DUKE OF BURGUNDY Press Round-Up!

"Should we go into town to see a film?"

 There's one more screening of The Duke Of Burgundy and maybe you haven't quite decided if it is for you. Here's a little round-up of reviews to help. We like to help.

At Little White Lies, David Ehrlich has a nice review of The Duke of Burgundy, writing, "Peter Strickland's sapphic giallo dream is a tied-up and twisted masterpiece."

And adding:

A few minutes into Peter Strickland’s The Duke of Burgundy, the matron of a gorgeous European estate pulls her maid into a bathroom and pisses into her mouth. That’s the exact moment when it becomes clear that these two women are deeply in love with each other.

Perhaps the major discovery of this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, The Duke of Burgundy is a Certified Copy riff for the S&M crowd, Strickland’s third feature cementing his status as a world talent while also assimilating shades of early Fassbinder and a diffuse (but palpable) giallo atmosphere into its cheeky exploration of relationships and their performative nature

At Screen Daily, Allan Hunter writes, "The Duke Of Burgundy is a complex, melancholy romance in which love is sustained by negotiating the limits of desire and understanding the expectations of your partner. It is an odd, original and beguiling work."

 Robbie Collin writes at The Telegraph:

In the same way Strickland’s last film, Berberian Sound Studio, invoked the black gloves and curdled screams of giallo horror without actually making a home for itself in that genre, The Duke of Burgundy draws on the sexually charged European chillers of the late 1970s, by directors like Jess Franco and Joe D’Amato – it operates at the same kind of sex-dazed remove as Vampyros Lesbos or Lorna the Exorcist, although here, that forbidden creaminess comes spiced with very British humour.

 Jordan Hoffman writes at The Guardian:

The Duke of Burgundy will have its detractors. But this is not just a filthy movie. It's a considerable work of art, and one that touches on a rarely discussed side of human sexuality completely free of judgement. You may be surprised to find shades of your own life in Evelyn and Cynthia's fragile relationship.

Meanwhile, Culture Addicts looks at the soundtrack by Cat's Eyes:

Cat’s Eyes have created a compelling atmosphere which beautifully showcases [Rachel] Zeffira’s classical leanings and [Faris] Badwan’s darker side, while drawing previously invisible arcs between Verdian Requiems, Phil Spector pop, and Paul Giovanni’s Wicker Man.

 Unfortunately, I can find no reviews of Peter Strickland's mole cricket 7".

Sorry, little guy.

THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY Final Screening:

Monday, Sept 8th 3:15 PM SCOTIABANK 12

SIGHTSEERS: Talking About The Soundtrack

A huge part of the fun in Ben Wheatley's Sightseers is its terrific soundtrack, with many songs used as commentary on the hilarity and depravity within.

If you were sentient in the 1980s or even if you weren't, chances are you've heard Soft Cell's ginormous hit "Tainted Love." What you may not know is that it's a cover of Gloria Jones's 1964 song, written by Ed Cobb, which became an underground smash in the 1970s when Northern Soul was all the rage. Miss Jones was also later romantically involved with T.Rex's Marc Bolan, and performed on several of that band's albums.

But back to Soft Cell. The version used in Sightseers is actually the EP version, which goes right into "Where Did Our Love Go?" yet another cover, this of the1964 hit by The Supremes. Soft Cell may have covered well-known radio hits, but their own creations were considerably more salacious. (See also: "Sex Dwarf.")

Wheatley cleverly opens Sightseers with the Soft Cell version and ends it with the Gloria Jones version, a bookending that makes the phrase "tainted love" funny at first and then both funny and sinister later on.

Skipping ahead, past Francoise Hardy's "Amour Toujour Tendresse Caresses" (not on YouTube), there's another tune that became popular through a cover version, in this case, Vanilla Fudge's "Season of the Witch." You may know the Donovan version from 1966, but Vanilla Fudge's 1968 cover is perhaps creepier, especially in the context of Sightseers and Tina's witchy behavior.

It gets even weirder with Neu!'s "Lieber Honig" (translating to "come to me"). Even if you've heard Mrs. Miller or The Shaggs,  you may still be distressed by this track. As one YouTube commenter notes, " I love? Neu!, but this might honestly be one of the worst vocal performances ever... lol." It's definitely . . . something.

NEU!

However, Neu! is a band that has serious diehard fans despite the fact that they were never hugely famous. You can find out more about them on their official website.

Next up is "Ah!" from Popol Vuh, another German group from the 1970s, considered one of the earliest ambient groups. When you think about the fact that Brian Eno was just making his first solo albums in 1972, the year "Ah!" was released, it kinda blows your mind.

Things take a turn for the classical and British with the stately "Nimrod" from Edward Elgar's Enigma Variations. Elgar was a British composer during the early 20th century, appointed "Master of the King's Musick" in 1924. So says Wikipedia.

There is also a performance of Henryk Wieniawski's "Violin Concerto No. 2 in D Minor, Opus 22" (that's a mouthful) with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra and Marat Bisengali on violin. This version is not on YouTube, but another one, featuring Rudolf Koelman and the Fremantle Chamber Orchestra is.

Not one to stay too serious for too long, Wheatley ends the movie proper with Frankie Goes To Hollywood's "The Power Of Love" which is absolutely ridiculous in the scene in which it appears in Sightseers. To quote Tina Turner, "what's LOVE got to do with it?"

Anyway, if you only know of Frankie Goes To Hollywood from those FRANKIE SAY RELAX T-shirts from the '80s or "Relax" from the Body Double soundtrack (and every radio station and club for much of the 1980s), you're really missing out

They were such a great band, and real pioneers in British pop music and particularly in gay culture (as were Soft Cell, actually). As a bit of an extra treat, you should definitely check out their cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Born To Run."

If you want to hear all this great music, you're in luck! There's one more screening of Sightseers on Sunday!

Sun., Sept. 16th, BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA 7:00PM

ILL MANORS: Director Ben Drew Nominated for Mercury Award

On Thursday morning, the shortlist for the Mercury Prize was released. This prize is award to the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland so it's not just "kind of a big deal", it's a SUPER BIG DEAL IN SHOUTY CAPS. We here at the Vanguard Blog were beyond stoked to see that Ben Drew--who records as Plan B--has made the shortlist with the album that accompanied his Vanguard film, ilL Manors. Past winners of the Mercury Prize include PJ Harvey, Franz Ferdinand, Pulp, and the Arctic Monkeys. And we've got our fingers (and toes) crossed that our very own Vanguard film director will be added to that list. Are you crossing your fingers too? Good.

While speaking with Ben Kaplan in a National Post interview, he said that he recorded the songs to help fill gaps in editorial process. Drew might not have initially set out to create an award nominated album, but it's topped the charts in the UK and can only keep going from here.

You have one last chance to see this brilliant film with its award-nominated soundtrack. We suggest you clear your schedule for Saturday night and grab a ticket.


ILL MANORS Screening Times:
Sat., Sept. 15th, 9:30 PM SCOTIABANK 4