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Girl with a Pearl Earring (the film)

I was underwhelmed by the film of the book. Speaking to resident Rust film critic Neil Rosen he asserted that this is quite normal and the only improvement of a film on a book was in his view The Godfather Part 1.  The warning signs are in the credits if  “based on the novel” appears and [...]

January 7, 2021 // 0 Comments

An Affair to Remember (1957)

More than any other star, writers like to dish the dirt on Cary Grant, the lead in Affair to Remember.   At various times I have read he was flagrantly gay as he shared a house with Randolph Scott, his real name was Archie Leach, he was a Nazi spy and – unknown to him – his mother was [...]

January 5, 2021 // 0 Comments

7 Days In Entebbe (2018)

This is the third film I have seen on the Israeli raid on Entebbe in 1976 and much the worst. The opening shot defined the film: it is of a modern dance troupe sitting in a circle singing an Israeli song when one falls from her chair. The film frequently returns to this dance troupe particularly [...]

January 4, 2021 // 0 Comments

Tea with Mussolini

Stefano Ursolini writes: Neil Rosen asked for my comments on this film directed by that eminent Florentine Franco Zeffirelli. It depicts his youth. He was the illegitimate son of a Florentine businessman who ran way aged 16 to join the partisans and enlisted with the Scots Guards in the difficult [...]

January 2, 2021 // 0 Comments

Dinner for One

Many years ago I was asked to advise on a copyright issue by the widow of the comedian Freddie Frinton. Her late husband had the rights passed to her of a sketch he put on in music hall in Blackpool called Dinner for One. The film of this is played every year on German TV and other countries and is [...]

January 1, 2021 // 0 Comments

Memories are not made of this

A frequent concern of Rusters and many seniors is forgetfulness. Is this just a senior moment or the first signs of dementia? On Christmas Eve I wanted to see Cast a Giant Shadow the stirring story of Micky Marcus (Kirk Douglas) who had decorated war service for the US Army afte the Normandy [...]

December 26, 2020 // 0 Comments

Christmas Day movies

My Christmas Day television viewing yesterday was dominated by re-runs of two classic movies – Some Like It Hot (1959, black and white, produced & directed by Billy Wilder, starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, screenplay by Wilder and I.A. L. Diamond) and The Italian Job [...]

December 26, 2020 // 0 Comments

Spotted on the internet

As we reach the silly stage of the festive season, here are some items of potential interest to regular Rusters that I came across during my overnight tour of the newspaper websites: SIR PETER JACKSON PROVIDES AND UPDATE ON FORTHCOMING BEATLES DOCUMENTARY Following on from his highly-acclaimed 2018 [...]

December 22, 2020 // 0 Comments

Robert Mitchum

Everyone has their favourite actor for whatever reason and mine is Robert Mitchum. Edward G Robinson, Humphrey Bogart, Spencer Tracy might well be considered better film actors so why Mitchum? In brief, his personality. This was revealed in the BBC 2 series Talking Pictures basically archival [...]

December 22, 2020 // 0 Comments

Annie Hall 1977

The Diane Keaton/Woody Allen season continues at the Rosen Multiplex with Annie Hall.  I was particularly interested to see if it was now dated. It had not due to the humour of the lines and the vivacious Diana Keaton. After this film Woody Allen became more and more self-absorbed, showing his [...]

November 27, 2020 // 0 Comments

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