The Ape Woman has received a new release from Cult Films on Blu Ray and Digital, being presented in 4K for the first time. When the film was originally made the ending was seen as too challenging for the 1964 Cannes festival and was replaced with a happier ending. The original ending has been restored for this release, as well as the alternative ending being available as an extra feature. The film has long been considered a classic of Italian cinema, chosen as one of the 100 films to be preserved as important to Italy’s history as part of the 100 film italiani da salvare (100 films to be saved).
Annie Girardot stars as Marie, the titled character, who lives a sheltered life in a convent due to her medical condition. Antonio (Ugo Tognazzi) meets Marie and promises her a new life full of new sights and places. He quickly turns sinister and uses her as part of a show to make money.
The film is a tragic story, inspired by the story of Julia Pastrana. It’s full of heart breaking moments and Marie is a really sympathetic character. Annie Girardot gives a great performance that brings her to life and makes you feel the struggle she goes with. The original ending is how this film should be seen. It’s bleaker and more fitting of the story. It’s also how co-writer and director Marco Ferreri originally intended the film to be seen.
The story deals with exploitation, abuse, and discrimination in a really powerful way. Marie is completely used by Antonia at first and at times it is hard to watch, as the film progresses their relationship becomes more complex. It’s with their relationship that the film really shines. It’s a truly sad story and it still resonates with its themes today.
The Ape Woman is a classic film, that’s been given the justice it deserves with the new release. The film looks great, the story is still emotional, and the extras are all excellent. Having both endings available is the best way to present this film and it’s something special to be able to experience them back to back.
The Ape Woman is on Blu-ray and digital 11 October from CultFilms
The Velvet Underground is a loud and vibrant documentary that follows the legendary band from their beginnings through to Lou Reed leaving the band, shortly before the release of their 1970 album Loaded. It completely dismisses Squeeze, just as critics and a good number of Velvet Underground fans have. The film captures the Avant Garde nature of their music while also contextualising it within he social and art movements of the mid to late 1960s.
Any documentary about music needs to have great sound design and The Velvet Underground has that. From the opening titles, which has Venus in Furs played over the top of it, the music is loud and sounds perfect. Being able to see this film with a great sound-system/headphones is a must. The Velvet Underground’s music isn’t for everyone. They sounded different from anything else at the time and still sound unique today. The documentary isn’t going to win over people who haven’t gotten along with the band before. It will give you a true appreciation of what Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and Moe Tucker were trying to create.
Todd Haynes paints a picture of what led to The Velvet Underground and their music through new and archival interviews. The surviving members of the classic line up, John Cale and Moe Tucker, are both interviewed alongside those that knew the band personally and archival recordings from Lou Reed and others such as David Bowie (Who also produced Lou Reed’s second solo album, Transformer).
Through two hours of archival footage, interviews and songs you get a greater idea of what The Velvet Underground are really about, although at the same time it does feel like there is still so much mystery about them when the film ends. This isn’t a traditional documentary, where there’s a narrator giving you background information with a list of dates, the film is told through snippets of information and interviews. It doesn’t offer definitive opinions on people but lets those that were there tell the stories they remember. At one point Lou Reed’s sister says that lots of people put a period of Reed’s life down to drugs or depression, but it’s not that simple to pinpoint it like that. There are other factors of the world around him and it’s not easy to explain why he wrote what he wrote.
At times the documentary does feel like it’s more focused on Lou Reed than the band as a whole. There is a focus on his early life and the film stops pretty much as he left the band in 1970. There is time given to everyone, but it’s clear that Lou Reed was the driving force behind the band, even if it wouldn’t have been possible without the other members, Nico and Andy Warhol.
The Velvet Underground offers a personal insight into the Avant Garde rock group from the surviving members of the band as well as those that were close to them. The bands discography has stood the test of time and whether you’ve loved the band since the mid-60s or found out about them much more recently, then this is definitely worth your time.
Before last weekend I’d never been to a film festival. It’s something I’d always wanted to do, but the idea of it felt very daunting. I applied for press accreditation, which was accepted and I started making plans to go down on the first weekend (9th/10th October). Because Tabby was coming with me, we had a look at the public screenings that were available and hadn’t sold out, and managed to book Last Night in Soho, Ron’s Gone Wrong and The Velvet Underground without any hassle. After checking daily (almost hourly) we then managed to get tickets to the sold out screening for The French Dispatch when a few more were released online, so extended the hotel a night and also got tickets to The Tender Bar (which we had looked at originally but would have missed the last train home without the extra night at the hotel). Doing it this way did mean that I didn’t get to go to an actual press screening, due to the schedule. However, I have been watching the online screenings and will hopefully be able to watch even more in the next few days. Cop Secret was a great joy to watch.
