Bass Fishing With Henry Gilbey DVD

Advantages: Great players and good plot, funny, charming, nostalgic
Disadvantages: None for me but will be dated for some viewers

...the BAFTA Award for Best British Film. The Lavender Hill Mob was written by T E B Clarke and was directed by Charles Crichton. I found it interesting to discover that this is the same Charles Crichton responsible for directing A Fish Called Wanda. He certainly must have had a great career to span such a timescale and variety of film. A young Audrey Hepburn, Robert Shaw (of Jaws fame) and Desmond Llewellyn all had small roles in this film. Watching today ,with all the films that have followed these early comedies ,it is easy for the viewer to dismiss them. However that is only because so many films since have taken elements from them. Overall, if you accept them for what they are, they provide a good entertaining experience with a glimpse into a bygone era thrown in for good measure. Most of these films can be picked up cheaply on DVD and make... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: It ends.
Disadvantages: The dreadful quality of acting, direction, writing and cinematography.

.... Both the past and imagined scenes are shot in grainy cine-film, causing confusion over what is reality. There are lots of montages of apparently random images filtered with various colours that, along with the gratuitous sex, violence and nudity seem engineered to distract from the lack of narrative. So it's a shame they aren't better accomplished. The violence in particular may be nasty and brutal but it is badly choreographed and lacks realism because every blow is accompanied by the same noise of knuckles on flesh and some of them clearly don't make contact. Gilbey has no idea how to handle actors, resulting in a series of one-dimensional gangster stereotypes talking in flat monotones and failing to connect with their characters and the audience. The overwhelming impression is of a shoddily made for DVD release that got lucky and gained... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Hours of fun.
Disadvantages: Difficult to watch what you want to!

...INTRODUCTION ******************* Thomas and his friends star in the first of five DVD`s,comprising of 26 episodes all previously shown on T.V but put together for one compilation. Thomas and his friends (introducing Gordon, Henry, Edward, James, Percy and many more) live and work on the island of Sodor, surrounded by sea it boasts a timber yard, flour mill ,coal mine and of course the docks!. Over 2 hours of adventures will have the children entertained (and many adults!). Find out what happens to Thomas when he gets above his station and cheeks Gordon the big blue engine, how Henry`s green paint is spoilt not by the rain but from the soot in a tunnel he refused to come out of, and James getting far too... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful