Scream (2022) (4½ Stars)

It seems like every eleven years there's a new Scream film. That's a long interval. It must be a fight to persuade the actors to return from the early films. They've moved on, and maybe they're afraid of being upstaged by the new younger cast members. The Scream films are teen films. They always have been. The older cast members aren't just old enough to be their parents, in some cases they're old enough to be their grandparents.

Now there's a fifth film, which isn't called "Scream 5", it's simply "Scream". That made me groan when I first heard about it. A reboot? We don't need a reboot. Luckily, it isn't. It's a continuation of the earlier films, so it's effectively "Scream 5", in all but name. In some countries it's called "Scream 5", and I'll make it easier for my by calling it "Scream 5" in the rest of this review.

Once more, the metafilm aspect is strong. The characters repeatedly talk about the Stab films, which are the in-film versions of the Scream films. There have been more films over the years, seven Stab films in total. Now an eighth film is in production, and it won't be called "Stab 8", it'll be called "Stab". Ah ha! When the characters talk about "Stab 8" they're answering all the possible criticisms of "Scream 5". This is something I'll have to discuss in detail when I have the film on Blu-ray. I don't want to misquote them.

Has anyone else noticed that Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox are looking more similar as they get older? Or maybe it's deliberate. Their hair might have been styled the same to give the viewer the impression that Sidney Prescott and Gale Weathers are growing together.

This is a very good film. It's better than "Scream 4", even though I've given it the same rating. Maybe it deserves more. Despite the abundance of new technology, "Scream 5" is a return to the franchise's roots. There's more comedy than in "Scream 4", which is welcome. The violence is also more explicit. What I miss in the new film is the lack of music. Yes, there are songs playing, but the music isn't as overpowering as in the previous films. I need to watch "Scream 4" and "Scream 5" back to back to make a better comparison.

Eight Miles High (4½ Stars)

True Stories #12

Name: Uschi Obermaier

Lived: 24 September 1946 – still alive

Film dates: 1968 to 1984

Film made in 2007

First of all, I need to make an apology. I'm not consistent when I write about German films. Sometimes I use the original German title. Sometimes I use the English title, if the film was released in English speaking countries. Sometimes I use my own literal translation of the German title. This makes it difficult for anyone looking for the review of a particular film in my list.

I'll name three examples, starting with this film: the original title is "Das Wilde Leben". The literal translation is "The Wild Life". It was released in America as "Eight Miles High".

"Schulmädchen-Report" was released in America as "Confessions of a Sixth Form Girl", but I used the literal translation "Schoolgirl Report".

"Frau Wirtin hat auch eine Nichte" was released in America as "House of Pleasure". The literal translation is "The innkeeper also has a niece", but I used the original German title.

There's no system to which of the three alternatives I choose. I just pick the one that seems to be the most appropriate. 

Uschi Obermaier was a young woman who lived with her parents just outside Munich. She had a dull job and a dull family. It's the sort of life that 90% of the population has. What made her different was that she had outstanding beauty. She was discovered while dancing in a Munich discotheque. A photographer took a few candid photos of her that appeared in the magazine Twen. This was followed by nude photos, published first in Twen, then other magazines. She was on the way to becoming a famous glamour model.

Uschi left home and moved into the infamous Berlin commune, Kommune 1. She had no interest in politics, and she even had her doubts about free love, but she stayed because she fell in love with the commune's spokesman – I shouldn't say leader – Rainer Langhans. Whenever there was a demonstration, the press took photos of Uschi Obermaier, which angered the other commune members who were serious about promoting anarchy. Eventually she moved out, because she objected to Rainer having sex with other women.

The first big change in Uschi's life came when she met Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones. In later years she said he was the only man she ever loved. After a brief affair with Mick Jagger, she decided Keith was the man for her. The second big change was when she met Dieter Bockhorn, a nightclub owner in Hamburg, who tirelessly pursued her.

Uschi gave up her career to go on tour with the Rolling Stones. The problem was that it was too dull for her. "Every day is the same. Concert, Limousine, Hotel". She needed excitement more than she needed love. She went back to Hamburg to see Dieter. Together they travelled in a camping bus to India, a trip that lasted for years. That was the wild life she was looking for.

In an Indian province a priest was amazed to see that Uschi looked exactly like a statue of Kali. The severed head also looks like Dieter, although that wasn't mentioned in the film. Dieter and Uschi were invited to meet the local leader, the Maharani. When Dieter said they weren't married, the Maharani organised a wedding for them, complete with horses, elephants, an orchestra and a procession through the streets. It was a surreal fairy tale wedding, the type reserved for Indian royalty.

