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Xmas Special ...
From the little English village you’ll never leave comes a tale of macabre yuletide musings from some of its most eccentric residents. Yes, Royston Vasey is about to have a Christmas to remember. In The League of Gentlemen’s festive special, their vision of a white despondent working class, living life in a timeless northern fantasyland, is given a vitality beyond the accomplished, and frankly genius, television series. Through superbly plotted segments anchored by Reverend Bernice, writers Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton, Reece Shearsmith, and Jeremy Dyson are able to seek new, darker depths for their idiosyncratic creations. Centred on the ambiguous lives of Charlie and Stella, Herr Lipp, Dr. Chinnery, and the Reverend herself, the Gents enable their viewers to be immersed in the more direct approach of the Christmas special, whilst investigating, with a sense of morbid curiosity, just why their lives are so shit.
It’s Christmas Eve in Royston Vasey and Reverend Bernice (Shearsmith) is about to be visited by some unexpected guests. It isn’t surprising when Charlie Hull (Pemberton) turns up to complain about his wife Stella, what is strange however is his new penchant for line-dancing and a dream about Stella trying to ruin him through a voodoo sect. The Reverend thinks he should lay off the cheese before bedtime but Charlie isn’t so sure his wife isn’t meddling with things she doesn’t quite understand.
It isn’t long before a quivering old man seeks shelter in the church, telling the Reverend a chilling tale from his past. He takes us back to Germany in 1975 when a young English student lodged with a family going by the name of Lipp. Of course, Herr Lipp is a man known in Royston Vasey but his history is shrouded in mystery, yet this aged gentleman seems to believe the man from Duisburg might actually be a vampire living a secret life. Suffice to say, things do go bump in the night. Finally, a bloody Dr. Chinnery finds solace with the Reverend after another failed animal operation, claiming that his family is forever damned after his great-grandfather touched the wrong monkey’s testicles, inadvertently taking on the diabolical curse of Karrit Poor.
The League Of Gentlemen have always enjoyed parodying their favourite films, especially within gothic horror, and the Christmas special sticks religiously to that formula taking on the structure of a portmanteau Amicus anthology with its all-knowing narrator and dark social context. Yet they don’t just lay homage to the great British horror studio. Through the polished sub-plots and archaic styling they also send a sly wink to Amicus’ rivals Hammer. There’s a certain charm about the writers having free-reign to explore their dark side through the horror films that have inspired them. The obvious attention to detail and their glowing confidence in the material lessens the sense of pastiche through the basics of good storytelling and genuinely funny comedy. However, it isn’t the comedy that really sets this brilliant BBC hour-long special apart. Here, The League has created something that is not just bitingly satirical and crudely hilarious, but a film that is undoubtedly as frightening as the movies it is inspired by. The climatic twist is undeniably troubling with its undercurrent of family devastation and test of faith, but above all, it’s a great shock to the system that rivals anything from Father Merrin’s arrival in The Exorcist to Micheal Myers’ hollow voyeurism, staring at a dead body butchered to the wall in Halloween.
Certainly, the Christmas Special takes to its filmic roots more so than the first two series of the television show. Acting as a good bridge to the narrative driven and character focused third series, the special also drops the canned laughter in order to provide a more cinematic tone. Director Steve Bendelack seems at ease with his roaming camera, clearly enjoying the constraints of television direction having being lifted. His opening title sequence is simple genius in itself. Harking back to Bob Clark’s point-of-view photography in Black Christmas, Bendelack plays on a killer irony involving moving a snowman’s nose to make a penis and pissing into the snow.
Yet it’s the dark, creative lease of life the writers have been able to instil in their iconic comedy creation that makes the Christmas edition so ‘special’. The television series was built on the bleak and despairing lives of the inhabitants of Royston Vasey – like a cauldron of all things Yorkshire spat out with the hurt and the hate of its people exemplified. At its roots it was social commentary so real, only its magnification set it apart from actuality. Here, the League is able to break down the boundaries of the insular town and explore more adventurous avenues. In a sense, this episode is less bleakly critical of its social context allowing for some element of respite given the forgiving time of year, and in doing so draws more from the gothic undercurrent of Vampire mythology and the occult. Yet this creative license is still so superbly judged in that it draws on the very frightening reality of a despondent social grouping going mad. Perhaps what we see is actually the despair and unforgiving outlook our residents of Royston Vasey have come accustomed to, manifest itself into a fantasy of the macabre that draws on humanities deepest concerns. Simply put, the League of Gentlemen have welcomed us to a world that is intent on destroying itself.
