Jun 25th  
High Sierra**     
(US 1941)                                                           
Warner Bros. 96m. bw

A convicted robber is bailed out of prison to stage a heist at a hotel in the Sierra Nevada, but his associates are killed or caught and he faces a man hunt over the mountains by the police.
Typical Warner crime melodrama at the onset of the film noir era, a little contrived in some of its characterisation and plotting, but gives Bogart a decent vehicle in a role that would become part of his defining image.

Written by: John Huston, W.R. Burnett, from his novel.
Producers: Hal B. Wallis, Mark Hellinger.
Director: Raoul Walsh.
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ida Lupino, Alan Curtis, Arthur Kennedy, Joan Leslie, Henry Travers, Cornel Wilde, Donald MacBride, Barton MacLane, Jerome Cowan.
Photography: Tony Gaudio.
Music: Adolph Deutsch.

Jun 21st   
Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation*
(US 1988)                               

A remarkable video emulation of the original(qv), whose dedication and enthusiasm encompassed most of its makers' teenage lives. It makes surprisingly good use of some of the film's more technically intricate special effects scenes (even prior to the subsequent crowdfunding 2014 final release version), and is exemplary proof that Spielberg's entertainment is for the outer as well as the inner 12-year old.

Producer: Chris Strompolos.
Director: Eric Zala.
Starring: Chris Strompolos, Angela Rodriguez, Eric Zala, plus others.
Photography/Editing: Jayson Lamb.
Music: John Williams (sourced).

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK: THE ADAPTATION. Angela Rodriguez and Chris Strompolos in the roles originally essayed by Karen Allen and Harrison Ford, with every detail where possible recreated by teenagers, down to the costumes too. In the era of video cameras, this was as epic a quest for the filmmakers as the quest for the Ark itself.

+ opening message: "This film is a tribute to Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan for their giving birth to what we consider to be the ultimate adventure film. It is because of their genius that a film exists with such an enduring, nostalgic, and adventurous spirit. For eight long years we have been driven by an almost obsessive inspiration. This inspiration was fueled by the collective brilliance of these three men. It is to them we give our thanks for the work they have wrought which has left a permanent impression upon the direction of our lives. It is through them that we have discovered our love for film."

Jun 18th  
The Dock Brief**   
(GB 1962)                                                 
MGM. 78m. bw

A down-on-his-luck barrister is given a self-confessed minor murderer to defend.
Low key but also rather touching legal satire, mainly watchable for two notable character stars in good form at the pivotal stage of their respective careers. Only marginally expanded out from an economical TV play, but still feeling much longer for it.

Written by: Pierre Rouve, John Mortimer, from his play.
Producer: Dimitri de Grunwald.
Director: James Hill.
Starring: Peter Sellers, Richard Attenborough, Beryl Reid, David Lodge.
Photography: Ted Scaife.
Music: Ron Grainer.

Jun 12th
Under Capricorn
(GB 1949)                                               
Warner Bros/Transatlantic. 117m.

In early colonial Australia, an ex-convict's wife is traumatized by his taking the blame for a murder that she committed.
Disappointingly tame mystery melodrama with vague echoes of Rebecca, only occasionally in some of Hitchcock's style but very watered down. The actors make it a worthwhile but not very memorable entertainment.

Written by: John Colton, Margaret Linden, Hume Cronyn, James Bridie, from the novel by Helen Simpson.
Producers: Alfred Hitchcock, Sidney Bernstein.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock.
Starring: Ingrid Bergman, Joseph Cotten, Michael Wilding, Margaret Leighton, Cecil Parker, Jack Watling, Denis O'Dea, Ronald Adam, Francis de Wolff.
Photography: Jack Cardiff.
Music: Richard Addinsell.

Jun 8th  
Raiders of the Lost Ark*     
(US 1981)                                           
Paramount/Lucasfilm. 115m. Panavision

In 1936 an intrepid archaeologist and the Nazis race to retrieve the Ark of the Covenant which contains dangerous supernatural powers.
The first of the Indiana Jones series, regarded by most fans as the best of them, with the same prescient timing for action and adventure that made Star Wars such a success. The makers slightly overdo the thrills and spills here however, and the story runs aground by the end to make way for a gruesome climax, with characterisation giving way to the exciting set pieces.

Written by: Lawrence Kasdan, from a story by Philip Kaufman, George Lucas.
Producer: Frank Marshall.
Director: Steven Spielberg.
Starring: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Ronald Lacey, John Rhys-Davies, Denholm Elliott, Alfred Molina, Wolf Kahler.
Photography: Douglas Slocombe.
Music: John Williams.
Production Design: Norman Reynolds.

100 Favourite Films: Indiana Jones

Preceded by:
Black Angel**
(GB 1980. 27m.; A knight returns to his plague-ridden homeland and duels the Black Angel that has brought this about. Strikingly visual sword-and-sorcery short planned as an accompaniment to The Empire Strikes Back in British cinemas.; w, d: Roger Christian; p: Roger Christian, Leslie Dilley; s: Tony Vogel, Patricia Christian; ph: Roger Pratt; m: Trevor Jones.)