's legal wards, and a potential beneficiary of the Jarndyce v Jardyce case. *Ada Clare - Tom Jarndyce's granddaughter and Mr. Jarndyce's cousin, who also became one of his legal wards, and a potential beneficiary of the Jarndyce v Jardyce case. She and Richard, also cousins, became romantically involved. *Esther Summerson - one of the novel's main characters and orphan, who became Mr. Jarndyce's ward following the death of her previous guardian, Miss Barbury, who had also been her biological aunt. She joined the Bleak House household as Ada's companion and Mr. Jarndyce's housekeeper after he became the guardian of Richard and Ada. *Honoria, Lady Dedlock - the wife of baronet Sir Leicester Dedlock and a beneficiary of the Jarndyce v Jardyce case. She is also the younger sister of Miss Barbury and Esther's illegitimate mother. *Captain John Hawdon aka Nemo - a former British Army officer, who became an impoverished law writer and drug addict. He is also Lady Dedlock's former lover and Esther's illegitimate father. His penmanship on one of the Jarndyce v Jardyce affidavit attracts Lady Dedlock's attention. *Mr. Bill Tulkinghorn - Sir Leicester's ruthless lawyer, who noticed Lady Dedlock's reaction to the affidavit. This leads him to investigate her past and possible connection to Hawdon aka "Nemo". *Miss Flite - An elderly woman living in London, whose family had been destroyed by a long-running Chancery case similar to Jarndyce v Jarndyce. This has led her to develop an obsessive fascination with Chancery cases, especially the main one featured in this story. She quickly befriended Esther, Richard, Ada and Mr. Jarndyce.
As one can see, these characters represented plot arcs that connect to the Jarndyce v Jarndyce case. As one of the beneficiaries of the Jarndyce case, Richard becomes obsessed with the verdict. He seemed more interested in depending upon the Jarndyce verdict to provide him with an income rather than pursue a profession. This obsession eventually led to a clash between and Mr. Jarndyce, who has tried to warn him not to get involved with the case. Another clash formed between Lady Dedlock and Mr. Tulkinghorn, due to his determination to find proof of her past with Nemo and the conception of their child. A clash that proved to create even more damaging for a good number of people, than the one between Mr. Jarndyce and Richard. In the midst of all this stood Esther, who served as an emotional blanket for several characters - especially the inhabitants at Bleak House, a potential romantic figure for three men (ironic for a woman who was not supposed to be a great beauty), and the center of the Lady Dedlock-Nemo scandal.
For years, 1985's "BLEAK HOUSE" had been viewed as the superior adaptation of Dickens' novel. The first novel aired back in 1959. But a third television adaptation that aired in 2005 had managed to overshadow this second adaptation's reputation. But this is not about comparing the three adaptations. I am focusing only the 1985 miniseries. If I might be blunt, I believe screenwriter Arthur Hopcraft and director Ross Devenish created one of the better Charles Dickens I have personally seen. Granted, one might use the source material - the 1952-53 novel - as the reason behind the miniseries' top quality. But I have seen my share of poor adaptations of excellent source material . . . and excellent adaptations of poor or mediocre novels and plays. And I would find this excuse too simply to swallow. Hopcraft and Devenish could have easily created a poor or mediocre adaptation of the novel. Fortunately, I believe they had managed to avoid the latter.
With eight episodes, Hopcraft and Devenish did an excellent job in conveying Dickens' exploration into the chaos of the legal landscape in 19th century Britain, especially cases involving the Chancery courts. One might consider the longevity of Jarndyce v Jarndyce rather exaggerated. However, I speak from personal experience that an extended length of time in such a case is more than possible. But what I thought the effect of Jarndyce v Jarndyce and similar cases in Dickens' story seemed very interesting. In Richard Carstone's case, I suspect his own hubris and upbringing had allowed the case to have such a toxic effect upon him. He had been raised as a gentleman. Which meant he was not expected to work for a living. But since he did not possess a fortune or an estate - like Mr. Jarndyce - Richard never lost hope that the court would rule the Jarndyce v Jarndyce case in his favor, allowing him to inherit a great deal of money. Although it took another case to send Miss Flyte mentally around the bend, I found it interesting that her obsession with Chancery cases led her to attach her interest to the Jarndyce case beneficiaries.
