How entertaining? ★★★☆☆
Thought provoking? ★☆☆☆☆ 18 June 2013
This article is a review of UNDERGROUND. |
“You’re the only girl for me,” Bert
The British Film Institute National Archive has restored silent romantic-thriller UNDERGROUND (1928), premiered at the London Film Festival, and has now released it on Blu-ray and DVD. Written and directed by Anthony Asquith (THE BROWNING VERSION), the titles say this is a story of work-a-day people. The focus is Nell, Bill, Kate and Bert. We are given a snippet of their lives in a pseudo-Shakespearean tale of light and shadow. It is morally simplistic though, lacking the Bard’s socio-political commentary and gender warfare.
The British Film Institute National Archive has restored silent romantic-thriller UNDERGROUND (1928), premiered at the London Film Festival, and has now released it on Blu-ray and DVD. Written and directed by Anthony Asquith (THE BROWNING VERSION), the titles say this is a story of work-a-day people. The focus is Nell, Bill, Kate and Bert. We are given a snippet of their lives in a pseudo-Shakespearean tale of light and shadow. It is morally simplistic though, lacking the Bard’s socio-political commentary and gender warfare.
|
|
London’s underground train network is the locale for two men vying for the affections of one woman. Lady’s man Bert (Cyril McLaglen), a power station worker, spies Nell (Elissa Landi) one tube journey, where we are introduced to the travel customs of the commuters – a gentle comedy of manners that is a slight of hand, lulling the audience into a false sense of playfulness never returned to. Nell rebuffs Bert’s eyeing up. In contrast, underground attendant, there to give directions and provide assistance, Bill (Brian Aherne), encounters the lady when she drops her gloves. With gentle dash he attempts to return them to her, in a neat sequence in which both are walking against the movement of the escalator among a flurry of people. Mutual attraction is born. It’s up there among those stylised movie first encounters, think Baz Luhrman’s ROMEO + JULIET.
Bill and Bert also happen to know each other, drinking at the same pub. Too small a world. Black-hearted and pride-wounded, the latter cannot stomach the burgeoning romance of the former. The bitterness grows when the peaceable Bill gives Bert a going over after he disrespects Nell. There is an ahead-of-its-time punch to the camera, knocking the metaphorical lights out of the scoundrel. While Asquith is unambitious in his storytelling and development of dramatis personae, the camera-work has zest.
“Kate, if I treat you right, will you do something for me?” Bert
At the ne’er-do-well’s boarding house, a seamstress Kate (Norah Baring) pines for him. Bert ended it, but she remains blind to his coldness. Harnessing Kate’s devotion, he cooks up a scheme to lay waste to the happiness of the sweet-tempered couple. He is no Iago though, and unwanted comparisons to OTHELLO crop up. The protagonists are cardboard thin in their complexity. At 93 minutes, more could’ve been grasped for.
The celebration of chivalry and romantic conservatism has discordantly aged well and badly. Unfortunately, we’re not in Hitchcock, establishment and censor bating, territory. A minor entertainment.
We have selected movies below that we think will be of interest to you based on this review.
Using these Amazon affiliated links help us keep Filmaluation free for all film and arts lovers.
Amazon UK
|
|
|
|
Amazon USA
|
|
|
|