Blu Release – 4/5
Negatives
Director – Peter Medak (The Changeling, Species II)
Starring – Peter McEnery (Witchcraft, Hammer House of Horror), Diane Cilento (The Wicker Man, Dead Planet), and Glenda Jackson (Sunday Bloody Sunday, The Devil is a Woman)
Release Date – 1968
Rating – 2/5
Tagline – “A bizarre modern drama of a man and two women locked in a sensual game of sex”
Severin recently released a few of Peter Medak’s more not so known films. The first was the 2018 documentary The Ghost of Peter Sellers which was about the making of his ill-fated pirate film with comedy superstar Peter Sellers. It was then that I realized just how extraordinary Medak’s career had been. He helmed the classic horror film The Changeling along with episodes of Masters of Horror, Tales from the Crypt, The Twilight Zone, Breaking Bad, and many more. Talk about a fucking legend.
When Severin sent over The Ghost of Peter Sellers, they also included a few more releases with one being a double feature featuring the 1968 Medak film Negatives. This was another new one to me and I couldn’t wait to check it out. Like always, I want to thank the fine folks over at Severin for sending this one over!
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a couple who stay to themselves and their sexual exploration is mostly role playing with each other. However, their worlds come crashing down when a new woman moves in near them and becomes infatuated with the couple. The man wants to begin role playing as a different person than his normal persona and this causes a rift between the long time couple. **Spoiler Alert**
I went into Negatives really excited after watching The Ghost of Peter Sellers and The Odd Job. I really enjoyed both of those films but Negatives just wasn’t for me. Hell, I don’t know who this movie would be for but it sure as shit wasn’t for me.
The acting in this one is probably the best part of the movie. The cast does a wonderful job and the characters are rather enjoyable. Honestly, I wish these characters had a better story to shine in than what they were given.
The story for this one is a bit of a drag but had some interesting ideas. A young couple who never got along unless they were role playing finding themselves falling apart with the introduction of a new woman has every right to be a fantastic sexploitation film. However, making this story fit into a cheap drama with no humor or sex appeal is a huge miss.
Finally, those wanting blood or skin will be greatly disappointed. The film is a character driven story that would have worked if it embraced the sex and not the weird drama tone it went for. Overall, Negatives is a movie that I was really looking forward to but just couldn’t get into. While I loved the characters, I disliked everything else with this one. Skip it for The Odd Job!
Sparrows Can’t Sing
Director – Joan Littlewood (Oh! What a Lovely War, Peierrots)
Starring – James Booth (Pray for Death, Bad Guys), Barbara Windsor (The Great Bang, Double Vision), and Roy Kinnear (Scrooge, Watership Down)
Release Date – 1963
Rating – 2.5/5
Tagline – “Sailor, sailor home from the sea. Whose little stranger can this one be?”
A few weeks back I was sent several new releases from my friends over at Severin to review. The package included the amazing set Bloody Legend: The Cliff Twemlow Collection along with several films from director Peter Medak. I really enjoyed MOST of the film the films that I was sent directed by Medak with the exception of the film Negatives. I was not a fan of the film but it was the first film in a double feature with the 1963 comedy Sparrow’s Can’t Sing.
I had assumed that the film was directed by Medak as well but that was not the case. Regardless, I couldn’t wait to check it out in hopes it was better than the other film in the set. I want to thank Severin for sending this one over!
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a young man who is returning home after 2 years at sea. He learns that his neighborhood, his home included, has been demolished. He can’t find his wife and starts looking for her around town while meeting many familiar faces that he knew before he was gone. When he is able to find her, she is shacked up with another man and taking care of their child. **Spoiler Alert**
I went into Sparrow’s Can’t Sing completely blind and it wasn’t until the opening credits that I realized it wasn’t directed by Medak. That didn’t really turn me off to the film, and while it was better than Negatives, it still wasn’t as great as I would have liked.
The acting in this one is actually pretty well done. I loved the cast and the characters they brought to life. While the characters are pretty cliched and generic, the cast does a great job which made the film a little more enjoyable.
The story for this one is a bit messy but I did like several elements of it. The humor, if the film had any, did not find it’s mark. It may have been funny if you had that old style sense of humor but from today’s standpoint, it was not funny. I didn’t realize it was meant to be a comedy until I was putting the review together and saw it listed as such on the imdb page. Also, I didn’t like the way that the film focused more on the protagonist’s interactions with supporting characters instead of his search for his missing wife. The movie plays out the same way that I play sandbox games.
Finally, the film has no blood or gore so those looking for carnage will be very disappointed. Overall, Sparrows Can’t Sing is a movie that had promise but fails to pull anything together. I liked the acting and the baseline for the story but the execution fell flat. I really wanted to like this one but I couldn’t. Skip it.
Special Features:
Disc 1: Blu-ray (NEGATIVES + Special Features)
Audio Interview With Director Peter Medak By Film Historian Lee Gambin
Audio Commentary With Video Watchdog’s Tim Lucas
Role Playing – Interview With Actor Peter McEnery
Glenda Jackson: Working Class Wonderland – Video Essay By Lee Gambin
Positives From Negativeland – Peter Medak Presents His Production Albums From NEGATIVES Through A DAY IN THE DEATH OF JOE EGG
The Doctor Will See You Now – Interview With Dr. Clare Smith, Historic Collection Curator Of The Metropolitan Police Museum, On Dr. Crippen
Disc 2: Blu-ray (SPARROWS CAN’T SING + Special Features)
Audio Commentary With Filmmaker Daniel Kremer, With Contributions From Assistant Director Peter Medak
East End Manifesto – Interview With Joan Littlewood Biographer Peter Rankin
BFI Q&A With Actors Barbara Windsor And Murray Melvin
Interview With Murray Melvin
Locations Featurette With Film Historian Richard Dacre
Trailer