The Jarndyce case also produce a group of leeches in the forms of attorneys like Mr. Tulkinghorn and his obsession with assuming control over the Dedlocks and Mr. Vholes, who had sucked a great deal of money from Richard in exchange for his legal services. The series also featured the vicious moneylender Mr. Smallweed, who helped Mr. Tulkinghorn in the latter's campaign against Lady Dedlock; and Mr. Jarndyce's "friend", Harold Skimpole, who had not only encouraged Richard to pursue a greater interest in the Jarndyce case, but also had accepted a "commission" from Vholes to recruit the young man as a client. Would I regard William Guppy as a leech? Sometimes. I had noticed that one particular story arc was missing - namely the story arc regarding the philanthropist Mrs. Jellyby, her daughter and Esther's friend, Caddy and the Turveydrop family. This did not bother me, for I have never been a fan of that particular arc.
However, I also noticed that "BLEAK HOUSE" featured a few moments in which important plot points had been revealed through dialogue or shown after the fact. Audiences never saw Skimpole convince Richard to hire Mr. Vholes. Instead, Mr. Jarndyce had revealed this incident after it happened. The whole scenario regarding Dr. Allan Woodcock being a survivor of a shipwreck was handled as a past event revealed by the good doctor himself. Hopcraft's script never stretched it out in the same manner as Dickens' novel or the 2005 miniseries. Audiences never saw George Rouncewell's release from jail, for which he had been incarcerated for murder. Instead, Episode Seven began with George in jail and later, near the end, found him serving as Sir Leicester's valet without any information on how that came about.
"BLEAK HOUSE" featured a few other writing and direction decisions by Hopcraft and Devenish that I found . . . well, questionable. Why did the pair solely focused on Lady Dedlock in the series' penultimate episode and Richard and the Jarndyce v Jarndyce case in the final one? Would it have been so difficult for them to switch back and forth between the two arcs in those final episodes? I found Inspector Bucket's resolution to the story's murder mystery rather rushed. I would have liked to see Bucket eliminate suspects before solving the case. In Bucket's final scene with the killer, Hopcraft left out that moment from the novel when the latter had the last scathing word on British society, leaving the police detective speechless. This erasure dimmed the impact of Dickens' message and made the killer even more of a caricature. I had some issues with how Devenish directed certain performances. How can I put this? I found them a bit theatrical.
I have one last issue - namely Kenneth MacMillan's cinematography. I realize that in "BLEAK HOUSE", fog represented institutional oppression and human confusion and misery in society. Unfortunately, I feel that MacMillan may have been heavy-handed in utilizing this symbol in the series. It is bad enough that photography featured a fuzzy element that seemed popular in many period productions in the 1970s. But thanks to MacMillan's use of fog in the story, there were many moment in which I could barely see a damn thing. And I found that irritating.
Aside from a few quibbles, I had no real issues with the performances featured in "BLEAK HOUSE". One of those quibbles proved to be the performances for some of the secondary cast members. How can I say this? The exaggerated and wooden performances for some of the cast members brought back memories of some of the minor actors' bad performances in 1982 miniseries, "THE BLUE AND THE GRAY". I must admit that I did not care for Pamela Merrick's portrayal of Lady Dedlock's French maid, Madame Hortense. Her performance bordered and then surpassed the lines of caricature - as some British actors/actresses tend to do. Charlie Drake's portrayal of the moneylender Smallweed tend to waver between a pretty solid performance and pure caricature. Although there were moments when I found her portrayal of the eccentric Miss Flyte a bit hammy, I must admit that Sylvia Coleridge gave a well-done performance. Chris Pitt's performance as Jo, the crossing sweeper boy struck me as very poignant. Yet, at the same time, he seemed so passive that at times, I found it difficult to believe he had survived on the streets on his own, for so long. Jonathan Moore, whom I had remembered from the 1988 television movie, "JACK THE RIPPER"; did an excellent job of conveying the ambitious and self-interested nature of law clerk William Guppy. However, his portrayal of Guppy seemed to lack the character's comedic nature. Denholm Elliot gave a very interesting performance as Esther, Richard and Ada's guardian, John Jarndyce. On one level, I found his portrayal of the kind-hearted Mr. Jarndyce as first-rate. Excellent. But there were moments, including the character's famous quote following Jo's death, when Elliott's Mr. Jarndyce seemed to resemble one of those "angry young men" characters from a John Osbourne play. I found those moments very odd.