Things might have gone well for the couple, but when they travelled to Mexico they bumped into Keith Richards. It wasn't a coincidence. He was due to get married, and he wanted to see Uschi one last time before his wedding. Dieter was fiercely jealous. He knew that Keith was the first man in Uschi's heart. He drove away on a motorbike and crashed head on into a truck. It was suicide, although Uschi never accepted it.

It's wrong to call Uschi polyamorous. She loved one man but married another. That was her tragedy. She never married again.

"Eight Miles High" is a gloriously colourful film. Has any woman ever had such a variety of experiences? It's like she had a dozen lifetimes. It was truly a wild life.

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The Zookeeper's Wife (4 Stars)

True Stories #11

Name: Antonina Zabinska

Lived:18 July 1908 – 19 March 1971

Film dates: 1939 to 1946

Film made in 2017

It's amazing that after all these years it's still possible to make new films about the heroism of people who risked their lives to protect Jews from the Nazis. They're stories that never cease to fascinate modern audiences. Each story has its own variations.

What's even more amazing is that there are still people who deny that Hitler killed millions of Jews. They claim that the Holocaust is Jewish propaganda. I had a personal friend in Birmingham who used to post videos on Facebook about scholars who have found new evidence that the Holocaust never happened. Maybe she still does. I don't know, because I unfriended her. She's the only person I've ever unfriended. I have a principle that I don't unfriend people for disagreements on politics, but she pushed me too far. One person in 12 years of using Facebook. That's not too bad.

Anti-Semitism is currently at its strongest since the end of World War Two, especially among left-wing thinkers. The modern way to excuse anti-Semitism is to say "I'm not anti-Semitic, I'm anti-Zionist". It's a subtle difference. Being anti-Semitic means you want to kill (or otherwise harm) Jews. Being anti-Zionist means you support those who want to kill the Jews who live in Israel. Britain recently had a leader of the opposition party who attended meetings with Jew-killers. If he'd been voted into power, it would have started a new Dark Age in Britain.

Now let me say a few words about the film itself. Not many people know Antonina Zabinska, apart from those who've seen this film. She was the wife of Jan Zabinska, the owner of the Warsaw Zoo from 1929 to 1939. When Germany invaded in 1939 they were ordered to close the zoo. All the animals should have been slaughtered for food, but a senior SS officer in Warsaw, Lutz Heck, was the director of the Berlin Zoo. He offered to take some of the animals to be kept in the Berlin Zoo until the Warsaw Zoo re-opened.

Jan and Antonina wanted to hold on to the zoo by any means possible. They offered to turn the zoo grounds into a pig farm to supply meat for the German soldiers. Lutz agreed to this, as long as he could also use the former zoo for a personal project. He wanted to breed aurochs. Have you ever seen an aurochs? Of course not. They're a European form of bison that's been extinct since the 17th Century. Lutz thought that through selective breeding he could bring them back to life.

What was most important to Jan and Antonina was to save their Jewish friends. Jan was allowed to enter the Warsaw Ghetto to collect scraps to feed the pigs. He smuggled Jews out of the Ghetto, mostly children, but also a few adults. His pig farm was used as a halfway house. Most of the Jews were kept in the underground animal rooms for a few days, until they received fake passports and were able to travel. Some of them preferred to stay.

In 1944 Jan was shot while participating in an armed uprising against the Germans. He was considered dead, so no more Jews could be rescued. Antonina continued to take care of the Jews remaining in the pig farm. There's a certain irony in pigs, an unclean animal for Jews, to be used to save them. Jan surprised everyone by returning home in 1946. The zoo was rebuilt. He continued as the zoo director until 1951. The Warsaw Zoo is still open today.

In the film we see Antonina with her two children, Teresa and Rys.

They're still alive today. It must have been emotional to see their early life being filmed.

Arguably, the film's main hero is Jan Zabinska. He's the one who drives in and out of the ghetto, smuggling Jews in his truck, while his wife sits at home waiting. I see them as a team. They both did their part. The only problems they had were with Antonina's relationship with Lutz Heck. She flirted with him to distract him from suspicious noises in her house. She even kissed him. Jan didn't understand this. He was jealous. Men are like that. Jan didn't understand that Antonina had no interest in Lutz. She was making sacrifices to save Jews.

Success Rate:  - 0.7

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Monster (5 Stars)

True Stories #10

Name: Aileen Wuornos

Lived: 29 February 1956 – 9 October 2002

Film dates: 1963 to 1990, mostly 1986 to 1990

Film made in 2003

Charlize Theron won an Oscar as Best Actress in 2004 for her outstanding performance in "Monster". I'm surprised the film didn't win any other awards.

