Did anyone give the wonderful 'Quills' a mention?

Mark, I could hardly hear your points over the background music. Two stars.

@Arch Stanton



Yes, they did

I agree with Andy Herbert, that background music drowned everything out and was very distracting.



Maybe a topic for your next video? Which films have been ruined by the soundtrack?

Adaptation, Mark.

I could hear him just fine over the music, personally.

Hopefully I'll be able to hear Dr.K over Kim Newman at the BFI next month =D

Some interesting points raised, but why was there so much correspondence about CGI? I could understand if this was a discussion about Alien or John Carpenter's The Thing, but none of the events or subject matter of Get Carter would allow for it in any time period. Was this just someone venting their dislike for CGI at any opportunity?

What's with the dreadful background music? It's bad enough that just about every TV show now has a stupid plinky-plonky pizzicato strings soundtrack, but now mediocre new-country/rockabilly music? Stop it!

Rant over. Watched Get Carter (not the re-make) again for the nth time last night (one of my top 10 films) - it's still a remarkable British film, beautifully shot, violent in a way that so-called violent films fail to engage with, with a great script featuring some memorable one-liners. What struck me on viewing last night is the way that Mike Hodges interspersed little vignettes of everyday life in Newcastle in the early 70s - the guy in the betting shop, the bingo caller, washing hanging in the back terraces, drum majorettes on a Sunday morning - brilliant. And is that Carter's killer sitting opposite him on the train journey to Newcastle?

hmm.

Tight editing; uplifting, driving music; quick talking narration. Aren't these some of the devices used to make writing more interesting on film?

"Pint of bitter. In a thin glass." That's the real crux of it.

come listen, let me tell you a story of a young rich man and his bride, he was a gambler she was an angel... dum di dumm di dum...



nice double bass work there dr K



skiffletainment at its most skiffletaining!!

Michael Caine at his peak, hard not to enjoy.



Have a word with your sound editor, the music drowns out your commentary.

Back ground music! What is the point of it? PIPE DOWN.



Sorry for shouting but it is as bad as the 5 Live traffic reports.

It must be almost impossible to portray some things on film, boredom, for example.

Writing may be one of them. Perhaps it isn't a coincidence that some of the examples you give portray a fetishisation of the process, for example making love to the typewriter, or typewriter keys banging virgin paper.

The films that portray the process most closely are those that use other situations as metaphors.

The one that immediately springs to mind is Clint Eastwood's White Hunter, Black Heart, which follows the twists and excuses a film director in 50s Africa (based on John Huston making The African Queen) takes to avoid committing himself to celluloid, including the hunting of an elephant, and ends with him wearily, reluctantly slumping into the directors chair and ordering 'Action.'

That is displacement activity!

Made me think, favourite British gangster film ever?



- The Long Good Friday

- Get Carter

- the rest



Discuss...



Me? The Long Good Friday. But no one can doubt the merits of Get Carter!

PLEASE STOP THE MUZAK

Mike Leigh makes films without CGI and just script, would Steven Spielberg consider this these days?

If he did that would be a great film, maybe his best actors acting, a script shining out and the back room technicians being the best.



How about it Steven? Just a script and no effects what would the world see?

When is the Radio Times going to wake up and give "Get Carter" the full five star rating instead of four? Not only one of the best British crime movies of all time (blows Guy Ritchie into a cocked shotgun) but one of the best British films full stop.

Mona Lisa missing from "Best British Gangster movie" list?



I loved that film.



M.

@ cjmcc5150



Some of the Radio Times ratings are really odd. The Dark Knight, shortcomings and all, is worth more than a paltry three stars. That means they actually rate Quantum of Solace as a better film than The Dark Knight. I actually find that offensive not because I'm a TDK fanboy - like The Good Doctor, I prefer Begins - but because one is a sequel that does a pretty good job of expanding the themes of the original, and the other takes the solid foundation of ideas in its predecessor and crushes the living daylights out of them, resulting in a hurried, soulless, pulpy mess. Between the RT and the repackaged Film 2011, film criticism is in bad shape at the Beeb. I suggest you use the Film 4 site instead.

Hey! What gives?! The video's now unavailable in my area meaning the the good ol' US of A. I just watched this two days ago. Why is it deemed inappropriate now? And does this mean Mark can't watch his own videos at the moment since he's... um... 'in country' visiting the ghost of Elvis?

@ TheConciseStatement



I hope your post was meant for 'Monmouth'?

Quite apart from top quality writing, music, acting and cinematography the movie also deals with universal themes most notably revenge. You could almost argue it is like a Greek tragedy. From the moment Jack is told 'don't go up the North' we know it is not going to end well. However when Carter sees the film with his niece/daughter? he is pursued by the Fates and it is clear that pretty well everybody including him has to die.

@cjmcc5150 - you missed out Villian (1971)

Great film, good review, and i enjoyed the background music too. Does anyone know who the music is by?

Mark -- thank you for the compliment; yes, Nataloff=Nat Segaloff and I am he. Can you contact me at my temporary e-mail address so I can give you my actual one?: [email protected]. I have a brand new book on Arthur Penn that I think you might like. -- Nat