As the credits rolled, the audience sat in stunned silence as if they
had lost the ability to speak or move. I felt as if I had been punched
in my solar plexus, such was the impact of Marc Rothemund's chronicle
of courage and quiet heroism, Sophie Scholl, The Final Days.
For two hours we had followed a few days in the life of a young German
student who, in 1943, distributed a few anti-Nazi leaflets in Munich
University and found herself interrogated and charged by the Gestapo
who had the might of the desperate Third Reich behind them. We watched
with awe as this 21 year old girl grew in courage and stature under the
pressure, replacing her initial protestations of innocence with
affirmations of her abhorrence at everything the fascists stood for.
Scholl enhances her strong political conviction with a humble strength
of faith in the righteousness of her cause.
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
It seems that everyone has buggered off on holiday - especially those who release DVD's. So whilst Special Edition # 8 is a little bit shorter there are still some little gems to be found for your delight and delectation. It also allows Laurence Boyce to nip away from the computer and TV screen for a while for a spot of sunbathing. And, after turning pasty white sitting in the dark and watching all these films, he certainly needs it.
Those who know the work of illustrator Dave Shrigley will understand how easy it is to fall into cliché when describing his work. Words such as ‘twisted’, ‘dark’ and ‘disturbing’ seem inadequate to express his truly warped view of the world and the people who inhabit it. Now, with the aid of Chris Shepherd who directed the wonderful short film Dad’s Dead, Shrigley has brought his deceptively simple style to the screen.
It's holiday time and Special Edition has been away and topping up it's tan. Now it's come back, got its holiday photos developed and returned to a darkened room to watch the very best DVD's that have been released recently. So if the oppressive heat is making life outside uncomfortable, switch on the air conditioning and let Special Edition # 7 tell you what to pop in you DVD player
"I'd like to finish with a word of warning. You may have started something. The British are coming." If that statement, made by Colin Welland during his 1981 Oscar acceptance speech for Chariots Of Fire, is true then the British have been taking their bloody time. More than 25 years on, it's only now that British cinema seems to be at the beginnings of resurgence that could put it at a level as it was during the 1960s. Whilst it's true to say that the talents such as Danny Boyle and Stephen Frears amongst others have provided many high spots over the past couple of decades they have been - comparatively - few and far between. Now with recent Cannes winners such as Red Road, commercial genre successes in the shape of Shaun Of The Dead and The Descent plus a thriving independent scene our indigenous industry may not be fully resurrected, but its certainly pulling itself out of a hole. So it's quite timely that May Miles Thomas' One Life Stand has found its way on to DVD after some years in the wilderness.
As we head towards the Summer Blockbuster season, those who found themselves averse to explosions, CGI and lines such as "Whyyyy? And he only had 45 minutes until retirement..." should be extremely grateful for whoever invented Digital Versatile Discs. There are a number of films in Special Edition # 6 that show the crusading and intelligent side of the modern film industry alongside a number of classic re-releases. Oh, and let's face it, explosions and CGI can often be fun so there's a little bit of that as well....