Of course, the Christmas edition wouldn’t work at all if it wasn’t funny. Set amongst its terrifyingly astute satire and brilliant horror conventions is a dry humour brimming with sarcasm. Charlie and Stella’s ongoing marital war has never been as funny as when he tells her he’s entering a line-dancing competition to which she replies, with all-knowing acknowledgment of his libido, that it will be the first thing he’s entered all year. There’s also Charlie’s Christmas decorations for the church, where the Reverend comments ‘what’s that the third king’s holding’ to which Charlie replies in a Yorkshire twang ‘Tweed…by Lentheric. Stella flushed the Myrrh down the lav!’ And in keeping with the television series’ opening credit sequence, here we see Bendeleck’s camera close in on a sign outside the church proclaiming: ‘God is Dead’. Herr Lipp’s homosexual innuendo is layered on thick and fast from the subtle ‘let me hold your sack’ to the obvious ‘Come in my…face full!’ And yet the League have been able to create some wonderful physical jokes, especially the fleeting introduction of Shearsmith’s Dr. Singleton Boothby who rides round on a tricycle like some mad hatter on acid.
THE DVD
The picture is presented on the DVD as it was originally intended for television, framed at approximately 16:9. It is also anamorphic enhanced. The image looks superb throughout, obviously benefiting from the high quality digital tape used to photograph the programme, with no noticeable problems. Some element of grain can be seen but this is part of the post-production process used to give the programme a film ‘look’, and in darker scenes there are some digital artefacts but these are minimal and don’t take anything away from the overall viewing experience.
Joby Talbot’s brilliant score is the understated gem of the Christmas special, made up of yuletide carols that have been mutated with Hammer horror grandiose. It creates a superb aural backdrop for the film’s proceedings and in the DVD’s Dolby Digital 5.1 track it has never sounded so good. The score fills the speakers making good use of the surrounds and sub-woofer, whilst dialogue is nicely separated across the front speakers providing the film with an enveloping environment not seen when originally broadcast.
Not many DVDs can compete with the BBC’s collection of Red Dwarf releases but their effort and desire to produce quality and quantity is not lost even with this single episode release of the The League Of Gentlemen. On this Christmas special DVD we find a veritable goldmine of little treats waiting to be found including, for instance, a trailer for the programme that was originally exhibited before the Gents had an interview with the National Film Theatre. There’s also a superb special-effects section that shows how the filmmakers were able to achieve the look of the film through the use of digital editing technology.
The main feature however is another excellent commentary from the writers and performers (Reece Shearsmith, Steve Pemberton, Mark Gatiss, Jeremy Dyson) who discuss the making of the film with all the enthusiasm shown in their previous and subsequent commentary tracks. They especially draw on their influences and point out their homage to certain films and characters. They even allow themselves time to comment that this may well be their best ever work, which I’d tend to agree with, the great thing being they never come across as pretentious. It’s also interesting to learn why certain characters were chosen and how the storylines were formed.
The main video feature complements the commentary perfectly entitled Tales From Behind the Crypt. It’s set-up is a kind of mockumentary detailing the history of Amicus, portmanteau, and all things genuinely frightening with tongue firmly in cheek. Mixed within the footage of a presenter speaking to camera is a casual interview with all four writers discussing their influences. There is some element of crossover between this and the commentary but the 21 minute segment looks at their influences from a more general basis and is a fulfilling viewing experience. The only drawback is that it is quite amateurishly edited and filmed but the main points are still evident and interesting.
Jackanory: The Curse of Karrit Poor sees Mark Gatiss take on the character of a storyteller, recalling the tale of the curse of Karrit Poor. This is basically Gatiss reading from the Gents book A Local Book for Local People and thus doesn’t entice the viewer with any visual flare, but it is very funny and given the right frame of mind, this is an enjoyable listen. Another feature on the disc that demands the ear rather than the eye is The League Of Gentlemen in Conversation which was originally a 30 minute interview for Radio 4, seen here in its full unedited version lasting upwards of 1 hour. Again it demands some patience but it is a welcome addition to the DVD as we get to listen to how their careers have blossomed with many anecdotes and some very funny moments. Interview with Joby Talbot is another informal chat, this time with the composer who discusses his work on the Christmas special. The fact it’s basically unedited raw footage makes it quite a daunting task to watch but there’s plenty of interesting stuff to be found here.
Other special features on the DVD are four extended scenes, some amusing outtakes, picture gallery, and a section of tongue in cheek character biographies including ‘what is your favourite Christmas ghost story’ and ‘favourite Christmas tipple’.
OVERALL
Many, including the writers themselves, think this is The League of Gentlemen’s best work and I’m not one to disagree. The writing, direction and acting is spot on, showcasing this talented bunch of Gents at their most inventive, original and funny. The DVD is fantastic, sporting superb picture and sound, and some quality additional features that include an excellent commentary and documentary. |
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