Cinema has always been seen as a mirror to society, the changes, the fears, the angers and the themes of a nation are often represented and reflected on the big screen as a window to political and cultural shifts. Selma, a film based on the 1965 voting march led by Martin Luther King, recently landed in cinemas; a film whose themes of blatant social injustice felt sadly more topical than they could have envisaged during the time of its making. David Oyelowo, who plays Martin Luther King in Selma, has been vocal about the racial inequality in the movie industry, something that seemed to be reinforced by his subsequent baffling snub in the Oscars for best actor. The struggle to redress the balance for black actors and recent events in the U.S. serve as a reminder to an actor, who came to cinema in the era of Selma, who through the roles he portrayed created a legacy of progression and inspiration.

Sidney Poitier came from humble beginnings, the son of tomato farmers who lived on Cat Island in the Bahamas. Born prematurely on 20 February 1927 whilst his parents were selling tomatoes in Miami, Sidney was not expected to survive yet he returned to Cat Island with his parents where he would spend his childhood. As he was born in Miami, Sidney had entitlement to US citizenship so at the age of 15, he joined his brother who lived there but he found the transition hard. Hailing from an all black community Poitier struggled with the mentality of the south and after one summer washing dishes, he left for New York.

With a passion to exist beyond menial work Poitier auditioned for the American Negro theatre but he was rejected because of his strong Caribbean accent and his poor reading skills. Down but not out, Poitier worked on his accent and refined his reading ability and six months later he was accepted at the theatre and worked hard to dispel the lack of faith his peers appeared to have in him.

Early roles came in No Way Out (1950) and Blackboard Jungle (1955) but it was his role in The Defiant Ones (1958) that saw Poitier take on a role that tapped into the racial tensions in society, which earned him an Oscar nomination in the process. The film depicted Poitier and Tony Curtis as escaped convicts, chained together; they must work as a team in order to survive, the plot serving as a metaphor for the race relations affecting America.

In 1963 Poitier starred in a film that would make cinematic history; Lilies of the Field, a story of a travelling handyman named Homer, who, after breaking down in his car in rural Arizona, finds himself welcomed by a group of nuns. Despite clashing with the mother superior the nuns are convinced that Homer has been sent from God to help them build a chapel and despite different beliefs these two worlds collide to find acceptance and unlikely friendship. Poitier’s humorous and touching performance led to him becoming the first black man to win a Best Actor Oscar, in the midst of the civil rights movement, and his win was just that little bit more poignant for a film whose message was how a multicultural and multi or no faith society – white, black, Hispanic, Mexican and German – could peaceably thrive.

Not everyone was enamoured with Poitier, some accused him of appeasing the white male rather than contesting the existing status and that he was too much of a nice guy, when some felt that a more radical symbol should blaze onto the screen. Yet Poitier was more aware of the need for activism than many gave him credit for.

1967’s In the Heat of the Night featured Poitier as Philadelphia detective Virgil Tibbs, who investigates a murder in a racist small town in Mississippi and contained an infamous scene that almost didn’t happen. Originally in the scene between Tibbs and the racist plantation owner Mr Endicott (Larry Gates), Endicott was to strike Tibbs without retaliation but Poitier called for changes to be made so that Tibbs strikes him back. The producers initially would not agree to this but on Poitier’s insistence, the scene was altered and remains one of the most electrifying moments in cinema within the context of the time. Anti-war protests and civil rights marches were lining the streets and this politically charged moment echoed the feelings of many in America who felt the North/South divide long after the abolition of slavery. It also held special resonance as the year that In the Heat of Night won the Best Picture accolade, the Academy Awards ceremony was postponed in the wake of the assassination of Martin Luther King.

Sidney Poitier would continue his career with a string of films that would challenge the stereotypes of the black male that had previously been seen, he would represent the system but also try to subvert it at the same time. In To Sir with Love (1967) Poitier played a teacher assigned to a predominantly white London school and in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967) he had to meet the parents of his white fiancée who struggle with the idea of an interracial relationship.

