`STIFF UPPER LIPS' TAKES ON THE BRITISH.Byline: Bob Strauss Film Critic English heritage movies sure could use a good shaking up. Until something which does that comes along, ``Stiff Upper Lips'' will have to do. The British farce takes a few potent jabs at the boring pretensions that ``Chariots of Fire,'' ``Jude'' and the Merchant/Ivory films, among others, deem so bloody important. Austen, Forster and Lawrence tropes that have been cinematically calcified Calcified Hardened by calcium deposits. Mentioned in: Heart Valve Repair into cliches all get a good thrashing. Trouble is, director Gary Sinyor and his co-writer Paul Simpkin, while hardly dummies, fail to assault the Britflicks at their own high level of intelligence. Of all the genres to lampoon, this one requires the cleverest approach. But outside of a few choice broadsides at class inequity and blinkered blink·ered adj. Subjective and limited, as in viewpoint or perception: "The characters have a blinkered view and, misinterpreting what they see, sometimes take totally inexpedient action" worldviews - without, sadly, linking them to the audience snobs who mistake this stuff for cinematic art - ``Lips'' mainly traffics in sexual burlesque burlesque (bûrlĕsk`) [Ital.,=mockery], form of entertainment differing from comedy or farce in that it achieves its effects through caricature, ridicule, and distortion. It differs from satire in that it is devoid of any ethical element. and making fun of twits. The film's lineup of addled ad·dle v. ad·dled, ad·dling, ad·dles v.tr. To muddle; confuse: "My brain is a bit addled by whiskey" Eugene O'Neill. See Synonyms at confuse. aristocrats includes well-bred young lady Emily (Georgina Cates), her Aunt Agnes (``Fawlty Towers' '' Prunella Scales) who's desperate to get the girl properly married off, oblivious brother Edward (Samuel West, who's actually appeared in films like ``Carrington'' and ``Howards End'') and Ed's school chum Cedric (Robert Portal), a spiff spiff Informal tr.v. spiffed, spiff·ing, spiffs To make attractive, stylish, or up-to-date: spiffed up the old storefront. n. so stiff he even swims in a full suit of clothes. It's 1908, so of course no one knows anything about sex. Cedric is supposed to be the hard-to-please Emily's last-ditch suitable suitor SUITOR. One who is a party to a suit or action in court. One who is a party to an action. In its ancient sense, suitor meant one Who was bound to attend the county court, also, one who formed part of the secta. (q.v.) , but she hates how he constantly quotes Homer and, besides, he has stronger feelings (which, naturally, he doesn't understand) for Edward. Edward might reciprocate re·cip·ro·cate v. re·cip·ro·cat·ed, re·cip·ro·cat·ing, re·cip·ro·cates v.tr. 1. To give or take mutually; interchange. 2. To show, feel, or give in response or return. v. his friend's affections, but he has even less of a clue about what that might mean (his diary entries are about teddy bears, when they're about anything at all). What to do, then, but take the Grand Tour? Everyone decamps for Italy, accompanied by the new working-class manservant man·ser·vant n. pl. men·ser·vants A male servant, especially a valet. manservant Noun pl menservants a male servant, esp. a valet Noun 1. George (Sean Pertwee). Emily, of course, has her requisite erotic awakening in the Mediterranean climate, and George is the only English-speaking bloke around who knows what to do about it. Once he does, however, it's ... Off to India! Here Aunt Agnes enjoys her own little fling with dithering Simulating more colors and shades in a palette. In a monochrome system that displays or prints only black and white, shades of grays can be simulated by creating varying patterns of black dots. This is how halftones are created in a monochrome printer. colonial pasha Horace (Peter Ustinov), while Emily has trouble keeping her breakfast down. George sees no reason why class differences should stand in the way of true love and marriage, but everybody else does, so there's another problem. Will the sun never set on these yearning hearts? We're not supposed to care, but the film would have been smarter - and funnier - if it had somehow managed to make us care. After all, despite their overreliance on furnishings and self-squelching performances, the ``Remains of the Days,'' ``Emmas'' and ``Room With a Views'' of the world do manage to engage our emotions while smartly examining their characters' foibles. And they can often be quite funny about it. ``Stiff Upper Lips'' takes on a deserving foe. Unfortunately, it's outclassed out·class tr.v. out·classed, out·class·ing, out·class·es To surpass decisively, so as to appear of a higher class. Adj. 1. by the very subjects it strives to skewer. The Facts The film: ``Stiff Upper Lips'' (unrated; nudity, sex). The stars: Georgina Cates, Sam Pertwee, Prunella Scales, Samuel West, Robert Portal, Peter Ustinov. Behind the scenes: Directed by Gary Sinyor. Written by Sinyor and Paul Simpkin. Produced by Sinyor and Jeremy Bolt. Released by Cowboy Booking International. Running time: One hour, 26 minutes. Playing: Westside Pavilion, West L.A. Our rating: Two and a half stars. |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion