fidomusic-1 Reviews

Savage Sisters (1974)

Not to be taken too seriously

[7/10 · 5 May 2008]

An exciting not totally serious film. Gloria Hendry is excellent as Lynn Jackson. She is a totally underrated actress and should have received the fame and acclaim of Pam Grier.

'Savage Sisters' is a valuable addition to the blaxploitation/women in prison genre, and is a must for all those into this stuff. It is actually, in my opinion, one of the better examples of the genre.

I saw it when it came out in 1974. It was then available on VHS for a while.

However, as far as I know, it is NOT available on DVD, although there is a boxed set with the same title it doesn't include the movie!

The boxed set of DVDs available entitled 'Savage Sisters'consists of blaxploitation/women in prison movies but DOESN'T include the movie 'Savage Sisters'! Very strange.

The Ipcress File (1965)

The best spy film ever made

[10/10 · 9 March 2006]

The Ipcress File is like no other spy film, and quite the opposite of the glamorous James Bond genre. Seedy, quirky, with a definite stamp of the sixties, The Ipcress File has marvelous characterization by Michael Caine, Guy Doleman and Nigel Green. The latter two play stiff archetypal stiff upper lip British establishment types but ironically, neither were British: Doleman was South African and Green was Australian. The story has a definite sixties feel about it, and reminds me of some Avengers episodes about missing scientists. Sydney Furie's direction is superb, with unusual camera shots from the ground, giving the film an eerie, sinister quality. There are some atmospheric scenes in and around some famous London landmarks like St James's Park and The Royal Albert Hall. I never get tired of watching this film.

A for Andromeda (1961)

Superb science fiction

[10/10 · 22 June 2005]

I concur with author Martin Dench. I was only ten years old when A For Andromeda was screened but I remember vividly being riveted to the TV screen. A For Andromeda dealt intelligently with the discovery of extra terrestrial intelligence and its social and political consequences. The serial was totally believable and way ahead of its time. It is one of the great tragedies of television history that the BBC wiped this series. If this had not happened it is likely that A For Andromeda, and its sequel serial, The Andromeda Breakthrough, would have become world wide cult series like The Prisoner.

There are informative articles with episode synopses in the British TV fantasy magazine Timescreen of March 1987, and the American TV science fiction magazine Epi-log of March 1992.

I had thought that the BBC had wiped all of A For Andromeda, but a whole episode, The Eye of the Tiger' is now on Youtube.