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What was the last film you watched?
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<blockquote data-quote="Mel O&#039;Drama" data-source="post: 328000" data-attributes="member: 23"><p style="text-align: center"><strong><span style="font-size: 22px">Candleshoe</span></strong> (1977)</p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.movieassets.com%2Fstatic%2Fimages%2Fitems%2Fmovies%2Fposters%2F32a2fac70a4e8db9dd49f47c10117589.jpg&f=1&nofb=1" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 543px" /></p><p></p><p>I have faint memories of very happy times watching this over the Christmas holidays as a kid and I looked forward to revisiting it. I wasn't sure about watching it during the summer as I remember it being a gothic, wintry film, but actually it's pretty neutral in terms of seasonal tone so it was fine (it's based on a book called <em>Christmas At Candleshoe</em>, which I suppose may not work as well in June).</p><p></p><p>It's edgier than I remember it being, a lot of that coming from Jodie Foster whose character Casey is well and truly established in the opening titles as a delinquent, as shown by she and her friends giving cheek to people, stealing, spilling oil drums across a garage workshop, sabotaging sports games, knocking stuff over and generally wreaking havoc. If it were anyone else she'd be unlikeable, but it's Jodie Foster. Something that occurred to me in this film is how much she resembles early Eighties Michael J. Fox (well, techically I suppose he resembles her), right down to the voice, looks and mannerisms. They could be one and the same with a different haircut. She's as terrific here as always, and balances the light and dark perfectly. There's a sequence at the beginning of the film where she's wrenched from her foster parents (money is thrown their way) by a sinister-looking man who accompanies her on a silent car journey to a hotel where she's taken to a room and ordered to bath, before another man appears to inspect her, still wearing a towel. It feels so sinister and creepy it's almost a relief when the worst thing that happens is him giving her a slap in the face for talking back. It's to 15 year old Foster's credit that Casey feels so switched on and streetwise that she holds her own and quickly turns the tables by setting up her own demands. All the same, I can't imagine this sequence playing today.</p><p></p><p>The rest of the cast is great. Leo McKern gives a great turn as a greedy, crooked Artful Dodger type. The ever-reliable David Niven plays the butler Priory who also has to dress up as the gardener and chauffeur to convince Lady Gwendolyne they're solvent when in fact he's had to let them go (he also dresses up as an upper crust neighbour to help maintain the appearance that she's still viewed as a social equal). And of course there's Helen Hayes in her final film, playing Lady Gwendolyne. She's just wonderful and one really feels a sense of history with her, as well as the thrill of believing she's found her long-lost granddaughter.</p><p></p><p>The chemistry is great all round - even the other kids are endearing enough - and there are some winning scenes, particularly as Foster's outlook changes from someone out to con this wealthy woman to someone who feels she's found a family and wants to help. And in between she's torn, since she still has Bundage on her case. Helen Hayes gives a terrific performance with lovely scenes between she and Foster. Possibly my favourite scene in the entire film is a small moment between Hayes and Niven, where Lady Gwendolyne quietly admits to Priory that she's knew it was him pretending to be various other characters and appreciates it. "We've been playing games with time, you and I", she reflects. Just lovely.</p><p></p><p>Being made in 1977 it's quite the period piece now, of course. It probably was when I first watched it in the Eighties. But the writing and performances are timeless.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Mel O'Drama, post: 328000, member: 23"] [CENTER][B][SIZE=6]Candleshoe[/SIZE][/B] (1977) [IMG width="543px"]https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.movieassets.com%2Fstatic%2Fimages%2Fitems%2Fmovies%2Fposters%2F32a2fac70a4e8db9dd49f47c10117589.jpg&f=1&nofb=1[/IMG][/CENTER] I have faint memories of very happy times watching this over the Christmas holidays as a kid and I looked forward to revisiting it. I wasn't sure about watching it during the summer as I remember it being a gothic, wintry film, but actually it's pretty neutral in terms of seasonal tone so it was fine (it's based on a book called [I]Christmas At Candleshoe[/I], which I suppose may not work as well in June). It's edgier than I remember it being, a lot of that coming from Jodie Foster whose character Casey is well and truly established in the opening titles as a delinquent, as shown by she and her friends giving cheek to people, stealing, spilling oil drums across a garage workshop, sabotaging sports games, knocking stuff over and generally wreaking havoc. If it were anyone else she'd be unlikeable, but it's Jodie Foster. Something that occurred to me in this film is how much she resembles early Eighties Michael J. Fox (well, techically I suppose he resembles her), right down to the voice, looks and mannerisms. They could be one and the same with a different haircut. She's as terrific here as always, and balances the light and dark perfectly. There's a sequence at the beginning of the film where she's wrenched from her foster parents (money is thrown their way) by a sinister-looking man who accompanies her on a silent car journey to a hotel where she's taken to a room and ordered to bath, before another man appears to inspect her, still wearing a towel. It feels so sinister and creepy it's almost a relief when the worst thing that happens is him giving her a slap in the face for talking back. It's to 15 year old Foster's credit that Casey feels so switched on and streetwise that she holds her own and quickly turns the tables by setting up her own demands. All the same, I can't imagine this sequence playing today. The rest of the cast is great. Leo McKern gives a great turn as a greedy, crooked Artful Dodger type. The ever-reliable David Niven plays the butler Priory who also has to dress up as the gardener and chauffeur to convince Lady Gwendolyne they're solvent when in fact he's had to let them go (he also dresses up as an upper crust neighbour to help maintain the appearance that she's still viewed as a social equal). And of course there's Helen Hayes in her final film, playing Lady Gwendolyne. She's just wonderful and one really feels a sense of history with her, as well as the thrill of believing she's found her long-lost granddaughter. The chemistry is great all round - even the other kids are endearing enough - and there are some winning scenes, particularly as Foster's outlook changes from someone out to con this wealthy woman to someone who feels she's found a family and wants to help. And in between she's torn, since she still has Bundage on her case. Helen Hayes gives a terrific performance with lovely scenes between she and Foster. Possibly my favourite scene in the entire film is a small moment between Hayes and Niven, where Lady Gwendolyne quietly admits to Priory that she's knew it was him pretending to be various other characters and appreciates it. "We've been playing games with time, you and I", she reflects. Just lovely. Being made in 1977 it's quite the period piece now, of course. It probably was when I first watched it in the Eighties. But the writing and performances are timeless. [/QUOTE]
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