Movie review - "Expresso Bongo" (1959) ***

Another interesting Val Guest movie, whose reputation should be stronger than it is in film studies (although it is growing, helped by the fact he lived so long) - full of typical energy and atmosphere, with plenty of humour. He doesn't quite help escape the stage origins (this was a feature of Yesterday's Enemy as well) - people stand around talking as if they're in a musical, the scenes sometimes feel like "book" scenes, there are conscious "numbers". But there's still much to admire.

I was particularly struck by the sexiness of this - everyone is clearly having pre-marital sex, whether it's Laurence Harvey and his stripper girlfriend (Sylvia Syms!), or Cliff Richard and Yolande Donlan; Syms and her strippers wear revealing outfits (only something over their nipples). It's also mercenary and quite cold - Harvey rips off Richard by demanding 50% of income, Donlan helps Richard but only so she can sleep with him and use him for her career, Richard dumps Donlan for his career. The nicest person is Syms but even she wants Harvey to promote her singing career.

Richard isn't bad - he starts off awkward but gets better, especially in his scenes with Donlan. His performance feels very Elvis orientated - there's some snarls, hip swivelling and even talking. Come to think of it, the story isn't unlike many plots of early Elvis films - discovery in an out of a way place, a rise to fame, romance with an elder woman, an older manager who is influential (only here these forces are more benign). He is surrounded by solid support: Donlan, Meier Tzelniker, etc. Harvey is vivacious, probably understood the character of a shonk very well, and tries out a wacky Jewish South African-ish accent. It's a shame it isn't in colour but the black and white does help with the dingy, sweaty Soho atmosphere with its coffee shops and back alleys.