Fantastic Films Weekend
@ National Museum of Photography, Film & Television
Bradford, UK 22 – 23 May 2004

SUNDAY

The second and final day of the festival opens without the promised Tale of Two Sisters (an acclaimed Korean horror, based on Korean fables), which had to be pulled when the film-print got lost somewhere in the UK en route.

In its place, was a repeat screening of the bizarre sci-fi opus Save the Green Planet. A two-hour Korean film from director Jang Ju-Hwan. Byung-Gu is convinced that aliens are plotting to destroy the Earth - and that their representative is Kang Man-Shik, Kang is the head of a research firm, linked to the coma-state of Byung-Gu’s mother. Adorned in strange Batteries Not Included modeled hat, and bin liner coat, Byung sets out with his frumpy girlfriend, to kidnap Kang, and expose his alien nature.

This is a sci-fi comedy, that is nicely restrained. We remain convinced for the most that Byung is crazy, and the terror increases as he begins a series of elaborate tortures, designed to make the "alien" reveal himself. Shaving his body hair, and passing hundreds of volts through Kang, spraying Bee anti-venom into the eyes, and rubbing the lotion into the bloody feet of the unfortunate victim. As the truth about the testing on his mother is revealed, there is a rush for Byung to get the antidote before his mother dies, and the police (a strange side-plot of teacher and pupil relations) catch him. With only two of his previous victims revealed by his methods as alien, the odds are anyone’s guess as to Kang’s nature.

I’m happy to say the film delivered the right climax, as I hoped it would. My viewing partner was less happy. I suspect audiences will be equally divided.

The make-up demo started around 2pm in the giant Pictureville cinema on the ground floor (finally, I found the bar - my fault for not checking things out properly earlier!). Fearing we would have to sit whilst a mundane demonstration went on, I was pleased to discover a group of students at the local university’s make-up course, at work in an informal environment on the plucky volunteers. With the Leakey documentary still fresh in the minds of many, an assortment of burns, cuts, bullet-holes, vampire bites, dueling scars adorned the festival goers, and Museum staff. The reports of various trips to bars and restaurants, and the lack of reaction said more for Bradford than anything else (Russell Wall told me that everyone at the bar commented on Bruce Sachs’ scars when his back was turned).

The ice-breaker provided gave the second day an edge of informality lacking from the previous. With the menagerie of wounded on stage and the screenings, we all commented on each others, with some going back for more (Tony Earnshaw!).

The rest of the afternoon would be taken up with Douglas Adams. The three segments scraped the surface of the perceived genius of British sci-fi, the man who remolded comedy science fiction and fantasy, and who paved the way for the likes of Robert Rankin, and Terry Pratchett in literature, not to mention Red Dwarf.

First up was the 2001 BBC Omnibus tribute, The Man Who Blew Up the World. A documentary, that for me was too fresh and familiar. It provides an interesting biography of the tortured mind, with commentary from amongst others Terry Jones, John Lloyd, Stephen Fry, Griff Rhys Jones, Simon Jones, and Douglas himself. Its an endearing tribute, but more satisfying would have been the rarely seen South Bank Show from 1992 which they were unable to screen for us owing to rights difficulties. As MJ Simpson (Douglas Adams’ biographer) commented later in the afternoon, a semi-fictionalised documentary in which Douglas Adams created a Hitchhikers’ story, where the characters discussed Douglas’ legendary writer’s block, whilst he was supposed to be writing the new Hitchhikers’ book, but couldn’t owing to an epic edition of his own writer’s block!

MJ Simpson himself was on hand for an entertaining half hour talk following the screening of the documentary. Tied-in with the Bradford Book Festival, Simpson’s hugely entertaining and immensely readable biography (Hitchhiker) has just been re-released in softback form. Entering the room, having counted heads in attendance at 42 (until five minutes later two latecomers arrived and scuppered the whole serendipity of the moment) an taking his position centre stage, looking as manic as Douglas himself, adorned in cap, and satchel, he read a couple of extracts, and engaged in an enlightening Q&A. On the basis of this brief segment, one couldn’t help but want to read the biography which he was signing in the foyer after the talk. Restricting the man to just the thirty minutes was so frustrating. I’d just read the book before going to the festival, and following it, there were so many things I could ask MJ more about.

