Reel Britannia - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism

Episode 177 - This Is England (2006)

Set in a coastal English town during the summer of 1983, This Is England centres on Shaun, a lonely 12-year-old boy grieving the death of his father in the Falklands War. After a fight at school, Shaun is befriended by a group of older, good-natured skinheads led by the welcoming Woody. He quickly finds a sense of belonging and a surrogate family within their subculture of ska music, fashion, and camaraderie.

The group's joyful dynamic is shattered by the return of Combo, a charismatic but deeply troubled ex-convict with a volatile temper. Imbued with a nationalist, racist ideology from his time in prison, Combo attempts to steer the group towards far-right extremism. His intimidating presence causes a painful schism, forcing everyone to choose sides. While Woody and several others reject Combo’s hateful politics, the impressionable Shaun, swayed by Combo’s rhetoric about patriotism and pride, is drawn into his darker, more aggressive world. The film explores Shaun's loss of innocence as he navigates this dangerous new path, searching for a father figure amidst the social and political turmoil of Thatcher's Britain.

"Some people say we're racists.We're not racists. We're realists.Some people call us Nazis.We're not Nazis.No, what we are, we are nationalists and there's a reason people try to pigeonhole us like this.And that is because of one word, gentlemen.- Fear."

 

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Scott and Steven

 

Reel Britannia - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism

Episode 176 - Hammer Britannia 020 - The Evil Of Frankenstein (1964)

In Hammer's "The Evil of Frankenstein" (1964), a destitute Baron Victor Frankenstein (Peter Cushing), with his assistant Hans, is forced to flee and returns to his ancestral chateau in Karlstaad. He finds his home looted by vengeful villagers and his original creation missing.

Guided by a deaf-mute girl, he discovers the Creature (Kiwi Kingston) perfectly preserved in a glacier. After thawing and reanimating its body, Frankenstein finds its mind is dormant. Desperate, he seeks help from Professor Zoltan, a traveling carnival hypnotist, hoping to reactivate the Creature's brain.

Zoltan succeeds but seizes control of the powerful being for his own greedy purposes. He commands the Creature to steal and murder, enacting revenge on the town officials who wronged him. The Creature's rampage spirals out of control, leading to Zoltan's death. In a drunken rage, the Creature accidentally sets Frankenstein’s laboratory ablaze. Refusing to abandon his creation, the Baron is trapped in the inferno, seemingly perishing alongside the monster in the fiery explosion that consumes the chateau.

"I realised long ago that the only way to prove my theories was to make something in my laboratory that actually lived. I never told you, Hans... I succeeded once."

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Scott and Steven

 

Reel Britannia - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism.   This week, join Scott, Steven and Mark as they discuss a genuine British wartime classic.   Episode 175 - The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)  

In a Japanese POW camp during WWII, British Colonel Nicholson engages in a fierce battle of wills with the camp's commandant, Colonel Saito, over the construction of a railway bridge. Nicholson's rigid adherence to principle evolves into a dangerous obsession. He becomes determined to build a perfect bridge, not for his captors, but as a monument to British ingenuity and morale.

As the bridge nears completion, a symbol of his proud collaboration, an Allied commando team, including an escaped American POW, arrives to destroy it. The climax is a tragic, explosive collision of duty, pride, and the profound madness of war.

"We can teach these barbarians a lesson in Western methods and efficiency that will put them to shame. We'll show them what the British soldier is capable of doing."

 

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Scott and Steven

Reel Britannia - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism.   This week, join Scott and Steven as they discuss'The Killing Of Sister George' (1968)   On-screen, she's Britain's beloved Sister George. Off-screen, she’s a gin-soaked, abusive tyrant. When network executives axe her popular character, actress June Buckridge's life implodes. A ruthless BBC boss not only orchestrates her professional demise but also seduces her vulnerable young lover, Alice. Stripped of her fame and her relationship in a vicious power play, George is left a humiliated, broken woman facing total annihilation.   Episode 174 - The Killing Of Sister George (1968)  

"The Killing of Sister George" (1968) doesn't just explore the gap between public image and private life—it shatters it. On the air, June "George" Buckridge is Sister George, a beloved BBC radio nurse. Off the air, she's a gin-soaked, cigar-chewing tyrant, trapping her younger, childlike partner, Alice "Childie" McNaught, in a toxic, abusive relationship.

