Films of the week Into the heart of darkness, and a new whodunnit

TEDDY JAMIESON

when it was first released (to some very suspicious reviews), just four years after the end of the war itself.

That may have something to do with the fact that it is now seen as one of the last gasps of New American Cinema, that moment in Hollywood in the late 1960s and early 1970s when the Movie Brats, including Coppola and Spielberg, and fellow travellers including Hal Ashby and Robert Altman, sought to reinvent Hollywood movies, to create a cinema that matched the complicated, dark moment that America was living through. It gave us Chinatown, Nashville, and the first two Godfather films among others, but it proved shortlived. It died when George Lucas proved to the studios that the blockbuster was where the money was at when he made Star Wars.

(That’s a shorthand version of the rather more messy and complicated reality, of course. You could argue that Spielberg had already proved the efficacy of the blockbuster with the success of Jaws. And it’s possible that it was the epic failure of Michael Cimino’s Heaven’s Gate that did as much as anything to kill of the idea of American auteur cinema in the end.)

The question now is where in all this does the film itself sit? The truth is it remains both brilliant and incoherent, beautiful and yet nauseatingly self-obsessed at the same time.

It’s impossible to watch the Ride of the Valkyries sequence and not believe you are seeing one of the greatest sequences in cinema history. The journey upriver, too, is a dream narrative that is full of wonders. At the same time, the film is flawed and sentimental and foolish. And never quite as grown up as it pretends. It’s a problematic text then, but one you can’t help keep poring over.

It is also a testament to the long-ago ambition of cinema before the days of CGI and empty spectacle (Apocalypse Now at least knows that it wants to say something; it’s just not quite sure what that something is). This once was cinema, it says. The question is do we miss it? The answer? Yes, but …

KNIVES OUT

Amazon Prime, from Friday

Has it only been eight months since this was in cinemas? Has it only been four months since we were all in cinemas? Let us console each other with this exhilarating whodunnit. Director Rian Johnson takes a top-drawer cast and lets them (and his camera) loose as we try to work out who killed Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer). Could it be one of his own dysfunctional children? Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson and Toni Collette all play a part and Daniel Craig actually looks like he’s having fun here as the detective with a Southern accent, Benoit Blanc.

There was a point, during the Covid-19 lockdown, when it seemed like the only TV show people were talking about was Normal People.

But what really grabbed everyone’s attention was the performances by lead stars Daisy Edgar Jones and Paul Mescal. Now, fans of Irish star Mescal can see him in another series; new Channel 5 thriller The Deceived written by Lisa McGee – creator of hit Channel 4 comedy Derry Girls – and her husband Tobias Beer.

The compelling story follows English student Ophelia (Emily Reid), who falls in love with her married lecturer. When their affair is interrupted by a shocking and tragic death, Ophelia finds herself questioning whether she can trust her own mind.

Intrigued? Here, we chat to Maynooth-born Mescal, 23, about his charming character Sean.

What appealed to you about The Deceived?

I am a massive Derry Girls fan so naturally, the first thing that jumped out at me was Lisa and Tobias’s names; that is always going to be exciting.

The fact that this was a psychological drama didn’t particularly surprise or confuse me because the standard of the writing in Derry Girls is so good.

Why do you think it will stand out to viewers?

This drama feels very singular, specifically in the sense of genre. I can’t think of another show with this kind of supernatural, psychological thriller crossover that is also set inside such a well-crafted world. I like things on TV that feel like they have their own specific identity, and this definitely does.

How would you describe your character, Sean?

Sean is a simple man, in a good sense. He is a man directly invested in the community, he has a very strong and good moral compass and he has his eye on Ophelia. He is attracted to her but also there is a slight concern he has for her.

Sean is also described as charming...

It is impossible to play charming. It is more about understanding where Sean has come from, what his upbringing was like and what are the values he has in his own life, as I think that’s what people will find most charming and trustworthy about him.

Can you tell us a bit about his story arc?

Sean is the local handyman, the jack-of-all-trades and he is helping to fix up the house when he meets Ophelia with Emmett’s (Emmett J. Scanlan) character Michael.

It is a very simple, nondescript meeting, which again, is a testament to the scripts in that it’s never about hitting you over the head with these didactic moments, but it is simple and this relationship is one that has various subtle but important beats throughout the story.

The Deceived explores themes such as gaslighting and psychological abuse...

It’s great to be a part of something that is showing this because, to be honest, I imagine the situation in this drama is a common occurrence, unfortunately.

Ultimately whether it is gaslighting or abuse, it is about a person in power manipulating the situation and that is something that is very present in our society.

The Deceived starts on Channel 5 on Monday, 9pm.

one of ITV’s best loved Sunday night dramas from that era; series one, episode five to be exact. This is the one where the eponymous family face the unwanted arrival of a domineering aunt. Larry’s girlfriend also pays a visit - giving the unwelcome relative an opportunity to voice her disapproval of the whole clan. Plus, Sven makes an offer that helps Louisa cope with adversity; Margo falls in love, and Gerry becomes obsessed with his newly acquired owlets. Keeley Hawes and Barbara Flynn star.

Countryfile (BBC1, 7pm)

Matt Baker and Margherita Taylor are at Ockham and Wisley Commons in Surrey on a worthwhile thanks to stunning set pieces. Christopher Lee turns out to be one of the best Bond villains.

Howards End (1992) (Film4, 6.05pm)

In the early 1900s, cultured sisters Margaret and Helen Schlegel befriend the Wilcoxes, a wealthy clan of industrialists. When Mrs Wilcox then dies and leaves her house, Howards End, to kindred spirit Margaret, her outraged family convince themselves she cannot have been in her right mind and burn the will, a decision that will

mission to discover why heathland habitat like this needs to be prized and protected. Margherita goes in search of the sand lizard, one of Britain’s rarest reptiles, while Matt is on the hunt for the nightjar. For Adam Henson it is a time of new beginnings as he reopens the farm park to visitors and celebrates the arrival of a litter of rare piglets, while Tom Heap investigates whether brewers and hop growers can recover from the impact of coronavirus.

BBC Proms Classics (BBC4, 7pm)

An archive recording from 2017, when the first professional orchestra in Europe to be made up of majority black and minority ethnic musicians, Chineke!, made its Proms debut.