However, there were performances that did not leave me scratching my head. Colin Jeavons and Anne Reid gave very competent performances as the grasping solicitor Mr. Vholes and George Rouncewell's close friend Mrs. Bagnet, respectively. Ironically, Jeavons had portrayed Richard Carstone in the 1959 adaptation of "Bleak House" and Reid had portrayed Mrs. Rouncewell in the 2005 television adaptation. Both Suzanne Burden and Lucy Hornak gave solid performances as Esther Summerson and Ada Clare. And yet, both actresses managed to rise to the occasion with some brilliant moments. Burden's moment came, following Esther's realization that she had survived the smallpox. As for Hornak, she gave an excellent performance during Ada's soliloquy about her love's growing obsession with the Jarndyce case. Brian Deacon gave a passionate performance as Dr. Allan Woodcourt, the penniless doctor in love with Esther. Ian Hogg gave a very solid, yet commanding performance as Inspector Bucket. I really enjoyed Sam Kelly's warm portrayal of the law-stationer, Mr. Snagsby. Bernard Hepton gave one of the most colorful performances of his career as the alcoholic rag and bone shopkeeper, Krook. Dave King gave a very solid performance as the loyal, yet intimidating and conservative former Army sergeant George Rouncewell. I found George Sewell's performance as Sergeant Rouncewell's older brother, the wealthy Mr. Rouncewell not only entertaining, but very memorable. I thought Robin Bailey did an excellent job portrayed the haughty and proud Sir Leicester Dedlock.
But there were four performances that really impressed me. One came from Philip Franks, who did an excellent job of conveying Richard Carstone's emotional journey from John Jarndyce's warm and friendly young man, to the more embittered one, obsessed with the Jarndyce case. T.P. McKenna gave a delicious performance as Mr. Jarndyce's self-involved friend, Harold Skimpole, who proved to be quite the emotional (and financial) vampire. I thought Peter Vaughan was superb as the Dedlocks' sinister lawyer, Mr. Tulkinghorn. I was amazed by how Vaughn managed to combine the character's dedication to protecting his client Sir Leicester and his penchant for assuming control over others. If I had voted for the best performance featured in "BLEAK HOUSE", I would choose Diana Rigg's portrayal of the tragic Honoria, Lady Dedlock. I believe the actress gave a brilliant performance as the mysterious, yet complicated baronet's wife, whose cool demeanor hid a great deal of emotions and a personal secret. I am shocked and amazed that neither she, Vaughn, McKenna or Franks had ever received any accolades for their performances.
In fact, I am surprised that "BLEAK HOUSE" had only received BAFTA nominations (and won three) . . . and they were in the technical/arts category, aside for the Best Drama Series/Serial. No Primetime Emmy nominations, whatsoever. Was this eight-part miniseries the best adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1852-53 novel? I cannot answer that question. Granted, it had its flaws. But what television or movie production did not? But I cannot deny that "BLEAK HOUSE" was a first-rate miniseries that deserved more accolades than it had received, thanks to Arthur Hopcraft's screenplay, Ross Devenish's direction and an excellent cast led by Suzanne Burden, Denholm Elliott and Diana Rigg.
Tumblr media
4 notes · View notes
kwebtv · 10 months
Text
Tumblr media
Jasper Carrott, George Sewell and Robert Powell in "The Detectives"
2 notes · View notes
vintage1981 · 2 years
Text
Tumblr media
UFO S.H.A.D.O. Technical Operations Manual Standard and Special Edition (Hardcover Book) | Available Now! 
