Reviews

Sadly neglected, once massive, psychedelic soul pioneers

OPENS JUNE 4, CERT 12A, 117 MINS Considered outrageous in 1935, Jacques Feyder's intriguing satire is not just a worthy archive trophy but a true oddity. Even now, there's something bewitchingly bonkers about it. It holds its own logic, and, if a little long for a comedy of politics, it's brain food to show up a concept like The Stepford Wives. In fact Feyder and wife Françoise Rosay, who stars, simultaneously made a German version entitled The Clever Women. Said women come to the fore when Spanish soldiers invade Flanders in 1616. The Flemish men hide, the mayor plays possum.

When kiddie TV host Rainbow Randolph (Robin Williams) is convicted of corruption, the network demands that his replacement be squeaky clean and beyond reproach. Enter Smoochy the Rhino (Ed Norton), who's so 'PC' it hurts. Can Smoochy learn to cope with the sleazy world of TV, or will Randolph kill him first? Despite a strong cast and Danny DeVito in the director's chair, this fails to spark.

In the late eighties that poster adorned every young man's wall, and not just because the French subtitle looked chic. However, those who sneer at Jean-Jacques Beineix's film (here available on DVD only through HMV shops), putting its charm down simply to Béatrice Dalle's deeply erotic mouth (and suchlike), miss the point. Yes, it's visually ravishing throughout (as the pinnacle of the Cinéma Du Look) but it also lives by the true definition of Romantic Art, which has tragic connotations.

Paul Newman, all Texan swagger and mesmerising Marlboro sneers, completely redefines the concept of 'iconic' as the eponymous heavy-drinking, skirt-chasing, joy-riding cattleman and self-declared "cold-blooded bastard" in Martin Ritt's 1962 classic. Able support comes from sultry Patricia Neal, suitably green Brandon DeWilde (Shane) and James Wong Howe's perfect black-and-white cinematography.

An object lesson in filming a gig, this, as Patrick Daughters (director of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' stunning "Maps" promo) captures The Rapture's nervous energies in long, unfussy, elegant shots. Recorded last Christmas, the quartet still resemble—happily—enthusiastic grad students who've stumbled on the ideal disco/punk hybrid. But Daughters exploits this, making them—especially soulful-eyed frontman Luke Jenner—look at once gawky and iconic.

Oddly disappointing offering from ex-Mercury Music prize-winner

Brat-rap superstars return after six-year sabbatical to cover 'serious issues'

Unhinged glam/punk/electro-rock hybrid

Early, lunatic work by Japanese gods