Articles by Neil Rosen
This is the true story of the 43 Group constituted by Jewish people to fight domestic fascism after World War Two. It is a graphic account of violence, disruption of fascist marches and meetings, and intelligence gathering by a group fearful that – having defeated Nazism – the creed [...]
Ridley Road, Paris 1900, Paul Verhoeven revisited & The Directors
Ridley Road finished last Sunday and by and large I was impressed. Without in any way denigrating the Black cause that has suffered such discrimination in my lifetime it’s good that in the anti-racism platform the BBC gives expression to anti-semitism too. Ridley Road was set in 1962 when [...]
The Forgotten Battle (2020)
I worked up a full head of steam recently with a feminist film critic I met at the San Sebastián film festival over Paul Verhoven, the Dutch director of Basic Instinct. She had him down as a subversive, sexually exploitative, cineaste who was now out of date. I pointed out that his earlier films [...]
Valley of Tears – what happened?
I was very much looking forward on Friday night to the latest mega drama of Israeli TV – Valley of Tears – but searching for it on More 4 I could find no sign of it – instead 24 Hours in Casualty was being broadcast. I have found no information why it was pulled. I do hope [...]
The Public School film genre
On Friday at the unusual time of 6 am I watched the 1994 version of The Browning Version. It was originally the directorial project of Ridley Scott but then taken over by Mike Figgis. The screenplay was by Ronald Harwood (The Dresser) and the stellar cast included Albert Finney, Greta Sacchi [...]
Impressions of London
I was in London for social and professional reasons these past few days. It’s very different to the London I witnessed earlier in the year in lockdown when you could look down the length of Oxford Street and not see a soul. It’s the old vibrant London again, teeming with people with every [...]
Music of the movies
Sky Arts have assembled their normal team of Neil Norman, Ian Nathan, Steven Armstrong and Dr Bonnie Greer to cast their expertise on the subject of film scores. These can define a movie. Zinnemann Take for example Bernard Herman’s score of Psycho or rather take it away from the famous stabbing [...]
Borsalino (1970)
My Alain Delon season continued with the only film in which he is paired with the other French box office star of the sixties and seventies Jean Paul Belmondo. They play two up and coming gangsters in 1930s Marseilles. Even though they generate a certain chemistry on screen, off screen there [...]
La Piscine (1969)
My Alain Delon season has been interrupted by the Euros but I saw this film last night. It reflects the best and worst of French cinema. The best? A beautiful villa location in St Tropez with beautiful people – Alain Delon, Romy Schneider, Jane Birkin. The worst ? It has its longeurs and the [...]
En Plein Soleil (1960)
The first film in the Rosen Multiplex Alain Delon season is En Plein Soleil a 1960 adaptation of the Patricia Highsmith novel later made into an English film version by Antony Minghella starring Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Cate Blanchett. I prefer this earlier French version [...]
