Part of the 80s onslaught of spoof and parody movies, Top Secret was written and Directed by Jim
Abrahams and David and Jerry Zucker, the men behind the likes of Airplane!, the Naked Gun series, Hot Shots!
and latter Scary Movie titles. Top
Secret is primarily a spoof of Elvis’ movies and the stereotypes of East Germany,
mixed with a little bit of World War Two. Nick Rivers (Val Kilmer in his first
screen lead) is an American pop star with a stereotypical late 50s sound. He is
invited to East Germany
as part of a cultural event but soon becomes involved with a beautiful woman (Lucy
Gutteridge) who is in turn trying to rescue her father (Michael Gough) from an
East German Prison with the help of the French Resistance. Rivers soon becomes
imbedded in the Resistance and uses his wit, charm and good looks to help save
the day.
Showing posts with label Jim Carter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jim Carter. Show all posts
Saturday 10 November 2012
Tuesday 6 November 2012
My Week with Marilyn
In 1956 the world’s most iconic film star, Marilyn Monroe
travelled to England
to star in a new romantic comedy, The
Prince and the Showgirl alongside famed actor/director Sir Laurence
Olivier. Throughout an arduous shoot a young man called Colin Clark who joined
the production as third AD kept a diary which became the basis of his memoir
and this film. The production took place at a difficult time in the lives of
both stars and Clark became very close to Monroe
in particular, allowing him to present a rare glimpse into the private life of
one of Hollywood’s
biggest stars.
My Week with Marilyn
was generally well received upon its release in 2011 and was nominated for
seven BAFTAS and two Oscars. I unfortunately missed it on its theatrical
release but felt very happy when I caught up with it on DVD. The film is an
enjoyable watch with some occasional dark turns which gives an almost
unprecedented look into a brief snippet of the life of one of the world’s
original mega stars.
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