Uncut UK – October 2019

OCTOBER 2019 • UNCUT• 113

Hammer

time:Ralph

Meeker

andMaxine

Cooperin

KissMe

Deadly

ARETHAFRANKLIN

AMAZINGGRACE

STUDIOCANAL

8/10

Queen of Soul’striumphantchurchreturn
ArethaFranklin’s
gloriousperformances
atLA’sNewTemple
MissionaryBaptist
ChurchinJanuary
1972 werecelebrated
ina Grammy-winning
LP,butfootageshotby
SydneyPollackstayed
inthecanuntilAtlantic
A&RmanAlanElliottexcavatedit andcutit
intothissparse,movingfilm.Thereareno
talkingheads,justa straight-upcelebration
ofArethapayinghomagetoherinfluences,
andcatchingthelastbreathsofsoulin its
pure,gospel-derived incarnation.
Extras:None.
ALASTAI RM c KAY

COMES A HORSEMAN
BFI

7/10

Overlooked twilightWestern
Setin1940sMontana,
AlanJ Pakula’s
solemn,slow-moving
1978 neo-Westernstars
JaneFondaandJames
Caanasstruggling
ranchersthreatened
byJasonRobard’s
entrepreneurial
encroachments.It
looksgreat,butPakulawasbettersuitedto
paranoidconspiracythrillerssuchasKlute,
TheParallaxViewandAllThePresident’s
Men. Worthseeing,though,forHollywood
veteranRichardFarnsworth’stoweringturn
asanageingcowboyrunningoutofsunsets
torideinto.
Extras:7/10 .JaneFondainterview,
originaltrailer,booklet.
ALLANJONES

THEDOOBIEBROTHERS
LIVEFROM THE BEACON THEATRE
RHINO

7/10

Long train runnin’ back tothepast
Returningto
theNewYork
venuethey
lastplayed 25
yearsearlier,
theDoobies’
November
2018 showsaw
themplaytwo
high-water
markearly’70salbumsinfull,Toulouse
StreetandTheCaptainAndMe. The
originals’whitesoulgroovesaregiven
extracloutwithnewhornarrangements,
especiallyeffectiveon“ListenToTheMusic”
and“SouthCityMidnightLady”,whilemore
elaborateharmoniesrevealshadesand
depthsthatweren’talwaysevidentonthe
studioversions.
Extras:6/10.Fullconcert performance
acrosstwoCDs.
TE R RY STAU NTO N

OH...ROSALINDA!!

NETWORK

6/10

Powell& Pressburger’squirky

post-war operetta

Thereputationof

MichaelPowelland

EmericPressburger’s

“lost”operettahas

fluctuated,butit remains

notableforitsstriking

design,whichresonates

morestronglythan

theattempttoupdate

Strauss’sDieFledermaus

to 1955 Vienna.Thestagingis artificial,

andthepoliticalcontextofa citydivided

betweenfourpowersis lostinhistory.Billed

as“deliciouslynaughtyandcapriciously

gay”,it is highlycamp,anddatedtothepoint

whereitsquirksseemextreme.

Extras:3/10.Trailer, image gallery.

ALASTAI RM c KAY

TEDDYPENDERGRASS

IFYOU DON’T KNOW ME

MVD

7/10

The triumph and tragedyofa soulman

OliviaLichtenstein’s

touchingfilmis

morethanjusta

musicbiopicabout

theleadsingerwith

HaroldMelvin& The

BlueNotesandhis

subsequentstellar

solocareer.There’s

plentyofevocative

archivefootageanda terrificsweetPhilly

soulfulsoundtrack,buttherealmeatlies

inthetellingofthetragicstoryofthe 1982

accidentthatleftPendergrassparalysed

fromthechestdown– andhisremarkable

comebackthreeyearslateratLiveAid.

Intimateanddeeplymoving.

Extras:5/10.InterviewswithPendergrass’

collaborators,theatrical trailer

NIGEL WILLIAMSON

KISS ME DEADLY

CRITERIONCOLLECTION

10/10

Film noir’sdarkesthour

KissMeDeadlyis wherefilm’snoir’s

pessimismmeetstheatomicnightmare.

Thefilm’sbarelystartedandweare

plungedintoa luridotherworldof

treachery,terror,ColdWarparanoia,the

loomingthreatofnuclearextermination.

Theopeningcreditsscrollbackwardson

thescreen,asif thefilm’sbeingrewound

orrecoilingfromitsownending,terrified

bywhatit’sseenthere.A womanina

whitetrenchcoatis runningdowna roadat night,awayfromwho

knowswhatorwhere.Desperateforrescue,shethrowsherselfin

frontofa speedingcar.Thecarstops.Shegetsin,whimpering.

Thecar’sdriveris a privatedetective,MikeHammer.Youthink

she’ssafenow.A coupleofsceneslater,she’sbeingtorturedto

death.Whoarethethugswho’vekilledherandbeatenHammer

intounconsciousness?That’swhatHammerwantstoknow,

too.Vengeanceanda senseofopportunityconsumehim.

Hammerwasthecreationofpulp-fictionwriterMickey

Spillane,whoseviolentthrillers–I, TheJury,VengeanceIs Mine

• sensationallyexploitedtheanti-communisthysteriaofearly
  1950sAmerica.Hammerwasverydifferentfromthetwogreat
  fictionalprivateeyeswhoprecededhim– DashiellHammett’s
  ContinentalOpand,especially,RaymondChandler’sPhilip
  Marlowe.Marlowewastoughanduncompromisingbut,
  beneaththecynicalwisecracks,hewaschivalrous,moral,
  honourable.Spillane’sHammeris noneofthesethings.
  He’sa sadisticbrute,a narcissisticvigilantewhoanticipates
  LeeMarvin’simplacablehitmaninPointBlankandClint
  Eastwood’sDirtyHarry.He’splayedherebyRalphMeeker,
  whoseferalhandsomenessandpsychoticcharismarecallthe
  smirkingyoungRichardWidmarkinKissOfDeath.
  KissMeDeadlywasdirectedin 1955 byRobertAldrich,
  probablybestknownfortheanarchicnihilismof1967’sThe
  DirtyDozen. HeetransformsSpillane’svulgarRedMenace
  hyperboleintoa chillingpredictionofnucleardoom.Thefilm’s
  inevitablyconvolutedplotis drivenbyHammer’sobsessive
  pursuitofwhathislivelyassistant,Velda,snarkilycalls“the
  bigwhatsit”– a leadboxfullofhighlyunstableradionuclide
  materialthatbeginstoglowwhenevertheboxis opened,like
  whatever’sinthebriefcaseinTarantino’sPulpFictionorthecar
  bootinAlexCox’sRepoMan. Hammeris soonatseriousodds
  witha sinistercabal– “thenamelessones”– withpossible
  connectionstotheManhattanProject,theUSnuclearweapons
  agency.Finallytheboxis opened,disastrously.Theoriginal
  ending,cheerlessenough,wasreplacedafterreleasebyaneven
  moreominousconclusion:thebigbang,asannihilatingas
  advertised.Astonishingis thewordyou’relookingfor.
  Extras:9/10.Audiocommentaries,AlexCoxvideotribute,
  documentaries, trailer, alternative ending. ALLAN JONES