FILM SCOTTISH
VIDEOS
[Elim- BBIGITTE BABDDT
Director Roger Vadim surely knew he had a phenomenon, if not exactly an actress, on his hands when he made And God Created Woman (18) back in 1956. Making her debut and becoming an international star overnight, Brigitte Bardot is the embodiment of the young continental free spirit, flirting with a trio of brothers and a businessman in St Tropez. There’s only glimpses of the once-scandalous nudity, so, 40 years on, it’s possible to concentrate on the more serious
SCOTTISH FILM
I The Contract: Ewan Morrison's ambitious blend of masochism. psycholog and behavioural con'ection. The Contract - featured in the Scottish Film section of last issue — has won this year's Michael Samuelson‘s First Reels Award. The six-person jury also gave commendations to Carl Masson. who wrote and produced Blue Christmas. and to Peter Mullan and Frances Higson. writer/director and producer of Good Day F or The Bad Guys.
yr. , Austrian army officer (Alain Delon) . plagued by a doppelganger is well told
I Drambuie Edinburgh Film Festival: Some of the biggest names in world cinema will be heading to Edinburgh in
'rzvzau .nIi-tirrt-‘rr
m‘I'TT- g . , . . . . . . . JUL-M " August for a nightly series of extended psychological themes playing out in by Louis Malle. Vadim IS also around masterclasses. known as ‘Scene By the drama. With dull Dark Ages romp : Scene‘. The filmmakers themselves Seventeen years later, Vadim was ‘Metzengerstein’, which stars Jane
presenting Bardot’s charms as more dangerous, even deadly, in Don Juan (18). Told as a pseudo confession to her priest cousin, Bardot’s tale of driving men to seduction is really just an excuse to splash out on a couple of erotic scenes in flashback. And those receiving his or her just deserts, while costumes, that decor! An over- the arty approach of the directors designed 70s nightmare of kitsch, it’s ! doesn’t always suit the genre. (Alan now very dated and betrays the star’s Morrison) fading appeal. And God Created Woman, Don Juan Bald!" only has a support We in the and Spirits Of The Dead are available ‘William Wilson’ story in Spirits Of The . on the Arrow Video lable, priced Dead (18). Poe’s teasing tale of an I £15.99 each,
HEIN-
I Kuroneko ( l5 ) A remarkable Japanese folk tale from Kaneto Shindo. director of the equally impressive ()nihuha. A mother and daughter-in- law become revenge- driven vampire-ghosts when they are raped anti murdered by a group of mirrors the unfeeling samurais. but matters attitude of the infamous become complex when ; Don. (Tartan £15.99) their son/husband is sent I True Romance (l8) The to destroy them. summer continues to hot Chillingly atmospheric up with the first Tarantino black-and-white shots of piece that you‘re able to bamboo forests make this have (legitimately) in
a supernatural your own home. Tony masterpiece. (Tartan Scott‘s film makes the
£15.99) most of the wunderkind's I Shaolin Martial Arts ; script. but somehow it's (18) The evil Manchu clan not the central pair of decide to clear China of lovers-on-the-run who their kung fu rivals. and stick most in the mind. but so the students at the the myriad of kookic ancient Shaolin school characters who people this must return to traditional comic-book world.
Fonda as a sexually sadistic countess. Best of the trio is Fellini’s ‘Toby Dammit’, with Terence Stamp as an actor thrown into a crazin grotesque Home. In each section, the moral thrust has a nasty protagonist
I Clanlamfrie: The Scottish Film Production Fund’s new scheme for five-minute shorts on standard 16mm now has a name. Clanjamfn'e (meaning ‘a noisy collection of voices‘), run in association with British Screen and Scottish Television. falls between the access level First Reels and the more Cccchi D‘Amico (writer of several professional Tartan Shorts schemes. ltalian classics. including R()(‘('() And and Will fund Six films this year to a ' His Brothers). and Walter Murch maximum of £23.000. Closing date for (editor/sound editor on Apocalypse entries is 28 July. and application forms Now. Discussions are underway with and further details are available from j Steve Martin. the Coen brothers and Catherine Aitken at SFPF. 74 Victoria George A. Romero, whose presences Crescent Road. Glasgow Gl2 9JN the Festival hopes to confirm at a later (0141 337 2526). . date.
unm— * 0n the write track
We’ve all suffered the problem of the disappearing Biro: one minute it’s where you laid it down on the desk, uie next It’s gone forever to that great Biro mountain in the sky. Fine, if you can reach into your pocket and pull out another; but things might be a little more stressful if you suddenly discover you’re without a writing utensil, on a moving train, with a job application form that must be filled in Immediately.
