No Subject

[Neil Calton <nbc@vd.rl.ac.uk>]

I saw 'Castaway' at the weekend and can confirm IED's information about
Kate's contribution. She sings the song 'Be kind to my mistakes' over the
opening credits to the film - so don't be late if you go to see it. The title
refers to the last words Gerald Kingsland says to Lucy Irvine in the film.
Owing to the fact that people were still groping towards their seats, rustling
sweet papers etc. I was unable to pick up much of the lyrical content of the
song. However, on this one cursory hearing the rhythm and vocal style of the
song reminded me of 'Experiment IV' suggesting Kate was maybe working on both
pieces around the same time.  Still, what I heard I liked.

Incidently, Monthly Film Bulletin (which provides details of all
films releases in G.B.) for January 87 makes no mention of the song
amongst the musical credits. Whether this indicates a serious omission on
the part of MFB or whether the song was a late addition to the movie, I don't
know. (Any ideas Doug, IED ?).

The film itself is probably the least interesting of Roeg's work. While it
is always pretty to look at - both the island and Ms Donahoe are extremely
photogenic - the film lacks the sense of mystery usually present in Roeg's
movies. Perhaps this is inevitable given that the story is so familiar by
now. There are a few touches of Roeg magic but the psychological drama 
never develops enough to make you actually care about the characters. While
the film just manages to avoid becoming boring it rarely rises above being
a slightly superior drama/documentary.