Scene of the Day – “Mr Gryce gives the cane” from Kes (Ken Loach, 1969)
Aaahhh! I bet you thought I was going to say the iconic Brian Glover/PE scene, didn’t you? But like the slow-burning album track that trumps the snappy hit single, when I think of Kes, I can’t help but see this as its definitive scene. In many ways it’s the definitive scene of Ken [...]
Scene of the Day – “Bonnie’s Poem” from Bonnie and Clyde (Arthur Penn, 1967)
Today’s Scene of the Day is a belated tribute to Arthur Penn, who died last month. Arthur Penn deserves to be remembered as a true pioneer of independent filmmaking in America as, in tandem with star Warren Beatty, he took his bold and innovative take on the Bonnie and Clyde legend [...]
Scene of the Day – The Boy Who Turned Yellow (Michael Powell, 1972)
Isn’t it funny how an entire scene from a film can linger in the mind forever, even after the very name of the film itself has faded from your consciousness? This is especially true of films glimpsed in childhood, particularly those screened on television, in the days before digital TV, with [...]
Scene of the Day – Human Highway (Bernard Shakey & Dean Stockwell, 1982)
Do you remember I told you about the fantastic musical collaboration, as scorching as it is unlikely, between Neil Young and Devo? Unfortunately, at the time I told you about it, it had been removed from YouTube, so I couldn’t invite you to take a peek at it. Well, now it’s [...]
Scene of the Day – Death Line (Gary Sherman, 1972)
Couldn’t find a UK poster for Death Line anywhere, so unfortunately the visual accompaniment above is the poster for it’s US release, under the rubbish title of Raw Meat. Given the sheer scope for subterranean transport-based terror, I think it’s a crying shame that there isn’t a truly classic horror [...]
Scene of the Day – Mean Streets (Martin Scorsese, 1973)
Hello again, dear reader. As you may have heard from my dear comrade Aneet, I have been on me holidays recently (two, in fact, sunny Valencia and not-so-sunny Northern Ireland), so I do apologise if you’re feeling as though I have abandoned you like an unwanted infant of late. However, whilst I was on my [...]