"Monster" is at the same time a love story and a story about a serial killer. Aileen Wuornos, referred to by her nickname Lee, met Selby Wall in a gay bar in 1986. Lee wasn't gay, but there was something in Selby that attracted her. Maybe it was just a lifetime of being disappointed by men that made her open to trying something new. Some people say that homosexuals are born gay. Others say that homosexuals choose to be gay. I think both opinions are false. It's a complex mixture of circumstances in a person's life that makes him homosexual, different in every case.

Lee had been a prostitute since she was 13. When she met Selby, she made an attempt to give up hooking, but it wasn't so easy. It's hard enough to find a job even if you have qualifications, but a 30-year-old woman who's never done any work apart from prostitution has no chance.

Lee turned to murder as an alternative. She still picked up men for sex, but instead of having sex with them she shot them. Did they deserve to die? That's a question that everyone will answer differently, based on their morals. If I have to answer the question myself, I'd say that only one of the men we see in the film is a truly disgusting creature. Lee has to kill him to stop him raping her. The others are just normal horny men who want to pay for sex.

Killing is more profitable than hooking. Lee gets to take the complete contents of their wallets, and she keeps their car. At first Selby was disgusted, but as time went by she expected it.

Christina Ricci also deserved on Oscar for her portrayal of Selby. She's a naive little girl from a Christian home, and she just happens to be a lesbian. Church and homosexuality don't go well together.

The main deviation from the true story is Selby's name. In real life she was called Tyria Moore, but Tyria objected to her name being used in the film. Apart from that, in the film everything seems to be happening quickly. It seems like just a few months, although it was actually four years. Lee killed seven men. We only see four murders being committed, but the film lets us know there were more. Lee kept newspaper clippings with the reports of her victims' deaths, and we see the stack of paper grow.

This is a first rate film. It's included in my top 100 film list. If you haven't seen it yet, why not?

Success Rate:  + 6.0

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Rommel (5 Stars)

True Stories #9

Name: Erwin Rommel

Lived: 15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944

Film dates: March 1944 to October 1944 (death)

Film made in 2012

Erwin Rommel is best known for his battles in North Africa from 1941 to 1943. He's known as a good German general, mainly because of the praise heaped on him by Field Marshal Montgomery, the British officer who defeated him in Africa. Montgomery said that Rommel was an excellent strategist and a fair fighter, whatever that means. I always thought that battles were fought to be won, not to be fair.

This film shows a period in Rommel's life which is less well known. In 1944 he was assigned to western France to protect the country from a possible British invasion.

In March 1944 German intelligence predicted a large British invasion, supported by American troops. This invasion was D-Day, which would take place on 6th June 1944. Rommel requested 13 tank divisions from Hitler, but he was only given three. Hitler said that the tanks were needed on the eastern front. This frustrated Rommel, because he said that a large invading force could break through German lines. Hitler dismissed Rommel's protests as defeatism.

D-Day came. As Rommel predicted, the Anglo-American forces broke through the German lines and began to head toward Paris. Rommel told Hitler the western front was lost, and the Germans should retreat from France. He suggested that Germany should sign a peace deal with England and America, so that all efforts could be put into the war against Russia. Hitler refused to even discuss this. He said that if German soldiers died on the battlefield in France it was their own fault for being too weak.

Hitler's problem was that he considered God to be on his side. His victory was pre-ordained, so he didn't have to listen to the advice of his generals.

The other generals agreed with Rommel's assessment of the war in France, but they went one step further. They wanted to assassinate Hitler, so that the country could be run by military experts. This culminated in Operation Valkyrie, led by Claus von Stauffenberg, which failed when Hitler survived a bomb explosion on 20th July 1944.

It was well known that Rommel was critical of Hitler's leadership, so General Speidel approached Rommel and asked him if he would be available to serve in a new Germany after Hitler had been removed from power. Speidel was in touch with the conspirators, but he wasn't a member of the inner circle. He knew nothing about an assassination plot. He thought Hitler would be arrested and put on trial. Rommel refused to join any plot. He said that he was a soldier, and as a soldier he would always serve his leader. As long as Hitler was in power, he would serve him, and if Hitler were put on trial he would serve the new leaders.

On 14th October 1944 Rommel was at home, recovering from wounds sustained in an American attack. The SS came to his house and accused him of supporting the assassination attempt. He denied this, but they said that he'd been named by the other conspirators. He was given the chance of taking the noble way out. Either he could be put on trial as a traitor, or he could swallow a cyanide pill and be declared a hero. He chose the latter, because he saw no way of proving his innocence.

