Reel Britannia

Episode 182 - All Night Long (1962) "Me? Oh, I belong to that new minority group: white American jazz musicians. They're going to hold a mass meeting in a phone booth." Get ready to step into the coolest party of 1962. Basil Dearden's All Night Long is a cinematic powder keg, a film that brilliantly transplants Shakespeare’s classic tragedy Othello into the vibrant, smoke-filled world of the London jazz scene, and it does so with an electrifying pulse that never lets up. This isn't just a drama; it's a front-row seat to a once-in-a-lifetime jam session, featuring knockout performances from real-life jazz giants like Dave Brubeck, Charles Mingus, and Johnny Dankworth. The result is a stunningly stylish and suspenseful ride that swings to its own dynamic rhythm. The story unfolds over the course of a single, spectacular evening. Wealthy music enthusiast Rod Hamilton (a wonderfully suave Richard Attenborough) is hosting an anniversary party for the golden couple of the jazz world: the supremely talented bandl

Reel Britannia - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism. Episode 181 - The Gorgon (1964)   " Don't use long words, Inspector; they don't suit you." Get ready to have a monstrously good time with one of Hammer Film Productions’ most creative and atmospheric chillers, 1964’s The Gorgon! This isn't just any old creature feature; it’s a vibrant, gothic mystery that brings together the titans of terror, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, for a truly legendary showdown. Forget what you know about Medusa, because this film introduces a new snake-haired sister to the mix, and she’s ready for her close-up! The fun kicks off in the spooky little German village of Vandorf around the turn of the 20th century. This town has a serious problem: its residents have a nasty habit of turning to stone. When a young artist is found petrified, his family refuses to accept the flimsy official story. His determined father and brother arrive to uncover the truth, but the locals, terri

Reel Britannia - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism Episode 180 - A Kind Of Loving (1962) "You know, it's a funny feeling. Sometimes I really fancy her, and the next day I can hardly stand the sight of her." More kitchen sink drama this week as Scott and Steven step into the vibrant, bustling world of early 1960s Lancashire with "A Kind of Loving," a wonderfully spirited and heartfelt romance. The story centres on Vic Brown, a wisecracking and ambitious young draughtsman with dreams bigger than his industrial town. His world is instantly brightened when he sets his sights on the lovely and charming Ingrid Rothwell, a typist at the same company. What follows is a delightful and utterly believable courtship, crackling with the electric energy of new love. Through trips to the pictures, countryside walks, and witty banter, a powerful attraction blossoms between the two. The film perfectly captures that exhilarating, head-over-heels feeling of a first romance,

Reel Britannia - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism. Episode 179 - North Sea Hijack (1980) Forget your suave, tuxedo-clad spies. The hero of North Sea Hijack is Rufus Excalibur ffolkes, a man whose only true loves are his cats, a strong Scotch, and a perfectly executed bit of underwater sabotage. When a group of rather impolite terrorists, led by the chillingly polite Kramer, decide to hijack a massive oil rig and its supply vessel in the middle of the tempestuous North Sea, the British government is in a pickle. The villains' demand is simple: a staggering £25 million, or they’ll send the pride of Britain's oil industry to the bottom of the ocean, creating an environmental and economic catastrophe. With the clock ticking and the North Sea winds howling, the Prime Minister and her advisors are running out of options. Who can possibly handle such a delicate, high-stakes situation? Enter ffolkes. He’s a freelance counter-terrorism consultant with a magnific

Reel Britannia - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism. Episode 178 - Carry On Cruising (1962) "During the War I did Arctic runs that would've made HMS Ulysses look like a trip to Brighton. Without getting a scratch! Two days on a simple cruise with you lot and look at me!" The sixth installment in the beloved Carry On franchise, 1962's Carry On Cruising holds a special place in the series' history. Not only did it take the familiar brand of British seaside humour to the high seas, but it was also the very first Carry On film to be shot and presented in glorious Eastmancolor. This transition to a vibrant palette marked a significant step forward for the series, elevating its visual appeal and setting a new standard for the films that would follow. However, the production was not without its own undercurrents of drama, and the final product received a mixed reception from critics and audiences alike, cementing its status as a unique and much-debated entry in th