The Official Gerry Anderson Store is excited to offer this manual which has been created to feel like the manual given to each recruit as they join S.H.A.D.O. to take on the dangerous role of defending the Earth from alien invaders.
If you are holding this manual then it means you have been invited to one of the largest undertakings mankind has ever attempted. The Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organisation is tasked with the defence of the planet in the face of a significantly more advanced alien menace all while maintaining absolute secrecy from the general population.
This Technical Operations Manual will:
– Help you learn the history of S.H.A.D.O.
– Introduce you to the vehicles and equipment you will be using through extensive illustrations and blueprints.
– Offer you an overview of everything we know about the Alien threat.
Welcome to S.H.A.D.O...
Cover: Hardback
Number of pages: 208
Dimensions: 230 x 300 mm x 25 mm
Weight: 1.5kg
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A PRE-ORDER ITEM AND IS ESTIMATED TO BE AVAILABLE AND DISPATCHING ON OCTOBER 31ST 2022
youtube
7 notes · View notes
nihillist-blog · 4 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Dark City (1998)
47 notes · View notes
weirdlookindog · 1 year
Text
Tumblr media
Amos Sewell - Nightmare House
(Horror Stories - January 1935)
38 notes · View notes
mariocki · 2 years
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Production stills from the 1981 Duchess Theatre staging of The Business of Murder, with original cast members Francis Matthews as Stone, George Sewell as Hallett and Lynette Davies as Dee.
#100plays#the business of murder#richard harris#1981#production photos#bts#onstage#modern drama#modern theatre#francis matthews#george sewell#lynette davies#this was the original Windsor Theatre Company production which transferred from Windsor's Theatre Royal to the Duchess in London#and then again to the May Fair Theatre‚ running seven years in total (a considerable success even in the 80s)#(albeit with some cast changes)#on beginning the play I felt sure Harris must have written the part of Hallett especially for Sewell‚ his voice is just so easy to hear in#the role; it's that particular mix of near sullen‚ idle confidence and brittle hardness masked by unconvincing friendliness that#GS did so well in many of his roles. he'd worked for Harris at least once before‚ in a guest spot on Man in a Suitcase; but I've since#learnt that The Business of Murder was shown in two parts on LWT as part of their Sunday Night Thriller anthology in late Feb 81#just two weeks after the original Windsor production opened‚ where Hallett was played onscreen by Gareth Hunt (a little harder to hear#in the dialogue truthfully). so which came first‚ the tv version or the play? they debuted almost concurrently and would both have been in#production for some various time before they actually began.. without asking Harris himself (and he is still alive so if anybody has an#address...) it's difficult to know which was the impetus for the other‚ and which casting (if indeed either) is the more legitimate
8 notes · View notes
uwmspeccoll · 9 months
Text
Shakespeare Weekend
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
This weekend we return to The works of Mr. William Shakespear: in ten volumes with the fifth volume published in 1728 by Alexander Pope (1688-1744) and Dr. George Sewell (d. 1726) for Jacob Tonson. Volume Five is made up of King Henry VI Part I, King Henry VI Part II, King Henry VI Part III, and King Richard III. The four plays create a tetralogy that covers the entire saga of the Wars of the Roses, a series of 15th century civil wars fought to determine control of the English throne.  
King Henry VI Part I enacts the loss of England’s French territories and the political momentum spurring on the Wars of the Roses. Part II delves into King Henry’s failings and the rise of the Duke of York. Part III documents the chaos and horror of war and contains one of the longest soliloquies in all of Shakespeare. The volume ends with King Richard III depicting the violent rise and short reign of King Richard III.  
Like Rowe’s earlier collection, scene divisions, stage directions, dramatis personae, and full-page engravings by either French artist Louis Du Guernier (1677-1716) or Englishman Paul Fourdrinier (1698-1758) precede each play.  
Pope’s editions of Shakespeare were the first attempted to collate all previous publications. He consulted twenty-seven early quartos restoring passages that had been out of print for almost a century while simultaneously removing about 1,560 lines of material that didn’t appeal to him. Some of those lines were degraded to the bottom of the page with his other editorial notes.  