Poitier brought sophistication and dignity to the characters he played, commanding the screen and the respect of his contemporaries. At the 2014 Oscars, Poitier presented the Best Director award with Angelina Jolie, where he received a standing ovation and to which Jolie declared to Poitier ‘we are in your debt’.

Hollywood recognised the contribution and influence that Poitier has given to cinema yet there are many more steps to be taken for black actors today to have opportunities to play the diverse characters that Poitier had access to, the exciting opportunities that Selma afforded this year. The system cannot just congratulate those who stick within the status quo, it also needs to evolve, with courage. As Poitier himself said in his memoir, A Measure of a Man ‘we are all somewhat courageous and we are also considerably cowardly, life is simply an unending struggle against those imperfections’. A happy 88th birthday to a principled and courageous man.

I’m Alright Jack (1959) is a sequel to an earlier film from the Boulting twins named Privates Progress (1956). The inept Stanley Windrush staggers through humorous job try-outs in industry, expecting a cushy management role. He fails and is persuaded to take a blue collar job. Windrush is clearly being used by the company directors to create a situation and is so gormless he causes a nation-wide strike before he finds out what is really going on.

A film in much the same vein as the British comedy of the time; slightly smutty and hamfisted laughs bristling with sexism. The usual stereotypes include a deeply cynical picture of characters – the decent and moral upperclass twit, the work-shy Union/workers and the greedy bosses.

The Boulting Brothers had succeeded previously in serious drama such as Brighton Rock (1947), Seven Days to Noon (1950) and others but despite their acclaimed success in film noir; followed the British Film industry trend, and made some satirical comedy; taking most of their stable of actors along with them.

Inevitably for the time, there are some racist comments in a couple of places. The film is also incongruously bookended with female nudity, giving us Carry On and Benny Hill type moments; perhaps used to extend its box office popularity as it was the UK’s biggest grossing film of 1959.

Despite the extremely dated style of the film, I’m Alright Jack is interesting and just about resists classification as a relic. It showcases the push and pull of different interests and positively exudes the resentment felt by a previous ruling class about the workers (undeservedly) having a power they didn’t have in the past. It also gives us a taste of life and nostalgia of a pre-1960s Britain, a feel of the mood of the country at the time. The acting was of a fair standard throughout but it can be said that for the most part these were good actors in inferior roles. Sellers is very good, that role earning him a BAFTA – the film screenplay also won a BAFTA (1960).

Spike Milligan comments in the extras that the Boulting twins were decidedly anti-union and that this was perhaps the main message of the film. This and other criticisms certainly come across but Sellers’ depiction of the droning, dogmatic and wistful Kite manages to deliver us an interesting snippet of a man devoted to the idealism of Communism. I can’t recall any other film of the era that does so in this way.

Blu-ray extras: Interviews with Spike Milligan and Liz Fraser and a short film ‘The Running, Jumping and Standing Still Film’. Milligan speaks of Peter Sellers’ problems with his role, and how he made it his own. Fraser reflects on her first cinema role and how it came about, also provides some insight into her involvement in Carry On. The Running, Jumping & Standing Still Film was made By Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers et al to trial a new type of camera. Not meant for release, it is typical Milligan; bipolar and at times hilarious – all set in a field.

Ann has awarded I’m Alright Jack on Blu-ray two Torches of Truth

Give in to your paranoia. Mark Searby dissects the fear quotient of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) ahead of its theatrical re-release.

Mark Searby takes a look at Animal Farm, the film adapted from George Orwell’s wave making book by Europe’s groundbreaking animation studio Halas and Batchelor in 1954.

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It is lamentable that the intricately choreographed joy of Jacques Tati’s cinematic directorial career only extended for a total of six features and a handful of shorts. It is equally unfortunate that many modern audience members are as likely to have heard of his onscreen persona, M. Hulot, than the towering genius behind him. In an attempt to redress the imbalance, a mammoth new blu-ray box set hits shelves this week that includes all of Tati’s surviving films and a wealth of supplementary material.

