Reel Britannia – Details, episodes & analysis

Episode 186 - Campbell's Kingdom (1957)

"Rugged Wildcatters...Fighting The Treacherous Might Of The Canadian Rockies"

Grab your parka and get ready for a trip to the Canadian Rockies, because 1957's Campbell's Kingdom is a gloriously old-school adventure that absolutely bursts with high-stakes drama and breathtaking scenery. If you're in the mood for a classic "ripping yarn," this is the film for you. It's a story of grit, oil, and one man's incredible race against time, all set against one of the most stunning backdrops ever captured on film.

At the heart of the story is the wonderfully charismatic Dirk Bogarde as Bruce Campbell. Given a grim health diagnosis, Bruce inherits a patch of land in Alberta known as "Campbell's Kingdom." He's told it's worthless, but his grandfather died believing there was oil under that rocky soil. With nothing left to lose, Bruce sinks his last penny and every ounce of his failing strength into proving him right.

This is where the fun really starts. The film is a fantastic story of the underdog. Bruce is a man with a dream, facing down a world of naysayers. This includes the slick, menacing villain Owen (played with wonderful steel by Stanley Baker) and a looming deadline from a hydro-electric company threatening to flood the entire valley.

But Campbell's Kingdom isn't just a character drama; it's a grand spectacle! Director Ralph Thomas makes the Canadian Rockies a character in their own right. The Vistavision and Technicolor cinematography is simply spectacular, with sweeping vistas of snow-capped mountains, turquoise lakes, and rugged forests that will have you longing for the great outdoors.

The action builds to a truly thrilling climax. As Bruce and his small, loyal crew drill desperately for their "black gold," the tension mounts. Will they strike it rich before the dam floods them out? Will Owen's schemes succeed? The final sequences are pure, high-adventure magic, delivering a payoff that is both exciting and deeply satisfying.

Sure, it's a film of its time, with earnest heroes and clear-cut villains, but that's precisely its charm. Campbell's Kingdom is a wonderfully made, optimistic, and thrilling piece of classic British cinema. It's a feel-good movie about betting it all on a dream, and it leaves you with a real sense of exhilaration.

This and previous episodes can be found everywhere you download your podcasts

Bonus content available at: patreon.com/ReelBritanniaPodcast

Follow us on Twitter @rbritanniapod 

Thanks for listening

Scott and Steven

Episode 185 - Miranda (1948)

"You've hated me ever since I set tail in this house."

In the canon of post-war British comedy, there are grand spectacles and quiet character studies. And then, every so often, there's a film so completely, cheerfully absurd that it defies category. Miranda (1948) is one such treasure, a fantasy-comedy that is as polished and witty as it is delightfully naughty. It's a film that asks what would happen if a classic British "comedy of manners" was suddenly interrupted by a mermaid—and the answer, it turns in, is pure, bubbly entertainment.

The story itself is a wonderfully silly concoction. Dr. Paul Martin (Griffith Jones), escaping his wife for a solo fishing holiday in Cornwall, gets more than he bargained for. He doesn't just catch a fish; he is caught by Miranda, a flirtatious, man-crazy mermaid who promptly holds him captive in her aquatic cave. His ransom? A trip to see London.

What follows is a brilliant farce. Paul passes off the beautiful Miranda as an "invalid patient," concealing her tail under long dresses and wheeling her around his sophisticated London home. This is where the film truly shines, thanks to the absolutely enchanting central performance from Glynis Johns. Long before she was Mrs. Banks in Mary Poppins, Johns established her star power here. With a coy, kittenish voice and eyes that perpetually sparkle with mischief, her Miranda is a sublime creation. She's no innocent nymph; she's a charming siren who has every man in the house—from her "doctor" to the lovestruck chauffeur (a wonderful David Tomlinson)—wrapped around her little finger, or fin.

While Glynis Johns is the undeniable heart of the film, she is bolstered by one of the finest supporting casts in British comedy. Googie Withers is perfectly cast as Paul's increasingly bewildered and suspicious wife, Clare. But it is the magnificent, eccentric Margaret Rutherford who threatens to steal the entire picture as Nurse Carey. Hired to look after the "patient," she is not shocked to discover Miranda's secret but openly delighted, exclaiming, "It's a mermaid! I've always believed in them!"