View more Shakespeare Weekend posts. 
Tumblr media
-Jenna, Special Collections Graduate Intern 
23 notes · View notes
yr-obedt-cicero · 2 years
Note
Heyoooo,
Ok, this is gonna be a fun question,
Which actors/actresses will you cast if you are the director directing a movie or TV show about revolutionary war?
People like George Washington, his Aid-de-Camps, the Schuyler sisters and such?
I'm absolute shit at remembering celebrities so many of these are me recasting actors from other shows I've watched.
Ian Kahn as George Washington
Honestly I thought he did a great job in Turn, if only it wasn't for the unnecessary dramatics occasionally but that is really the director's fault rather than his. But I think he has the complexion and characteristics down perfectly, he honestly captures Washington's not so liked side of him with his explosive temper, or harsh judgement. But also his human side of not being a famously trained general with the brightest mind or insight on things throughout the revolution.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Rufus Sewell as Nathaniel Greene
I have seen Sewell's great acting from the HBO max John Adams miniseries, and while I don't think he makes an all-too-grand Hamilton — his features and build could work perfectly for Nathaniel Greene.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Josh Whitehouse as Alexander Hamilton
It is extremely hard for me to find any actors I'll actually find suitable for Hamilton, due to how unique his features are but I think Whitehouse would work pretty nicely. He has the chin, and while not quite the nose it still works. And he has experience doing period dramas from the BBC series Poldark.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Seth Numrich as John Laurens
Pretty self-explanatory, but I absolutely loved his acting as Benjamin Tallmadge in Turn and think he would work greatly for Laurens.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Jamie Beamish as Charles Lee
I thought he played his character nicely in Bridgertons, and the same slimy, stubborn, foolish personality would also match with Lee's. His complexion doesn't match as much as I would like but I think his acting is the major key.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Anyway that's all I can think of for right now, maybe I will do one for more of the Aides-de-camp, or generals, but that's all for now.
88 notes · View notes
irateperioddrama · 2 years
Text
Tumblr media
Sorry, I mean SULTRY
12 notes · View notes
Text
Review: Dark City (1998)
Dark City (1998)
Rated R for violent images and some sexuality
Tumblr media
<Originally posted at https://kevinsreviewcatalogue.blogspot.com/2023/04/review-dark-city-1998.html>
Score: 4 out of 5
Dark City is a film that failed at the box office in its time and, despite a critical reevaluation as one of the hidden science fiction gems of the '90s, still gets overlooked quite often nowadays, for one simple reason: despite its mind-bending plot and creative visual design homaging classic '40s/'50s film noir, it had the misfortune of coming out just a year before The Matrix, a sci-fi masterpiece with very similar themes about what we think of as reality being just an illusion designed to control us. This film was a much more cerebral thriller whose effects shots, while no less visually impressive, were a lot less punchy and action-packed, instead feeling like if the first half-hour of The Matrix got stretched to feature length, given a retro gloss, and focused mainly on Keanu Reeves slowly peeling away the layers of his world, saving the big action sequence for the very end. It's a moody, foreboding film that built up to a great reveal while slowly imbuing the viewer with a paranoid suspicion that their own world may not be "right", and while the finale wrapped things up a bit too neatly and conventionally for my tastes with a rather silly-looking confrontation, the meat of the film was still a slick and highly effective tale that I won't forget anytime soon -- ironic, given what the villains here like to do to people.
The film takes place in an unnamed city with vaguely mid-20th-century technology, aesthetics, and feel, specifically the kind lifted out of a Raymond Chandler novel, a place where the streets are always cloaked in shadows even during what feels like it should be the daytime -- and hey, while you may have childhood memories of sunny days, when's the last time you saw the sun, anyway? We start with a man who wakes up in a hotel room with no memory, only figuring out that his name is John Murdoch from the ID in his wallet, surrounded by the corpses of dead prostitutes that he probably killed, which is not a situation that most of us would want to stick around for so they can calmly explain everything to the police. On the run from the law and searching for both Emma, a cabaret singer who he finds out was his wife, and Dr. Daniel Schreber, who he finds out used to be his psychiatrist, John gets pulled into a twisted web as he's pursued by the Strangers, mysterious, inhumanly pale-skinned men in hats and trenchcoats who he soon finds aren't entirely human, and who seem to control the city from the shadows and regard him as a threat to their plans. Meanwhile, Inspector Frank Bumstead sets out hot on the tail of the suspected murderer, not knowing exactly what he's getting himself into.