Reel Britannia - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism Episode 177 - This Is England (2006) Set in a coastal English town during the summer of 1983, This Is England centres on Shaun, a lonely 12-year-old boy grieving the death of his father in the Falklands War. After a fight at school, Shaun is befriended by a group of older, good-natured skinheads led by the welcoming Woody. He quickly finds a sense of belonging and a surrogate family within their subculture of ska music, fashion, and camaraderie. The group's joyful dynamic is shattered by the return of Combo, a charismatic but deeply troubled ex-convict with a volatile temper. Imbued with a nationalist, racist ideology from his time in prison, Combo attempts to steer the group towards far-right extremism. His intimidating presence causes a painful schism, forcing everyone to choose sides. While Woody and several others reject Combo’s hateful politics, the impressionable Shaun, swayed by Combo’s rhetoric ab

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. I

Reel Britannia - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism.   This week, join Scott, Steven and Mark as they discuss a genuine British wartime classic.   Episode 175 - The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)   In a Japanese POW camp during WWII, British Colonel Nicholson engages in a fierce battle of wills with the camp's commandant, Colonel Saito, over the construction of a railway bridge. Nicholson's rigid adherence to principle evolves into a dangerous obsession. He becomes determined to build a perfect bridge, not for his captors, but as a monument to British ingenuity and morale. As the bridge nears completion, a symbol of his proud collaboration, an Allied commando team, including an escaped American POW, arrives to destroy it. The climax is a tragic, explosive collision of duty, pride, and the profound madness of war. "We can teach these barbarians a lesson in Western methods and efficiency that will put them to shame. We'll show them what the Bri

Reel Britannia - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism.   This week, join Scott and Steven as they discuss'The Killing Of Sister George' (1968)   On-screen, she's Britain's beloved Sister George. Off-screen, she’s a gin-soaked, abusive tyrant. When network executives axe her popular character, actress June Buckridge's life implodes. A ruthless BBC boss not only orchestrates her professional demise but also seduces her vulnerable young lover, Alice. Stripped of her fame and her relationship in a vicious power play, George is left a humiliated, broken woman facing total annihilation.   Episode 174 - The Killing Of Sister George (1968)   "The Killing of Sister George" (1968) doesn't just explore the gap between public image and private life—it shatters it. On the air, June "George" Buckridge is Sister George, a beloved BBC radio nurse. Off the air, she's a gin-soaked, cigar-chewing tyrant, trapping her younger, childlike partner, Alice "Childie" McNaug

Reel Britannia - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism Episode 173 - The Old Dark House (1963) In the 1963 horror-comedy "The Old Dark House," American car salesman Tom Penderel seeks shelter from a storm in a remote, dilapidated mansion. He finds himself an unwelcome guest among the eccentric Femm family, who are gathered for the reading of a will. The family members soon become victims of a mysterious killer, who murders them one by one in bizarre fashion. Trapped by the storm with the strange household, Tom must navigate the growing paranoia and uncover the identity of the murderer before he also falls victim. The film combines traditional haunted house suspense with elements of black comedy and slapstick, as Tom attempts to survive the increasingly chaotic and dangerous night. "No, I'm not strange. I'm American."   You can find this and all our previous episodes everywhere you download your podcasts   Follow us on Twitter @rbritanniapod email: reelbritan

Welcome to Reel Britannia-a very British podcast about very British movies ...with just a hint of professionalism. We welcome back Hal, contributer of wonderful reviews at the official Talking Pictures Podcast as well as host of his very own show Couple Indemnity. 1980s political thriller shenanigans this week as what begins as a seemingly straightforward sex scandal quickly unravels into a complex web of conspiracy.  Defence Of The Realm (1986) In the politically charged atmosphere of 1980s Cold War London, Fleet Street is a battleground of ambition, rivalry, and relentless deadlines. At the heart of this cut-throat world is Nick Mullen, a young, ferociously ambitious reporter for the Daily Despatch. Mullen is driven by a burning desire to make a name for himself, to break the one big story that will catapult him to the top of his profession. He is sharp, cynical, and initially unconcerned with the moral complexities that may lie beneath a sensational headline. His world is shared by Vernon Bayliss, a vete