His comedy is gentler than some might expect if they’ve not seen it before – his is the humour found in the innate pettiness of the modern world – but is brimming with social commentary and stinging criticism. From his earlier shorts right through to crowning glory of the outstanding Playtime (1967) he lampoons French society; both the small-minded quibbles of rural folk to, more readily, the pretensions of the modernised urban middle classes. This is all accomplished through thematically linked series of vignettes with little regard for much narrative through line. Instead, the characters – in particular Tati’s own pipe-smoking alter-ego, the ever-anachronistic Hulot – provide the anchor.

An old-fashioned performer, he plays out his burlesque in near silence speaking through his wonderfully evocative frame and his increasingly exceptional framing. The gags are rife from Jour de Fête (1949) and Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot (1953) but the visuals are unrivalled in the likes of Mon Oncle (1958) and Playtime. Tati is a true master, one that you will delight in exploring anew or re-discovering.

Extras:

A truly a definitive UK release of Tati’s oeuvre, the collection features no less than ten incarnations of his six feature films. This includes multiple versions of Jour de Fête (including one colorised, as per the directors original vision), Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot, and Mon Oncle. In addition, there are seven short films for which Tati was either a performer or director; these include L’Ecole des Facteurs (1946) which provides the basis of much of the second half of feature debut Jour de Fête.

Alongside the various editions of the movies themselves are a host of extra features including a series of analytical films by Stéphane Goudet, a French critic and certified Tati expert, to give further insight into this exception body of work. ABC Tempo-Tativille concerns the shooting of Playtime in the now famously constructed pseudo-Paris Tativille, while trailers and an interview with critic Jonathan Romney make up a fantastic package that is worth seeking out whether you are a Tati fan or not (yet).

Ben has awarded The Essential Jacques Tati Collection on Blu-ray five Torches of Truth

20th Century Fox used this western as one of their first forays into the studios new process of Cinemascope and Stereophonic sound. Three fortune hunters find themselves stranded in rural Mexico. They are recruited by a beautiful female who offers up a reward to rescue her husband from a cave located in Apache territory.

Henry Hathaway directed western classics such as True Grit (1969) and Rawhide (1951), so his involvement on Garden Of Evil should have been a safe guarantee. Yet much is lacking here that made those other films such box office smashes. Most of the time the lead characters are too busy preaching redundant cowboy philosophies as they traipse across the desert at a leisurely speed that doesn’t evoke urgency in the slightest. Consequently, action isn’t on the cards until close to the end of the film, with a climax that promises much but delivers little apart from more men on horseback. Evil feels a million miles away throughout the entire proceedings.

Gary Cooper delivers a safe, if somewhat dull, performance where he doesn’t feel the need to move outside of his comfort zone. Widmark and Mitchell receive very little play time and are relegated to bit part players. Rather it’s left to Susan Hayward to show the boys how it’s done. Finally a strong, independent woman that can hold her own against even the toughest the Wild West has to offer. She is the one positive note throughout as her attitude is bullish to the max.

Garden Of Evil does profit from some beautiful cinematography of the Mexican desert. It’s dry, dusty plains ping with crimson colour as the gang make their way across. Bernard Herrmann offers a pounding score that deserves a better film to accompany it.
Morals about loyalty, greed and responsibility are wise words, but in a film that doesn’t deliver a cohesive structure then everything falls apart. It’s a western that would rather speak somberly (and rather poorly) about philosophy than have a good olde gun-fight by the corral.

Extras: None

Mark has awarded Garden of Evil (1954) two Torches of Truth

There’s something about the grand 50s Cinemascope/ Vistavision films that are so synonymous with that time; their essence and character have never totally transcended into other eras of cinema.  This was a time when 3D was first widely employed and the medium became embellished with epics of a grander scale.

Spawning several classics and stars, despite being so visually sumptuous and breathtakingly cinematic, these films are now mostly associated with Sunday afternoon/ tea-time viewing, not on the big screen where they are their most majestic. Edward Dmytryk’s The Left Hand Of God (1955) is a lesser effort of the era but has many wonderful qualities.

