Talking Movies: Girl in the Picture, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain and Psycho (1960) [Extended]

Spling reviews The Girl in the Picture, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain and Psycho with a shorter variation broadcast on Talking Movies, Fine Music Radio. Listen to podcast.

TRANSCRIPT

Good morning – welcome to Talking Movies, I’m Spling…

While it was sad to learn of Barry Ronge’s recent passing… it’s also a time to reflect on a life well lived and celebrate the household name and prolific media personality, who entertained and inspired us with his words, style and whimsy.

It’s in this light that this week, we’re talking about true crime documentary, a biographical period romance drama and one of Barry Ronge’s favourite films of all-time.

Starting off with a documentary now on Netflix…

GIRL IN THE PICTURE

A young mother’s mysterious death and true identity become the crux of a man hunt for a murderous federal fugitive.

Director: Skye Borgman

– Truth can be stranger than fiction but in the case of Girl in the Picture, it’s as if David Lynch’s influential Twin Peaks series was the inspiration.
– Girl in the Picture centres on a talented young woman whose suspicious death, son and their obfuscated identities become an obsession for friends and investigating officers.
– A beautiful girl laden with untapped potential, this true crime documentary unpacks a young mother’s life story as twists-and-turns reveal her to be linked to a subversive and disturbed fugitive.
– Having made national news in its time, Borgman’s documentary zooms into the picture so closely that as if by way of a mosaic, fresh perspectives reorder the story to reflect the truth.
– Assembling personal testimony from many characters including high school friends, fellow dancers and people tasked with tracking down the fugitive, the dark documentary’s players reveal and reflect on the subject’s character.
– Taking place across several states, this eerie and disturbing film captures the mounting prosecution and essence of the two innocents at the centre of a years-long crime.
– While trashy and unsettling, Borgman preserves the dignity of the interviewees and victims, painting an empathetic picture of the big bad wolf whilst capturing the morbid curiousity and candle-in-the-wind lament at the heart of Twin Peaks.
– Continually reframing the mystery in light of new twists, Girl in the Picture’s a dim, disturbing and entertaining film powered by a smart, impressive and well-paced edit.
– Grappling with themes surrounding the importance of identity, the devastation of innocence lost and the search for truth in the darkest places, this is a provocative yet stirring documentary.

A solid 7 on the splingometer!
_______________________________________________

Moving on to a film now on Labia Home Screen…

THE ELECTRICAL LIFE OF LOUIS WAIN

English artist Louis Wain becomes famous for surreal cat paintings that seem to reflect his declining sanity at the dawn of the 20th century.

Writer-Director: Will Sharpe

Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Claire Foy and Andrea Riseborough

– This quirky, funny and magical story is set in 1881 and shares some of Tinkerbell’s fairy dust with an Amelie aptitude.
– It’s exquisite, intricate and delightfully nutty, reminiscent of Wes Anderson’s chocolate box sentimentality, Taika Waititi’s whimsy and Roald Dahl’s imagination.
– Its tenderness, warmth and wit is compelled by a peculiar upstairs-downstairs romance between an awkward Cumberbatch and heartfelt Foy.
– See-sawing between quaint romance and psychological drama, the balancing act keeps an eclectic dynamic and air of unpredictability.
– This visual decadence extends to the cinematography encompassing many elegant and spirited moments with most frames aiming for living artwork.
– The Electrical Life of Louis Wain is at its best when Cumberbatch and Foy share the screen, capturing their unlikely romance with faint echoes from Maudie.
– Dealing with grief and overarching themes relating to loneliness, inspiration and mental health, there are some dabs of melancholy.
– Being a self-reflective tale, it works in translating Wain’s state of mind but actually becomes equally alienating and distant in its storytelling as things progress.
– Adding some authenticity and maddening introspection, it begins to wane into A Beautiful Mind territory and never quite matches the lofty romance, spark and self-assuredness of its first half.
– Condensing the enigmatic quality of cats, this delightful biographical and historical romance drama has its charms and is still a sumptuous feast for the eyes powered by the same sentimentality and cat appreciation that has exalted the rich emotional and spiritual layering of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli.

A solid 7 on the splingometer!
_______________________________________________

And finally a horror thriller on Google Movies…

PSYCHO

A woman on the run checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother.

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Stars: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh and Vera Miles

– A teenager at the time of its release and watching films like an after school programme at the cinema, this suspenseful heist turned horror thriller must have had a major impact on Ronge.
– An Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece, arguably his best, it’s incredible to think that Psycho walked away from the Academy Awards empty-handed.
– From Bernard Herrman’s stirring and unmistakable theme and Hitchcock’s visionary direction to Perkins and Janet Leigh’s evocative performances, Psycho’s carved an indelible mark on cinema history.
– Being on the run and having a distrust for the police were recurring themes for Hitch, who made this signature black-and-white film one of his finest and most enduring thrillers.
– Wielding timeless themes revolving around the hunter and the hunted, mother issues, extramarital affairs, illicit activity and voyeurism, this hauntingly beautiful and provocative adaptation of Robert Bloch’s novel still reverberates today.
– Famous for Hitchcock’s secrecy, not admitting audiences in after the film’s start and the shower scene that took weeks to shoot, he raised the $1 million budget himself after three films failed to launch, using his Hitchcock Presents crew with Janet Leigh agreeing to take a quarter of her usual fee.
– From Leigh not blinking, the Bates hilltop residence being a character, a prelude to The Birds, psycho-analysis and the shocking twist of a lead’s demise, Psycho’s nuance and shock value are still powerful even by today’s standards, masterfully using montage to create the illusion of violence.
– It’s difficult to comprehend Psycho’s full effect at the time of its release and the full extent of its far-reaching influence on filmmaking today.
– While dated by performance style, a little slow-moving and blunted by the need to debrief its audience, this thriller’s artful impact and revolutionary vision warrant…

A timeless 10 on the splingometer!
_______________________________________________

So just to wrap up…

GIRL IN THE PICTURE… a sharp edit, revelatory storytelling, powerful themes and earnest interviewees resuscitate this dark, provocative and stirring true crime mystery… A solid 7!

THE ELECTRICAL LIFE OF LOUIS WAIN… fine co-leads and ornate design invigorates this eclectic, tender, unconventional, imaginative and whimsical biographical romance drama… A solid 7!

PSYCHO… Hitchcock’s hauntingly bold horror thriller masterpiece still wields great nuance, power and suspense in its direction, soundtrack, performance and illusion… A timeless 10!

For more movie reviews and previous Talking Movies podcasts visit splingmovies.com.

And remember, Don’t WING it, SPL!NG it!

_______________________________________________