Welcome to Le Hollandais, the most fashionable restaurant in town, where the food is divine and the clientele is dreadful! Meet Albert, a gangster with Michelin-star vulgarity, and his elegant wife, Georgina, who’s desperately seeking a more palatable main course. She finds it in a quiet bookworm, and soon they’re having their cake and eating it too, right under Albert’s nose! What follows is a deliciously decadent tale of high fashion, haute cuisine, and hilariously unsubtle revenge. It’s a visual feast where the only thing more shocking than the menu is the table manners.  The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover (1989) Pray, draw back the heavy velvet curtain and step inside Le Hollandais, the kind of establishment where the decor is so ostentatiously opulent it borders on self-parody, and the food is so artfully constructed it seems a crime to actually eat it. This is not merely a restaurant; it is a theatre of consumption, a nightly opera of gluttony and grandeur, presided over by the stoic and endles

Reel Britannia - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism.   This week, join Scott and Steven as they discuss'The Father'. A movie that poignantly depicts an elderly man's descent into dementia, masterfully portraying his disorienting reality. As Anthony's memory fractures, his daughter Anne struggles to care for him. The film uniquely places the audience within Anthony's confused perspective, where timelines shift and faces change, creating a deeply moving and unsettling exploration of aging, memory, and loss.   Episode 170 - The Father (2020)   All episodes at: https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/reelbritannia   Florian Zeller’s 2020 film, The Father, is a poignant and unsettling cinematic experience that immerses the audience directly into the disorienting world of an elderly man grappling with dementia. The story centers on Anthony (Anthony Hopkins), a fiercely independent and proud 80-year-old living in a spacious London flat. His d

Reel Britannia - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism Fancy a twisted trip to France? Our American painter, Jeff, certainly gets more than he bargained for when he dallies with the alluring Eve. She cooks up a rather madcap scheme to spring her hubby, Georges, from the local asylum using a handy oxyacetylene torch. But hold onto your berets! This seemingly straightforward caper spirals into a fiery game of murder, mistaken identities, and shocking revelations. Turns out, some folks are just a tad maniacal, and poor Jeff's in a very sticky situation! Paranoiac (1963) Right then, pack your bags for the sun-drenched, yet surprisingly sinister, Camargue region of France! Our protagonist, the somewhat hapless American painter Jeff Farrell, arrives looking for inspiration but quickly finds himself ensnared in a rather sticky wicket. He catches the eye of the mature and manipulative Eve Beynat, who runs a local bar with her lovely stepdaughter, Annette. Eve spins a

Fancy a playdate that's to die for? Join Mumsy, Nanny, and their darling (if slightly overaged) Sonny and Girly! This charmingly unhinged family just adores making new friends and luring them back to their quaint estate for endless games. Just remember: follow the rules, or it's permanent naptime! Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly (1970) Get ready for a rollicking, if rather unnerving, trip to the countryside with Freddie Francis’s 1970 cult delight, "Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly"! Forget your typical family get-togethers; this aristocratic British clan, tucked away in their gloriously crumbling Gothic pile, has a very peculiar idea of fun, and it’s all part of their never-ending, ever-so-slightly lethal "Game." Meet the players, won't you? There's Mumsy (Ursula Howells), the lady of the manor, whose honeyed tones could charm the birds from the trees – right before she plots their untimely demise. Then we have dear old Nanny (Pat Heywood), ever loyal, ever simmering, and a stickler for the family’s rather unique