Although this in itself could be frustrating, for the wannabe critics out there, he was telling me about the problems in finding work outside the Douglas Adams field now. Desperate to tackle somebody else. And yet, he still kept everyone up to speed on the now-in-production film.

Rushing back from the bar, where MJ had made himself available to talk to anyone who wanted to talk to him, the first episode of Hitchhikers was given a rare big-screen outing. As entertaining as ever, Arthur Dent awakes to find his house about to be bulldozed - to make way for a bypass, his best friend Ford Prefect, is in fact an alien from a small planet in the vicinity of Betelgeuse and the Earth is about to explode - itself being dismantled by the Vogan Construction Fleet, to make way for an intergalactic bypass. Its just as well, the guide has the words "Don’t Panic" written on it.

The screening was as well-received as it should have been.

During the MJ Simpson talk, festival goers had to make a choice, between Douglas Adams, and the first package of short films. I opted for the former, but caught up with most of the shorts later on, after the festival was over. More about them at the end of this.

For me, the final event of the weekend (as Return of the King concluded the Lord of the Rings saga for the Middle-Earthers), was the second of the Greasepaint and Gore films. I had come primarily to feature the Hammer-related films, but my interests are so broad, I had worn myself out rushing to every screening I could get to. It would be a preview of the new Japanese gangster horror from Takeshi Miike, Gozu that would actually finish the weekend off, but by then sleep was catching up on me, and my belly would have made sitting through a film in a packed cinema embarrassing, with its rumbling. So off we went for one of the finest curries I have ever had, at the Omar Khan, just across from the Museum. I’m told this is the curry capital of the UK, so it had to be done.

Anyway, a good crowd settled into their seats for the documentary on Roy Ashton. The film compliments the earlier well, and together on the forthcoming dvd they should be well received. The use of Roy’s stills, and previously unseen images, will make this a collectors piece. However, there were a few more quibbles in my mind with this piece. Unfortunately Roy had suffered a debilitating stroke by the time Tomahawk started making this film, and we only see him in a couple of mute shots. We do hear him read from his unpublished autobiography though, thanks to recordings he himself had made. These though, are largely also featured in Tomahawk’s book on Ashton, and it is familiarity with the source material which I found distracting.

The anecdotes too, seemed more serious than in the Leakey film. Whilst undoubtedly there is warmth, and real interest in the things being said, I noted more laughing along with the comments in the Leakey screening. Talking heads continue Christopher Lee’s delightful interview. Jimmy Sangster crops up again, and there are new insights from Jannette Scott, and Eddie Powell. Barbara Shelley makes a very rare filmed appearance (its actually the first I have seen), and Freddie Francis puts everything into perspective. Handling Roy’s sketches for the make-up design on Evil of Frankenstein, he is asked if had seen them before. He looks stunned. Never. Roy Ashton worked so much outside the brief, with Hammer taking such little interest that the director wasn’t even aware of the level of commitment. This is a film which deserves to be seen - to highlight the important contribution of the make-up artists.

If anything though, I’d like to see the Peter Cushing mini-tribute segment removed. The comments from the contributors are cut in such a way that they seem to revolve around Peter, until the screen goes to a black screen. Obvious, and out of place in an Ashton tribute. Everyone knows that Cushing was loved. Give him his own film, don’t let him take it away from the unsung.

The Leakey piece was better, and richer, but together they make a splendid pair.

Before I left, I took a little walk downstairs to the Kodak exhibition, and just outside the Insight research room, that I had not had the time to visit. There on display, were a few Hammer artifacts from the Leakey and Ashton collections - teeth, eyes, and make-up sketches.

Coming away after two days in the dark, I am left lamenting the lack of interaction between the attendees. I can’t fault the assistance and enthusiasm felt by the staff, true dedication to the festival. Equally, when the make-up demo was on, many of the barriers were broken. The screenings were also perhaps too grouped - without the real eclecticism that makes up a fantastic films festival. The screenings were all well attended, and reaction was favorable. The good weather, also evidently harmed ticket sales, but later in the year there are so many festivals in place, it is hard to get to them all.

I’m assured it will go ahead again next year, but with a slight re-think. Maybe some more inter-activity, some more talks or Q&A sessions. We shall see. I’ll definitely be going back.

Robert JE Simpson

3^rd June 2004

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