|
Rating:  -
Great acting, great soundtrack, great reissue. God, if only there were another mini-series in the world like this. It's better than you can imagine.
Rating: -
This decidedly different 'musical' ain't gonna be to all tastes--but if you appreciate a genuinely offbeat concept superbly realised by a first-rate cast, this is for you.
The principals, Bob Hoskins (as the loutish, megalomaniac Arthur Parker), Cheryl Crawford (as the at first winsome, then increasingly hard-boiled Eileen) and Gemma Craven (the hapless and resentful Joan) couldn't be better cast. The bizaare stylisations of the lip-synched musical numbers look positively effortless as handled by them. One can hardly imagine American actors being able to handle this kind of material with their level of ease and versatility.
For me, the real test of this type of production isn't simply how well the leads carry it off--the secondary actors have to be equally good, or the whole thing comes apart. In this respect, especially, "Pennies" excels. Among the most notable of the supporting cast are two British character actors whose work I've admired for years, and who are sadly largely unknown to most audiences in this country. Hywel Bennett as Tom, a sleazy, yet oddly attractive pimp, brings the perfect aura of guttersnipe sexiness and low-bred self assurance to the part. He also, without ever once doing or saying anything overt, convinces the viewer that his character is a menacingly nasty bit of work--it's not at all hard to believe that Eileen would take it on the lam with Arthur rather than risk facing Tom once she's reneged on her deal with him. But for me, the most touching performance comes from the marvelous Freddie Jones, as the headmaster of the school where Eileen teaches. Initially introduced in a manner that suggests a typically English comic Dickensian villain, he transcends the viewer's expectations by being revealed as one of the few--possibly the only--decent characters in this story. Forced to dismiss Eileen over a compromising circumstance that has become known to the school's directors, he shows the sadness of his own disillusionment that has pushed him to treat his young charges with a certain brutality; and in a moment of beautifully underplayed pathos, almost inadvertently reveals his love for Eileen--a love he is well aware she could never(for any number of reasons) reciprocate. All he can do is offer her enough money to help her leave and re-establish herself elsewhere, and wish her good luck. As with Bennett, it's what's left unsaid and underplayed that makes his Headmaster Warner so painfully convincing.
And there are any number of other small gems of performance; Ronald Fraser as a Blimpish member of Parliament who proves himself to be a lot cannier at the blackmail game than the hapless Eileen and Arthur is among the most notable. I can't think of a single poor performance by anyone in the cast--and in a cast of this size, that's no small feat.
If you can get past the initial oddity of the concept, and if you're a fan of truly top-notch, fully realised acting --as opposed to the average histrionics that pass for acting in most American television performances--this strange (and strangely compelling) series is one you will not want to miss.
Rating: -
The late Dennis Potter's writing (as it was in The Singing Detective) is both intelligent and searing. The characters are heartbreakers and the acting, especially by Bob Hoskins and Kenneth Colley is peerless. This is what television could and should be, but almost never is. Compare this to the abominable remake with Steve Martin. Hail Britannia!
Rating: -
In 1979 Margaret Thatcher was elected prime minister of the British parliament, she had in her sights reform of many institutions, the coal miners were one and the British Broadcasting Corporation was another, throughout the 1980's various Director-Generals came and went and so did a lot of creative programming staff, deals that were once concluded on a handshake would eventually need a committee to close. I only mention this because some might argue that the heydays of British television resided in the 1970's, if one needed any proof of this you could do no better as an example than the BBC's production of Dennis Potter's drama "Pennies From Heaven" a six part serial or what would now be termed a mini series, it contained many innovating set pieces whereby the cast would mime to records of the 1930's period that had been especially chosen to be cued into the soundtrack to enhance the plot, I think it would be fair to say that nothing quite like it had been seen before (or since for that matter,) Starring Bob Hoskins working as a sheet music salesman between the first and second world wars who fantasizes about the songs that he sells and through his infidelity gets caught up in events that eventually overtake him. If "Pennies" were being made today no doubt it would be "cut" a little tighter but the production values and originality still hold up well. Bob Hoskins shot to fame after this and indeed he was quite brilliant as the main protagonist winning a BAFTA nomination for his role as Arthur Parker, In its year of broadcast, "Pennies" won the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award for Most Original Programme, leading lady Cheryl Campbell who was also BAFTA nominated for her roll as Eileen Everson and Gemma Craven playing Hoskins wife were both superb as was the direction of Piers Haggard a BAFTA winner, however one of the main ingredients and stars of this serial was the choreographer Tudor Davies, who created wonders in one confined space after another.
I sold sheet music myself during the period "Pennies" was made but one can only imagine the business before television when most people had a piano in their front room and writing songs was still an art.
In it's usual brutish way Hollywood having made a flop movie of "Pennies" in 1981 supressed this BBC version for ten years, this reminded me of similar antics in the 1940's when a studio in tinsel town having remade the film Gaslight in 1944 attempted to have all prints of the previous British version of Gaslight (1940) destroyed. These efforts were eventually unsuccessful, though the film was rarely seen for several decades, don't you just admire their business ethics?
But I digress; "Pennies From Heaven" at almost eight hours long means you are going to need more than a few buckets of popcorn plus a case or two of beer, a personal unexpected bonus for me was how I grew to admire the early recordings used in "Pennies" in fact I bought the double soundtrack album on CD it's a real treat. The BBC have recorded a commentary with the director Piers Haggard and producer Kenith Trodd on episodes one and six which I found to be very interesting, from a technical point of view regarding resolution, I do wish the BBC would have used 35 millimeter film instead of their usual choice 16 mill for their external shots, also from time to time the sound levels appeared to be somewhat uneven on my DVD, having said that this should not spoil your enjoyment of what I consider to be a real gem and probably the most original programme ever to come out of British television.
Rating: -
This is largely a response to Gavin Wilson. Is it possible that Arthur did kill the blind girl? I can't remember the timing of his visit to the music shop, his encounter with the blind girl, and his return to the spot where he met her the first time. But if he did, then I would suggest that a Christian framework would indicate Arthur as Adam---Everyman--- and The Accordian Man as the Christ, freely taking Arthur's sin upon himself in death. And that Arthur is tried and hanged as people sometimes (wrongly or rightly) are, and then resurrected because of---what? His ability to love? His hope? God's love for him? Who knows. And how would this relate to Rapunzel? The Accordian Man doesn't seem to fit into Rapunzel.
Television Show
Collectibles
Movie Searches
|
|
|
Search for posters,
art prints, photos, collectables, merchandise, toys, t-shirts
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TV Guide
Program listings, celebrity profiles, industry
gossip, movie reviews, puzzle.
More
Entertainment
& TV Magazines
This site is
Hosted
by Bluehost
Read
my Bluehost Review
Most Popular TV collectibles
|
|
Home
Articles
Images
Forum
Search
Shopping
TV Trivia
Watch TV
Wallpaper
