KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS (Dir: Robert Hamer, 1949).

KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS (Dir: Robert Hamer, 1949).

1949 is the year that cemented the Ealing Studios’ close association with comedy. This year saw the release of three bona fide classics: Passport to Pimlico (Henry Cornelius), Whisky Galore (Alexander Mackendrick) and lastly Kind Hearts and Coronets.

Dennis Price stars as Louis Mazzini, only son of a disinherited heir to the aristocratic D’Ascoyn family, dispossessed for marrying an Italian singer deemed below her status. On his mother’s death he vows to take revenge on the family and sets out to murder the eight D’Ascoyns who stand between him and dukedom.


Price delivers a career best performance as Mazzini, cool and callous, yet charming enough to elicit audience sympathy, as he dispenses with the various D'Ascoyns. Excellent support comes in the form of Valerie Hobson and Joan Greenwood as rival love interests and an astonishing performance by Alec Guinness as the eight D'Ascoyns on Mazzini's hit list. The talented Robert Hamer directs with a light touch which never sees the movie descend into bad taste of farce.


The astute screenplay by Hamer and John Deighton, from a Roy Horniman novel, is both darkly cynical and witty and 70 years after release it remains, arguably, the blackest of black comedy scripts to reach British cinema screens.


In this respect it is unique among the Ealing comedies. Certainly it conveys the social commentary of its stable mates but lacking the gentle morals of say Passport to Pimlico or The Man in the White Suit (Alexander Mackendrick, 1951) and their reflection on post-war mores. Rather, its period setting allows for a biting critique of an outdated class system and the notion of inherited privilege.


While initially dismissed by some critics as too dark, Kind Hearts and Coronets is now widely considered the greatest of the Ealing comedies. It is difficult to think of any other movie so simultaneously dark yet delicate. Expertly performed and beautifully told; I would recommend this masterpiece of a movie to those with even the slightest interest in the cinema.

Visit my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME to read an unedited version of this review and reviews of other Ealing Studios classics! Link below.

THE JOURNEY OF NATTY GANN (Dir: Jeremy Kagan, 1985).

Dating from an era when Walt Disney Pictures were pursuing edgier family entertainment, The Journey of Natty Gann is a road movie drama set during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

In her movie debut Meredith Salenger stars as the titular Natty. Separated from her father (Ray Wise), she travels the length of Chicago to Washington to find him, accompanied by an unusual travelling companion in the shape of a wolf. She also strikes up a friendship cum chaste romance with a young drifter (John Cusack).


Director Jeremy Kagan delivers a thoughtful, intelligent movie that’s pulls no punches in its believable and affecting account of the hardships caused by poverty and mass unemployment. It also touches, albeit lightly, on subjects such as union activism and police brutality.

The movie treats it subject matter seriously, yet the tone is never too sombre and its uplifting moments offset the gentle melancholic mood which runs through it. Certainly, it is sentimental but it is never sticky and the sentimentality never seems false, while its female lead gives it a feminist slant not usually found in family films of the era.

While the performances are uniformly excellent, the standout is undoubtedly Salenger. Age just 14 during filming, her performance is both moving and charismatic. How she did not become a massive star is anybody’s guess. John Cusack also impresses in an early role as Natty's drifter friend Harry. It is beautifully photographed by cinematographer Dick Bush, capturing the crisp Canadian wilderness (standing in for the US) and the grimy back alleys with a cinematic grace rare in 80s Hollywood.

Although The Journey of Natty Gann won admiration from critics it was not, initially, a hit with audiences. It would eventually find a more appreciative audience on the burgeoning home video market. Still, the movie seems vastly underrated today. It is among the Disney Studios’ best live action releases and one of the most artful major Hollywood releases of the 1980s.

Check out my blog jinglebonesmovietime.blogspot.com for a longer, more in-depth version of this review.

BLACK ARROW (Dir: John Hough, 1985).

Made for The Disney Channel, Black Arrow is a swashbuckling adventure based upon the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Set during the War of the Roses, corrupt Yorkist landowner Sir Daniel (Oliver Reed) is robbed by black clad vigilante Black Arrow (Stephan Chase). Seeking revenge, he sends his young nephew Richard (Benedict Taylor) on his trail. Sir Daniel is set to acquire more land with his marriage to the reluctant Lancastrian Lady Joanna (Georgia Slowe). Joanna does a runner, forms an alliance with Richard and together they determine to avenge Sir Daniel's wrongdoings.

Disney's third adaptation of a Stevenson novel, following Treasure Island (Byron Haskin, 1950) and Kidnapped (Robert Stevenson, 1960), Black Arrow was what would now be labelled a Disney Channel Original Movie. Back in 1985, The Disney Channel had a remit to provide family entertainment, not just sitcoms for tweenagers. Its new content, like that of the Disney Studio’s past was designed to appeal to a broader demographic than that of the Channel today. While Black Arrow would seem out of place on today’s Disney Channel, it is exactly the kind of movie of which company founder Walt Disney would have approved.

Having previously worked for Disney on the excellent Escape to Witch Mountain (1975), the talented John Hough was engaged to direct. To Black Arrow, Hough brings a somewhat more cinematic vision than one would usually expect from a TV Movie. The quality production only belying its TV origins through the prevalent use of close ups and mid shots.

The impressive cast of acting heavyweights Oliver Reed, Fernando Rey and Donald Pleasence also lend the film an air of prestige.

The film is not entirely flawless. Admittedly, there are a few unlikely plot contrivances and one of two moments which stretch credibility. While Benedict Taylor cuts far too modern a figure; strolling around the 15th Century like the 5th member of EuroVision popsters Bucks Fizz!

