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Genevieve (1953)
Reviewers' misconceptions
I just finished watching 'Genevieve' again for the first time in over 30 years, and as usual checked the reviewers' comments here on IMDb. Since my dad was very into old cars and in fact took part in one of the Veteran Car Club's runs at about the time the movie was made, perhaps the following nitpicks may be of interest.
1. The cars were VETERAN cars, not 'vintage' as widely asserted. Old cars (in the UK) anyway are classed as "Veteran" if built before 1904, "Edwardian" if built between 1904-1910, and "Vintage" if built between 1910-1930. Pre-WW2 non-mass-produced cars were deemed "Post-vintage thoroughbred", and that was it.
2. The annual November event is not a 'race', it's a 'run'. Street racing was and is forbidden, and definitely invalidates auto-insurance coverage. OK the movie plot climaxes in an unofficial race (home to London the next day), but that's moviemaker's license. I loved the disclaimer during the opening titles from the Veteran Car Club saying "Our members would NEVER do anything like that".
3. Kay Kendall's character's dog is not a St. Bernard or a Shepherd, it's a Mastiff. A nice one too!
4. I too recognise many of the films locations - most of them nowhere NEAR the Brighton road.
5. Those who find the comedy unfunny are clearly no students of human nature, and that is indeed a tragedy.
6. My greatest joy in recognising great character actors in supporting roles, was not even Joyce Grenfell as the hotel clerk (when I was a student at what is now Brighton University in the sixties, I digged with landladies just like that), but to see Geoffrey Keen cast as a motorcycle speed cop just astonished me!
"Genevieve" is now a cornerstone of my private video collection - just as wonderful as I remember it.
Hamish Macbeth (1995)
So what if it's nothing like the books?
Neither is James Bond these days.
And for those who find the plots far-fetched, I can assure them they're not. I grew up in the 1960s in a village just a short way up the coast from Plockton where the series were filmed, and stuff like this really did happen. One of the reasons I enjoy the series so much is that I can put a real name to every one of the major characters - they are so true to my first-hand experience.
A gold medal series, for sure, and Carlyle certainly captured the essence of the highland bobby who walked a fine line between upholding the Law and being an accepted member of the community - an accomplishment my own father was unable to achieve, I've been told!
First Sight: The Last of a Dyin' Race (1987)
Brilliant! One of my cherished PAL to NTSC conversions.
It's hard to remind ourselves that this short movie is now 20 years old. It captures the spirit of the old versus the new ways of life and death in an urban setting.
Although made and filmed in Belfast, there is nothing sectarian about it, since the story applies equally to the working class of either side.
What is so endearing however is the subtle local humour not only in the script but also in the situation itself - the humour necessary to survive in a war zone at the time.
I wish the movie was available on DVD, so that more could enjoy it.
Nice to see some familiar actors in supporting roles, for example J.G.Devlin as an old man attending the wake with a half-bottle of whisky in his coat pocket, not produced until he had made sure it was 'safe' to do so.
The Graduate (1967)
Great to see it again
Two thirds of a lifetime ago I saw this movie on its first run in Scotland. I so associated with the character of Ben Braddock that I wanted to hide under the seat (in the movie theatre) every time he got a laugh.
I have been afraid to watch it again ever since, not knowing how I would react with the hindsight of maturity. Fortunately, I never saw it listed in a TV guide all these years, so was not tempted.
I was given the video for Christmas. Tonight I ran it! No, I was not embarrassed by the story or the title character. I was embarrassed by my naiveté. This time around I found the movie hilarious, and Katharine Ross the idealised woman of my adolescent expectations in the 60s. Mrs. Robinson is despicable! (but not much more so than the other 'adult' characters of decadent Southern California portrayed so brilliantly).
I'd forgotten the movie had a so-called 'happy ending'.
Oh, and one other thing. Ten years after I squirmed in the cinema, I too married Mrs. Robinson's daughter. Yes, really! Creepy, eh? And we're still together.