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The Jungle Book (2016)
As a a child of the sixties this took me back and also forward
It is a pleasure, as someone born in the sixties, to have re-visited a film and story that was a part of my formative years. I was born in 1963, and as a cub and then a scout (or as my younger sister called them tubs and sprouts), missed out on the Austin Powers- esque hedonistic, flower power era. I was instead the owner of a book that included a 7 inch single containing the soundtrack of the Jungle Book. An unusual 7 inch, as it played at 33 1/3rd rpm and when 'Tinkerbell' rang her little bell, you had to turn to the next page of the book and read along. Of course, the sixties film version is one of my first cinema trips, so, now at the age of 52, it was with some intrigue that I joined the punters at my local world of cine to see what Jon Favreau had done to this classic.
What a film! The first thing that struck me was the jungle. There is a slight resemblance to Birdman in that the camera took us on a journey, constantly moving, drawing us along in what seemed a single take. Jungle book has a similar approach to the cinematography. From the moment the Disney logo and fanfare appears, and on this point there is just one of these at the beginning, unlike the number we are normally subjected to, the adapted Disney castle acts as the starting point. The camera then pulls us into this visually stunning set, which in itself is a leading character in the film.
Neel Sethi, as Mowgli, leads on that journey, and what a revelation he is. Slightly uncanny, just how he has visually pulled off bringing a 2D character from the page of a book to the three dimensional screen. Great film can do that - seeing and hearing Andy Serkis play Gollum in the Lord of the Rings 'sextuple-ilogy' was similar. I read those books in my teen years and had a visual and sound reference for both and he was just it. Same here, Neel is Mowgli way back in my head in the sixties. But it isn't just his stance, movement or voice, the finest actors always present very nuanced performances on screen - a flicker change of expression, a raise of an eyebrow - it has to be subtle. There is an incredible moment towards the end of this film as Mowgli faces his fear of Shere Khan, were you can just feel that the character has slightly matured. How did this young, unknown actor achieve a subtle change?
On this point, I turn to the aspect of fear and the film's rating. I was at a late evening Saturday performance and it was full, many families present with quite young children. They were enthralled and captivated by the film. I am reading a great book, by the philosopher Frank Furedi, about how fear pervades our modern lives. In it, he talks about how we fear everything and how words like safeguarding, vulnerable and victim are applied to everyone and everything these days. Are all children vulnerable, or should we allow them to build resilience and enable them to think for themselves by gaining critical thinking skills? There is mild threat throughout this film - that is its point - but children can deal with that and process it. Back to my childhood in the sixties, Saturday night wouldn't have been complete without hiding behind the sofa when Jon Pertwee was battling Daleks and waking in bed upstairs not yet having worked out that Daleks and stairs don't mix.
Favreau has produced a remarkable film. It makes a change to go to a nice, family film that doesn't have some super hero marauding around making a lot of noise and usually leaving a body count of squelchy mess proportions. This is great cinema and I think it will introduce a whole new generation to the big screen.
Northern Soul (2014)
Northern Soul is a soundtrack searching for a plot and some real character
I am from just outside Wigan, home of the famous casino and up here in the north of England, soul music can be heard in the influences that led to Madchester and many other genres.
The soundtrack of this film is second to none and when it concentrates on the music and music's role in society it is never better.
The sets and attention to historical detail really do come across and transport you to an era that is so different from today.
But then comes the plot, characters and some real dodgy acting. Its hard to invest in these characters as they are parodies of the north almost played to emphasise the stereotype.
The problem here is I don't see characters that I can believe in but actors trying to act. Its all a bit 'amateur dramatics' and doesn't work. Its perhaps almost Coronation Street in its approach and recreates the sort of acting often seen in soap operas. You can also feel Steve Coogan and Henry Normal and their Baby Cow productions reaching for another 24 hour party people but falling short. Coogan has many of his family in the show and some of the cast feels a bit like friends and family.
The level of violence and drug use is over played and this film is never going to be a classic - it is dedicated to someone's life who had this as a project and a very good project it is as well but one can't help think the cast and acting and a thin plot lets it down.