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The camerawork is terrific, capturing vivid, sweat-beaded closeups while placing the music within this setting, complete with lighting rigs, microphones and a mesh of cables, and an audience that can't sit still. While the audio is crystal clear, the imagery has a refreshing 16mm grain. On the title track, Franklin's voice is so piercingly powerful that the choir behind her loses their cool. As they sway, shout and uncontrollably leap to their feet, Cleveland is reduced to sobbing tears. It's simply spine-tingling.

On the second night, her preacher father CL turns up with her mentor Ward to deliver a mini-sermon introduction, then stays around to mop his daughter's brow. Oddly, there isn't a credited director on the film. Elliott completed the project, and Jeff Buchanan provided the liquid, knowing editing. But it's Pollack's approach to composition and camerawork that captures Franklin so expertly. The result is part worship service and part recording session, a transcendent celebration of gospel music from the queen herself.

7.Apr.19

Intriguingly, the film includes no clips from Lynde's movies or TV series (there's one talk-show moment), using stills with the audio track to force viewers to use their imaginations. Squires continually plays with imagery and sound, which adds an intriguing slant to the entire movie. And the colourfully costumed professors, animators and psychologists who speak to-camera dig deeper into Lynde's life and career, exploring the complicated nature of both his public image and his private life. Alongside this, it's frustrating that the dramatised scenes are so oddly under-worked. They're also apocryphal, which may be the point.

Lynde was one of the most unusual stars in Hollywood history, obviously gay without being out. Still, he managed to be a leading man as an actor, a series of iconic melodramatic cartoon villains and a beloved game show pundit. Audiences adored his signature brand of racy innuendo, delivered with an infectiously giggling sneer that eliminated any real threat. So in the 60s and 70s, they were almost willing to accept his studio-manufactured image as a playboy with a never-ending stream of girlfriends.

The low-key but audacious nature of this documentary may put some Lynde fans off, simply because it seems to deepen rather than clarify the mystery about him. But there's plenty of gristle in the relatively brief running time. Squires' intriguing central question is where the character ends and the actor begins, although this isn't specifically addressed in a way that connects with the viewer. So while it's thoughtful and occasionally insightful, the film ends up telling us more about society than about Lynde.

themes

16.Apr.19

Directors Parkinson and da Costa create a driving narrative with a big mystery in the centre: what has happened to Chris? The filmmakers deliberately hold this back until later, when they fill in the details in a way that's powerfully emotional but never manipulative. Each person who recounts an angle to the story includes his or her intense feelings every step of the way, which gives the audience plenty to grab hold of as the tension rises.

The film has a remarkable sense of perspective, showing these men through their own eyes as they head off for 28 days living in tiny quarters that are like an underwater space station. They clearly get a thrill from their work, and their intrepid attitude is infectious. But there's also a sense that they are carefully wording their interviews to avoid giving away the ending (even if it seems obvious). So when the final details of the event fall into place, it feels almost anticlimactic. Still, it's an amazing story skilfully told. And it does get our minds spinning.

themes, language

11.Mar.19