I can't really go into much more detail about the plot. Like a lot of old-fashioned mysteries, this is a movie where part of the fun is piecing the puzzle together yourself and then the film revealing how close you came to the truth, albeit one that puts a sci-fi twist on the usual noir story. I can, however, speak to the production values and writer/director Alex Proyas' sense of style, and on that front, I was at once pulled into the film's world and wondering what awful truths lay outside it. The city is the kind of seedy place you'd set a hardboiled detective story, exaggerated to the point where it feels like a warped parody thereof and creating an unsettling feel that this place should not be. Some of the supporting cast members having spotty American accents (this was shot in Australia), something I'd normally ding a film for, only lent to the uncanny valley feel of the city, as did countless other little quirks that made the place feel like somebody trying to draw a picture of a mid-century East Coast metropolis without any reference points as to what that would look like beyond old movies. And that's before you get to the Strangers who are after John, who wear conspicuous trenchcoats and have names like "Mr. Book", "Mr. Hand", and "Mr. Sleep" that sound like somebody tried to come up with ordinary-sounding "John Smith" names to blend in and... didn't pull it off, on top of their general weirdness and stilted manner of speaking calling to mind the G-Man from Half-Life. While it takes a while to get to the "why" of the titular dark city, the film lets you know rather quickly that this is not a normal city, and even before we get to the big special effects shots, Proyas did a great job right off the bat heightening its artifice and pale imitation of humanity. More than anything, it felt like I was watching the darkest possible film adaptation of The Sims, predating the first game by a couple of years but otherwise, without spoiling anything, taking some of the series' central concepts and playing them for paranoid horror.
The cast also did great in making this world feel just the right mix of real and artificial. Rufus Sewell as John, Jennifer Connelly as Emma, and William Hurt as Bumstead all felt like they could've been lifted out of a real 1940s film noir, while Kiefer Sutherland played Schreber as a character wholly unlike the take-charge heroes he's been coded as since 24, a dweebish doctor who serves as the main characters' bridge between the world they know and what's really going on through his exposition. The special effects were not the focus, but they were astonishing to watch for a fairly low-budgeted '90s film, especially a key sequence where we witness the city's buildings shifting around as the Strangers' true power over the city is made clear. Only at the very end did it feel like Proyas ran out of ideas, as John's final confrontation with the Strangers after unlocking his true power ended with them shooting beams of light at each other with their minds while buildings crumbled around them. It all felt pretty goofy, like they needed to find a way to wrap this up and have the hero prevail, even though if I was writing this, there are some seriously dark directions I could've taken the story. The ending, I feel, underlines the big reason why The Matrix was the big late '90s sci-fi movie about reality being a lie that everybody remembers; when it did similar battles between the good guys and bad guys, they came in the form of epic shootouts and martial arts sequences straight out of Hong Kong.
The Bottom Line
Dark City is a film that doesn't get talked up nearly enough, even if I can't really say much more in a non-spoiler review. Ending aside, it makes a great companion to The Matrix as a more cerebral and noir-tinged take on very similar concepts, one that will, at the very least, make it very difficult for you to play The Sims the same way again. A big thank you to Popcorn Frights for screening it last week. Check it out.
4 notes · View notes
kwebtv · 6 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Home James! - ITV - July 1, 1987 - July 23, 1990
Sitcom (25 Episodes)
Running Time: 30 minutes
Stars:
Jim Davidson as Jim London
George Sewell as Robert Palmer
Harry Towb as Henry Compton
Vanessa Knox-Mawer as Sarah Palmer
Sherrie Hewson as Paula
Cecilia-Marie Carreon as Connie
Owen Whittaker as Terry
1 note · View note