The German newspapers reported that Rommel had died as a result of his war wounds. His wife received a general's pension for the rest of her life.

Most true stories deviate from the truth, either by accident or deliberately for reasons of dramatization. Not "Rommel". This is a film with remarkable documentary precision. The dates are stated for each of the major occurrences. It's particularly interesting to see how D-Day was viewed from the German side. We can be glad that Hitler didn't give Rommel the 13 tank divisions that he wanted. The war could have ended differently.

Interestingly, Rommel wasn't in France on D-Day. He was back at home in Germany, because it was his wife's birthday on 6th June. Was this deliberately planned by the Allied Forces, or just a coincidence?

Anna Nicole (5 Stars)

True Stories #8

Name: Anna Nicole Smith

Lived: 28 November 1967 – 8 February 2007

Film dates: 1975 to 2007 (death), mostly 1987 to 2007

Film made in 2013

This is the third of Mary Harron's three biopics about controversial women. Unlike her other films, "Anna Nicole" (also called "The Anna Nicole Story") was only made for television. I put the word "only" in italics, because it has all the quality of a full feature film.

It's interesting to contrast Anna Nicole Smith with Bettie Page. They were both women from poor beginnings who made their living by capitalising on their looks. Both women became Playboy centerfolds. That's where the similarities end. Bettie Page was innocent, but Anna Nicole was sexual. Bettie was a good girl, not even drinking alcohol, but Anna Nicole binged on drink and drugs.

Anna Nicole's birth name was Vicky Lynn Hogan. She became Vicky Lynn Smith through marriage when she was 17. She became Vicky Lynn Marshall through her second marriage when she was 26. Anna Nicole was her stage name, and she retained the surname Smith as part of her stage name for her whole life.

Anna Nicole (it doesn't seem right to call her Anna) was divorced when she was 19. That's when her life of fame began. Her mother refused to take her back, so she had to fend for herself and her baby boy Danny. Rather than modelling, she became a stripper. She had only moderate success, so she had a boob job. When asked by the surgeon whether she wanted peaches, grapefruits or melons, she replied that she wanted bowling balls. That was the right choice. Men like big breasts. This led to her appearance in Playboy and her sporadic modelling assignments.

Anna Nicole was fascinated by Marilyn Monroe, ever since she found a copy of the first issue of Playboy under her parents' bed. Wow! That would be worth a fortune today. After her boob job, Anna Nicole wore clothing and make up to make herself look like a busty version of Marilyn Monroe. Her second husband even bought Marilyn Monroe's former house for her.

In 1992 she met the billionaire J. Howard Marshall, and she married him 18 months later. She was 26, and he was 89. Was it for love or money? She said she loved him, but her actions didn't back up her words. She had a one-night stand with another man the day after her wedding. Her husband died 14 months later. Before his death his son tricked him into signing a document giving him complete control over his father's wealth. There was a legal battle that lasted 11 years, and Anna Nicole never received a single dollar from his inheritance. That was mean. She could at least have been given a million dollars as an out-of-court settlement. The lawyers probably earned more than that.

Anna Nicole had several contracts as models for fashion companies. She couldn't keep them. She was a liability, because she was repeatedly drunk in public.

As the years went by she put on weight and her modelling contracts stopped. She shared a house with her son and her lawyer Howard Stern (not to be confused with the celebrity with the same name). He was more than a lawyer to her. He was a faithful friend, and he managed her fading career. He arranged for her to star in a reality show called "The Anna Nicole Show". The media suspected that they were lovers, but there was no romantic or sexual involvement.

Anna Nicole's final years were tragic. She had a second baby, a daughter. In the film we see that it was a one-night stand with a photographer, but the father's identity wasn't revealed until years after her death. Danny died of an accidental drug overdose while visiting his mother in hospital, three days after his sister's birth. Five months later Anna Nicole also died from a drug overdose. Officially it was classified as an accidental death, but it was possibly a suicide. What is definite is that her drug usage increased drastically after her son's death.

I was never a fan of Anna Nicole Smith. I admit that I found her physically attractive. There were many nude photos of her on the Internet in the late 1990's. They're probably still there today. In her later years she was a ridiculous comical figure. I watched a few episodes of "The Anna Nicole Show" with my wife. I only remember one episode in which she wanted to lose weight. She invited three cooks to her house to make a healthy meal for her. She ate all three meals, one after the other, to test them.

I only bought this DVD because I like Mary Harron's films, not because of any interest in Anna Nicole Smith. As a biopic, this is an excellent film. It tells the viewer all the relevant details about Anna Nicole's life, and it makes us feel sympathetic with this tragic, broken women.

