SC-14 Reviews

A.D. (1985)

Grand Folly

[16 December 1999]

Biblical epics are rarely any good, trying to balance dialogue written by screenwriters with Scripture, resulting in a bizarre manner of speaking that convinces no-one.

'Jesus of Nazareth' was an astonishing exception, but, although the production team is very similar to 'Jesus of Nazareth', the result is a confused mess, with the series attempting to simultaneously retell the Acts of the Apostles, remake 'I Claudius' and tell a love story at the same time.

The direction is dull, with only the episode endings, the beautifully constructed opening scene and the well-staged arena scenes being of any note. Few performances stand out- Denis Quilley makes an effective Peter, David Harris gives Thomas new life, and Cecil Humpries is impressive as Caleb, but Paul Sayer's Paul/Saul is breath-taking.

It is on the Roman side where things go downhill, almost every scene and actor unable to escape from the shadow of 'I Claudius' and, considering A.D. probably cost 20 times as much, this is a huge flaw, particularly in the case of the usually excellent Richard Kiley, who should have created his own interpretation of Claudius, instead of mimicking Derek Jacobi.

To summarise, it has little to interest the discerning viewer of the historical epic- those who appreciated 'Jesus of Nazareth's dynamic sense of wonder will find this version flat and empty. Those who appreciated 'I Claudius' for its intelligent writing, characterisation and acting (not to mention incest, gore and nudity) will find this somewhat castrated version dull.

Edge of Darkness (1985)

Television at its best

[31 October 1999]

The years 1985 and 1986 were the best years for Television- 1986 had 'The Singing Detective' and 1985 had this gem. It begins as a routine crime story, but grows and mutates until the affairs of men are swamped by infinity. Bob Peck provides perhaps the best performance ever seen on the small screen and the direction is superb- the close-up of the statue of Jesus pocked with radiation sickness is one of the most effective I have ever seen. Buy the video, and wonder why the long-awaited DVD was mysteriously cancelled in the UK.

Brass Eye (1997–2001)

Sheer bloody genius

[28 September 1999]

There is actually very little point in writing this- it will never be repeated on British television as it offended too many of the moronic b-list celebrities who unwittingly contributed it; it is unlikely that American TV will show it, as even HBO would probably baulk at the content; it is almost definite that it will never be released on video. Yet, to the lucky few who actually saw it- as opposed to the hysteria that followed its only broadcast- it remains the greatest satire of the 1990s, perhaps of the television age.

Chris Morris is merciless in his humour- an abused girl is asked if her attacker was as good-looking as he is; in completely convincing fake American news extracts, we are told of menaces to American society such as the increase of priests with guns, and of the forgotten fourth man of the Apollo 11 mission whose role was that of sexual slave to the other three. Celebrities are fooled into supporting all kinds of ridiculous causes- Jilly Cooper and Alexandra Paul support an elephant in a German zoo which has stuck its trunk in its anus in a fit of depression; Stephen Berkoff warns us of the perils of 'heavy electricity' falling out of wires; and, controversially, several celebrities and Members of Parliament speak out against the fictitious drug 'Cake'- questions were even raised in Parliament, which led to the postponement of the original showing.

Many have found this programme grossly offensive, yet the conclusion is obvious- either celebrities are stupid, or they will jump on any bandwagon to promote themselves. The boldness too- Morris is a man who will take a hidden camera and ask real drug dealers for non-existent drugs whilst wearing only a nappy (diaper)and a beach ball.

Chris Morris is God.

Jerry Sadowitz vs the People (1998– )

Offensively Revolutionary

[23 September 1999]

The first show broke more taboos than the entire first series of 'Oz'- the first use of the c-word on a comedy programme on British Network Television (to say nothing of more f-words than 'Pulp Fiction') this was an alternative chat-show where Sadowitz would interview members of the general public, who would be thrown off if they bored him. Subsequent shows showed a man doing an impression of Charles de Gaulle using only his penis (resulting in the almost unique warning before the show 'This programme contains very strong language and close-up, full-frontal male nudity) and Sadowitz introducing the show with an Indian accent and a turban saying 'Are there any taboos left in comedy?' Sadowitz is one of the most brilliant comedians on the planet, but, of all the ones I've seen- and I've seen hundreds on both sides of the Atlantic- this Scottish/Jewish comedian is the most offensive. The question that must be askes is whether this is revolutionary or merely shock for shock's sake. A show that begins its very first episode with 'This week, we ask the question: Nazis and Jews- Who's right?' is not for everyone, and on occasion, the show has gone too far, but it has earned a footnote in TV history, whatever its quality.

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Dr Spielberg: or how we went over there and kicked ass

[9 September 1999]

Dr Spielberg: or how we went over there and Kicked Ass

As I said to Amazon, this is not the best war film- Paths of Glory has a better script and better direction, All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) has better battle scenes (this is true- I didn't believe it either!) and Das Boot has far better tension and characterisation. It wasn't even the best war film of that year- The Thin Red Line was far superior.

People should learn to differentiate between an excellent film and a mediocre film with two excellent scenes.

Robin Hood (1984–1986)

Magical mystery tour

[1 September 1999]

This is THE best fantasy series ever, particularly the first two seasons which are flawless. The scriptwriting is beautiful, the performances never bettered- Michael Praed is the most charismatic Robin Hood yet, and Judi Trott's Marion is head and shoulders over all others, but the acting laurels have to go to Ray Winstone as Will Scarlett- watching his intense performance as a man on the verge of psychosis really drives home the fact that Christian Slater was a pale imitation of him. The direction is, perhaps, consistently better than any other series, and that music...

Above all, it is the fact that it is the only programme that I watched as a kid that seemed BETTER when I saw it as an adult. If there is one TV series that deserves to be released on DVD it is this one.