Welcome to Reel Britannia-a very British podcast about very British movies ...with just a hint of professionalism. And a huge welcome back to Hal, contributer of wonderful reviews at the official Talking Pictures Podcast as well as host of his very own show Couple Indemnity. Hold onto your snorkels! In Thunderball, suave spy James Bond jets off to the sun-drenched Bahamas. Why the holiday? Because the villainous, eye-patch-wearing Largo of SPECTRE has pinched two atomic bombs and is holding the world to ransom! 007 must navigate treacherous waters, both literally and figuratively, charming allies like the stunning Domino while dodging Largo's aquatic thugs. Get ready for thrilling underwater battles, cool gadgets, and Bond proving that even a nuclear crisis can't cramp his impeccable style. It's a high-stakes game of global poker, and Bond's all-in! Thunderball(1965) In 1965's Thunderball, James Bond, played with maximum cool by Sean Connery, finds himself in a pickle when the notoriously nasty organization

Reel Britannia - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism.     This week, vintage British drama as a tranquil English village is torn apart by anonymous letters accusing residents of scandalous misdeeds. Suspicion and paranoia escalate, leading to tragic consequences, as the community struggles to uncover the culprit and restore harmony.     Episode 166 - Poison Pen (1939)   All episodes at: https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/reelbritannia     Poison Pen (1939) turns the tranquil charm of an English village into the backdrop for a juicy mystery! The drama kicks off when anonymous letters, brimming with scandalous gossip, start popping up in mailboxes. These “poison pen” notes stir up chaos, revealing secrets (and maybe even lies) that set tongues wagging and suspicions soaring. Reverend Rider (Reginald Tate) and his sister Mary (Flora Robson) do their best to soothe the panic, encouraging everyone to rise above the drama. But resisting

Reel Britannia - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism.     This week, more classic British kitchen sink drama with the tale of Jo,  a bold working-class teen who  discovers strength in unexpected places. After a brief romance leaves her pregnant, she bonds with Geoff, a kind gay art student. Together, they challenge conventions, showing the power of love, resilience, and humanity in the face of social prejudice.     Episode 165 - A Taste of Honey (1961)   All episodes at: https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/reelbritannia         A Taste of Honey (1961), directed by Tony Richardson, is a groundbreaking British film that explores themes of poverty, identity, and unconventional relationships. Adapted from Shelagh Delaney's play, it is a cornerstone of the "kitchen sink realism" movement, portraying working-class life with raw honesty.   The story follows Jo, a spirited yet vulnerable teenager living in a grimy Salford

Reel Britannia - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism This week...more from the great Hammer studios as they craft a chilling tale of deceit and madness. A presumed-dead heir resurfaces, unraveling sinister family secrets. Gothic suspense intertwines with psychological twists, as greed, guilt, and identity collide in a haunting inheritance drama. Starring Oliver Reed and Janette Scott.   Paranoiac (1963) Where secrets fester and madness reigns—welcome to the Ashby estate, where paranoia is just the beginning Paranoiac (1963), directed by Freddie Francis and produced by Hammer Films, is a gripping psychological thriller that delves into themes of identity, deception, and madness. Loosely based on Josephine Tey's novel Brat Farrar, the film is set against the backdrop of a wealthy but dysfunctional British family, the Ashbys, whose lives are marred by tragedy and secrets. The story begins with the Ashby siblings, Simon and Eleanor, living under the care of th

Welcome to Reel Britannia-a very British podcast about very British movies ...with just a hint of professionalism. Back to 1949 this week and a darkly witty masterpiece of British cinema! An Ealing comedy blending sharp humour, class satire, and Alec Guinness playing eight roles. A timeless classic! Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) A Delightfully Dark Comedy of Class and Revenge Kind Hearts and Coronets, the crown jewel of British cinema’s dark humour. If you haven’t yet basked in its glory, let me paint the scene for you. Picture this: Edwardian England, an impeccable sense of manners, and a protagonist who’s as calculating as he is charming—all wrapped in a story about climbing the social ladder by…murdering every single person standing in the way. Yes, murder. And somehow, it’s positively delightful. The plot centers on Louis Mazzini (played by Dennis Price), who is probably cinema’s most likable sociopath. Born into a working-class life, Louis has always resented his mother’s noble family, the D’Ascoynes,