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| Two Way Stretch Photo: Studio Canal sourced from the BFI National Archive |
Two Way Stretch, 5.05pm, Film4, Tuesday, November 25
Peter Sellers plays likely lad Dodger Lane in this prison comedy that was surely an influence on Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais’ later hit comedy Porridge. He's king of the cells and when his old mate Soapy Stevens (Wilfrid Hyde-White) – posing as a visiting vicar – suggests committing a jewellery heist with a perfect alibi, it seems easy. That is, until he finds out his soft-touch warden is being replaced by disciplinarian “Sour” Crout (Lionel Jeffries, just about stealing the film out from under Sellers, which caused the Goon Show star to briefly leave the set). A joy to watch for the entire ensemble, particularly Bernard Cribbins in an early role as Dodger’s cellmate Lennie Price and Irene Handl as Lennie’s overbearing mum. John Warren and Len Heath’s script has some great lines and director Roger Day also knows how to craft a sight gag.
13 Tzameti, MUBI, streaming now
Géla Babluani has been busy filming Young Stalin of late, with Cosmo Jarvis in the lead role and here’s a chance to catch up with his mean and lean feature debut. When the latest employer of Sebastien (George Babluani, the brother of the director) – a struggling Georgian migrant worker in France – dies without paying him, he steals a cryptic letter that appears to offer the promise of riches. What follows is a dangerous game with the highest stakes possible. Much of the joy of Babluani’s film lies in its slow reveal. A claustrophobic, tightly wound treat that also benefits from terrific black and white cinematography from Tariel Meliava.
Skyfall, 8pm, ITV, Tuesday, November 25
Your mileage may vary, but for my money the 50th anniversary outing marked the best showing for Daniel Craig as the suave super-spy, not least because Judi Dench’s M gets such a beefed up storyline and Javier Bardem makes for an entertaining villain. Sam Mendes offers plenty of action set pieces as MI6 itself comes under attack, including an extravagant Istanbul bazaar set-piece, shot with verve by master cinematographer Roger Deakins. It’s not all about the surface pleasures, however, as Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan underpin the story with decent characterisation and a more modern scrutiny of Bond. The plot offers enjoyable twists without becoming convoluted and the writers also don’t forget to include a sprinkling of humour, while still delivering some emotional heft.
Deerskin, 2.10am, Film4, Friday, November 28
Quentin Dupieux continues to be one of the finest creators of modern cinematic tragicomedy with an enjoyably brisk workrate. He’d already had fun with the serial killer genre with Rubber, which revolves around a murderous tyre and Deerskin offers another darkly comic take on the concept. Taking its nod from the likes of Hans Christian Andersen’s Red Shoes, it centres on a deerskin jacket, which its new owner Georges (Jean Dujardin) believes has “killer style”. That description becomes increasingly literal as Georges attempts to reinvent himself after the demise of his marriage, by pretending to be a filmmaker. As the bodies start to pile up Dupieux digs into Georges’ obsession while also leaving plenty of question marks over the motives of barmaid Denise (Adèle Haenel, thoroughly enjoying herself), who is helping him and it's all handled with Dupieux's trademark playfulness.
Pink String And Sealing Wax , 6.15pm, Talking Pictures TV, Friday, November 28
There’s a much older mix of comedy and melodrama in this early film from Kind Hearts And Coronets director Rober Hamer. Googie Withers puts in a magnetic performance as a pub landlady who is desperate to escape the clutches of her drunken husband (Garry Marsh). She hatches a poisonous plan that involves an innocent young man (Gordon Jackson, who looks fresh out of school). Although Withers' Pearl is conniving, she's also shown to be a victim of circumstance as the film scrutinises the patriarchy not just of the Victorian period when the film is set in but of the Forties, when it was made.
The Ipcress File, 2.45pm, BBC2, Saturday, November 29
Michael Caine was busy cementing himself as a household name on the big screen when he took on the role of Harry Palmer in Sidney J Furie's spy thriller, which came out the year after his breakout turn in 1964's Zulu and the year before Alfie. He brings a dash of East End grit to Len Deighton's secret-agent-with-attitude, who is embroiled in a kidnapping and brainwashing plot. Shot with off-kilter angles by cinematographer Otto Heller, we are invited to step into Palmer's disorientation, but Furie always ensures the movie stays grounded in reality.
Breathless, 9pm, Talking Pictures TV, Saturday, November 29
Richard Linklater’s enormously entertaining Nouvelle Vague is currently playing as part of the French Film Festival in the UK. It recounts the making of Jean Luc Godard’s classic – and is on general release in January if you can’t catch it before. All of which makes now the perfect time to catch up with this French New Wave gem, which stars Jean-Paul Belmondo as a macho criminal-on-the-run and Jean Seberg as his American girlfriend who is debating if she loves him. Stylistically innovative, with its documentary-style observation of the Parisian streets and its use of jump cuts, the whole thing is achingly cool and offers a jazzy riff on young love.
This week’s short selection is Emma Lazenby’s animation Mother Of Many. You can read more about her work at ForMed Films.