Humphrey Bogart portrays heretical priest “Father O’Shea”, who is sent to run a Catholic mission in a mountainous Chinese province. O’Shea bonds with the locals, who are taken in by his unorthodox manner, delivering sermons in their native tongue and treating rogue outsiders with a gruff surliness (by punching them in the stomach), soon becoming a respected figure in the community. But O’Shea falls for a local village girl (Gene Tierney) and it soon emerges that Father O’Shea may not be the man he seems.

The Left Hand Of God’s story slows in the first half due to a drought in dramatic vigour, while colourful characters lacking substance are not convincingly conveyed. It is interesting how the town doctor (EG Marshall) bonds with O’Shea despite their conflicting beliefs but this relationship is underdeveloped, with too much emphasis placed on the trite romantic sub-plot that is executed with clumsiness and stale sentimentality not suited to O’Shea’s character. The Technicolor landscapes with operatic scores and gaudy characters are fitting to the central concept, but offset by corny dialogue, a weak sub-plot and below-par performances.

A back-story relating to O’Shea and a local warlord (Lee J Cobb) hell bent on looting and leading the village during the time of civil war, is explored and tied neatly to a resolution but there are too many flaws in the dawdling middle that make The Left Hand Of God little more than a reminder of the greater films of the time. It is pleasurable and heart warming but doesn’t quite pull its weight.

No extras.

Daniel has awarded The Left Hand of God (1955) on DVD three Torches of Truth

Hiroshima Mon Amour caused a mighty stir when it was first seen in 1959 at Cannes. Written by a woman (Marguerite Duras), it was also narrated by a woman (Emmanuelle Riva) who was the main character, it included flashbacks to clarify the story and had a non-linear storyline. There was also a significant change in the approach to film music: a clashing and discordant soundtrack was used, rather than orchestral overlay. Director Alain Resnais had made his first, brilliant contribution to French New Wave Cinema.

Hiroshima Mon Amour mixes in documentary with the story of a short encounter between a French actress, Elle, in Hiroshima who is due to go home, after concluding acting in a film about peace based on the tragedy of Hiroshima, and a Japanese man she wakes up with in her hotel room. We follow them making love and her being questioned about her past as the man both pursues and seeks to understand her. She talks about the bombing of Hiroshima, that she has visited the museum, and we see the effects of the A-bomb; the pain, the hunger and the anger of the people. It becomes clear that she has a very tragic past; is herself a victim of the war in France, has suffered at the hands of her country and the pain haunts her. Hiroshima is recovering, but she is still in trauma: with this contrast we are shown that war kills in many ways. Her stay in Hiroshima somehow releases her story and allows her to speak, at last, to the lover she will soon leave.

The film was noteworthy in many ways. Those involved with its production and others in the industry expected that the changes begun here would take time to filter through but that Cinema would be transformed by Hiroshima Mon Amour, and indeed these changes have become part of the norm.  It also tackled issues which at the time were taboo, the largest issue being that the Allies in World War II were brutal too. In 1959 nothing was being said about Europe or Japan, how the war ended and what happened to the countries involved, and films made after this one which tried to explore these issues further found it hard to get support or funding in France. (‘The Sorrow and the Pity’, was funded by the BBC) In fact, Hiroshima Mon Amour was excluded from the award selection at Cannes so as not to upset the US. The peace movement had yet to materialise.

This is a great film with a great performance from Emmanuelle Riva. It gives us a view from the other side, which  today may still be a surprise. We really see Hiroshima and witness its survival. I, for one, was struck by the parallels between the Nazi extermination of the Jews and their documentation of what they did (Resnais covered this subject in his 1955 documentary Nuit Et Brouillard), and the American bombing of Hiroshima and the almost unwatchable clinical film they made of the people affected; clips of which are used as the documentary part of the film. Hiroshima Mon Amour is a stark and moving account of that conflicted era and a fitting tribute to the late Alain Resnais’ film-making abilities.