P.S. In my last review I said I didn't know what drugs she was taking. I obviously wasn't paying attention. They're named in the film as Xanax, quaaludes and Dom (STP).

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The Notorious Bettie Page (4 Stars)

True Stories #7

Name: Bettie Page

Lived: 22 April 1923 – 11 December 2008

Film dates: 1936 to 1958

Film made in 2005

This is the second of Mary Harron's three biopics about controversial women. The film was made very late. In the 1950's she was a household name in America. To her fans she was the Queen of Pin-Ups. or even the Pin-Up Queen of the Universe. To those who didn't like her she was the ultimate evil. Naturally, most of the hatred was based on prejudice. People read her name in the newspapers, and they assumed she was evil without even knowing her.

The problem wasn't Bettie Page. The problem was America.

Bettie was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee. As a young teenager she wanted to be a model. She posed for her brother's camera, and sometimes she even pulled her skirt up over her knee, which shocked the neighbours. She lived in a God fearing community, and Bettie also visited church unquestioningly. She was married at 19, but her husband was abusive, so she divorced him four years later. After this she moved to New York City to make a new start.

Bettie wanted to become an actress, but after coming second in a beauty contest she got a job as a model. First she posed for scantily clad glamour photos. Then she met Irving Claw, and she posed in bondage outfits, sometimes alone, sometimes with other women. Most of the photos were custom orders. Paula Claw, Irving's sister, said that she immediately recognised what men wanted.

This is when the problems started. It was deemed illegal to send pornographic material by mail. I have two questions to ask:

1. Why were the letters with the "illegal" photos opened? If they'd remained sealed, nobody would have complained.

2. What's pornographic about a girl with a whip? Bettie wasn't even naked in the photos.

Irving Claw was put on trial for indecency. He was ordered to destroy all his photos and films. Fortunately, his sister hid most of the material from her brother, telling him she'd burnt it. Good girl!

Bettie made several visits to Miami, where she was photographed by Bunny Yeager. She posed nude in Miami, but it was purely glamour photography. No bondage was involved. It was all very tasteful. Bettie was the Playboy Centerfold of the Month in January 1955.

What's remarkable about Bettie Page is that she was truly innocent. For her the bondage photography had nothing to do with sex or lust. She was just dressing up. It was a form of acting. She didn't understand the court case against Irving Claw. She considered what she was doing to be harmless. 

The photographer John Willie asked Bettie, "What do you think Jesus would say about what you're doing now?"

She replied, "I think God has given each of us some kind of talent, and he wants us to use it. That's why he gave it to us. God gave me the talent to pose for pictures, and it seems to make people happy. That can't be a bad thing, can it?"

In 1958 Bettie committed her life to Jesus. She gave up modelling and began to preach on street corners. She spent the lest of her life doing Christian work.

Mary Harron has made a wonderful film about this notorious woman. It's difficult to understand what the fuss was about. Was America really so prude in the 1950's? I don't find Bettie's photos pornographic at all.

But her legacy lives on, at least among insiders. In the 1990's I visited a comic shop in Stuttgart that sold magazines with collections of Bettie Page's photographs. I checked them out, but I didn't want to buy them. To me they were totally unerotic, even though I'm interested in bondage. I especially like to see girls with whips. And yet the photos of Bettie in poses like that don't turn me on. It's easy to explain. She's always laughing and having fun. There's no lust in her eyes. She wasn't attempting to turn men on. All she wanted to do was serve God by dressing up in leather outfits. That leaves me cold. The photos don't look like she's trying to seduce me.

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I Shot Andy Warhol (4 Stars)

True Stories #6

Name: Valerie Solanas

Lived: 9 April 1936 – 25 April 1988

Film dates: 1957 to 1968, mainly 1966 to 1968

Film made in 1996

This is the first in a series of three biopics made by the Canadian director Mary Harron. All three films are about women who were controversial both during their life and after their death. I intend to watch these three films back to back as my next three true stories.

Mary Harron is sometimes called a feminist director. I don't understand this description. Maybe she's a feminist in her personal views, but I don't see a feminist message in her films. I don't even see a feminist message in "I shot Andy Warhol", even though it's about Valerie Solanas, the greatest feminist icon of the 20th Century.

I forget exactly when I first heard about Valerie Solanas. It was possibly when I was 21. At that time my thoughts were developing on the nature of man and woman. From the age of 20 I was convinced that women are inherently superior to men. I looked at the world around me and was convinced that all of the world's problems stemmed from male rule. I advocated a matriarchy, but I didn't have clear ideas about it. I didn't know whether it would be a global or an international matriarchy. How could it work in practice? Then I read the SCUM Manifesto, written in 1966, in which Valerie Solanas called on women to "overthrow the government, eliminate the money system, institute complete automation and eliminate the male sex". The fourth of these goals fascinated me the most. Instead of a matriarchy, men should be totally eradicated.