The film is packed with witty dialogue and brilliant sight gags that never get old: Miranda's insistence on eating raw fish sandwiches, her casual snacking from the goldfish bowl, and a priceless scene at the zoo where she communicates with the seals. It's all so unapologetically fun, a droll and airy fantasy that was a smash hit with audiences at the time, and it's easy to see why. Miranda is a whimsical, charming, and thoroughly amusing escape that still feels as fresh and sparkling as the day it first splashed onto the screen.

This and previous episodes can be found everywhere you download your podcasts

Bonus content available at: patreon.com/ReelBritanniaPodcast

Follow us on Twitter @rbritanniapod 

Thanks for listening

Scott and Steven

Reel Britannia - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism

Episode 176 - Hammer Britannia 020 - The Evil Of Frankenstein (1964)

In Hammer's "The Evil of Frankenstein" (1964), a destitute Baron Victor Frankenstein (Peter Cushing), with his assistant Hans, is forced to flee and returns to his ancestral chateau in Karlstaad. He finds his home looted by vengeful villagers and his original creation missing.

Guided by a deaf-mute girl, he discovers the Creature (Kiwi Kingston) perfectly preserved in a glacier. After thawing and reanimating its body, Frankenstein finds its mind is dormant. Desperate, he seeks help from Professor Zoltan, a traveling carnival hypnotist, hoping to reactivate the Creature's brain.

Zoltan succeeds but seizes control of the powerful being for his own greedy purposes. He commands the Creature to steal and murder, enacting revenge on the town officials who wronged him. The Creature's rampage spirals out of control, leading to Zoltan's death. In a drunken rage, the Creature accidentally sets Frankenstein's laboratory ablaze. Refusing to abandon his creation, the Baron is trapped in the inferno, seemingly perishing alongside the monster in the fiery explosion that consumes the chateau.

"I realised long ago that the only way to prove my theories was to make something in my laboratory that actually lived. I never told you, Hans... I succeeded once."

This and previous episodes can be found everywhere you download your podcasts

Bonus content available at:

patreon.com/ReelBritanniaPodcast

Follow us on Twitter @rbritanniapod 

Thanks for listening

Scott and Steven

Welcome to Reel Britannia-a very British podcast about very British movies ...with just a hint of professionalism.

Episode 084 – Look Back In Anger (1959)

Scott and Steven are back in the Balaban Sound Studio for this week's review…continuing our look at the kitchen sink dramas. It's 1959 and the movie that proclaimed the era of the angry young man. Richard Burton stars alongside Clare Bloom and Mary Ure in the Tony Richardson picture, Look Back In Anger

Richard Burton smoulders as the ever-complaining Jimmy Porter in Tony Richardson's version of John Osborne's ground-breaking play, which at the time was the epitome of the kitchen-sink drama and heralded the liberated Swinging Sixties. As the downtrodden, middle-class wife taking the brunt of his tirades, Mary Ure poignantly deserves better from life than a husband who believes the world owes him a living, while Burton makes his portrayal remarkably unsympathetic. An emblem of its time that's not to be missed.

SUMMARY
A disillusioned cynic takes out his anger at the world by having an affair with his wife's best friend, causing untold misery for everyone he knows. Tony Richardson's adaptation of John Osborne's play, starring Richard Burton, Mary Ure and Claire Bloom.

CAST
Jimmy Porter Richard Burton
Helena Charles Claire Bloom
Alison Porter Mary Ure
Mrs Tanner Edith Evans
Cliff Lewis Gary Raymond

"Ladies and gentlemen, a little recitation entitled 'she was only a gravediggers daughter but she loved lying under the sod'."

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Scott and Steven

Welcome to Reel Britannia-a very British podcast about very British movies ...with just a hint of professionalism.

