“Sunday Bloody Sunday” (1971)
While known as the infamous shooting incident of unarmed civilian Irish protesters by the British Army which spawned the famous U2 song, John Schlesinger got to the title first a year before with his controversial (and socially groundbreaking) love-triangle drama. Nominated for four Academy Awards — Actor, Actress, Director and Original Screenplay– Schlesinger has always been known for exploring the complexities of human relationships and with “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” he helped usher in the then-taboo subject of bisexuality into the mainstream. Peter Finch stars (in a part originally intended for Alan Bates and played for the first two weeks of shooting by Ian Bannen, who was fired because of his nervousness about kissing another man) as a Jewish doctor who’s having an open relationship with the free-spirited bohemian and artist Bob Elkin (Murray Head). The problem for Finch’s Daniel Hirsh character is that Elkin is also in a commitment-free relationship with Alex Greville (Glenda Jackson), and the psychological drama vacillates between the jealousies, insecurities and heartaches that occur when trying to navigate such a tricky triangle. Schlesinger wisely doesn’t editorialize either sexuality and “Sunday Bloody Sunday” could have essentially been a love story about any three individuals of any sexual orientation. Indeed, considering it’s forty years old, it’s remarkable that he was able to treat Finch’s character in such a matter-of-fact way, although obviously less so when you take the director’s own sexual leanings into account. We look forward to the Criterion edition in October a great deal, not least for another chance to keep a look out for a 14-year-old Daniel Day-Lewis, who makes his screen debut in the film.
“Cold Comfort Farm” (1995)
For the most part, Schlesinger lost his mojo a little after the 1970s; some decent films, like Cold War drama “The Falcon and the Snowman” followed, but little that deserved to sit alongside his very best work. However, the director did make some terrific TV dramas back in the U.K., most notably an adaptation of Alan Bennett‘s “A Question of Attribution” and “An Englishman Abroad,” and one little picture stands out in particular, in part because it got a theatrical release in the U.S. — 1995’s “Cold Comfort Farm.” Schlesinger had been a fan of Stella Gibbons‘ 1933 comic novel, a parody of writers like D.H. Lawrence and Thomas Hardy (there are certainly echoes of ‘Madding Crowd’ in the film) for decades, and the BBC/Thames Television adaptation was perfectly timed, at a point at which Merchant-Ivory and their knock-offs dominated the industry. The plot could be from any one of those films: orphan Flora Poste (a then 21-year-old Kate Beckinsale, in one of her earliest roles) is left with only £100 a year for her upkeep, and hopes to find a place to live with relatives. As it turns out, the only available place is with the backwards Starkadders, who own the world’s most horrible farm out in the countryside. They’re a happy bunch, and the upbeat Flora sets out to fix their various problems, from the youngest son’s (Rufus Sewell) desire to be in the movies, to the deep depression of the mother (Eileen Atkins). It’s consistently and gloriously funny, even if you’re not familiar with the books that it’s teasing, and Schlesinger feels invigorated by the material; he brings an almost gothic atmosphere to the farm, and directs with the energy of a much younger man. It’s a deeply playful film, which extends to the cast, every one of whom seems to be having a blast, from Ian McKellen’s fire-and-brimstone preacher to Stephen Fry‘s lovestruck intellectual. Perhaps, most impressive in retrospect, is Beckinsale, who takes a tricky part and makes it soar; it’s hard to reconcile the promise shown here with the subsequent career of kicking vampires in the face. A truly underrated gem.
– Katie Walsh, Oliver Lyttelton, Rodrigo Perez
