Short Sharp Shocks Vol 2
AS PART of their ongoing Flipside imprint, an admirable series that has dusted off releases from some of British cinema's darkest and oddest corners, last year the BFI delivered Short Sharp Shocks, a nifty two-disc Blu-ray collection of rarely seen and largely unloved short films.
That offbeat selection of weird and, mostly, wonderful shorts stretching back to the late 1940s proved popular enough to spawn a sequel: the good news is that Vol 2 also delivers the goods with a fascinating selection of cinematic curios.
As with Vol 1, the films chosen here take in a whole range of cinematic styles and date from a variety of decades. Some of the entries push the boundaries of what constitutes a 'short' film, with a couple of offerings clocking in at close to the hour mark, while others rattle by in just a few minutes, leaving an odd after-taste all the same.
Screaming Lord Sutch, he of 1960's horror rock and later Monster Raving Loony Party fame, provides one such brief but unforgettable experience with his garish and gruesome three minute film Jack The Ripper.
Made to promote a 1963 single, this full colour 35mm exercise in Hammer spoofery was meant to be seen on a system called Cinebox that hoped to show pop promos in pubs. Predating MTV by decades, the format failed to take off at the time and the clip was left to languish in obscurity ever since.
It's tasteless for sure, but a revealing little snapshot into a lost world all the same. Sutch comes over as a kind of Mighty Boosh creation, mugging feverishly for the camera in his top hat like some kind of sideshow huckster with attention deficit disorder.
Just as fascinating is the sight of urbane Dad's Army stalwart John Le Mesurier coming over all nasty and evil as a psychopath on the loose in director John Gilling's debut feature Escape From Broadmoor (1948) and the great Leonard Pearce (Grandad from Only Fools And Horses) playing a right wing maniac who orchestrates a bombing outrage in the hope that it will re-introduce capital punishment to Britain in Face Of Darkness (1976).
Both those selections represent the longer form of the short film here, but both are worth sticking with despite their obvious budgetary restraints.
Just as good are Robert Beirman's similarly bleak The Dumb Waiter (1979), an edgy tale of a woman (Geraldine James) stalked in her home, and an unsettling story about a lesbian vampire titled Mark Of Lilith (1986) which feels like an art school project but is entertaining none the less.
Alongside such dark and delicious delights are some strange little public information films warning about misbehaviour on building sites and public roads and a couple of odd Quiz Crime films from the early 40s that allow the audience to work out crimes that have been baffling Scotland Yard.
With copious extras added, Short Sharp Shocks Volume 2 is pure cult heaven.