In the latest episode, Scott is joined by Steven to chat about governesses, ghosts and all manner of ghastly goings-on

Join us we take a look at the classic horror movie from 1961, The Innocents, starring Deborah Kerr

In Victorian England, the uncle (Sir Michael Redgrave) of orphaned niece Flora (Pamela Franklin) and nephew Miles (Martin Stephens) hires Miss Giddens (Deborah Kerr) as governess to raise the children at his estate with total independence and authority. Soon after her arrival, Miss Giddens comes to believe that the spirits of the former governess Miss Jessel (Clytie Jessop) and valet Peter Quint (Peter Wyngarde) are possessing the children. Miss Giddens decides to help the children to face and exorcise the spirits.

"Truth is very seldom understood by any but imaginative persons... and I want to be quite truthful."

You can find this and all of our previous episodes at:

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Follow us on Twitter @rbritanniapod

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email: reelbritannia@gmail.com


Thanks for listening


Scott and Steven

Welcome to Reel Britannia-a very British podcast about very British movies ...with just a hint of professionalism.

Episode 082 – Gideon's Day (1958)

Scott and Steven are back in the Balaban Sound Studio for this week's review…24 hours in the life of Detective Chief Inspector George Gideon of the Metropolitan Police. A story of armed robbers, crooked cops, family strife…and salmon.

Directed by John Ford and starring Jack Hawkins.

Scotland Yard Inspector George Gideon starts his day off on the wrong foot when he gets a traffic-violation ticket from a young police officer. From there, his 'typical day" consists in learning that one of his most-trusted detectives has accepted bribes; hunts an escaped maniac who has murdered a girl; tracks a young girl suspected of a payroll robbery and, then, helps break up a bank robbery. His long day ends when he arrives at home and finds that his daughter has a date with the policeman who gave him a ticket that morning.

"I could tell you a few things about executions - they're not very dramatic - you know, they're rather an anti-climax after the trial. Three weeks in jail and then one morning the long walk. And it won't be a bit like you imagine - the heroine with her head held high. They'll drag you there half doped and vomiting with terror... that's the worst thing about hanging - it's so undignified..."

You can find this and all of our previous episodes at:

Apple Podcasts

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Welcome to Reel Britannia-a very British podcast about very British movies ...with just a hint of professionalism.

Episode 082 – Gideon's Day (1958)

Scott and Steven are back in the Balaban Sound Studio for this week's review…24 hours in the life of Detective Chief Inspector George Gideon of the Metropolitan Police. A story of armed robbers, crooked cops, family strife…and salmon. Directed by John Ford and starring Jack Hawkins.

Scotland Yard Inspector George Gideon starts his day off on the wrong foot when he gets a traffic-violation ticket from a young police officer. From there, his 'typical day" consists in learning that one of his most-trusted detectives has accepted bribes; hunts an escaped maniac who has murdered a girl; tracks a young girl suspected of a payroll robbery and, then, helps break up a bank robbery. His long day ends when he arrives at home and finds that his daughter has a date with the policeman who gave him a ticket that morning.

"I could tell you a few things about executions - they're not very dramatic - you know, they're rather an anti-climax after the trial. Three weeks in jail and then one morning the long walk. And it won't be a bit like you imagine - the heroine with her head held high. They'll drag you there half doped and vomiting with terror... that's the worst thing about hanging - it's so undignified..."

You can find this and all of our previous episodes at:

Apple Podcasts

Libsyn

Player FM

Podtail

Owltail

ListenNotes

Follow us on Twitter @rbritanniapod

Join us over at our Facebook Group ….we'd love to chat with you

email: reelbritannia@gmail.com


Thanks for listening


Scott and Steven

Follow us on Twitter @rbritanniapod

Join us over at our Facebook Group ….we'd love to chat with you

email: reelbritannia@gmail.com


Thanks for listening


Scott and Steven

Welcome to Reel Britannia-a very British podcast about very British movies ...with just a hint of professionalism.

