A Field in England (take two)

[Slightly Brown]

So, this Friday marks the release on Ben Wheatley’s latest slice of gonzo, surrealist horror – A Field in England. His films tend to divide people, but I for one thought Kill List was stunning. This one is an ultra-low-budget, black & white, psychedelic quickie (it was shot in 12 days, apparently) about alchemy, magic and murder in the English Civil War.

Interestingly, it’s being released simultaneously over multiple formats, including cinema, DVD and on-line.

It’s also being shown on Film4 in the UK on Friday night at 10:45pm, which I’m buzzing about (Ms Brown, who hated Kill List and Sightseers, has decided to leave me to it).

Anyone else looking forward to this? It's being shown as a kind of double bill with El Topo, so it should be a strange old evening.

The poster sets the scene nicely:

[IMG][/img]

[Come along, Min]

A Field in England (take two)

I haven't seen Kill List and didn't think a lot of Sightseers, but I'm still looking forward to it. Hope it's half decent, subject matter seems pretty interesting and one that's not touched upon too much.

I like the bold way they're pushing it. From what I gather the idea is to push independent films to places they wouldn't normally go. It's probably got more publicity and will be seen by more folk because of this marketing strategy. Good luck on them, particularly if it produces more independent films in the country. Some of them even might end up being decent. It might even end up helping to strengthen an industry going through a certain amount of flux atm.

[Stumpy Pepys]

A Field in England (take two)

Thanks for the heads-up--I'll have to see if I can watch this over a proxy.

I liked Kill List too. Sightseers I quite enjoyed--kind of Nuts in May meets Man Bites Dog.

[Slightly Brown]

A Field in England (take two)

That's a good description of Sightseers. His first one - Down Terrace - is also worth checking out. Again, it's a cheapy, and boasts some brilliantly black comedic moments. The violence is really arresting, too. It's a bit Bianca-from-Eastenders shouty, though, which can grow tiresome.

[Slightly Brown]

A Field in England (take two)

That was the best thirty-five minute film I've seen in an age.

[Slightly Brown]

A Field in England (take two)

The rest wasn't that great, alas.

Note to production staff: drifting smoke during the day, while saving you on costly pick-ups, ruins all films. The last time I saw Drifting Smoke during the day they were in Butlins doing an Under The Board-walk/Tears of a Clown medley.

[repeater]

A Field in England (take two)

This is the first Ben Wheatley film I have seen, and I really enjoyed it, although the bit with the fast cuts gave me a headache! I think he might have alienated some of the audience he gained with his previous films, but I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing (probably because I'm a bit of a snob).

I thought the film might make a nice companion piece to Winstanley, and reading this interview, he had that film in mind (although how could he not, I suppose?) He goes on to talk about Threads and Penda's Fen and stuff in that interview, tremendous.

[Slightly Brown]

A Field in England (take two)

I need to watch it again, without as much whisky this time. The fast-cutting stuff was the bit I loved. Cheers for the link, too.

[RobW]

A Field in England (take two)

I enjoyed it, and it warrants repeat viewing. I thought Shearsmith was superb, and the film looks magnificent. I understand that Wheatley watched 'Culloden' for inspiration, and one can see that. Wonderfully, dark, absurd script too, in a similar vein to Stoppard or Beckett I thought.