When June's off-screen antics and declining ratings become a liability, rumors fly that the BBC plans to kill off her character. The seemingly prim executive, Mrs. Mercy Croft, is dispatched to handle the "situation," but her motives seem ambiguous. As the professional axe hangs over her head, June's paranoia and rage explode, tightening her cruel grip on the vulnerable Alice.

Mrs. Croft begins to insert herself into their chaotic home life under the guise of offering support, but her interest, particularly in Alice, seems to go beyond professional concern. As June fights to save her career, a more insidious power struggle emerges within her own four walls. The film builds towards a tense confrontation between the three women, where careers, relationships, and identities hang precariously in the balance.

"Appearing to be drunk happens to be one of the easier ways of getting out of some of life's most embarrassing situations."

 

This and previous episodes can be found everywhere you download your podcasts

 

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Scott and Steven

Reel Britannia - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism

Episode 173 - The Old Dark House (1963)

In the 1963 horror-comedy "The Old Dark House," American car salesman Tom Penderel seeks shelter from a storm in a remote, dilapidated mansion. He finds himself an unwelcome guest among the eccentric Femm family, who are gathered for the reading of a will. The family members soon become victims of a mysterious killer, who murders them one by one in bizarre fashion.

Trapped by the storm with the strange household, Tom must navigate the growing paranoia and uncover the identity of the murderer before he also falls victim. The film combines traditional haunted house suspense with elements of black comedy and slapstick, as Tom attempts to survive the increasingly chaotic and dangerous night.

"No, I'm not strange. I'm American."

 

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Scott, Steven and Mark

Welcome to Reel Britannia-a very British podcast about very British movies ...with just a hint of professionalism.

We welcome back Hal, contributer of wonderful reviews at the official Talking Pictures Podcast as well as host of his very own show Couple Indemnity.

1980s political thriller shenanigans this week as what begins as a seemingly straightforward sex scandal quickly unravels into a complex web of conspiracy. 

Defence Of The Realm (1986)

In the politically charged atmosphere of 1980s Cold War London, Fleet Street is a battleground of ambition, rivalry, and relentless deadlines. At the heart of this cut-throat world is Nick Mullen, a young, ferociously ambitious reporter for the Daily Despatch. Mullen is driven by a burning desire to make a name for himself, to break the one big story that will catapult him to the top of his profession. He is sharp, cynical, and initially unconcerned with the moral complexities that may lie beneath a sensational headline.

His world is shared by Vernon Bayliss, a veteran journalist of the old school. Where Mullen is rash and hungry for glory, Bayliss is weary, methodical, and haunted by the compromises he has witnessed throughout his long career. He serves as a reluctant mentor and a cautious sounding board for Mullen's explosive energy, their dynamic a classic clash of youthful fire and aged wisdom, bound by a shared, albeit sometimes begrudging, respect for the craft.

The film ignites when Mullen receives a tantalising tip from an anonymous source. The information points to a major sex scandal involving Dennis Markham, a respected Member of Parliament who has been a vocal critic of the government's close military relationship with the United States, particularly regarding the presence of American nuclear forces on British soil. The story is explosive: Markham has allegedly been frequenting a London club where he has been meeting with a call girl who is also a suspected KGB agent. For Mullen, this is the scoop he has been waiting for. He pursues it with vigour, and the subsequent front-page exposé creates a political firestorm, effectively destroying Markham's career and reputation overnight.

Initially, Mullen basks in the glory of his journalistic triumph. However, the neat narrative soon begins to fray at the edges. Small inconsistencies and lingering questions trouble Bayliss, who, with his seasoned eye for detail, starts to believe that the story was too perfect, too easily handed to them. He quietly begins his own discreet investigation, urging a dismissive Mullen to consider the possibility that they have been used as pawns in a much larger, more sinister game. Mullen, still high on his success, initially resists Bayliss's cautious counsel, viewing it as the ramblings of a man who has lost his nerve.

The tone shifts dramatically when Bayliss dies suddenly and mysteriously in what is officially ruled a heart attack. Stricken with guilt and a growing sense of dread, Mullen is shocked into action. He discovers that Bayliss had been secretly investigating a seemingly unrelated event: a near-disastrous accident at an American airbase in the UK. Retrieving Bayliss's hidden research, Mullen inherits his mentor's investigation and his paranoia. He begins to piece together the terrifying truth that the Markham scandal was not about sex, but was an intricately fabricated smear campaign designed to silence him.