This week, Scott is joined by Steven to review the Oscar winning Chariots Of Fire (1981) – a tribute to Ian Holm and Ben Cross

Based on a true story, Chariots of Fire is the internationally acclaimed Oscar-winning drama of two very different men who compete as runners in the 1924 Paris Olympics. Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson), a serious Christian Scotsman, believes that he has to succeed as a testament to his undying religious faith. Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross), is a Jewish Englishman who wants desperately to be accepted and prove to the world that Jews are not inferior. The film crosscuts between each man's life as he trains for the competition, fueled by these very different desires. As compelling as the racing scenes are, it's really the depth of the two main characters that touches the viewer, as they forcefully drive home the theme that victory attained through devotion, commitment, integrity, and sacrifice is the most admirable feat that one can achieve. (Ian Holm was nominated for an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor in his role as Abrahams' coach), and this powerful film ended up with four Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Costume Design, and Best Original Score.

"I've known the fear of losing but now I am almost too frightened to win."

You can find this and all of our previous episodes at:
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email: reelbritannia@gmail.com

Thanks for listening

Scott and Steven

Welcome to Reel Britannia-a very British podcast about very British movies ...with just a hint of professionalism.

Episode 080 – Withnail and I (1987)

Scott and Steven are joined this week in the Balaban Sound Studio by Anthony (Glass Onion – On John Lennon podcast) for this week's review…the finest comedy known to humanity featuring mistaken holidays, Camberwell carrots and youths weeping in butchers shops.

Two out-of-work actors -- the anxious, luckless Marwood (Paul McGann) and his acerbic, alcoholic friend, Withnail (Richard E. Grant) -- spend their days drifting between their squalid flat, the unemployment office and the pub. When they take a holiday "by mistake" at the country house of Withnail's flamboyantly gay uncle, Monty (Richard Griffiths), they encounter the unpleasant side of the English countryside: tedium, terrifying locals and torrential rain.

"Look at my tongue, it's wearing a yellow sock."

You can find this and all of our previous episodes at:

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Follow us on Twitter @rbritanniapod

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email: reelbritannia@gmail.com


Thanks for listening


Scott and Steven

Welcome to Reel Britannia-a very British podcast about very British movies ...with just a hint of professionalism.

In the latest episode, Scott is joined by Steven to chat about unskilled soldiery, Scottish accents and shipwrecked spirits.

Join us we take a look at the Ealing Comedy classic, Whisky Galore – featuring John Gregson, James Robertson Justice and Gordon Jackson

During World War II, the tiny Scottish island of Todday runs out of whisky. When the freighter S.S. Cabinet Minister runs aground nearby during a heavy fog, the islanders are delighted to learn that its cargo consists of 50,000 cases of whisky. When officious English commanding officer Captain Waggett (Basil Radford) demands return of the liquor, shopkeeper Joseph Macroon (Wylie Watson) and his daughters Peggy (Joan Greenwood) and Catriona (Gabrielle Blunt) spearhead an island rebellion.

"It's a well known fact that some men were born two drinks below par."

You can find this and all of our previous episodes at:
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Follow us on Twitter @rbritanniapod
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Thanks for listening

Scott and Steven

Welcome to Reel Britannia-a very British podcast about very British movies ...with just a hint of professionalism.

In the latest episode, Scott is joined by Steven for a look at the last in their season on the movies that led up to the kitchen sink dramas of the late 50s and early 60s

Join us we take a look at Basil Dearden's superb Sapphire from 1959 featuring the legendary Earl Cameron alongside Nigel Patrick and Michael Craig. A tense murder mystery set in the aftermath of the Notting Hill race riots, the movie also features support from Bernard Miles, Yvonne Mitchell and Paul Massie.

A pregnant college student named Sapphire Robbins (Yvonne Buckingham) is murdered in London's Hampstead Heath. When police superintendent Robert Hazard (Nigel Patrick) discovers that the victim was a light-skinned black woman passing as white, it upends his initial assumptions. Hazard and his openly racist assistant (Michael Craig) explore the city's racially tense underground jazz scene as they interview suspects, including Sapphire's white fiancé (Paul Massie).

"We didn't solve anything, Phil. We just picked up the pieces."

You can find this and all of our previous episodes at:
Apple Podcasts
Libsyn
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Follow us on Twitter @rbritanniapod
Join us over at our Facebook Group ….we'd love to chat with you

email: reelbritannia@gmail.com

Thanks for listening

Scott and Steven