Episode 186 - Campbell's Kingdom (1957)

"Rugged Wildcatters...Fighting The Treacherous Might Of The Canadian Rockies"

Grab your parka and get ready for a trip to the Canadian Rockies, because 1957's Campbell's Kingdom is a gloriously old-school adventure that absolutely bursts with high-stakes drama and breathtaking scenery. If you're in the mood for a classic "ripping yarn," this is the film for you. It's a story of grit, oil, and one man's incredible race against time, all set against one of the most stunning backdrops ever captured on film.

At the heart of the story is the wonderfully charismatic Dirk Bogarde as Bruce Campbell. Given a grim health diagnosis, Bruce inherits a patch of land in Alberta known as "Campbell's Kingdom." He's told it's worthless, but his grandfather died believing there was oil under that rocky soil. With nothing left to lose, Bruce sinks his last penny and every ounce of his failing strength into proving him right.

This is where the fun really starts. The film is a fantastic story of the underdog. Bruce is a man with a dream, facing down a world of naysayers. This includes the slick, menacing villain Owen (played with wonderful steel by Stanley Baker) and a looming deadline from a hydro-electric company threatening to flood the entire valley.

But Campbell's Kingdom isn't just a character drama; it's a grand spectacle! Director Ralph Thomas makes the Canadian Rockies a character in their own right. The Vistavision and Technicolor cinematography is simply spectacular, with sweeping vistas of snow-capped mountains, turquoise lakes, and rugged forests that will have you longing for the great outdoors.

The action builds to a truly thrilling climax. As Bruce and his small, loyal crew drill desperately for their "black gold," the tension mounts. Will they strike it rich before the dam floods them out? Will Owen's schemes succeed? The final sequences are pure, high-adventure magic, delivering a payoff that is both exciting and deeply satisfying.

Sure, it's a film of its time, with earnest heroes and clear-cut villains, but that's precisely its charm. Campbell's Kingdom is a wonderfully made, optimistic, and thrilling piece of classic British cinema. It's a feel-good movie about betting it all on a dream, and it leaves you with a real sense of exhilaration.

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Scott and Steven

Episode 185 - Miranda (1948)

"You've hated me ever since I set tail in this house."

In the canon of post-war British comedy, there are grand spectacles and quiet character studies. And then, every so often, there's a film so completely, cheerfully absurd that it defies category. Miranda (1948) is one such treasure, a fantasy-comedy that is as polished and witty as it is delightfully naughty. It's a film that asks what would happen if a classic British "comedy of manners" was suddenly interrupted by a mermaid—and the answer, it turns in, is pure, bubbly entertainment.

The story itself is a wonderfully silly concoction. Dr. Paul Martin (Griffith Jones), escaping his wife for a solo fishing holiday in Cornwall, gets more than he bargained for. He doesn't just catch a fish; he is caught by Miranda, a flirtatious, man-crazy mermaid who promptly holds him captive in her aquatic cave. His ransom? A trip to see London.

What follows is a brilliant farce. Paul passes off the beautiful Miranda as an "invalid patient," concealing her tail under long dresses and wheeling her around his sophisticated London home. This is where the film truly shines, thanks to the absolutely enchanting central performance from Glynis Johns. Long before she was Mrs. Banks in Mary Poppins, Johns established her star power here. With a coy, kittenish voice and eyes that perpetually sparkle with mischief, her Miranda is a sublime creation. She's no innocent nymph; she's a charming siren who has every man in the house—from her "doctor" to the lovestruck chauffeur (a wonderful David Tomlinson)—wrapped around her little finger, or fin.

While Glynis Johns is the undeniable heart of the film, she is bolstered by one of the finest supporting casts in British comedy. Googie Withers is perfectly cast as Paul's increasingly bewildered and suspicious wife, Clare. But it is the magnificent, eccentric Margaret Rutherford who threatens to steal the entire picture as Nurse Carey. Hired to look after the "patient," she is not shocked to discover Miranda's secret but openly delighted, exclaiming, "It's a mermaid! I've always believed in them!"

The film is packed with witty dialogue and brilliant sight gags that never get old: Miranda's insistence on eating raw fish sandwiches, her casual snacking from the goldfish bowl, and a priceless scene at the zoo where she communicates with the seals. It's all so unapologetically fun, a droll and airy fantasy that was a smash hit with audiences at the time, and it's easy to see why. Miranda is a whimsical, charming, and thoroughly amusing escape that still feels as fresh and sparkling as the day it first splashed onto the screen.

This and previous episodes can be found everywhere you download your podcasts

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Scott and Steven

Episode 184- In The Name Of The Father (1993)

"You got 15 years of blood and sweat and pain from my client - whose only crime was that he was bloody well Irish. And he was foolish, and he was in the wrong place at the wrong time!"

Based on the powerful true story of the Guildford Four, In the Name of the Father (1993) is a gripping legal and personal drama chronicling a devastating miscarriage of justice during "The Troubles" in 1970s England.

The film centers on Gerry Conlon (Daniel Day-Lewis), a petty thief from Belfast. To escape the escalating violence, his father sends him to London. While Gerry and his friend Paul Hill are squatting in a flat, an IRA bomb explodes at a pub in Guildford, killing five people. Under intense pressure to secure convictions, the British police, led by Inspector Robert Dixon, arrest Gerry and Paul as prime suspects.

What follows is a harrowing interrogation. Gerry is subjected to days of psychological torture, threats, and violence, eventually breaking down and signing a false confession. This confession is then used to implicate not only himself and Paul but also two others (the "Guildford Four") and, shockingly, members of Gerry's own family who had no connection to the crime, including his asthmatic, law-abiding father, Giuseppe (Pete Postlethwaite). This group becomes known as the "Maguire Seven."

Despite glaring inconsistencies and the lack of physical evidence, the coerced confessions are enough to convict them. Gerry and his father are sentenced to life in prison.

The film's focus then shifts to their 15-year incarceration. The volatile Gerry and the devout, peaceful Giuseppe share a cell, their strained relationship evolving into a profound bond of love and shared resilience. Giuseppe works tirelessly from prison to prove their innocence, while Gerry struggles with despair. They even encounter the actual IRA bomber, who confesses to the crime, but the authorities refuse to reopen the case, burying the new evidence.

Giuseppe eventually dies in prison, which galvanizes Gerry. He begins working with a determined solicitor, Gareth Peirce (Emma Thompson). Peirce meticulously re-examines the case and, after a long fight, uncovers crucial files that the prosecution deliberately withheld from the defense—evidence that contained an alibi proving Gerry's innocence.

In a dramatic climax, the case is brought back to court, the police corruption is exposed, and the convictions of the Guildford Four are finally quashed. Gerry Conlon emerges from the courthouse a free man, vowing to clear his father's name.

This and previous episodes can be found everywhere you download your podcasts

Bonus content available at: patreon.com/ReelBritanniaPodcast

Follow us on Twitter @rbritanniapod

Thanks for listening

Scott and Steven