As Mullen delves deeper into the labyrinthine cover-up, the shadows begin to close in. He finds himself under constant surveillance, his flat is ransacked, and his every move is seemingly anticipated by faceless, powerful forces within the state's security apparatus. The story he is chasing is no longer about journalistic ethics or a political scandal; it is about a chilling government conspiracy to conceal a near-nuclear catastrophe from the public. Every new lead and every potential source becomes a risk, pushing Mullen further into a dangerous isolation where the very institutions meant to uphold the nation's defence are the ones he has to fear the most. He is no longer just a reporter chasing a story; he is a man fighting for his life against an enemy he cannot see.

"Vodka and Coca-Cola. Detente in a glass!"

 

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Scott and Steven

Welcome to Le Hollandais, the most fashionable restaurant in town, where the food is divine and the clientele is dreadful! Meet Albert, a gangster with Michelin-star vulgarity, and his elegant wife, Georgina, who’s desperately seeking a more palatable main course. She finds it in a quiet bookworm, and soon they’re having their cake and eating it too, right under Albert’s nose! What follows is a deliciously decadent tale of high fashion, haute cuisine, and hilariously unsubtle revenge. It’s a visual feast where the only thing more shocking than the menu is the table manners. 

The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover (1989)

Pray, draw back the heavy velvet curtain and step inside Le Hollandais, the kind of establishment where the decor is so ostentatiously opulent it borders on self-parody, and the food is so artfully constructed it seems a crime to actually eat it. This is not merely a restaurant; it is a theatre of consumption, a nightly opera of gluttony and grandeur, presided over by the stoic and endlessly patient French chef, Richard Borst. Each plate that emerges from his kitchen is a masterpiece, a testament to culinary genius. The tragedy, of course, is who gets to devour it.

Enter, with all the subtlety of a foghorn in a library, the titular Thief: Albert Spica. A gangster of such profound and spectacular vulgarity, he makes a mockery of the very concept of refinement. Clad in suits that scream for attention and draped in gold thick enough to anchor a ship, Albert holds court every single night at his reserved table, the undisputed black hole of decorum in this universe of elegance. He doesn't so much dine as he performs, his booming voice ricocheting off the damask-lined walls as he pontificates on his own brilliance, bullies his sycophantic cronies, and tortures the staff with his boorish demands. He is a man who believes his wealth entitles him to treat the world as his personal spittoon, and Le Hollandais is his favourite target.

And seated opposite him, a portrait of silent, simmering despair, is His Wife, Georgina. A creature of ethereal beauty and impeccable taste, she is as serene and elegant as her husband is brutish and loud. Trapped in a marriage that is less a partnership and more a hostage situation, Georgina endures Albert’s nightly tirades with the grace of a marble statue. Her rebellion is a quiet one, expressed through her meticulously curated wardrobe—each outfit a masterpiece of high fashion, a silent scream of defiance against the ugliness that surrounds her. She floats through the restaurant, a ghost at the feast, her eyes starved not for food, but for a morsel of kindness, a sliver of intellect, a life less… Albert.

One fateful evening, her gaze drifts past her husband’s gesticulating form and lands upon a quiet man dining alone, absorbed in a book. This is Michael, Her Lover-to-be. He is everything Albert is not: gentle, learned, and capable of sitting still for more than five seconds. He reads, he eats with quiet appreciation, he exists without needing to suck all the oxygen from the room. To Georgina, he is not just a man; he is an escape hatch. A silent, smouldering glance is exchanged across the crowded room, a spark of conspiracy against the tyranny of bad taste. An affair is not just inevitable; it is a matter of aesthetic survival.

And so begins one of the most audacious and absurd liaisons in cinematic history. With the tacit approval of the chef, Richard, who seems to believe that true love (or at least a desperate escape) is a cause worth risking his Michelin stars for, Georgina and Michael turn Le Hollandais into their personal playground. Their trysts are frantic, passionate, and hilariously brazen, conducted in every corner of the restaurant that isn't in Albert's direct line of sight. They find love in the cavernous, pristine kitchen amongst hanging pheasants and simmering pots. They embrace in the back of a lorry filled with rotting meat, the stench of decay a bizarre perfume for their blossoming romance. They even find refuge in the lavatories, a sanctuary of gleaming porcelain tiles. All the while, Albert sits just yards away, pontificating, stuffing his face, blissfully unaware that his wife is sampling a far more satisfying dish from the restaurant’s à la carte menu of patrons.

