|
Tony
Scott's
first feature film gets a timely release on DVD from the BFI
catalogue. An extraordinary debut from one of Hollywood's most bankable UK ex-pats, Tony Scott's Loving Memory (1970) follows an isolated brother and sister who live with heir memories and a grisly secret. Critically acclaimed on its release Loving Memory was beautifully photographed by celebrated cinematographer Chris Menges - who captures perfectly the misty mystery of the Yorkshire moors - and feature a stunning, sinister performance from Rosamund Greenwood (Village of the Damned, The Witches) as a haunted innocent. The film is a key reminder that before Scott became swept up by the visceral nature of Hollywood film with its aesthetic quality being valued over narrative constructs - here he tells a macabre, bittersweet story in a concise narrative time with characters fully developed not one-dimensional, and a sense of dread that hangs over the atmosphere. This is helped by the work of Menges shooting glorious black and white that makes the Yorkshire moors as much a character as the strong performances by the three strong cast. It serves as a reminder that Tony can garner credible performances from his actors, look at 'The Hunger' for clarification. Rated 15 and with a running time of 52 minutes with additional extras including the legendary short film by Ridley Scott (Boy and Bicycle, 1965, 28 mins) which become the basis for a long-running advert for Hovis bread and much parodied by comics from Kenny Everett to Alan Bennett. Released by BFI in a dual format of DVD and Blu-Ray in B&W and for £19.99. The best place to purchase is www.bfi.org.uk at its Filmstore page.
|
