Ninety Degrees In The Shade [DVD]

90 Degrees is a strange, if excellent little Czech-British co-production which sees Zulu's James Booth appear in what could easily be a work from the Czech new wave. Indeed some viewers might find the British accents of the cast (some apparently dubbed, some not) a little disconcerting in the arty european context, although it is done well. It's a modestly scaled tale which is by turn sexual, claustrophobic, and tragic, and a title pretty obscure these days but which ought never the less to be better known as it rarely takes a foot wrong. Although Booth looks a little out of place in his european environment, he turns in a characteristically chippy performance as the scoundrel womaniser Vorell, but he is almost upstaged by the dour inspector Kurka (Rudolf Hrusinsky), whose humourlessness is surely inspired by that of contemporary communist functionaries, as well as the performance of Anne Heywood as the doomed Alena.

The 90 degrees of the title of course refers to more than just the sweltering heat of the year, it also invokes the sexual tensions which run throughout the film (most notably in the 'coffee wiping' stockroom scene near the beginning). Vorell and Alena, as well as Kurka and his wife, are essentially two aspects of the same game; ultimately Vorell's replacement of tea-filled liquor bottles in the stockroom is a much a betrayal of empathy as is Kurka's replacement of marital warmth back at home with the coldness of duty. Down the cast list is Donald Wolfitt, no barnstorming from him here though, and one eventually wonders why he accepted such a supporting role. In some ways this is The Shop Around the Corner but a year after and with adult themes. Those familiar with Prague will also relish the backgrounds.

The condition of the print is generally very good, and altogether it can be highly recommended as a forgotten bywater of British cinema. There is some fleeting nudity.

This is a wonderful, mid 20th century black and white classic film. Jiri Weiss could have been one of the well known directors of the era in the USA but it didn't turn out that way. I saw the film in the 1970's when my dad was working on a project with Weiss, who brought it over to our house as a film reel and we put up a screen and showed it on our 16mm projector. We were treated to the director's comments throughout the film, which I wish were recorded, including some hilarious anecdotes about film production in the communist system, when they knew that there was always an informer placed somewhere in the crew to listen for anti-government attitudes. Weiss did soon emmigrate to the West because of the Soviet crackdown. I have wanted to see this film again ever since, and this is tantalizing, if only it were in USA format or streaming.