- Directors: Patrick Keiller
- Format: Colour, DVD-Video, NTSC
- Language English
- Subtitles: English
- Region: Region 1 (US and Canada DVD formats.)
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3 - 1.33:1
- Number of discs: 2
- Classification: NR (Not Rated) (US MPAA rating. See details.)
- Studio: Facets
- DVD Release Date: 30 May 2006
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B000FGFUWM
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 125,579 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Two interesting films looking at the UK in the 1990s through the eyes of the narrator and his companion, Robinson.
The first, LONDON, looks at London in 1992 using the General Election of that year as a focal point, and the second, ROBINSON IN SPACE, sees the pair travel around the country in a research project for an unknown employer.
There is no plot, storyline or characters (save the narrator & Robinson who are never seen, or in Robinson's case heard) but the films have a hypnotic quality, being shot with stationary cameras and a melancholy feel to the narrative delivered by Paul Scofield. Throughout both films the cinematography is accompanied by interesting if trivial facts and personal anecdotes of the narrator.
The scenes are interesting in themselves, providing a contrast to today's country, both capturing a sense of post-industrial decay and a nation in decline basking in the final rays of a faded past glory.
This is particularly the case in Robinson in Space, set 3 years after London. Robinson becomes increasingly more eccentric, his decline mirroring the landscape he travels through, his behaviour deteriorating as the expedition progresses northwards.
Robinson in Space also has a more desperate feel than London, and there are several allusions to Robinson sexuality. The implication is that he is gay although as far as I could ascertain there was no evidence to support the previous reviewer's assertion that Robinson and the narrator had been lovers.
Both these films chronicle the era well, reflecting changes in values and fortune if not renewal of early post-Thatcherite era. Watch, reflect and consider - history didn't all happen in a blaze of glory many years ago, it's being made around us everyday.
The first, LONDON, looks at London in 1992 using the General Election of that year as a focal point, and the second, ROBINSON IN SPACE, sees the pair travel around the country in a research project for an unknown employer.
There is no plot, storyline or characters (save the narrator & Robinson who are never seen, or in Robinson's case heard) but the films have a hypnotic quality, being shot with stationary cameras and a melancholy feel to the narrative delivered by Paul Scofield. Throughout both films the cinematography is accompanied by interesting if trivial facts and personal anecdotes of the narrator.
The scenes are interesting in themselves, providing a contrast to today's country, both capturing a sense of post-industrial decay and a nation in decline basking in the final rays of a faded past glory.
This is particularly the case in Robinson in Space, set 3 years after London. Robinson becomes increasingly more eccentric, his decline mirroring the landscape he travels through, his behaviour deteriorating as the expedition progresses northwards.
Robinson in Space also has a more desperate feel than London, and there are several allusions to Robinson sexuality. The implication is that he is gay although as far as I could ascertain there was no evidence to support the previous reviewer's assertion that Robinson and the narrator had been lovers.
Both these films chronicle the era well, reflecting changes in values and fortune if not renewal of early post-Thatcherite era. Watch, reflect and consider - history didn't all happen in a blaze of glory many years ago, it's being made around us everyday.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
If you like the attention paid to detail and the lingering shots of architectural and cultural little pieces of London in the film "London", you'll like this DVD of it. Someone has taken great care to make DVD menus that fit perfectly with the austere yet perfectly judged visual aesthetic of the films.
48 of 54 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This DVD brings together two films. For avoidance of doubt, they are arty, hypnotic and have no plot or action. Unless you like these kind of films, please don't disappoint yourself with these.
On the other hand, if you like moving photos from still cameras with esoteric deadpan narration that may or may not be related to the picture, this could be right up your alley.
London follows the narrator as he explores London during the 1992 general election. The film is not about the election, but does comment on it, along with commentary on Rimbaud, economics, poor teaching salaries and the state of decay in Britain. The imagery is stunning, and I especially love the shot of aeroplanes landing apparently in open fields.
Robinson in Space features the travels of the narrator and his friend (and former lover) Robinson around the country to assess the problem with Britain. Each journey seems to end at a port, and features long shots of roundabouts, cheap travel hotels, supermarkets, etc with surreal narration. A highlight was the visit to the manufacturer of restraints in the Black Country (long external shot of the factory gates), in which Robinson bought a pair of handcuffs. Again, neither Robinson nor narrator is seen.
Both films are hypnotic - after a while you realise you are not taking in any of what is being said, it is delivered with so little impact (without ever being monotone). You can stop at any point and pick up days or weeks later. But something keeps you going - just one more shot...
These are like Andy Warhol films - meant for viewing rather than watching. I adore them.
On the other hand, if you like moving photos from still cameras with esoteric deadpan narration that may or may not be related to the picture, this could be right up your alley.
London follows the narrator as he explores London during the 1992 general election. The film is not about the election, but does comment on it, along with commentary on Rimbaud, economics, poor teaching salaries and the state of decay in Britain. The imagery is stunning, and I especially love the shot of aeroplanes landing apparently in open fields.
Robinson in Space features the travels of the narrator and his friend (and former lover) Robinson around the country to assess the problem with Britain. Each journey seems to end at a port, and features long shots of roundabouts, cheap travel hotels, supermarkets, etc with surreal narration. A highlight was the visit to the manufacturer of restraints in the Black Country (long external shot of the factory gates), in which Robinson bought a pair of handcuffs. Again, neither Robinson nor narrator is seen.
Both films are hypnotic - after a while you realise you are not taking in any of what is being said, it is delivered with so little impact (without ever being monotone). You can stop at any point and pick up days or weeks later. But something keeps you going - just one more shot...
These are like Andy Warhol films - meant for viewing rather than watching. I adore them.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Fantastic
I found these films through a course on films and literature about London, and the first of these two films is certainly a must for anyone who loves the city and its interwoven... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Rayray
For those who like this sort of thing...
...London and Robinson in Space remain the defining documents of Britain in the 1990s. If you like hollywood blockbusters or buddy movies, perhaps like the customer who rated L/RiS... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Ed Alexander
themarxistgaze
Ignore all fulsome reviews of these films. !DO NOT GET SUCKERED IN!
London and Robinson in Space are not "delightful", "quirkily eccentric", nor "offbeat", nor any of... Read more
London and Robinson in Space are not "delightful", "quirkily eccentric", nor "offbeat", nor any of... Read more
Published on 10 Feb 2010 by KINSAYDER
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