So a little behind on my blog. I am on holiday though, so I think that's fair. I'm staying in beautiful Cornwall, which was the setting for Hitchcock's Jamaica Inn (1939) based on the book of the same name by Daphne Du Marier - I didn't manage to finish watching or reading those, just didn't get into them. I wondered what other films have been set or filmed in Cornwall? It's such a lovely piece of coast, surely other films would have been shot here? And of course, I am right, there's quite a lot of shows and films who have used the county, including Johnny English and Doctor Who as a location, and as a setting. In fact the more classic Hitchcock film, also based on a Daphne Du Marier book, Rebecca (1940) is set in Cornwall, though the filming was actually all done in California studios. It's a great film, wonderfully shot and starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine - its well worth a watch!
Anyway, I disgress somewhat. My intent was to post up a fragment of script I wrote recently, as promised for my new scene a week challenge. Admittedly the scene is not complete, but this is because I was unsure whether or not I wanted to turn the original idea into a short film or a short story. I might yet do both, but in short story form it seems to be working much better. Either way, here is that piece of script, if you have anything opinions on it, please write in comments box below! SCRIPT SCENE / 2 INT. CELL, UNDERGROUND FACILITY: DAY A strip light lit medical room. One tray of instruments and a monitor stand in one corner. In the middle of the room, laid on a metal bed is BRADDOCK, 37, in loose clothes. Straps hold him down. A doctor in surgical gear, and with a tazar on her belt is loosening the straps. DOCTOR There's no change. BRADDOCK In me or the lawsuit. DOCTOR In you. As for the lawsuit... There's a pause. DOCTOR You're losing. Braddock's face clouds over and he glares at the doctor. BRADDOCK I'm losing. DOCTOR Don't look at me. (beat) You'll have to stay here for the moment. I'll get lunch sent to you. The doctor finishes loosening the straps and Braddock sits up. BRADDOCK (snarky) Great. The doctor exits. The steel door hisses closes and bleeps shut behind her. EXT. CORRIDOR, UNDERGROUND FACILITY: DAY Kelly, a timid looking girl in flat pumps wheels a metal trolley of sandwiches, drinks and snacks down the corridor. She stops by the door to the cell. She puts an ID card in a slot by the door, it clicks open. She goes in, and it shuts. INT. CELL, UNDERGROUND FACILITY: DAY She is standing by the trolley. Braddock is on the metal bed. KELLY Hey. BRADDOCK No cakes? KELLY No. Sorry. (beat) How are you? She goes over, smiling, sympathetic. BRADDOCK (macabre grin) The same. The idiots still don't know how to fix it. KELLY Isn't that bad? BRADDOCK (cold) Ha. (beat) So, what is there? If its only tuna sandwiches with mayo left I'm going to puke. KELLY Well you're in a grump aren't you. He gives her a sharp, sarcastic look. BRADDOCK Yes. KELLY No. I kept back a ham and salad one for you. BRADDOCK (small proper, smile) Good girl.
I'm afraid I didn't manage to post yesterday, despite my effort to post every day from now on, but unfortunately my computer froze on me and it was so late, I gave up and went to bed.
Anyway, I've watched a lot of TV and films over the last two days, but I think I want to talk about the film Sleuth - at this point, a good film buff would ask, which one? Because there are two Sleuths, both starring Michael Caine, and both based on the play of the same name by Anthony Shaffer.
I saw the newer Sleuth (2007) last night which stars Jude Law and was direct Kenneth Branagh - who has directed a few Shakespere screen adaptions, so another play to screen adaption should not come as a surprise. Whilst the play was adapted for the screen by Harold Pinter - who also appears in a little cameo in the TV show Michael Caine's character watches.
Meanwhile the old Sleuth (1972), which I have also seen years ago, starred Laurence Olivier, was directed by Joesph L. Mankiewicz and the play was adapted for screen by the playwright himself, Anthony Shaffer.
Because both films are based on the same play, they both have the same plot - two men, an old crime author called Andrew Wyke agrees to meet the young man who has run off with his wife, Milo Tindle, at his mansion. Milo wants Andrew to divorce his wife so he can marry her, however it is not that simple - and instead the two men descend into a deadly game of wits.
However, despite this, as is pointed out in the Wikipedia entry for new Sleuth film, the two films are very different, and I agree with said Wikipedia entry that the new Sleuth is not a remake of the old one.
The new Sleuth changes tack and plot about halfway through, and the mind games take quite a different turn. In the old Sleuth the games were all about murder, but in the new Sleuth the last game revolves around Milo flirting with Andrew - and I found Jude Law flirting with Michael Caine quite creepy indeed.
The old Sleuth was very much about murder and theatre, whilst the new one is more brutal, in language and even set design. Though the use of light, effects and angles in the new one is rather good - I particularly like a mirror effect that is used at one point.
Another thing I must mention is how good, and how scary, Jude Law can be when he plays crazy. I once assumed that, for that some reason, he went in for pretty boy roles. But that was before I'd seen him in a proper film. In recent years I have changed my opinion, after seeing him in Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes (2009), I Heart Huckabees (2004), A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) and now in Sleuth I have to say, he's a pretty damn good character actor, who doesn't seem to be afraid to go for the more unusual roles.
Anyway, to summarise - I thought the new Sleuth was alright, but I found it harsher than the old one. It had much more swearing, darker tones, cold, clinical sets and I found some of the scenes hard to watch. Personally I find the sinister but quaint 70's Sleuth film more to my tastes.
Nonetheless, those are just my opinions and I'd urge you to see both films and decide for yourselves, with only one piece of advice. That you view the films as two different takes on the same play as, I think, believing the new Sleuth to be a remake of the old one made me have certain expectations.
So, a new film about Alfred Hitchcock has started filming. It's going to be about the production of Psycho and is starring Anthony Hopkins as Hitchcock. There is a photo of him in make-up, juxtaposed against one of the real Hitchcock in a Yahoo! Movies article:
I have seen two Hitchcock films - Spellbound (1945) with Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck and Rebecca (1940) with Laurence Olivier.
But it is only until recently that I have learnt about how Hitchcock used his own obsessions in his films. Two that often appeared were the inclusion of cold blonde women who are end up being treated badly and guilt in some form.
Certainly Spellbound has these characteristics. Ingrid Bergman is an excellent psychiatrist who believes that love is merely biology, and therefore cold. She is hassled at the beginning of the film by her colleague about her lack of emotion and want of love. He says things that nowadays would be considered inappropriate and even kisses her, though is obviously not interested in him. This in my eyes is her 'bad treatment' - this teasing by her colleagues undermines the fact she is a good psychiatrist, because she is shown as cold, serious and unloving; that she is somehow missing something - the feminists would surely have a field day!
Meanwhile guilt not only appears in Spellbound, but is a major part of the story. The whole film revolves around the idea of guilt complexes.
It was a good film, but I do wish the character of Dr Petersen had been treated more seriously and given a bit more respect.
