Reel Britannia - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism.

Episode 181 - The Gorgon (1964)

" Don't use long words, Inspector; they don't suit you."

Get ready to have a monstrously good time with one of Hammer Film Productions’ most creative and atmospheric chillers, 1964’s The Gorgon! This isn't just any old creature feature; it’s a vibrant, gothic mystery that brings together the titans of terror, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, for a truly legendary showdown. Forget what you know about Medusa, because this film introduces a new snake-haired sister to the mix, and she’s ready for her close-up!

The fun kicks off in the spooky little German village of Vandorf around the turn of the 20th century. This town has a serious problem: its residents have a nasty habit of turning to stone. When a young artist is found petrified, his family refuses to accept the flimsy official story. His determined father and brother arrive to uncover the truth, but the locals, terrified of a legendary curse, are tighter-lipped than a statue. This creates a wonderfully suspenseful puzzle, with our heroes piecing together clues while the village doctor (the ever-brilliant Peter Cushing) seems to know more than he’s letting on.

The mystery deepens with the arrival of the dashing Professor Karl Meister, played with commanding authority by the one and only Christopher Lee. He storms into town, ready to challenge superstition with science and solve the stony situation once and for all. The scenes between Cushing and Lee are electric, a fantastic duel between two masters of the genre who bring gravitas and excitement to every line. They elevate the film from a simple monster movie into a compelling human drama set against a wonderfully spooky backdrop.

The film does a masterful job building the tension, giving you glimpses of slithering snakes and haunting reflections before the big reveal. When Megaera finally appears in her full, terrifying glory, it’s a fantastic piece of classic horror magic. Her ghostly presence, combined with the eerie wail that precedes her, makes for some of the most memorable scenes in Hammer's history. The special effects, which show victims slowly hardening into stone, are delightfully retro and add to the film's unique charm.

The Gorgon culminates in a thrilling and dramatic finale set in the ruins of Castle Borski. It's a fantastic climax filled with heroic sacrifice, shocking revelations, and a final, unforgettable confrontation with the creature. If you’re looking for a horror film that is less about jump scares and more about rich atmosphere, brilliant performances, and a truly unique monster, then The Gorgon is an absolute must-see. It’s a stylish, exciting, and wonderfully entertaining ride from start to finish!

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

Bonus content available at: patreon.com/ReelBritanniaPodcast

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Thanks for listening

Scott and Steven

Reel Britannia - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism

Episode 180 - A Kind Of Loving (1962)

"You know, it's a funny feeling. Sometimes I really fancy her, and the next day I can hardly stand the sight of her."

More kitchen sink drama this week as Scott and Steven step into the vibrant, bustling world of early 1960s Lancashire with "A Kind of Loving," a wonderfully spirited and heartfelt romance. The story centres on Vic Brown, a wisecracking and ambitious young draughtsman with dreams bigger than his industrial town. His world is instantly brightened when he sets his sights on the lovely and charming Ingrid Rothwell, a typist at the same company.

What follows is a delightful and utterly believable courtship, crackling with the electric energy of new love. Through trips to the pictures, countryside walks, and witty banter, a powerful attraction blossoms between the two. The film perfectly captures that exhilarating, head-over-heels feeling of a first romance, buzzing with the optimism of a new era. Vic's determined pursuit of Ingrid is full of charm, and their developing connection is a joy to watch unfold.

As their initial flirtation deepens into a more passionate and meaningful relationship, life throws the young couple an unexpected curveball. They are suddenly forced to confront adult responsibilities much sooner than planned, putting their affection to its first serious test.

Without giving anything away, the film poses a timeless question: can the intoxicating spark of initial attraction survive the very real pressures of commitment and family expectations? "A Kind of Loving" is an engaging and hopeful look at two young people navigating the complicated journey from infatuation to a more enduring love, all set against the rich and authentic backdrop of a changing Britain.

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

Bonus content at: patreon.com/ReelBritanniaPodcast

Follow us on Twitter @rbritanniapod

Thanks for listening

Scott and Steven

Reel Britannia - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism.

Episode 179 - North Sea Hijack (1980)

Forget your suave, tuxedo-clad spies. The hero of North Sea Hijack is Rufus Excalibur ffolkes, a man whose only true loves are his cats, a strong Scotch, and a perfectly executed bit of underwater sabotage. When a group of rather impolite terrorists, led by the chillingly polite Kramer, decide to hijack a massive oil rig and its supply vessel in the middle of the tempestuous North Sea, the British government is in a pickle.

The villains' demand is simple: a staggering £25 million, or they’ll send the pride of Britain's oil industry to the bottom of the ocean, creating an environmental and economic catastrophe. With the clock ticking and the North Sea winds howling, the Prime Minister and her advisors are running out of options. Who can possibly handle such a delicate, high-stakes situation?

Enter ffolkes. He’s a freelance counter-terrorism consultant with a magnificent moustache, a deep-seated dislike for all women, and a plan so audacious and meticulously bonkers it just might work. Leading a team of tough-as-nails commandos he calls "ffolkes's fusiliers," he boards a nearby ship to mastermind a counter-strike. What follows is a delicious cat-and-mouse game between a truly eccentric genius and a band of ruthless criminals. Will ffolkes's penchant for precision (and needlepoint!) be enough to outwit the villains before they send billions of dollars' worth of hardware to a watery grave? You’ll have to watch to see if this feline fanatic can pull it off.

