 Everyone
who says that there are no decent films being made in the UK are dead
wrong. There are plenty of decent movies made in the UK. It's just that
no-one really gets the chance to see them. With UK distributors
consistently playing it safe, there's a raft of excellent stuff that -
apart from an occasional screening at a film festival - that's
gathering dust on a shelf. But thanks to the advent DVD, there's been a
re-discovery of many of the films that seemingly slipped through the
cracks. A couple of these happen to be two of the finest British films
made over the past decade both directed by Ben Hopkins. Prepare to the
enter the fairy tale land of Simon Magus and the chaos that surrounds The Nine Lives Of Thomas Katz
Set in 19th Century Central Europe, Simon Magus
is a remarkable debut feature that stars Noah Taylor as Simon, an
outcast in his village as many people believe that he's possessed by
the Devil. Meanwhile business Hase and the scholar Dovid compete to
control a new railway that will safeguard the village's future. Hase
enlists Simon as a spy and events soon spiral out of control. Are there
really supernatural forces at work? Beautifully shot (but with an acute
sense of the mud and grime of the village) and with some fabulous
acting from Taylor, Rutger Hauer (yes, you read right) and Sir Ian Holm
this is a darkly compelling fantasy adventure with a sense of classic
cinema about it..
Which makes The Nine Lives Of Thomas Katz
such a surprise. For his second feature Hopkins eschews to formality of
his previous film and goes for a gloriously chaotic and free-wheeling
style which contains the gamut of genres from thriller to German
Expressionism, from MTV promo to Ealing comedy. Here Thomas Fischer -
in an absolutely astonishing performance - plays the eponymous title
character who shifts from person to person as he attempts to bring
about the apocalypse in London. Only the blind and spiritual police
inspector (played with a hilarious air of bemusement by Ian McNeice)
seems equipped to stop him. Just brimming with great ideas, moments of
laugh out loud humour (Never has the line "Get the tea ladies," been
mad so funny) and some moments of quite overwhelming beauty it's sheer
energy and enthusiasm put many other films that managed to get wide
distribution to shame. Does it make sense? Does it hell. But that's
half the fun.
At
the centre of both films is - obviously - Hopkins and the commentary
who provides for both films are revealing though, sadly, sometimes for
the wrong reasons. The Katz commentary - conducted in
conjunction with Fischer seemingly a couple of years after the film had
been made - is a funny affair which can be boiled down to Hopkins
saying "What the fuck was I thinking of making and what the fucking
hell are you idiots doing watching it?" Partly this seems to be a
deliberate provocation towards the audience but also there's an element
of being jaded here. Recorded at the time when the film was gaining
critical plaudits but was being distributed in a way that could be
generously be described as ham fisted must have been a frustrating
experience (though the film was a massive hit in Germany). The Magus commentary
- seemingly recorded only a couple of years ago - is another
bittersweet affair in which Hopkins admires the film but feels it's
made by someone else, a someone else who was much more enthusiastic and
hopeful about making films in the future.
Thankfully Hopkins has continued to make films and his excellent documentary 37 Uses For A Dead Sheep
should be showing at festivals son. In the meantime, this brilliant DVD
release (not only do you get both films but you also get Hopkins' award
winning short National Achievement Day) will allow these films to be re-discovered and garner the respect that they deserve.
Released by: Fabulous Films and Fremantle Home Entertainment
Cert: 15
Region: 0 (All)
101mins / 84 mins
Language: English
Subtitles: English, German
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