I Start Counting

IdleRich · Feb 16, 2009

Anyone seen this sixties (or is it seventies) uk film with Jenny Agutter? Better still anyone have a copy that I can borrow?

I saw this film for the one and only time on English television back in 1980.At the time I thought it was the best thriller film I had ever seen.Since then to my knowledge it has never been shown again over here (I stand to be corrected on this one !) and appears to have sank without trace.Agutter is excellent as the schoolgirl who thinks her foster brother(Bryan Marshall) may be the local sex murderer and the creepy atmosphere builds up carefully helped by the location work on the wide windy stretches of an English New Town which I believe is Bracknell,Berkshire where Sean Connery's equally disturbing film "The Offence" was shot a couple of years later.Photography ,editing and supporting cast all first class.This film deserves to be better known in the history of British film and indeed the horror/thriller genre and its continued omission in most of the weighty film guides on the market remains ,to me, the biggest mystery and injustice of them all.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064462/

http://www.celebritywonder.com/vids/Jenny_Agutter/NjTdao4QCxY.html

IdleRich · Mar 3, 2009

If anyone is interested I did get hold of this and watched it last night. Well worth seeing I'd say, more for the atmosphere or plot or any action or anything. Nothing really happens but it's never boring and it's got a soundtrack by Basil Kirchin which is very effective and reminds you of how weird Britain probably was in the early seventies. Certainly seems as though it was very different to how it is now in any case. The music is slightly off-kilter, very English and almost psychedelic although not in any obvious way - it kind of reminds me of the sort of feel that Look Around You or whatever it was called was trying to pastiche. The fim is also quite creepy in parts and also has the inevitable focus on "young girl coming of age" that you get in virtually any film where the main character is a woman between about nine and eighteen - so it's also creepy for that reason, possibly deliberately.

scottdisco · Mar 3, 2009

i'm interested

great summary Rich, this sounds a fabulous, very intriguing flick.

like what you say about Britain in the early 70's.

IdleRich · Mar 4, 2009

"great summary Rich, this sounds a fabulous, very intriguing flick.
like what you say about Britain in the early 70's."

Well, if you're interested you're welcome to borrow a (fairly ropey) copy although it won't be for a little while because I have to lend it to someone else first. Fabulous would be much too strong I think but it's got something.

nochexxx · Mar 25, 2009

based on your previous recommendations I shall have to see this.

Your review reminded me a little bit of a mike leigh film I saw the other day called nuts in may. i think because you mentioned the weirdness of the 70's.

anyone here seen this? this is the greatest british film i reckon. the film follows a neurotic english couple during their camping holiday in dorset, both of whom reminded me of viz magazines modern parents. perhaps it's where they got the idea from! highly recommended

crackerjack · Mar 25, 2009

nochexxx said:
anyone here seen this? this is the greatest british film i reckon. the film follows a neurotic english couple during their camping holiday in dorset, both of whom reminded me of viz magazines modern parents. perhaps it's where they got the idea from! highly recommended

Yeah, it's good, though Leigh's middle class characters are invariably outrageous caricatures.

nochexxx · Mar 25, 2009

crackerjack said:
Yeah, it's good, though Leigh's middle class characters are invariably outrageous caricatures.

i've definitely come across many people like this. in fact i would go a far as to say that mike leigh's portrayal of keith and candice was quite subtle at times.

Benny Bunter · Mar 25, 2009

nochexxx said:
Your review reminded me a little bit of a mike leigh film I saw the other day called nuts in may. i think because you mentioned the weirdness of the 70's.

anyone here seen this? this is the greatest british film i reckon. the film follows a neurotic english couple during their camping holiday in dorset, both of whom reminded me of viz magazines modern parents. perhaps it's where they got the idea from! highly recommended

Yes! A fantastic british comedy, up there with Withnail and I for me. Some of the most toe-curlingly embarrassing scenes ever.

All together now...

I want to go to the zoo she said, I want to go to the zoo
I want to see the lions, and the tigers toooo...

crackerjack · Mar 25, 2009

nochexxx said:
i've definitely come across many people like this. in fact i would go a far as to say that mike leigh's portrayal of keith and candice was quite subtle at times.

