Articles by Neil Rosen

About Neil Rosen

Neil went to the City of London School and Manchester University graduating with a 1st in economics. After a brief stint in accountancy, Neil emigrated to a kibbutz In Israel. His articles on the burgeoning Israeli film industry earned comparisons to Truffaut and Godard in Cahiers du Cinema. Now one of the world's leading film critics and moderators at film Festivals Neil has written definitively in his book Kosher Nostra on Jewish post war actors. Neil lives with his family in North London. More Posts

The Directors/Joseph Mankiewicz

Although I was not that impressed by the first choices of directors in this new SKY ARTS series – Sydney Pollack and Otto Preminger – I certainly was by the third Joseph Mankiewicz. From this distance of time I do not recall when why or where I saw his masterpiece All About Eve [...]

February 14, 2020 // 0 Comments

Kirk Douglas, Otto Preminger and Paul Gambaccini

My favourite Kirk Douglas movie was neither Spartacus nor Paths of Glory but Cast a Giant Shadow (1966). This was the true story of David Daniel “Mickey” Marcus and it’s an inspiring one unlike the loosely strung “based on a true story” of many a contemporary film. Mickey [...]

February 8, 2020 // 0 Comments

The Personal Story of David Copperfield

The controversy over this film is the degree of diversity in the casting where virtually every family seems to be of mixed parentage. My own view is to quote Oscar Wilde: “There is no such thing as a pornographic book: it’s either good or bad.” In my view this was a good film, well paced, [...]

January 30, 2020 // 0 Comments

The Longest Day (1962)

We resourceful Rusters have various ways of getting though the festive period, mine was the film The Longest Day. I had seen the 1962 movie but it was some time ago. Various attractions led me to select it from the World War 2 section of my DVD box. The first was the cast: virtually every major [...]

December 28, 2019 // 0 Comments

Star Wars: the Rise of Skywalker

The latest Sky Wars movie attracted poor reviews and I for one was pleased. There are those critics and viewers who hail the 1975 original film produced by George Lucas as the turning point of Twentieth century cinema. If that is so I would cite three reasons why the effect was negative: (1) After [...]

December 24, 2019 // 0 Comments

The Roosevelts/PBS

A radio programme to which I always listen is Great Lives on radio 4 at 4.30 every Tuesday. It is presented by ex-Conservative MP Matthew Parris who has made an easy transition from politics to broadcasting. Generally somebody well known advocates a Great Life and an expert fills in the [...]

December 15, 2019 // 0 Comments

War and Remembrance

War and Remembrance is the follow up to Winds of War. John Gielgud is cast as the art historian Aaron Plaskow and Jane Seymour replaces Ali Magraw as his niece Natalie. Robert Morley comes in as the jovial British war correspondent Tugsbury whose daughter Pamela (Victoria Tennant) falls in love [...]

December 2, 2019 // 0 Comments

Rise and Kill First/ Ronen Bergman

Thi is an account of the targeted assassinations conducted by the Caesarea unit of the Mossad. The writer does not take a sympathetic stance and states their futility. Although the killings were sanctioned by the Prime Minister, the Mossad soon became a state within a state and though subject to [...]

November 22, 2019 // 0 Comments

Robert Mitchum and Winds of War

The recent reference in Bernadette’s (Angell) negative review of World on Fire to Winds of War prompted me to acquire the 6 DVDs of the series and revisit the career of Robert Mitchum, one of my favourites of the leading Hollywood actors. Robert Mitchum was certainly not yer normal Hollywood [...]

November 17, 2019 // 0 Comments

Lost in Translation

The Rusters asked me to recommend an in-flight movie from the menu and I chose one of my favourite films set in Tokyo – Lost in Translation. It is the first film directed by Sofia Coppola and featured memorable performances by Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray. Bill Murray born in Chicago [...]

November 7, 2019 // 0 Comments

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Old credos shattered

February 25, 2020 // 0 Comments

You often read in the Rust our despair with dependency on mobile phones. I also adhere to the philosophy that if a day starts badly it rarely recovers. Both were shattered [...]
My sporting weekend (from the rear-view mirror)

February 25, 2020 // 0 Comments

My sporting weekend began with me deliberately ‘passing’ on the opportunity to watch both Saturday’s Six Nations rugby matches because I was engaged in a wide variety [...]
A la Colthard; what do you do if…

February 24, 2020 // 0 Comments

You have a disappointing meal and the owner asks you how was it? I answered evasively but my girlfriend/diner was more forthright, complaining that the lamb was tough and [...]
Refereeing and sportsmanship

February 23, 2020 // 0 Comments

I was struck by on aspect of the vibrant Six Nations international between Wales and France, namely the acceptance of a key decision. The Welsh were attacking strongly in the [...]
The Tanner Report: Derby 1 Fulham 1

February 22, 2020 // 0 Comments

Scott Parker likes to ring the changes. So after the debacle of Barnsley out went Steven Sessegnon, Kevin McDonald and Ivan Cavaleiro. Josh Onomah was injured. Thank goodness [...]