So Friday came around and we made it down to London. It was my first trip since March 2020 and to be honest I was a little nervous. Being on a train again and in London had me filled with anxiety. I shouldn’t have worried at all. Everyone was relaxed and while there was barely anyone wearing masks, it felt comfortable to be walking around. At points it felt like the last 18 months hadn’t happened and everything was just continuing as normal.
The Hotel, a two minute walk from Trafalgar Square, was really nice. I slept reasonably well and we both woke up bright and early ready to get some breakfast and make our way to the first screening of The Velvet Underground documentary. Getting to the Royal Festival Hall was simple enough, almost a straight line. I did find the actual building a little confusing as there were no signs, but some helpful staff helped us find the correct entrance. I really enjoyed The Velvet Underground. They are a band that I quite like, but I’m not a die-hard fan. I feel like I might become one after watching it. I have a review coming soon.
After that we got some lunch and it was straight into the world premiere for Ron’s Gone Wrong. We got to walk along the red carpet, get a goody bag which included a Ron plush and find our seats. We had to put our phones in a little bag, so I couldn’t get pictures of the writers and cast on stage. I really loved the film and it was clear that everyone else in the audience did as well.
After Ron’s Gone Wrong finished we had a little over an hour before the evening gala for Last Night in Soho. Online it said there wasn’t a dress code, but I didn’t want to feel underdressed so we went back to the hotel and got dressed up. I wore a suit, no tie and went back to the Festival Hall. I was very overdressed. There were a couple of people scattered throughout who were dressed up really nicely, but there were a lot more in jeans and t-shirts. I absolutely loved Last Night in Soho. It was everything I hoped for and more.
Edgar Wright introducing Last Night In Soho with the cast and co-writer. Matt Smith is the one on the left.
On to day 2. The French Dispatch started at 6pm so we went for a walk around London, looking for the Liberty Store which featured in Cruella, one of my favourites from earlier in the year. It took us a while, and some random detours due to rain and finding somewhere to sit down for lunch, but we found it in the end. Just before we found it, we turned a corner and found Carnaby Street, which I had no idea was so close. We walked through that and then made our way to the hotel, dinner and then to The French Dispatch, dressed in jeans and a jumper this time around.
I was disappointed with The French Dispatch. To be honest I think I expected too much. It just didn’t have the same punch that over Anderson films had. Everyone around me seemed to be loving it a lot more and when we did leave people were raving about it. It’s something that I’m planning on watching again when it does get released. Maybe a second go around will make me love it.
The screening was worth it, for the magazine we got that gives a lot of background on the film and its inspirations, and Bill Murray turning up as the credits started to roll to ask if we all enjoyed it. He was funny and it honestly was the highlight of the weekend.
Not a very good photo from my phone
Straight after The French Dispatch we had our final film, The Tender Bar. This is my favourite film of the festival. It is very sentimental and wholesome in places, some of the dialogue is a little clunky, but Ben Affleck is superb, the story is emotional and I absolutely loved it. I kept waiting for something to happen in the film that would ruin it, but it kept it up for the entire run time. It was phenomenal. It’s something I probably would have missed if it wasn’t for the festival, so I’m really glad we got to see it. George Clooney introduced the film, making a joke about Affleck being a great actor, who has had some bad roles, then followed it up with a quip about how he was Batman too. It was a great end to the two days.
George Clooney in the middle introducing The Tender Bar
Sadly it came to an end Monday morning. I was hoping to get up early to make it to the press screening of The Power of the Dog, but the exhaustion of the past few weeks caught up and I slept through my alarm. I’ll see it at some point. I still had a lot more fun at a film festival than I thought I would. Every film flew past, feeling like half an hour or less. There is something special about being in a room of people who are incredibly excited about a specific film. There’s a real buzz in the air as it starts. Next year I will be going down for the whole thing, and have already started planning and saving.
Hello again and thanks for dropping by. It’s Monday evening, so time for my weekly update on what I plan on watching and reading this week. Before I get to that, I got back from London this afternoon to find that my Internet has been fixed. It’s a great way to end one of the best weekends ever.