Then I lost my copy of the SCUM Manifesto. It was probably lost in the confusion of moving to Germany in 1978. It wasn't until I got my first Internet account in 1995 that I rediscovered it. I printed it and read it repeatedly, analysing it carefully and making notes. Shortly after this I joined an IRC channel called #feminism. I was the only man in the group, which I openly admitted, and I was warned to behave myself. The main topic of conversation was the SCUM Manifesto. We discussed it for months on end. Some of the participants accepted it completely, while others wanted to adapt it for the 1990's. As the conversations continued, I was frequently accused of being a woman. The others in the group couldn't believe that a man could be as enlightened as me.

The general consensus in the group was that a new version of the SCUM Manifesto should be written. I volunteered to undertake this task, but I never attempted it. For reasons unknown to me, the #feminism room ceased to exist, and I had no more contact with the any of the women in the group. We should have exchanged email addresses instead of just relying on IRC to hold us together.

Lili Taylor as Valerie Solanas

Despite knowing the SCUM Manifesto, I knew almost nothing about Valerie Solanas. I knew that she'd shot Andy Warhol, but I didn't know why. Information was hard to come by in the early days of the Internet. Now anyone can sit down at his computer and become an expert on any subject within 15 minutes. (I admit that this statement contains sarcasm, but there's also an element of truth).

Then I bought this DVD, soon after its release. I was excited to see it, but my reaction after the first viewing was anger. Instead of being a eulogy to one of the most brilliant visionaries of the 20th Century, it portrayed her as nervous and neurotic. After calming down, I watched it again. More than once. Now I'm able to appreciate it. Mary Harron wants to be honest in her portrayal of Valerie Solanas. She doesn't want to make out that she was something that she wasn't.

Let me give a brief summary of Valerie's life, as portrayed in the film. She was an exceptionally intelligent child, but she suffered sexual abuse from her father and grandfather. She studied Psychology at the University of Maryland. She supported her studies by prostitution. This led her to be disgusted by men, and she declared herself a lesbian. After graduating she moved to New York, where she was homeless, sleeping on rooftops. She still worked as a prostitute, so she was sometimes able to afford a hotel room for a few days.

In 1966 she met Andy Warhol. She thought he could help her film her first play, "Up your ass". Warhol found the play so pornographic that he thought it was entrapment by a police officer. He never filmed it, but he didn't give it back to Valerie. He said he'd lost it.

Note: the manuscript remained lost until it was found in a trunk of lighting equipment in 1999, twelve years after Warhol's death. It wasn't published until 2014.

Later in 1966 Valerie Solanas completed her final version of the SCUM Manifesto. She tried to make money by selling it, but most of her copies were given away. It was eventually published in 1968 by Maurice Girodias, a French publisher of pornographic literature. After the bankruptcy of his company the copyright became clouded, a source of argument and money-making by lawyers, but the important fact is that today it's freely available online.

Why did Valerie Solanas shoot Andy Warhol? In interviews immediately after her arrest she claimed that it was connected with her Manifesto. She wanted to kill a well-known man in order to start the female revolution. Mary Harron's film suggests that it was actually revenge because he'd stolen her play, and she didn't have another copy. That's probably right. If it had really been intended to start a revolution, it was poorly planned.

The real Valerie Solanas in 1967

The film ends with Valerie's arrest and her treatment in a psychiatric hospital. Her later years are vague. She was arrested and hospitalised several times. She changed her name to avoid detection. She said she was writing an autobiography, but her mother burnt all of her typewritten manuscripts after her death. What an awful mother! She probably didn't like what Valerie had written about her.

The film is now out of print. I don't know whether or not I want it to be rereleased. It's essential viewing for anyone who knows and admires Valerie Solanas' writing, but it can give the wrong impression to those who don't know her.

Incidentally, a few years ago I met someone who was in the process of writing a new version of the SCUM Manifesto. I persuaded her to publish it anonymously, because details about her life might be used to argue against the message of her writing. I assisted her in her early version of her Manifesto as her only proof reader. When it was finished she asked me to send a copy to notable feminists. I did so, and the reception was mixed to negative. One of the more positive reviewers made suggestions for a few changes, but my friend was disappointed and hasn't updated her version of the Manifesto. That was six years ago. I still write to her occasionally, although the contact has diminished since I left England. I need to prod her and ask her to publish her Manifesto. At the very least, I want her permission to publish it on my blog.

