Library Videos of the Week, May 13, 2013.

 

The Ladykillers, starring Peter Sellers, Herbert Lom, Alec Guinness and Katie Johnson.  Directed by Alexander MacKendrick. 1955.          Library Call Number:PN1995.9.C55L33 2002

              

          The original English version of this classic movie has five criminals planning a million dollar bank job in the apartment of their leader, Professor Marcus.  Renting a two-room apartment from Mrs. Wilberforce, a sweet old lady, in an isolated house, they pose as a musical quintet in order to use her as cover for their heist.  But when things begin to go wrong, there’s nothing to it but to kill the old lady, a deed easier said than done.

The Ladykillers, starring Tom Hanks, Marlon Wayans, J.K. Simmons, Irma P. Hall and Diane Delano.  Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen.  2004.
Library Call Number: PN1995.9.C55L34 2004.

          The Coen Brothers remake moves the action to Mississippi and the bank becomes a riverboat casino with a buried vault on shore.  Five robbers led by the blowhard Professor Dorr rent Mrs.  Marva Munson’s spare room and ask to use the basement to practice playing classical music.  Instead, while they play orchestral CDs, they dig their way to the money. Not a great success at the box office, but still a very funny movie and film buffs will love comparing the two versions.

Library Video of the Week, April 23, 2012.

Nowhere Boy, starring Aaron Johnson, Ann-Marie Duff, David Threlfall and Kristin Scott-Thomas, directed by Sam Taylor-Wood. 2009.  Library Call Number: PN1995.9.B55N69 2011.

          The story of a young boy in 1955 Liverpool, being raised by his aunt and uncle, with his father unknown and his erratic mother out of his life might be interesting enough.  But the boy will soon become known to the world as John Lennon, which makes this film adaptation of his young life extremely compelling.  His mother’s reappearance causes all the long-suppressed, intense family conflicts to boil over.  

     Ann-Marie Duff as the gypsy spirit of a mother and Kristin Scott-Thomas as the icy, strait-laced aunt give memorable performances.  Aaron Johnson is charismatic and compelling as young Lennon, at times a clown, at times a tortured soul.  The English accent is so thick you might need the subtitles, but the origin of the Beatles and the back story of the troubled soul that began Lennon’s love affair with music make this a must see.

Library Video of the Week, November 7, 2011.

Vera Drake, starring Imelda Staunton, Richard Graham and Eddie Marsan. Directed by Mike Leigh. 2004. Library Call Number: PN1995.9.S6V46 2005.

          Best known for her later work as the creepy, sadistic Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter movies, Imelda Staunton shows her great range by playing a sweet, working-class housewife in 1950’s England.  Kind to her friends and devoted to her family, Vera Drake is a lovely saint of a woman, a house-cleaner by day, who also finds the time to care for her sick mother and a handicapped man in the neighborhood and still watch over her husband, son and daughter.  Then, at night, she sometimes goes out to help women who have found themselves in some “difficulty.” 

Vera Drake shows the shattering effects of criminalizing abortion, both on the unfortunate women facing an unwanted pregnancy and on the sympathetic, well-meaning, but potentially dangerous people who tried to help them.  A remarkable film in many ways, not least because, though nominated for an Academy Award for Best Screenplay, the actors adlibbed their lines—the Director had to ‘reverse engineer” a screenplay from what was already on film. Staunton was also nominated for Best Actress that year.