My top film of last week is something I haven’t reviewed yet. It’s The Tender Bar, which was directed by George Clooney and premiered at London Film Festival on Friday. I was lucky enough to see it and loved it from start to finish. There will be a glowing review coming very soon, probably Wednesday once I’ve had time to catch up with writing.
There are three films out this week in cinemas near me. Halloween Kills, The Last Duel and Venom 2. Friday I’m going to be doing a double bill of Halloween and The Last Duel, as soon as I figure out the best ways to slot them together. I’m very excited to watch them both. Apart from that there is also the 25th anniversary release of the original Scream tomorrow, which I’m excited to see. It’s one of my favourite films and even though I’ve seen it rather recently, I couldn’t miss a chance to see it again.
Reading wise, I’m going to have more time to read this week. With no more commuting, that means more sleep and more spare time. In all it equals around 2 hours a day extra. To commute I had to get up an hour before, get ready and leave, then there’s getting home and going to bed earlier. With that gone I’m going to finally catch up on some reading.
I’m going to be writing a post up tomorrow morning about my weekend at London Film Festival. I had a great time and it’s strange to think it’s still going on. Next year I’m going to go for the whole thing.
So that’s what I’m going to be up to, what about you? Plan on reading or watching anything this week? Let me know in the comments.
Starring: Benicio Del Toro, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Léa Seydoux, Frances McDormand, Timothée Chalamet, Lyna Khoudri, Jeffrey Wright, Mathieu Amalric, Stephen Park, Owen Wilson and Bill Murray
Rating: ★★★
With over a year of delays Wes Anderson’s new film, The French Dispatch, is finally here. It’s his love-letter to journalism, French arts and culture, and specifically The New Yorker. A star-studded cast full of Wes Anderson regulars and some newcomers join together in his most ambitious project yet.
The film is centred around The French Dispatch, an American magazine that is based in France. The founder, Arthur Howitzer Jr. (Bill Murray) has died and as per his will, the magazine will run one final issue and cease production. The film is made up of three shorts, which are three stories in the magazine. There is also an introduction and epilogue that cap the stories with the over-arching narrative.
The stories are nice, filled with many funny and strange moments. It’s essentially watching three short films from the mind of Wes Anderson, completely unfiltered. They are wacky, bizarre and filled with Anderson’s humour. They do feel a little flat and halfway through the third one it has outstayed its welcome. Apparently, it’s possible for there to be too much Wes Anderson. The cast are all great, but there just isn’t enough there for the characters to be really engaging. There’s a tortured artist, who’s serving time in prison for murder, a young revolutionary chess genius and a food critic who ends up on a strange kidnapping adventure. There are so many stories and ideas thrown together to create the film, but none of them feel fully developed.
As expected from a Wes Anderson film, the visuals are simply gorgeous. The use of colour, and black and white footage is perfection. It looks and feels like a storybook. There is one scene that is part of a stage-play one of the characters wrote, and yet others look just as unreal and magical. The freeze frames, with objects suspended in the air, but people slightly wobbling is a joy every time it happens.
The music is simply stunning and the best bit of the film, featuring a great cover of ‘Aline’ by Jarvis Cocker as well as the song ‘Tu m’as trop menti’, which featured in Jean Luc Goddard’s Masculin Feminin, a clear influence on the middle short in The French Dispatch. The score is charming and playful throughout, capturing the fun tone of Anderson’s film. The dialogue is also full of a punchy energy, which was in honour of some of the writers for The New Yorker that inspired the film.
There are so many stars in this film. It feels like all of Anderson’s regulars appear at one point or another. Alongside the main cast of the three stories, are workers for the magazine as well as cameo spots that are so quick you’ll miss them if you blink. It’s a ‘who’s who’ of Wes Anderson’s filmography. By the time the credits roll you’ve forgotten half the people who were in it, only to be reminded as their names go up. It has to be Anderson’s biggest cast yet.
The French Dispatch is simply too much Anderson. It’s quirky and whimsical to such a degree that at points it’s a little hard to stay engaged with it. His very personal love letter to The New Yorker ends up being a little too self-indulgent. It still has enough laughs and great moments to make it enjoyable, but it’s missing the warm feeling that Moonrise Kingdom and The Great Budapest Hotel have, which stops it from being an excellent Wes Anderson film.
Ashley Manning 