Click here to read the original version of the SCUM Manifesto. Please leave comments.

Joy (4 Stars)

True Stories #5

Name: Joy Mangano

Lived: 1 February 1956 – still alive

Film dates: approx 1966 to 2000, mainly 1990 to 1992

Film made in 2015

I'm not sure about the exact dates in the film. I've made guesses based on Wikipedia's page about Joy Mangano. If I read a full biography of her life I'd be able to pinpoint the dates, but I'm too lazy to do so much research.

It's not just a matter of laziness. I'm having a bad day. I've had bad toothache since Thursday. My dentist is on holiday to tomorrow. I thought it might get better, but now it's the worst toothache I've ever had. I've been drinking a small glass of Ouzo about three times a day, which reduces the pain, but it doesn't cure it completely. I'm unable to eat solid foods. For the last three days I've only been eating soup and yoghurt.

The film begins with Joy at a young age, possibly 10, showing talent at Origami and telling stories. Her mother spends all day in bed watching soap operas, but she's inspired by her grandmother to make something of her life.

Fast forward to 1990. Joy is divorced with two children, and she works selling tickets for an airline. Her ex-husband lives in the basement. Her mother is also also divorced, but on speaking terms with her ex-husband. Sort of. She rarely talks to everyone, except about soap operas. The end result is that four generations live under the same roof. It's interesting to see that none of the adult women in the house (Joy, her mother and her grandmother) have partners. Men are unnecessary.

After injuring herself while cleaning up a broken glass, Joy has an idea. Why should it be necessary to wring out mops? Why shouldn't there be a self-wringing mop? She designs something on paper, and an employee at her father's car repair shop builds it from her sketches. She calls it a Miracle Mop. After a difficult start with few sales, she advertises it on the newly launched shopping channel QVC.

The film follows Joy Mangano as she struggles to start a business. Her ex-husband supports her whole-heartedly. Her father offers some support, although he frequently doubts her abilities. It's tough for Joy to succeed in a male-dominated world. Wherever she goes, men are taking advantage of her because she's only a woman. Intelligence and creativity aren't enough. She needs to develop a tough attitude.

I like films about strong successful women. I'd never heard of Joy Mangano before seeing this film in the cinema in 2016. I'm now overwhelmed by her, the real woman, not just her portrayal in the movie.

Success Rate:  - 0.3

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Clifford the Big Red Dog (3 Stars)

This film is based on a series of 80 books about a giant red dog called Clifford. Three animated television series and an animated film have already been made about Clifford. This is the first live action film made about the giant dog.

A 12-year-old girl called Emily lives in New York City with her single mother. The mother has to go away on a business trip, so Emily has to stay with her uncle Casey.

Emily is given a sweet little red puppy at an animal rescue tent. Emily asks the owner how big he'll grow, and the owner tells her that it depends on how much love he's given. The next day the dog is enormous, about three meters tall. This is the start of a series of comical adventures.

There's a bad guy in the story. Zac Tieran is the owner of a company called Lyfegro, which is trying to genetically engineer animals to grow bigger. There's no obvious reason why. When he sees the dog on television he attempts to steal it.

The film sounded interesting when I read about it. I wanted to take my grandson Oliver to the cinema, and this seemed like the best film. The theatre was full of parents with children. There was laughter from the other children, but Oliver was bored and kept asking when the film would be over. I too found the film dull. I thought that Clifford would be a lovingly sweet dog, but he didn't manage to charm me. He wasn't as soft and cuddly as I'd expected. Maybe he's just too big. The film failed to give me the warm, fuzzy feeling I was hoping for.

Race (4½ Stars)

True Stories #4

Name: Jesse Owens

Lived: 12 September 1913 – 31 March 1980

Film dates: 1933 to 1936

Film made in 2016

This is the true story of Jesse James, real name James Cleveland Owens, from his entry into college until his success at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. Jesse was a nickname that came from his initials, J.C.

Jesse came from a poor family in Cleveland, Ohio. He was the youngest of ten children. His family decided to send him to Ohio State University, because of his intelligence. He was the only member of his family to get a college education, and it was a big sacrifice for the family. His father was noticeably grumpy when he leaves home. Maybe he didn't approve? His father's motivation is never explained in the course of the film. Maybe he thought his son should fulfil his family obligations instead of leaving home. Jesse already had a three-year-old daughter when he went to college. He loved the mother of his child and promised to marry her after completing his education.

Whether he was ever educated in college is questionable. As soon as he arrived he was noticed by the athletics coach, Larry Snyder, who helped him refine his already considerable talent as a runner and long jumper. The film gives the impression that he spent all his time training.