Ann has awarded Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959) four Torches of Truth

This year’s Rendez-vous with French Cinema pays tribute to a legend of French Cinema, Alain Resnais, bringing a restored version of his 1959 New Wave classic Hiroshima mon amour (starring Emmanuelle Riva) and many other delights to a whole bunch of lovely cinemas in the UK between 23 and 30 April.

The tribute will also feature Resnais’ last film before his death, Life of Riley, which is an adaptation of playwright Alan Ayckbourn’s work.

Those two films are definitely on our list of must-sees but we’ve also noticed three other titles that we think you might want to cast an eye over;

The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet – in English – 105 minutes                                         (L’Extravagant voyage du jeune et prodigieux T.S. Spivet)

Amelie director Jeanne-Pierre Jeunet’s adaptation of Reif Larson’s popular novel, starring Helena Bonham Carter, follows the exploits of precocious ten year old Tecumseh Sparrow Spivet who seems to have a lot in common with a certain pernickety character from TV’s The Big Bang Theory. He sets off for Washington alone to go and compare his research with that of the top scientists but uncovers some unresolvable life mysteries. Wonder what the neighbour kids will think of that.

9 Month Stretch – French with subtitles – 82 minutes                                                                (9 mois ferme)

Pregnancy black comedy. A judge suddenly finds that she is in the family way but the baby’s daddy happens to be banged up for a stretch in prison and she has no memory of having met him. Awkward.

Quai D’Orsay – French with subtitles – 113 minutes

Is this French The Thick of It? Quai D’Orsay is another adaptation, this time of a hit graphic novel on French Foreign Minister (later prime minister) Dominique de Villepin. Starring Thierry Lhermitte as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Raphael Personnaz as his new speechwriter.

Hiroshima mon amour – French with subtitles – b&w – 92 minutes

Resnais’ multi-award winning 1959 film set in postwar Hiroshima, where a Japanese architect and a French actress embark upon an intense affair in intense circumstances.

Life of Riley – French with subtitles – 108 minutes                                                                         (Aimer, boire et chanter)

UK premiere on 26 April at Cine Lumiere. The absent George Riley is dying and we don’t know much about him but we do know how he affects the lives of quite a few other people. Suburban drama on a stage.

Rendez-vous with French Cinema 2014 takes place between 23 and 30 April, visiting London, Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, Canterbury, Nottingham and Oxford. Details of where and when.

Legendary Italian director Federico Fellini released Il Bidone a year after his masterpiece La Strada, the former still in keeping with his neo-realist filmmaking but focused on a more political standpoint. Il Bidone (The Swindle) plays out almost as a series of short films all linked together thanks to the main group of characters and their con jobs. Leader Augusto (Broderick Crawford) devises different plans to rob from all social class groups; dressing as priests to cheat a family out of their savings and pretending to be government workers to fleece money from all around. All this and more to fund their rich, over the top lifestyle.

Fellini’s direction gives much promise to the making of another of his classic films, yet it never fully captures the intensity of the situations at hand. The crime job scenes lack a certain expected forcefulness, leaving the film to roll along at a steady pace with a relaxed attitude. Sure, the robberies can have a comedic aspect to them but as Fellini was trying to express his issues with the Italian government of the time it all feels like a bit of a misguided expression, detracting from his artistic credibility. Il Bidone leans heavy on Crawford to create a hardnosed criminal that all respect and fear, including his gang. Crawford looks to be having madcap fun (being drunk throughout the entire shoot probably helped) and certainly makes the film an hilarious but also heart wrenching tale of redemption.

The film captivates enough to keep the momentum going but it doesn’t fully embrace the crime genre like it should. It feels like a Fellini filler compared to his other film artistry.

Extras: This new Masters of Cinema release from Eureka has been cleaned up to a high shine and delivers a beautiful 1080p high definition version. There is a riveting interview with Dominique Delouche, who was Fellini’s assistant director on Il Bidone (and others), as he goes into great detail about his work with Federico. Also included is the original trailer.

Mark has awarded Il Bidone (1955) on Blu-ray three Torches of Truth