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johngerardmatthew
Reviews
The Professionals (1977)
Underrated corker...
People take the pi*s out of 'The Professionals', but it's by and large very good, especially the first series.
Someone above said Martin Shaw was so embarrassed by it all, he wouldn't allow repeats; not true. He wouldn't allow repeats because the repeat fee structure they were offered was rubbish. His position was "if you think you can make money out of repeating it, then the actors want a fair piece of that profit". Sensible and rational. The repeat fees were sorted, and it's now being repeated. The "embarrassment" story is sexier, but I'm afraid, not true.
You would never know the actors did not like one another throughout the whole of filming, though. They're both really good in this; the Doyle character with his muesli with natural yoghurt and honey (edgy stuff in '79), and Bodie with his bacon sandwiches. There's a blu-ray on the way shortly, and the sneak previews look terrific. The picture quality on the DVDs is poor, with the broadcast masters even worse, in the toilet...
The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964)
all-time classic
This and 'Spartacus' are the best of the Roman Epics, and it's no coincidence that 'Gladiator' is essentially a remake of TFOTRE; Scott was inspired by the best.
This is a beautifully made, intelligent film with great performances, especially from Mason. And quite fitting that it was the last of the 'Epics'...I grew up watching these films on TV with my late father who always explained the history behind them, and they remind me of him when I watch them.
I've just picked it up on Blu-Ray for very little. Although the transfer isn't as great as 'Ben Hur' or 'Cleopatra', which it fully deserves, it still looks good.