"I like cats, and I don't like people who don't."

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

Reel Britannia - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism.

Episode 178 - Carry On Cruising (1962)

"During the War I did Arctic runs that would've made HMS Ulysses look like a trip to Brighton. Without getting a scratch! Two days on a simple cruise with you lot and look at me!"

The sixth installment in the beloved Carry On franchise, 1962's Carry On Cruising holds a special place in the series' history. Not only did it take the familiar brand of British seaside humour to the high seas, but it was also the very first Carry On film to be shot and presented in glorious Eastmancolor. This transition to a vibrant palette marked a significant step forward for the series, elevating its visual appeal and setting a new standard for the films that would follow. However, the production was not without its own undercurrents of drama, and the final product received a mixed reception from critics and audiences alike, cementing its status as a unique and much-debated entry in the Carry On canon.

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

Reel Britannia - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism

Episode 177 - This Is England (2006)

Set in a coastal English town during the summer of 1983, This Is England centres on Shaun, a lonely 12-year-old boy grieving the death of his father in the Falklands War. After a fight at school, Shaun is befriended by a group of older, good-natured skinheads led by the welcoming Woody. He quickly finds a sense of belonging and a surrogate family within their subculture of ska music, fashion, and camaraderie.

The group's joyful dynamic is shattered by the return of Combo, a charismatic but deeply troubled ex-convict with a volatile temper. Imbued with a nationalist, racist ideology from his time in prison, Combo attempts to steer the group towards far-right extremism. His intimidating presence causes a painful schism, forcing everyone to choose sides. While Woody and several others reject Combo’s hateful politics, the impressionable Shaun, swayed by Combo’s rhetoric about patriotism and pride, is drawn into his darker, more aggressive world. The film explores Shaun's loss of innocence as he navigates this dangerous new path, searching for a father figure amidst the social and political turmoil of Thatcher's Britain.

"Some people say we're racists.We're not racists. We're realists.Some people call us Nazis.We're not Nazis.No, what we are, we are nationalists and there's a reason people try to pigeonhole us like this.And that is because of one word, gentlemen.- Fear."

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

Bonus content available at:

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Thanks for listening

Scott and Steven

Reel Britannia - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism

Episode 176 - Hammer Britannia 020 - The Evil Of Frankenstein (1964)

In Hammer's "The Evil of Frankenstein" (1964), a destitute Baron Victor Frankenstein (Peter Cushing), with his assistant Hans, is forced to flee and returns to his ancestral chateau in Karlstaad. He finds his home looted by vengeful villagers and his original creation missing.

Guided by a deaf-mute girl, he discovers the Creature (Kiwi Kingston) perfectly preserved in a glacier. After thawing and reanimating its body, Frankenstein finds its mind is dormant. Desperate, he seeks help from Professor Zoltan, a traveling carnival hypnotist, hoping to reactivate the Creature's brain.

Zoltan succeeds but seizes control of the powerful being for his own greedy purposes. He commands the Creature to steal and murder, enacting revenge on the town officials who wronged him. The Creature's rampage spirals out of control, leading to Zoltan's death. In a drunken rage, the Creature accidentally sets Frankenstein’s laboratory ablaze. Refusing to abandon his creation, the Baron is trapped in the inferno, seemingly perishing alongside the monster in the fiery explosion that consumes the chateau.

"I realised long ago that the only way to prove my theories was to make something in my laboratory that actually lived. I never told you, Hans... I succeeded once."

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

Bonus content available at:

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Thanks for listening

Scott and Steven

In a Japanese POW camp during WWII, British Colonel Nicholson engages in a fierce battle of wills with the camp's commandant, Colonel Saito, over the construction of a railway bridge. Nicholson's rigid adherence to principle evolves into a dangerous obsession. He becomes determined to build a perfect bridge, not for his captors, but as a monument to British ingenuity and morale.

As the bridge nears completion, a symbol of his proud collaboration, an Allied commando team, including an escaped American POW, arrives to destroy it. The climax is a tragic, explosive collision of duty, pride, and the profound madness of war.

"We can teach these barbarians a lesson in Western methods and efficiency that will put them to shame. We'll show them what the British soldier is capable of doing."

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

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Scott and Steven

"The Killing of Sister George" (1968) doesn't just explore the gap between public image and private life—it shatters it. On the air, June "George" Buckridge is Sister George, a beloved BBC radio nurse. Off the air, she's a gin-soaked, cigar-chewing tyrant, trapping her younger, childlike partner, Alice "Childie" McNaught, in a toxic, abusive relationship.

When June's off-screen antics and declining ratings become a liability, rumors fly that the BBC plans to kill off her character. The seemingly prim executive, Mrs. Mercy Croft, is dispatched to handle the "situation," but her motives seem ambiguous. As the professional axe hangs over her head, June's paranoia and rage explode, tightening her cruel grip on the vulnerable Alice.

Mrs. Croft begins to insert herself into their chaotic home life under the guise of offering support, but her interest, particularly in Alice, seems to go beyond professional concern. As June fights to save her career, a more insidious power struggle emerges within her own four walls. The film builds towards a tense confrontation between the three women, where careers, relationships, and identities hang precariously in the balance.

"Appearing to be drunk happens to be one of the easier ways of getting out of some of life's most embarrassing situations."

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