DAVY (Dir: Michael Ralph, 1958).

DAVY (Dir: Michael Ralph, 1958).

Notable as the first British film shot in Technirama and featuring a lovely muted Technicolor palette, Davy is often regarded as the final Ealing comedy. In truth this is a bit of a misnomer. A better description of Davy would be a comedy drama which happened to be released by the Ealing Studios, as it has little of the characteristics associated with Ealing and the comedy is some rather heavy handed slapstick.

Harry Secombe stars as the titular Davy, the only real talented member of a family vaudeville act. When he is given the chance to audition for Covent Garden’s Royal Opera House he must decide whether to keep the act together or go it alone.

Much of the comedy in Davy is confined to sequences of the family’s act and is not really part of the narrative. The remainder of the film is somewhat downbeat in tone and not really a comedy at all.

Secombe and his beautiful singing voice are undoubtedly the film’s strong suit and one feels that with a better showcase for his talents he could have carved out a successful film career. As it is, Davy was seen as a critical and commercial disappointment. However Davy is by no means a bad film. If you watch it expecting an Ealing comedy you will be disappointed; if you approach it as a low-key drama with musical interludes there is much to enjoy.

Check out my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME for more reviews of vintage Ealing Studios classics! Link below.

As a change from watching movies I am at the theatre! Waiting for St Clere’s Players production of Oliver! to begin!

Happy birthday to one of my ultimate heroes, the incredibly talented Mr Rolly Crump. I bow down to you sir.

LA LA LAND (Dir: Damien Chazelle, 2016).

I am writing this almost a week after watching so apologise in advance for a review which is light on insight and heavy on vague observations (when are they ever anything but?).

This widely acclaimed homage to the golden age of Hollywood musicals was a first watch for me. It’s somewhat simple plot concerns the rollercoaster romantic and professional trials of aspiring actress Emma Stone and struggling jazz pianist Ryan Gosling. While proudly declaring its love of classic Hollywood, this often low-key film feels much closer in spirit to Jacques Demy’s French language classic The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) than any actual Hollywood musical.

Where La La Land most strongly recalls the Hollywood musical is in it’s lovely saturated colour palette which would befit a 1940’s MGM Technicolor extravaganza and in the staging of musical numbers, A Lovely Night in particular and in its climax, a clever ode to those extended modern ballet numbers popular in 1950’s musicals, most famously An American in Paris (Vincente Minnelli, 1951). For me it also strongly recalled the finale of The Muppet Movie (James Frawley, 1979), but that might just be me!

The score is strong, notably the beautifully melancholic recurring theme City of Dreams. The dancing skills of Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone was rightly acclaimed. Neither are singers, but their pleasant vocals recalls the non-singer casting of Jean Simmons and Marlon Brando in Guys and Dolls and works fine in context.

For all its vintage Hollywood flourish, La La Land has a slightly melancholy almost anti-Hollywood musical narrative and feels less like a traditional musical than its more pop music oriented contemporary The Greatest Showman (Michael Gracey, 2017). Whether it will be as fondly remembered in 65 years time as the musicals of 65+ years ago to which it pays homage, I am not sure but I did enjoy it. It’s a good movie, nicely performed and beautifully made.

Visit my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME for more movie reviews! Link below.

Movie number 22: The Kid Who Would Be King (Joe Cornish, 2019). Writer/director Joe Cornish’s post-Harry Potter fantasy stars Louis Ashbourne Serkis as otherwise unremarkable schoolboy Alex who stumbles upon King Arthur’s legendary sword Excalibur, launching himself and his friends on a quest to save the world from Arthur’s ancient foe Morgana and a personal quest to find Alex’s absent father. As with other recent medieval themed movies King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (Guy Ritchie, 2017) and Robin Hood (Otto Bathurst, 2018) The Kid Who Would Be King is underperforming at the box office. Do not, however, let its underwhelming commercial impact deter you from experiencing this fun Goonies-esq romp. With pleasing performances from its mostly juvenile cast and some stunningly realised fantasy sequences, The Kid Who Would Be King features an arguably more satisfying narrative than the most recent entry into the Potter franchise, The Crimes of Grindelwald. It also features an outstanding performance from relative unknown Angus Imrie, striking the right balance of austere reverence and sheer oddity as young Merlin the magician. A mix of Arthurian mythology and housing estate humdrum, The Kid Who Would Be King feels distinctly and refreshingly British and carries a welcome anti-Brexit message. It is a good-natured, solidly entertaining family adventure, perfect for the school holidays.

Reblog if you appreciate him