Frequently Bought Together
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product details
|
Reviews
Product Description
On the windswept Suffolk mudflats creaks a bird-hide, inside which hovers Roy Tunt, a prematurely aged, mildly obsessive-compulsive birder. With one more sighting - the elusive sociable ploves - he will have 'twitched' the entire British list. Tunt has his shortwave radio, packed-lunch and a portrait of his ex-wife Sandra for company. Suddenly the hide door blows open and a bedraggled stranger enters; a fugitive from the storm. After a tense introduction, the two men discover that they share a good deal in common. As the two men begin to form a close bond news of a police manhunt sets them both on edge driving their fragile relationship to a tragic conclusion.
Product Description
United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), WIDESCREEN (1.78:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Deleted Scenes, Featurette, Interactive Menu, Making Of, Scene Access, Trailer(s), SYNOPSIS: On the windswept Suffolk mudflats creaks a bird-hide, inside which hovers Roy Tunt, a prematurely aged, mildly obsessive-compulsive birder. With one more sighting - the elusive sociable plover - he will have 'twitched' the entire British List. Tunt has his shortwave radio, packed-lunch and a portrait of his ex-wife Sandra for company. Suddenly, in the midst of a conversation with Sandra's portrait, the hide door blows open and a bedraggled stranger - unshaven, edgy and bloodied introduces himself as Dave John, a fugitive from the storm. After a tense introduction, the two men discover that they have a good deal in common, sharing sandwiches, tea and personal exchanges which are frank, poignant and often funny. As the two men begin to form a close bond news of a police manhunt sets them both on edge driving their fragile relationship to a tragic conclusion. SCREENED/AWARDED AT: British Independent Film Awards, ...The Hide
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I almost didn't watch this film. The premise of two men in a hut and a theme that revolves around birdwatching didn't fill me with high hopes. To say I was surprised, then, is an understatement. This is genuinely one of the best films I've ever seen. The pacing is close to perfection, keeping my interest until the very last frame, and the dark - and sometimes darkly comic - atmosphere is very cleverly cultivated, expertly building menace and tension throughout. Phil Cambell gives a great performance as the uninvited guest but the spotlight is taken by Alex MacQueen, whose character Roy Tunt is depicted with incredible authenticity. MacQueen's acting is simply flawless.
This film won't appeal to everyone. There are no gunfights or explosions, no showboating or wisecracking. But if you want a solid plot with a nice twist, superb acting and captivating mood then this is for you.
This film won't appeal to everyone. There are no gunfights or explosions, no showboating or wisecracking. But if you want a solid plot with a nice twist, superb acting and captivating mood then this is for you.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Watched this based on the glowing reviews. To be honest at about the 45 minute mark I was thinking that it was decent but not completely worthy of all the praise. I can't remember ever changing my mind so completely in such a short space of time about a film. I don't want to spoil it by saying too much, except persevere and you'll want to watch it again straight away. Fantastically written, acted and filmed.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
We meet people all the time. The paths of human beings continually cross and an endless flow of intended and unintended consequences build the intricacies of human interaction. Marek Losey's 2008 film 'The Hide' relates the chance encounter of two men in a remote bird-watching hide on the bleak Suffolk mudflats. Although they are unaware of it,their stories run closely paralel to each other. Roy Tunt (Alex Macqueen) is a middle-aged,repressed,obsessive ornithologist who secretes himself in the hide in order to spot an elusive bird,the sociable plover and thus attain the status of having observed and recorded all the birds on the British List. In the midst of this emptiness,a brooding stranger,David John (Philip Campbell) suddenly enters the hide in order to take refuge from the brewing storm. A wary and uncomfortable initial encounter eases into increasingly revealing conversation as their similarities break through the deceptions of appearences. Both men are haunted by an inner darkness,Tunt from his marital breakdown and John from disturbing mental flashes of scavenging crows. Mutual tension tightens it's grip when Tunt hears over his two-way radio that a police manhunt is underway on the mudflats. The two stories coldly creep closer and closer together until the hideous and macabre darkness hiding in the recesses of their minds finally collide. The result for both men is grave. It is only then that we fully realize why these two men are are at this spot on map on this grim,stormy day.