The training paid off. On 25 May 1935 he performed a feat that has never been equalled since. Within 45 minutes he set world records for three sports: the long jump, 220 yards sprint and 220 yards hurdles. He became the pride of America.

It wasn't certain that America would participate in the upcoming Olympic Games. There were nationwide protests against the atrocities reported from Germany. It was a close decision. After weeks of discussion, the American Athletic Association decided to take part after a vote of 58 to 56.

The history books tell the tale of what happened in 1936. Jesse Owens won the gold medal in three events: the long jump, the 100 meter sprint and the 200 meter sprint. At the last minute he replaced one of the other runners in the 4 x 100 meter relay team, which America also won, giving him a fourth gold medal.

Jesse made friends with Luz Long, the German long jumper who finished second. Luz was a real sportsman, congratulating Jesse on his victory. They celebrated together in the stadium, which was seen unfavourably by Adolf Hitler and Josef Goebbels. It's interesting to see that Luz was played by the young German actor David Kross, who played the part of Hitler in "The King's Man". I wish I had a photo that I could post as a comparison. A good actor can play any role, whether it's a hero or a villain.

Leni Riefenstahl was the director charged with making the official film about the Olympic Games. Even though she faithfully followed the instructions of her boss, Joseph Goebbels, she included special footage about Jesse Owens.

The film mentions the atrocities of Nazi Germany several times, but it gives a balanced picture. It shows that racism was also widespread in America in the 1930's. Jesse Owens was bullied by white athletes at university, and he was also booed by white people when he took part in athletic events. Even after winning four gold medals at the Olympic Games, he wasn't allowed to enter a hotel through the main door. He had to use the tradesman's entrance. Disgusting!

Success Rate:  + 3.0

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Pierrepoint (5 Stars)

True Stories #3

Name: Albert Pierrepoint

Lived: 30 March 1905 – 10 July 1992

Film dates: 1932 to 1955

Film made in 2005

Albert Pierrepoint wasn't Britain's last hangman, as is sometimes claimed, but he was Britain's most famous and most prolific hangman.

Hanging was the form of execution used in British prisons in the 20th Century. It was a secret job. There was a small list of licensed hangmen which was never released to the public. When a criminal had to be executed, the Home Office contacted two of the men on the list to carry out the execution. One man was the chief executioner, the other was his assistant.

Albert Pierrepoint was following in a family tradition. His father and his uncle had both been hangmen when he applied to be put on the list in 1932. His first execution was in 1933, where he served as the assistant executioner. For the rest of the 1930's he continued as an assistant executioner.

The film skips to 1941, when Albert is already married and living in Lancashire. He works as a grocery delivery man, and his wife knows nothing about his secondary job. All that she knows is that he goes away on special business at irregular intervals. This wasn't so unusual in the war years, so she accepted his absence. It wasn't until the end of the war that she discovered his notebook in which he kept a list of everyone he had hanged.

Albert Pierrepoint hanged at least 435 people in his career. The exact number is unclear, because of the secrecy involved. It's estimated that it was closer to 600 people. How could a man kill so many people and remain sane? He says that he did it by separating his personal self from his job. Outside the prison cell he was Albert Pierrepoint, but as soon as he walked through the door to collect the prisoner he became the Executioner. He never troubled himself with questions about whether a person might be innocent. The courts had decided a person was guilty, and it was the Executioner's job to do what the court wanted.

Albert managed to keep his identity secret until 1945. This changed when he was sent to Germany to execute Nazis at the Nuremberg Trials. On his return the press hounded him. His neighbours and friends treated him as a hero, but the praise wasn't welcome. He would rather have remained anonymous. In later years he became a target for those protesting against capital punishment.

Eventually Albert resigned from the list. It wasn't because of doubts about the correctness of his job, as many of his opponents claimed. It was a matter of money. He received payment in cash after every execution. If there was a last minute reprieve, he received nothing, not even reimbursement of his travel expenses. He protested against this, and when nothing was changed he resigned.

The film shows about a dozen executions, half of them at the Nuremberg Trials. Out of curiosity, I looked up the names of the people mentioned, and they're all famous criminals, even if they aren't described in the film itself. For instance, Ruth Ellis, shown in the first photo in this post, was the last woman to be hanged in Britain. (The last man hanged in Britain was Peter Allen in 1964, nine years after Pierrepoint's retirement).

There are some historical inaccuracies that have been introduced for the sake of dramatization. The biggest change is the Nuremberg Trials. The film gives the impression that Pierrepoint was the only executioner. He actually had to share the task with an American executioner.

This is a deeply moving film with excellent acting by Timothy Spall.