But such a delicious secret cannot be kept forever. Albert, for all his brutishness, possesses a gangster’s low cunning. He begins to notice the lingering glances, the prolonged absences, the faint air of satisfaction about his wife that has nothing to do with the dessert trolley. His suspicion, once kindled, erupts into a volcanic rage. The discovery is brutal, swift, and horrifyingly inventive. Michael’s sanctuary, his world of books, becomes his tomb. In an act of supreme cruelty, Albert’s thugs force-feed the gentle scholar the pages of his favourite book before ending his life.

This, Albert believes, is the end of the story. He is sorely mistaken. He has underestimated Georgina. The quiet, elegant statue has been shattered, and from the pieces emerges an avenging angel of haute couture. Her grief is not passive; it is a cold, hard, diamond-like fury. She seeks out the chef, Richard, not for comfort, but for collaboration. She has a recipe in mind, a final dish to be served to her husband—one that will ensure he finally gets what he deserves. The stage is set for a final, unforgettable confrontation where the main course is revenge, served ice-cold. It’s a visual feast where the only thing more shocking than the menu is the final bill. Bon appétit!

"Looks like catfood for constipated French rabbits!"

 

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Scott and Steven

 

Reel Britannia - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism.   This week, join Scott and Steven as they discuss'The Father'. A movie that poignantly depicts an elderly man's descent into dementia, masterfully portraying his disorienting reality. As Anthony's memory fractures, his daughter Anne struggles to care for him. The film uniquely places the audience within Anthony's confused perspective, where timelines shift and faces change, creating a deeply moving and unsettling exploration of aging, memory, and loss.   Episode 170 - The Father (2020)   All episodes at: https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/reelbritannia  

Florian Zeller’s 2020 film, The Father, is a poignant and unsettling cinematic experience that immerses the audience directly into the disorienting world of an elderly man grappling with dementia. The story centers on Anthony (Anthony Hopkins), a fiercely independent and proud 80-year-old living in a spacious London flat. His daughter, Anne (Olivia Colman), struggles to care for him as his grasp on reality deteriorates, yet he vehemently rejects every caregiver she hires.

The film's brilliance lies in its innovative narrative structure, which eschews a conventional linear plot for a fragmented and subjective perspective. We see the world through Anthony’s eyes, a confusing and ever-shifting landscape where time and space are fluid. Familiar faces inexplicably change, as different actors portray Anne and her husband, Paul. The layout of the apartment morphs, with rooms and furniture appearing and disappearing without warning, mirroring Anthony’s internal turmoil and profound sense of loss.

This clever and disquieting approach masterfully conveys the frustration, fear, and confusion that dementia inflicts. The audience is placed in the same bewildering position as Anthony, questioning the reality of events and the identities of those around him. We share his moments of lucidity, which are heart-wrenchingly interspersed with paranoia and accusations, particularly his recurring belief that his cherished watch has been stolen.

As the narrative unfolds, it becomes devastatingly clear that Anthony’s perception is unreliable. The flat we believe to be his is actually somwhere else, and his timeline of events is a jumble of memories, anxieties, and present moments. The film’s climax is not a singular event but a gradual and heartbreaking erosion of Anthony’s identity with some final gut wrenching scenes and a powerhouse performance from Anthony Hopkins.

The Father is a powerful and empathetic exploration of dementia, leaving a lasting impression of the profound human tragedy of a mind unraveling.

 

"I don't need any help from anyone. And I'm not going to leave my flat. All I want is for everyone to fuck off. Having said that... it's been a great pleasure. Au revoir. Toodle-oo."

 

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Scott and Steven

Reel Britannia - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism

Fancy a twisted trip to France? Our American painter, Jeff, certainly gets more than he bargained for when he dallies with the alluring Eve. She cooks up a rather madcap scheme to spring her hubby, Georges, from the local asylum using a handy oxyacetylene torch. But hold onto your berets! This seemingly straightforward caper spirals into a fiery game of murder, mistaken identities, and shocking revelations. Turns out, some folks are just a tad maniacal, and poor Jeff's in a very sticky situation!

Paranoiac (1963)

Right then, pack your bags for the sun-drenched, yet surprisingly sinister, Camargue region of France! Our protagonist, the somewhat hapless American painter Jeff Farrell, arrives looking for inspiration but quickly finds himself ensnared in a rather sticky wicket. He catches the eye of the mature and manipulative Eve Beynat, who runs a local bar with her lovely stepdaughter, Annette.