Tim Whitnall adapted his own stage play 'The Sociable Plover' to the big screen and his superbly-crafted script develops the two characters with acute insight,observation and intelligence. The push and pull between Tunt and John is a marvel of script,direction and acting. Although the film is of a serious nature,a sprinkling of subtle and understated humour is there to be enjoyed.
When a film only places two actors before the camera,the acting has to be good if a shambles is to be avoided. Here it is magnificent. Alex Macquuen plays Tunt to perfection.It is hard to imagine any other actor raising the level any higher. Listen to the moment when he whispers "Is it so precious this gift of life...I would'nt thrust this misery on anybody." It evokes being touched by an ice-cold hand in the darkness. Philip Campbell's acting is also of a very high standard. He admirably portrays his underlying amiable nature and humour which is burdened under the weight of life's pain and failures.
'The Hide' is an outstanding achievement and a life-giving antedote to the glut of mediocrity in the world of film making.
Tim Whitnall adapted his own stage play 'The Sociable Plover' to the big screen and his superbly-crafted script develops the two characters with acute insight,observation and intelligence. The push and pull between Tunt and John is a marvel of script,direction and acting. Although the film is of a serious nature,a sprinkling of subtle and understated humour is there to be enjoyed.
When a film only places two actors before the camera,the acting has to be good if a shambles is to be avoided. Here it is magnificent. Alex Macquuen plays Tunt to perfection.It is hard to imagine any other actor raising the level any higher. Listen to the moment when he whispers "Is it so precious this gift of life...I would'nt thrust this misery on anybody." It evokes being touched by an ice-cold hand in the darkness. Philip Campbell's acting is also of a very high standard. He admirably portrays his underlying amiable nature and humour which is burdened under the weight of life's pain and failures.
'The Hide' is an outstanding achievement and a life-giving antedote to the glut of mediocrity in the world of film making.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Into the twitchy world of Roy Tunt
Lush orchestral strings swing wide over moody panorama; and then in small we go, into the solitary Hide - or glorified shed - on the Fenland Marches where Roy Tunt is, laying out... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Jan Mecir
The Genius of pure dialogue
I just watched this movie which has been lurking on my dvd/hd recorder since March 2011, a month or more and it has left an indelible impression in my memory bank of great movies. Read more
Published 13 months ago by J. Clark
Lives of Quiet Desperation
A cracker of a film, though perhaps not one for rewatching. Although the main characters seem to be fairly well rooted in two stereotypes at the beginning, the story veers... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Charles Vasey
Very good little film
A really enjoyable little film. Who would have thought a film about birdwatching with just two characters in a shed could be gripping and exciting but it is. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Will
tense and witty
I love this film. The acting is wonderful, great script, tension builds slowly and creates an ominous atmosphere. It is witty and clever -definately worth watching.
Published 16 months ago by Spangles
Very watchable film but ultimately thin story
The story is a bit thin and the characters, while Roy is good and developed (if a little stereotyped) the mysterious stranger (by the very nature of being mysterious) is not. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Col the Crit
Wow
There aren't many films I have seen which are so simple and at the same time so complex and well written. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Mike Jones
A real tweet - with just two characters!
Whitnall has adapted his own stage play to good effect, producing a taut and claustrophobic little chiller. Read more
Published on 21 May 2010 by sft
The Hide
Fantastic film. A gripping , tense storyline. Keeps you hooked and guessing right until the end. Brilliant. Best film I have seen in ages !
Published on 30 Mar 2010 by Roger Nixon
Nerve twitching
A film version of a play set inside a bird hide on the Suffolk mudflats with only two characters, an oddball middle aged ornithologist and a mysterious tattooed interloper. Read more
Published on 26 Feb 2010 by All of them Witches
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
