CANNES -- As evidenced by British director Ken Loach's ''Riff-Raff,'' a Directors' Fortnight entry, there really is a severe language barrier between Everyman's English and American-English, and a good deal of the lingo-accented fun in Ken Loach's baroque comedy is sure to escape the ears of a United States audience. There is, however, enough visual and dramatic fun, along with some more serious touches, in Bill Jesse's story and in Loa
Stevie goes to London to try his luck among the title's mixed bunch laborers on a building site. This time around, Loach (''Kes, '' ''Family Life, '' ''Hidden Agenda'') has left his trademark socio-political sermonizing aside in favor just being loyal to his characters. They come from everywhere in the United Kingdom and from the old Empire and have but this in common that they feel justified in defying the law and the authorities wherever and whenever they can get away with it.
''Riff-Raff'' also has a love story going between Stevie and Susan from Belfast. Susan wants to become a singer but drifts into drug abuse instead. Further tragedy is introduced when one of the laborers falls to his death. The employers are blamed for not having taken the proper security measures and their property is burned down.
All acting is by amateurs (Loach insisted that they all had actual experience as common laborers behind them), but Robert Carlyle as Stevie, Emer McCourt as Susan as well as Jimmy Coleman, Ricky Tomlinson and George Moss plus the rest of the cast all manage to come on as true-to-life, both when funny and when sad.
Barry Ackroyd's camera moves with rhythm and grace, but the 16mm cinematography becomes blurred at times. Still, even that somehow adds to the authenticity of the film's style and subject matter. Stewart Copeland has provided music with a gutsy jazz feeling that makes up for some of the linguistic points that are drowned out in less-than-expert sound recording.
Riff-Raff
(England)
Parallax Pictures (London) for Channel Four
Producer Sally Hibbin
Director Ken Loach
Screenwriter Bill Jesse
Cinematography Barry Ackroyd
Editor Jonathan Morris
Production designer Jonathan Lee
Color
Starring: Robert Carlyle, Emer McCourt, Jimmy Coleman, George Moss, Ricky Tomlinson, David Finch, Richard Belgrave
Running time -- 84 minutes
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
Stevie goes to London to try his luck among the title's mixed bunch laborers on a building site. This time around, Loach (''Kes, '' ''Family Life, '' ''Hidden Agenda'') has left his trademark socio-political sermonizing aside in favor just being loyal to his characters. They come from everywhere in the United Kingdom and from the old Empire and have but this in common that they feel justified in defying the law and the authorities wherever and whenever they can get away with it.
''Riff-Raff'' also has a love story going between Stevie and Susan from Belfast. Susan wants to become a singer but drifts into drug abuse instead. Further tragedy is introduced when one of the laborers falls to his death. The employers are blamed for not having taken the proper security measures and their property is burned down.
All acting is by amateurs (Loach insisted that they all had actual experience as common laborers behind them), but Robert Carlyle as Stevie, Emer McCourt as Susan as well as Jimmy Coleman, Ricky Tomlinson and George Moss plus the rest of the cast all manage to come on as true-to-life, both when funny and when sad.
Barry Ackroyd's camera moves with rhythm and grace, but the 16mm cinematography becomes blurred at times. Still, even that somehow adds to the authenticity of the film's style and subject matter. Stewart Copeland has provided music with a gutsy jazz feeling that makes up for some of the linguistic points that are drowned out in less-than-expert sound recording.
Riff-Raff
(England)
Parallax Pictures (London) for Channel Four
Producer Sally Hibbin
Director Ken Loach
Screenwriter Bill Jesse
Cinematography Barry Ackroyd
Editor Jonathan Morris
Production designer Jonathan Lee
Color
Starring: Robert Carlyle, Emer McCourt, Jimmy Coleman, George Moss, Ricky Tomlinson, David Finch, Richard Belgrave
Running time -- 84 minutes
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
- 5/21/1991
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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