DVD Review: A Lizard in a Woman's Skin (1971)

A film that's notorious for one particular scene, but if mad dreams, mad hippies, a psych-inspired Ennio Morricone soundtrack, a late 60s London setting and a good old whodunnit story appeal to you, you'll find much to enjoy in the remastered DVD version of A Lizard in a Woman's Skin.

Mad dreams? That's where we come in. The daughter of a respected politician by the name of Carol Hammond (Florinda Bolkan) is having some, involving walking through a train of nude hippies in a fur coat and a romantic tangle with her female next door neighbour Julia Durer (Anita Strindberg), a hellraiser who loves to throw a psych-soundtracked party for the local hippy community. She's so disturbed by the vivid dreams, she's been seeing a local shrink to talk them through, as well as writing them down. All of that will come in useful soon.

DVD Review: Man of Violence (aka Moon) 1970

The second wave of BFI/Flipside movie releases is upon us, including this intriguing Pete Walker gangster flick - Man of Violence.

Also known as Moon (after the central character), Man of Violence is a strange, often confusing movie, but one I'm pretty certain anyone with any interest in Brit flicks of the 60s and early 70s will love. Set in a (just) swinging London, Man of Violence is essentially the tale of two warring northern property developers, Sam Bryant (Derek Francis) and Charles Grayson (Maurice Kaufmann). Both hire private eye / gun for hire / man about town Moon to spy on the other, demanding to know what big scheme the other is planning. It's actually the same scheme, something involving gun running, gold and oil rights in a post-revolutionary Arab state, one doing the deal, the other chasing the goods. So who does Moon (Michael Latimer) bat for? Simple - himself, aided by a blonde called Angel (Luan Peters), who has some vague contacts and a lot of knowledge about it all.

BFI Flipside brings Man of Violence (aka Moon) (1970) to DVD and Blu-ray

A third and final release from the second batch of BFI Flipside titles due on August 24th 2009 - this time, from our old friend Pete Walker with Man of Violence (aka Moon) from 1970.

In a world of gangs and villains, one man - Moon - will stop at nothing to get the girl and take the spoils. Pete Walker's affectionate low-budget homage to the gangster thriller is packed with sights and sounds from a Britain about to swing out of the sixties and into a somewhat less optimistic decade.

Coming to DVD: The Flesh Is Weak (1957)

We're big supporters of the British gangster movie, especially those of the vintage variety, so we're really looking forward to seeing one that's evaded us so far - The Flesh Is Weak.

Directed by Don Chaffey and dating back to 1957, it's the story of Tony Giani (John Derek), a pimp who preys on the naive, 'just off the bus' young women who come to post-war London for fame and fortune. He wines and dines them, gets them a place to stay and even finds them a job. Then he pretends he needs money fast and convinces them to prostitute themselves - to become a 'Giani Girl'. Marissa Cooper (Millie Vitale) is one such girl fresh off the boat from Italy but when she sees Tony for who he really is her life is suddenly put in extreme danger.

Both picture and sound have been restored by BBC Post Production and the release comes with a booklet based around the movie, along with some extra vintage trailers. Look out for it on 27th July 2009, priced just over £7.

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Gangsters at the BFI Southbank in July

The early 1930s was the era of the gangster movie - and that era, along with all that followed, is being celebrated with the Gangsters season at the BFI in July.

From the original era, you can enjoy the likes of Little Caesar (1930), Scarface: The Shame of a Nation (1932) and The Public Enemy (1931), along with later movies like Dillinger (1945), Al Capone (1959),  Roger Corman’s The St Valentine’s Day Massacre (1967), Arthur Penn’s Bonnie and Clyde (1967), the remake of Scarface (1983), Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America (1983) and The Newton Boys (1998) from the modern era.

Want to know more? See over the page for a full breakdown and summary of all the movies showing.