I watched Meantime again recently. The whole thing thrives on its 3d characterisation of the Roth/Daniels brothers. Then you get this bloke from the council come round and he's this ludicrous telegraph-ish stereotype of some lefty graduate into vague eastern philosophy aand not sitting on chairs and talking very softly like his innner zen is just so. it's just the gulf in plausibility between the well-fleshed working class and everyone else that gets me.

Sorry to go off on one - haven't seen NIM in 20 years and do remember liking it

nochexxx · Mar 25, 2009

crackerjack said:
Sorry to go off on one - haven't seen NIM in 20 years and do remember liking it

no sweat.

thinking about mike leighs work in greater detail i would agree that some of his character portrayals are in danger of being a bit ott.

with NIM i occasionally felt candice and keith did appear a bit hammy, but in general i felt the films direction didn’t exploit these characteristics long enough for it to ruin the sense of it being real. the film often defered from this and would focus on other issues contained therein.

in the wrong hands it could have been turned into something like a mr bean film.

IdleRich · Mar 26, 2009

Nuts in May is definitely funny but I found it a little cruel. I don't really understand what he's getting at when he's going after these harmless sad cases and making them suffer. Same in Abigail's Party although that wasn't mitigated by being funny, in fact I really couldn't stand it.

"Yeah, it's good, though Leigh's middle class characters are invariably outrageous caricatures."

Interesting - whenever I've read reviews of Leigh's films there tends to be a lot of moaning about his caricaturing of so-called working class people.

crackerjack · Mar 26, 2009

IdleRich said:
Nuts in May is definitely funny but I found it a little cruel. I don't really understand what he's getting at when he's going after these harmless sad cases and making them suffer. Same in Abigail's Party although that wasn't mitigated by being funny, in fact I really couldn't stand it.

Interesting - whenever I've read reviews of Leigh's films there tends to be a lot of moaning about his caricaturing of so-called working class people.

Surprised by this - which fillms and characters are you thinking of?

IdleRich · Mar 26, 2009

"Surprised by this - which fillms and characters are you thinking of?"

Well - this is not my criticism - but I read a lot of reviews that made criticisms along those lines when Happy Go Lucky came out - and the reviews were of the form "once again Mike Leigh stereotypes the British working classes for his own ends" as though this were a recognised trait.

fokse vektaire xeven · Apr 1, 2009

Of course Leigh deals in caricatures. He is a satirist.

Nuts in May isn't anywhere close to being the greatest British television play, let alone the greatest film. It is very funny though. Naked will probably remain leigh's best work in the final analysis, though like everything he does, it rubs some up the wrong way.

I love I Start Counting. Jenny Agutter has got classic nonce appeal. it makes a great noncy British double bill with Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly.

nochexxx · Apr 1, 2009

fokse vektaire xeven said:
Nuts in May isn't anywhere close to being the greatest British television play, let alone the greatest film. It is very funny though. Naked will probably remain leigh's best work in the final analysis, though like everything he does, it rubs some up the wrong way.

i'm no expert but felt i would nominate nuts in may as the greatest english / britsh film primarily because i reckon it has the ability to appeal and reflect a particular side of britishness to audiences worldwide (in the same way that mr bean does) i'm afraid we are known (amongst more positive things!) for our fragility (especially in the east). i also think because NIM covers many of our inherent characteristics it makes it essential viewing for us brits. on a day to day basis our keith's and candice marie's possess us on a day to day basis. this film makes for healthy therapy and transcends naked imo.

i'd be interested in hearing other peoples recommendations.

I Start Counting

IdleRich

IdleRich

IdleRich

IdleRich

scottdisco

rip this joint please

IdleRich

IdleRich

nochexxx

harco pronting

crackerjack

Well-known member

nochexxx

harco pronting

Benny Bunter

Well-known member

crackerjack

Well-known member

nochexxx

harco pronting

IdleRich

IdleRich

crackerjack

Well-known member

IdleRich

IdleRich

fokse vektaire xeven

Arab Nazi

nochexxx

harco pronting