Overall though, Black Arrow is pretty solid entertainment. Old fashioned it may be but it does make me yearn for a time when The Disney Channel catered to more than just tweenage audiences.

Check out my blog jinglebonesmovietime.blogspot.com for more reviews of vintage Disney classics!

CAPTAIN MARVEL (Dir: Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck, 2019).

Brie Larson stars as Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel in the 21st instalment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The initially confusing plot finds amnesia suffering Vers (Larson) crash landing in 1995 Los Angeles. Caught up in a war between alien nations the Skrulls and her own people the Kree, the Skrull are soon in pursuit of Vers. Attracting the attention of SHIELD agent Nick Fury, Fury enlists Vers in an attempt to stop an alien invasion. In the process she learns of her forgotten past, of her part in the Kree-Skrull conflict and determines to harness her superpowers and put an end to the war.

This first Marvel movie to centre on a female superhero is a welcome, some would say overdue, edition to the MCU. Co-directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, along with co-screenwriter Geneva Robertson-Dworet have fashioned a fun and thrilling sci-fi action, which is happy to acknowledge its comic book roots. This is one of the the lighter entries in the MCU, but is none the worse for it.

Captain Marvel acts as an origins story for both Danvers and SHIELD head-honcho Nick Fury, seen here as a low-level SHIELD bureaucrat. There is a nice chemistry between Larson and Samuel L Jackson (returning as Fury) and the pair make an entertaining double act.

The star cast including Annette Bening, Djimon Hounsou and Jude Law all impress in their respective roles, but the movie really belongs to Larson and the appealing sense of gutsy naivety she brings to the role.

Captain Marvel’s connection to the Avengers ‘Infinity Saga’ is fairly loose and is only really touched upon in the closing credits. As such, the movie works as a stand-alone entry, your enjoyment of which should not be hampered by not having seen the other movies.

With a much needed injection of feminism into the MCU franchise and a healthy dose of 90s nostalgia, it is an entertaining, intelligent popcorn blockbuster that bodes well for the future of the Avengers movies post-Endgame.

Visit my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME to read an unedited version of this review! Link below.

THE LEFTOVERS (Dir: Paul Schneider, 1986).

If there is a more 1980's way to open your movie than with Howard Jones' New Song, than I do not know what it is. I am also unsure as to who this lightweight comedy will resonate with, other than 1980's kids.

The Leftovers stars singer turned actor John Denver as Max Sinclair, director of The Middleburg Orphanage and surrogate father to the ragtag bunch of kids who live there. Cindy Williams is the live in help. Together they fend off plans to redevelop the home by underhanded means, while the kids do all they can to keep from being adopted.

Originally aired on television as part of ABC's The Disney Sunday Movie weekly series in November 1986. It's not hard to imagine that a decade earlier The Leftovers would have been released to cinemas, with Dean Jones and Sandy Duncan as possible leads. It is old fashioned, inoffensive but not without charm.

It may be a generational thing, but I did enjoy this movie. It is nothing spectacular but the leads are likeable and while the plot has a few too many contrivances and conveniences for its own good, most of its laughs are genuine.

However, it is low-key in the extreme and although I had seen this movie at around the age of 12 or 13, only one scene stuck in my head and that was the opening, probably because my tweenage self was a big fan of Howard Jones!

I am sure I enjoyed The Leftovers as a kid because I lapped up anything Disney. Revisiting it as an adult I am aware that it is no classic, even by 80's Disney TV movie standards. But it is an entertaining 90 odd minutes; if you are in the mood for some gentle 1980's nostalgia you might find it hits the spot. Just don't expect to remember much about it afterwards!

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Movie number 83: FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE (Dir: Terence Young, 1963).

Sean Connery returns as Ian Fleming’s James Bond 007 in this second movie in the series, From Russia with Love. Produced, once again, by ‘Cubby’ Broccoli and Harry Saltzman’s Eon Productions.

Here some double agent dupery sees Bond smuggling a Soviet Lektor decrypting device from East to West via the Orient Express. Pulling the strings are terrorist organisation SPECTRE, seeking to avenge the death of an agent who Bond bumped off previously.

Dr No director Terence Young returns to deliver another tight, action packed yet well paced thriller. I will admit the misogynistic tone of From Russia with Love leaves a bad taste. The sight of Bond slapping a woman about, even if she is a Russian agent, fills me with unease. That aspect aside, the movie ranks as one of the series’ best.

Many latter staples of the series are introduced here. SPECTRE head honcho Blofeld makes his first appearance, as does gadget man Q, a role Desmond Llewelyn would be associated with until his death in 1999. From Russia with Love also introduced the pre-title sequence and Lionel Bart provided the first Bond theme. Heard as an instrumental against the nudie ladies silhouette titles (another first - although here she is a belly dancer, nudieness would follow in later movies), Matt Monro’s beautiful vocal version is heard first over a transistor radio and later in the end credits.

Connery is fantastic; equal parts flirty and fighty, cool yet sophisticated. A quality supporting cast sees regulars Bernard Lee and Lois Maxwell return as M and Miss Moneypenny respectively; an amiable Pedro Armendáriz as Bond’s Istanbul M16 ally; Robert Shaw makes an impressive baddie and Daniela Bianchi gets to look lovely in a series of nighties as ambiguous Bond girl Tatiana. Best of all is the fabulous Lotte Lenya as SPECTRE agent and possessor of lethal footwear Rosa Klebb.

In my opinion the early Bond movies were never bettered. From Russia with Love, in particular, holds up as one of the series’ best and has stood the test of time as an exciting action adventure in its own right.

If you enjoyed this review check out my previous review of Dr No. A longer, more in-depth version of this review appears on my blog jinglebonesmovietime.blogspot.com

James Bond will return in my review of Goldfinger...