The Company of Wolves (1984)
The sweetest tongue has the sharpest tooth...
Before we start on The Company of Wolves (1984)- a massive (and genuine) thank you to everyone who has signed up so far. I really appreciate it. We’ve hit 200 subscribers- in just under two months. My original idea was to write a single film recommendation every Friday morning- for paid subscribers. A feel-good factor for the weekend. But I’ve now added a second newsletter (published on Sunday mornings (if I can haul myself out of bed) for both ‘paid-for’ and free subscribers. Something for everybody. Paid subscribers also get access to the entire archive, which I’ve now re-organised decade-by-decade on the home page. And I’m eyeing up snazzy, megalomaniac microphones on Amazon (like something from 30s RKO) with the plan to add an audio-voice over as a bonus for paid subscribers. But more of that to come- once I’ve got my act together and practised me enunciation. And please do leave your suggestions for future films to cover in the comments… it’s very much part of the fun.
It’s Eighties Weekend on Luke Honey’s WEEKEND FLICKS. Cinema for Grown Ups. On Friday, we took a fresh look at The Long Good Friday (1980)- a terrific gangster film set in London’s docklands at a time of regeneration and change- a film which has more in common with The Company of Wolves than one might think. The Company of Wolves (1984), directed by Irish filmmaker Neil Jordan, is based on Angela Carter’s controversial short story from The Bloody Chamber, published in 1979; a reworking of Little Red Riding Hood, as imagined by Charles Perrault and the Brothers Grimm, a cautionary fairy tale dating from the late 17th century, although it’s origins- most probably- are far older. And it is, of course, the story of an adolescent girl’s sexual awakening- and all that comes with it. Which means lycanthropy. Werewolves. And All Things Lupine.
Fourteen-year-old Sarah Patterson stars as Rosaleen, an enchanting Little Red Riding Hood and, in real life, a pupil at South Hampstead High School for Girls, also attended by Helena Bonham Carter. I’m not sure if Sarah Patterson appeared in very much else, despite her subsequent cult following, although that simple sword-of-truth, Google, tells me she starred as Snow White in a 1987 production with Diana Rigg as the Evil Queen.
The Company of Wolves is an intensely visual film, set against a background of the present: a contemporary upper-middle-class family (David Warner and Tusse Silberg), an English country house (Regency white stucco) and a Volvo estate, for the lycanthropy/folklore stuff is all part of Rosaleen’s dream: handled beautifully in the film, the sense of drifting in and out of sleep; like a nightmare: her nursery toys (rocking horse and dolls) a nod to horror films past, her bitchy older sister’s floaty white nightdress like something from the Aesthetic Movement, a Whistler portrait perhaps, a staple of numerous horror films: Hammer’s The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973), starring Joanna Lumley; Guardian of the Abyss [1980] (one of the more successful Hammer House of Horror episodes) or Jacqueline Bisset in The Mephisto Waltz (1971)- one of my all-time favourite films in the horror genre, which we’ll be covering at a later date.
Considering the tight budget, the production values of The Company of Wolves are superb, its enchanted, leafy forest like an Arthur Rackham illustration. Slimy toads croak amongst twisted roots, and slithering snakes hiss. But despite the infamous 18th century wedding breakfast, the film has a rather Medieval fantasy vibe, all a bit Tolkien, when, perhaps, the Biedermeier look, (gingerbread houses, shutters, gypsies and chocolate soldiers)- the architecture of early-to-mid 19th century Central Europe- associated with the Brothers Grimm, or even Hans Christian Andersen, might have been more appropriate- but hey! It’s a minor consideration. Making an allowance for budget constraints, the set design is a significant achievement.
And Angela Lansbury makes the perfect granny, fussing over her knitting, spinning yarns over the dying embers of the fire, with sage advice for little girls: “Never stray from the path, never eat a windfall apple, and never trust a man whose eyebrows meet.” Good advice, that. Stray from the path, and the Big Bad Wolf will get you. Is it a coincidence that The Company of Wolves was made in the era of Mrs Thatcher’s Big Bang of 1986? Against the deregulation of the financial markets? With dog eat dog, the Wolf of Wall Street and the survival of the fittest? ‘Greed is Good’?
Anyway. Readers will be pleased to discover that no wolves- wolfs- were harmed in the making of this picture. Clever trainers, apparently, encouraged dyed Alsatians to jump through window panes, made, hopefully, from sugar glass. The werewolf transformations are something else, too, made at a time free from the curse of CGI, using a similar technique, I suspect, to the transformations in An American Werewolf in London (1981) - another lupine metamorphosis of note.
Wolfs of Wall Street aside, The Company of Wolves is a stylish Gothic fantasy, a film about female empowerment and sexual liberation- the End of Innocence. Women of the World, Embrace your Inner Wolf! It also happens- in my opinion- to be one of the most original films of the early 80s- truly a Golden Age of British Independent Cinema. Another gem to add to your viewing list. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, and above all, kiddywinks, remember what Granny taught you- don’t stray from the path or the Big Bad Wolf… well, you know what he will do.
“Little girls, this seems to say / Never stop upon your way / Never trust a stranger friend / No-one knows how it will end / As you're pretty, so be wise / Wolves may lurk in every guise / Now as then, 'tis simple truth / Sweetest tongue has sharpest tooth.”
The Company of Wolves (1984) is available to watch via Amazon Prime Video, on instant digital download. And there’s a tasty ‘Special Edition’ DVD, with desirable extras including a fascinating commentary from director, Neil Jordan.
You've just been reading a newsletter for both free and 'paid-for' subscribers. I hope you enjoyed it. A BIG thank you to all those of you who have signed up. Appreciated.
So, tune in for next weekend’s film recommendations. We may do the 1950s? We need to do the 1950s. In the meantime, have a relaxing and cinematic weekend…
Another classic Luke, haven't seen it in years. Superb frames you've chosen. Congrats in your climb in subscription 👏
Such an in depth behind the scenes look. How interesting and you've selected some beautiful stills from the movie.