- Jubilee offer: spend £10 or more on any product sold by Amazon.co.uk on or before June 6 and you can buy The Diamond Jubilee A Classical Celebration Album for just £2.50 Here's how (terms and conditions apply)
Special Offers and Product Promotions
Frequently Bought Together
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product details
|
Reviews
Amazon.co.uk Review
"Sister George" within The Killing of Sister George is Britain's best-loved soap opera character, played by actress June Buckeridge (Beryl Reid). Buckeridge has become so identified with her character--a sweet old Miss Marple-ish nurse who putters around her quaint little village on a motor scooter--even her friends call her George. But outside the studio she's a hard-drinking, hot-tempered, foul-mouthed lesbian living with an immature young thing she's nicknamed "Childie" (Susannah York, who makes her memorable entrance in a sheer baby-doll nightie). At her worst Sister George is an abusive monster (in a moment of rage she forces Childie to eat the butt of her cigar) but beneath the bluster is an insecure television actress. When the studio decides to kill her character off and an executive makes a play for Childie, the soap star desperately clings to her young lover. Director Robert Aldrich, best known for his tough action films and gothic thrillers, brings his fierce vision of human nature to Frank Marcus's play . In its best moments the film simmers in angry suspicion and helpless frustration, brought to life by Reid's vivacious performance but other scenes are overlong and stage-bound and would have benefited greatly from judicious trimming and tightening. The caricatured portrayals of lesbian life have aged rather poorly--an inevitable sign of the times--but this acidic show-biz drama still carries a hefty emotional punch. --Sean Axmaker, Amazon.com
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
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This is a film which is very much a product of its time (1968)and yet also seems more innovative and contemporary than most of today's movies. Beryl Reid's portrayal of an alcoholic soap star whose career and personal life are falling apart is flawless and she is more than ably supported by her co-stars Susannah York and Coral Browne.
This film is memorable on so many levels. Along with vividly recapturing 1960's 'Swinging' London, it also gives a rare and fascinating insight into the lesbian scene, as the scenes were filmed in the famous Gateways Club. However, the most striking aspect of this film is the harrowing and moving portrayal by Reid and York of two women in a disintegrating relationship.
Beryl Reid manages to strike the right balance between tragedy and comedy, managing to be fearless and outrageously funny in one scene, whilst seeming broken and pathetic in the next.
One trivia fact: this film was made with the proceeds from Robert Aldrich's previous film, 'The Dirty Dozen'. This may seem an unlikely successor, but remember that Aldrich also directed the wonderful 'Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?'
This film is memorable on so many levels. Along with vividly recapturing 1960's 'Swinging' London, it also gives a rare and fascinating insight into the lesbian scene, as the scenes were filmed in the famous Gateways Club. However, the most striking aspect of this film is the harrowing and moving portrayal by Reid and York of two women in a disintegrating relationship.
Beryl Reid manages to strike the right balance between tragedy and comedy, managing to be fearless and outrageously funny in one scene, whilst seeming broken and pathetic in the next.
One trivia fact: this film was made with the proceeds from Robert Aldrich's previous film, 'The Dirty Dozen'. This may seem an unlikely successor, but remember that Aldrich also directed the wonderful 'Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?'
32 of 36 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Don't let the fact this film deals with lesbianism put you off; it is about any couple who have been together too long and moved apart with time and events: the principals could just as well have been two gay men or an heterosexual couple.
Messrs. Reid, York and Browne turn out superlative performances, and Beryl Reid as the lead gets my vote as one of the best screen portrayals of all time. Certainly it is hard to sympathise with Reid's character (June Buckridge/Sister George), but you have to be dead from the feet up not to be moved by the heart-rending finale, largely brought about by her own inability to cope with the break-up of her world and, it has to be said, her self induced destruction.
George's language is quite strong at times, and the one sex scene has us sharing Mrs. Croft's (Coral Browne) dry throat and pounding heart as she gives way to her awakening sexuality. Only the depiction of the lesbian club looks really dated but, hey, it WAS nearly 40 years ago, and all the spot-on dialogue and situations could just as well happen today (and probably do within many a relationship, gay or otherwise) and stand up well!
Previous reviewers have rather missed the point, focusing on the relatively unimportant role stereotyping (butch v pretty) and the heavy make-up typical of the era, the fact being that this is not a "pretty" film, and wasn't meant to be; hopefully, anyone having read them has given it a chance anyway, and been glad they did.
The DVD is crisp and clear, and the lack of extras (inevitable in a film of this age), though regretable, does not detract. A "must have" for anyone genuinely interested in character acting at it's best, and one that transcends time.
24 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
As a young teenager back in 68 or 69, I sneaked into the theater to see this film; a film I had read about as being very controversial. It caught me and I've never been free of it since. I cannot say much more than this; a film which I saw back in 1968/69 as a 14/15 year old, which I continue to watch over and over again is a very powerful film. Sister George and Alice "Childie" McNaught will always be with me. I was shocked by the scene where Alice must show her contrition for having caused George unnecessary aggravation, loved the Laurel & Hardy skits, opened up my mind at the Gateways Club, and felt wretchted at the final scene. The Killing of Sister George, a film which has been with me for 35 years.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Reid's rascally and a real riot.....
Seeing Beryl Reid mouth silently a four-letter swear word when such things didn't happen in films and drunkenly canoodling with two young nuns in the back of a London cab is both... Read more
Published 22 days ago by Tim Kidner
not as good as I remembered
I did see this on TV a long time ago, and I loved it then. But I suppose we change with time and I'm afraid watching it recently on DVD didn't live up to my expectations. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Enthusiast
Quality
This film was a pleasure to watch with fine performances from all actors. It's not often one can sit back and simply soak up such superb entertainment in the knowledge that it... Read more
Published 6 months ago by R. Harris
sixties revisited
growing up thru the 60s ,i was very much influenced by the films my parents watched, many of wich reflected lifestyle and environment we lived in here in britain, sadly now we are... Read more
Published 8 months ago by megajez1
Brilliant.
A story way ahead of its time. Beryl Reid showed she could really act as Sister George (remembering back to her radio days when she used to be in half-hour comedies - usually with... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Stuart G. Robinson
Before its time
Way before its time. A provocative and sexy film with malace thrown in for good measure.
A must have!
A must have!
Published 15 months ago by Mr. W. G. Eatock
Some things don't fade
I had happy memories of this movie from my youth so I risked disappointment and bought the DVD. It stands up beautifully. Read more
Published on 19 Feb 2010 by Anthony Ryan
Excellent and like nothing else you will ever see
I was utterly astonished by this film when i saw it. Incredibly funny in places, moving and full of wit. Read more
Published on 12 May 2009 by Twelve
Groundbreaking!
This film is absolutely brilliant and completely groundbreaking. It's hard to believe that it takes a small country like Great Britain to produce the best movies but we certainly... Read more
Published on 14 Oct 2006 by M. R. Slinger
Sister George
From the director of 'What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?' (Robert Aldrich) comes this gritty adaptation of Frank Marcus' play. Read more
Published on 25 Sep 2004 by Mr. JonBkx
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Film & TV > Television > Drama
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