Such Is the situation that faces Bill Paterson in The Pen, one of this year’s Tartan Shorts. Written by playwright lain lleggie and directed by Bill Pryde, the film completed shooting a tight
will be in control of proceedings. using
remote control ofa video projection to
play. recap and freeze the key scenes of
the film they wish to discuss. Already confirmed are Robert Towne (writer of
Chinatown). Stanley Donen (co~
_ director of Singin' In The Rain). Suso
stylised Hell in order to deflower a minister‘s daughter in Bergman’s intelligent comedy. Unfortunately. his supposedly easy conquest finds him to be more of a buffoon than the ultimate seducer. Bergman's use of a constantly interrupting narrator gives the film a detached tone. which
I Reservoir Dogs ( 18) I Everything comes to those ' who wait. The film that began the Tarantino phenomenon is up for hire. and so Messrs Blonde. White. Pink etc can indulge in their witty banter and psychotic Mexican stand-offs in the comfort of your own living room. (PolyGram) I Amateur (15) Apart from Tarantino. the only other American filmmaker who gives his dialogue a distinctive voice of its own is Hal Hartley. After a trio of quirky and artfully witty movies. he has moved on to a more plot-driven piece. Amateur still has bizarrely memorable characters and great quasi-philosophical one-liners. but it’s the director's most accessible
The Pen: ‘logistically, not the easiest shoot'
we had three days when we were
pulled by the existing service train.’ For a few stationary shots, the
production stopped for a couple of
week-long schedule in the Highlands at the beginning of May. Twice a day tor three days, the crew headed from Taln to Thurso and back, overcoming problems of continuity, landscape changes, and heat and noise from the
‘It was, logistically, not the easiest shoot,’ says producer Barbara Meltlssock as an understatement. ‘We’d been negociatlng with Scotllail since January and, obviously, it being a Tartan Short, we couldn’t exactly offer them heaps of money. Given that they were talking to Paramount about Mission: Impossible, Tom Cruise’s latest film, at the same time, we were definitely the poor cousin. But we managed to persuade them to let us use the llorthern line to film on, and
days in Dingwall. Because sequences such as these required the use of a real train, there was no point In building a set and using back projection elsewhere, and so the decision was made to do the whole thing out on location. McKissock reckons there were other benefits to be had from this apprch.
‘I think that the sense of urgency that you get on a train, when you know you’ve got to get this shot in now because otherwise the traln’s going to be moving in the wrong direction, gives you the kind of energy that the piece needs - it’s a comedy and it’s active. It would have been really difficult to get that kind of energy on a set.’ (Alan Morrison)
The Pen will premiere at the Drambule Edinburgh Film Festival in August.
work to date. (Fox)
I Dallas Doll (18) A disappointing trip Down Under for seductive golf professional Sandra Bernhard. who charms her way into the hearts and beds of an Australian family — father. mother and son. with only the head strong daughter casting a sceptical eye on the proceedings. Director Ann Turner doesn‘t develop the cultural exploitation themes as well as you'd expect. with the result that it all falls flat. with Bernhard seemingly disinterested in the whole process. Joint rental and retail release. (Tartan £L5.99)
methods if they are to survive. Massive widescreen photography is used to great effect. as every inch is crammed with ensemble action. Actor Fu Sheng also stars in Treasure Hunters (15). a sort of comic eastern- western with plenty of slapstick fights. A conman teams up with a rich kid to search for fabled lost gold. but find themselves dodging a wall-eyed cop. a nasty warlord and his deadly female sidekick. (Made In Hong Kong £13.99 each)
I The Devil’s Eye (15) Don Juan returns to a realistically portrayed Earth from a theatrically
(Warner.£l4.99)
I The Life Of Dharu (IS) The film that brought Japanese director Kenji Mizoguchi to international attention is set in 17th century Kyoto and follows. with remarkable concentration. the life of a woman from n'ches to rags. After allowing herself to be seduced by a low-ranking samurai. Oharu is continually abused by men, and ultimately ends up as a prostitute. Kinuyo Tanaka is magnificent in the title role. while the director delivers a stern indictment on the victimisation of women throughout history. (Tartan £15.99)
22 The List 2-15 Jun 1995