Eve spins a yarn about her husband, Georges, unjustly locked away in a nearby asylum for a crime he didn't commit – supposedly for using an oxyacetylene torch on his daughter's attacker. Before you can say "amour fou," Jeff is persuaded to help bust Georges out. The plan? Use that infamous torch to cut through the bars, or, if Georges has already shuffled off this mortal coil, to discreetly dispose of his remains.

Naturally, things go wildly off-piste. The breakout seems to succeed, but soon a body turns up, and the ever-suspicious Inspector Etienne starts sniffing around. Jeff, bless his naive heart, finds himself sinking deeper into a quagmire of deceit, where identities blur and everyone seems to have a hidden agenda. Was Georges truly wronged? Is Eve the damsel in distress she claims? And what's Annette's real role in this increasingly dangerous charade? Prepare for twists, turns, and a climax that proves some folks are just plain maniacal!

"You take a man's wife, Mr. Farrell, but not his money?"

 

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Scott, Steven and Mark

Fancy a playdate that's to die for? Join Mumsy, Nanny, and their darling (if slightly overaged) Sonny and Girly! This charmingly unhinged family just adores making new friends and luring them back to their quaint estate for endless games. Just remember: follow the rules, or it's permanent naptime!

Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly (1970)

Get ready for a rollicking, if rather unnerving, trip to the countryside with Freddie Francis’s 1970 cult delight, "Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly"! Forget your typical family get-togethers; this aristocratic British clan, tucked away in their gloriously crumbling Gothic pile, has a very peculiar idea of fun, and it’s all part of their never-ending, ever-so-slightly lethal "Game."

Meet the players, won't you? There's Mumsy (Ursula Howells), the lady of the manor, whose honeyed tones could charm the birds from the trees – right before she plots their untimely demise. Then we have dear old Nanny (Pat Heywood), ever loyal, ever simmering, and a stickler for the family’s rather unique traditions. And who could forget the children? Sonny (Howard Trevor) and Girly (Vanessa Howard) are grown-ups who’ve hit the pause button on maturing, preferring school uniforms and a particularly sinister brand of playtime. Their favourite pastime? Inviting charming chaps, affectionately dubbed "New Friends," back to their secluded estate for a jolly good… well, let's just say it rarely ends with a polite thank-you note.

You see, these "New Friends" quickly discover that their weekend invitation comes with a few rather peculiar house rules. They're expected to join in the family’s whimsical, if decidedly menacing, games. Pop a clanger, try to leg it, or generally spoil the fun? Well, that’s a one-way ticket to "meeting the angels," a quaint family euphemism for a rather permanent departure, often captured on Sonny's home movie camera for a bit of fireside entertainment. The film wastes no time in showing us how previous guests have fared – it’s not pretty, but it’s frightfully inventive!

Now, the real sport begins when a particularly sharp "New Friend" (the rather dapper Michael Bryant) wanders into their web. Unlike the others, this chap’s got his wits about him. He starts to notice the little cracks in this picture of domestic bliss: the glint of jealousy between Mumsy and Nanny, the oddly chummy vibes between Sonny and Girly, and young Girly’s rather blossoming, if thoroughly confused, interest in him.

Our clever "New Friend" decides it’s time to shake things up a bit, playing the family members off against each other like a maestro of mischief. He turns on the charm, especially with the ladies, and watches the sparks fly! Girly’s head over heels, Mumsy sees a new star for her manipulative little shows, and Nanny? Well, Nanny’s green-eyed monster is having a field day. Sonny, bless his cotton socks, just wants things back to the way they were and gets increasingly tetchy.

As our "New Friend" pulls the strings, the once-sacred rules of "The Game" get hilariously, and then dangerously, twisted. It’s not the captive causing the chaos anymore; it's the captors themselves, all clamouring for his attention and a slice of the power pie. The previously united, if terrifyingly bonkers, family starts to come apart at the seams, tumbling towards a climax that’s as wildly entertaining as it is darkly satisfying.

"Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly" is a cheeky poke at the old stiff upper lip and the very idea of a 'proper' family, all wrapped up in a deliciously dark and witty package. It’s less about the blood and guts and more about the spine-tingling giggles and the sheer audacity of a household where innocence and insanity go hand-in-hand. So, if you fancy a film that’s truly one of a kind, step into their parlour – just be sure you know the rules of "The Game"!

"In a happy family, you must always have rules."

 

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Thanks for listening

 

Scott and Steven