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London Nobody Knows / Les Bicyclettes De Belsize
RRP: £17.99
Our Price: £8.77 (subject to change)
Classic short film from the 60's
Review date: 2008-11-22 Rating: 10 out of 10
I write as a fan of 'Les Bicyclettes de Belsize' since I first saw it on Channel 4 in the UK during the 80's. I was too young to have seen it when first released in the cinemas, where it ran before 'The Collector' and 'The Twisted Nerve'. This is a sweet simple story of how a boy and girl get together one sunny afternoon in 60's London. Filmed in only 7 days, it brought together the future wife of Peter Cook (half of Derek and clive) Judy Huxtable, and successful stage actor Anthony May. I recommend this film to all incureable romantics, anyone who loves musicals, and everyone who loves a happy ending; a real family treat. As the DVD has no extras, I have filmed a short interview with Anthony May which can be seen on 'Youtube'.
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Reviews
Goodbye To All That?
Review date: 2008-11-07 Rating: 10 out of 10
Having seen 'The London That Nobody Knows' as a support ( I suppose I could just as easily have bought a truss) many moons ago ( Too many to painlessly recall ), I just had to have it when it came out on DVD; why?
Who knows, having thrashed around the dingier parts of London at that time I surmise that I may just be wallowing in nostalgia - fun isn't it?
I wholeheartedly agree with the other reviewers comments, although it appears to me that James Mason, at times, looks decidedly ill-at-ease, nonetheless it's worth every penny to see what we have lost.
As for 'Bicycles', just what is it all about? If it is meant to be allegorical, sorry but the allegory is lost on me (Nothing new there then), and what is an unaccompanied child doing tootling around the Capital? Sorry an excess of early Twenty-First Century Health and Safety
sickness just swept over me. It may be tripe but I'd sit through it over and over just to get an eyeful of the delectable Judy Huxtable, even though she can't sing worth a damn.
Get it bought, you'll love it; in fact double it up with 'Blow-Up',especially if you're a Baby Boomer, and keep an eye open for the young Clapton - Eric that is.
Reality and kitsch - a winning double!
Review date: 2008-05-10 Rating: 10 out of 10
A terrific double feature from Optimum Home Entertainment. The London Nobody Knows is the main attraction, dating from 1967, a compulsively watchable documentary on the real London of the 60's - not the usual cliches of dolly birds swinging down Carnaby Street, but a roam round the city by the urbane and sympathetic (and occasionally opinionated) James Mason, from Camden's old Bedford Music Hall (just before it was pulled down), to the Stables Market when it was - stables! Eccentric street entertainers, sad meths drinkers, street markets. An absolute must for anyone with any kind of affection for the city of London.
The 30min Les Bicyclettes de Belsize is a piece of irresistible 60's kitsch. Some guy on a bike cycles round Hampstead village (not Belsize Park by the way) ogling a, yes, dolly bird on a poster until he finally gets to meet her, accompanied by godawful 60's ballads. Horribly watchable.
A picture of London.
Review date: 2008-04-03 Rating: 10 out of 10
This DVD consists of two films, 'The London Nobody Knows' and 'Les Bicyclettes De Belsize'. There are similarities in both films: both are short, the first 45 minutes, the second 30. Both were filmed in London, in colour, in the 1960's. And both are collector's items.
'The London Nobody Knows' is, as the title suggests, a look at some lesser known sights of London and is narrated by James Mason. We begin in an old music hall in Camden which is almost literally falling down. There is a sense of eery seediness here; one of the singers who performed here was the wife of the notorious Dr. Crippen. It was clearly a beautiful hall in its heyday, but was caught on film just before the very final curtain fell. We move through some street markets, and to an extraordinary sight in Holborn. Here we see a gas-lit gent's toilet, with, above the urinals, a fish tank- complete with living fish! Apparently some goldfish suffered the indignity of being moved into this tank (which really did house fish once) for the cameras, and were then safely taken back to a better place afterwards. Another old gents' toilet is shown down an alleyway, and it's in the style of the classic French pissoir- completely unexpected in London. We see an ornate gas lamp near the Savoy theatre which acts as a ventilation system for the sewer underneath. Is that still there I wonder? But this film is about people more than things, and we see a number of, mostly, men who are down on their luck. The Salvation Army Hostel provides a home for many, and Mason is seen chatting with a number of the men, all of whom seem quietly resigned to their lot. But this is not a film where the presenter intercedes too often; most of the time the director allows the camera itself to tell the tale. We can let our own minds decide what life journeys these men have experienced. There are true London characters too, the sort who seem to have disappeared off the streets altogether now. A couple of true street entertainers are shown, flamboyantly dressed. And one of the delights is seeing little incidentals; these entertainers take a break in the pub, and a pump on the bar is clearly visible- the dreaded Watney's Red Barrel! The Salvation Army band is seen marching the car-free streets, children in tow; remember that sight? And there is a really moving moment where a man, poor but obviously proud, sings a sad lament (in Hebrew or Yiddish, I think) whilst the demolition ball is seen crashing into walls, bringing them crumbling down. This is not a morose film though, far from it. A sense of community was just about hanging on in there in the sixties, and we see crowds of people everywhere. In the streets, in a huge family shop where all the staff wear white coats, in markets. And children actually lark around in the streets. This is all wonderful stuff, and is professionally filmed and edited.
The second film, 'Les Bicyclettes De Belsize', is a real oddity. It is more in the French style than the British, from the very opening which features a long continuous pan across the roofs of Hampstead Village. A very French-sounding song plays in the background. A man in underpants is seen escaping through an open window. Another man in underpants is seen, through a window, shaving. Then we see another chap, not in underpants, cycling across the roofs. As you do. This ultimately leads to him chasing a blonde beauty. Will there be a happy ending? Watch it and see. This film was photographed by Wolfgang Suschitsky, the father of the distinguished cinematographer Peter Suschitsky, incidentally, so again we are seeing a high quality production. It may not be your cup of tea, but you must see it.
Two outstanding and original films then. The picture and sound quality is excellent in both. There are no extras. You don't need them. I had just read that day's listings in Radio Times and seen what dross was on T.V, watched this DVD, then watched it all over again.
This is a collector's item; buy it while you can.
Knowledge of London Film Review
Review date: 2008-03-07 Rating: 10 out of 10
This 1967 film of The London Nobody Knows is the pure magic look at a colourful London of that era. James Mason is a great guide looking at some places in London that are now mostly destroyed. From the Bedford Music Hall of Camden to pie and mash shops of Chapel Market. Available for the first time on D.V.D a must for an historical documentation of working London of those times. Recommended.
It comes with another film titled "Les Bicyclettes de Belsize" this film is a bit annoying with no real story, although again plenty of nostalgic sites of Hampstead of the sixties.
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Judy Huxtable
Anthony May
James Mason
Creators:
Judy Huxtable (Primary Contributor)
Anthony May (Primary Contributor)
Director(s):
Recording label: Optimum Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Optimum Home Entertainment
EAN: 5055201802194
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Colour, PAL,
Release date: 2008-03-03
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Audience rating: Parental Guidance
Region code: 2
Running time: 73 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1967
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: French (Original Language)