SQUARING THE CIRCLE (THE STORY OF HIPGNOSIS)****

Pity Gen Z for many things, but especially for never knowing the joys of vinyl - the waiting in line for new releases, the reverential first play, the endless mooning over the iconic cover art, interpreting and reinterpreting now iconic images.  Noel Gallagher sums it up best when he observes that his kid doesn't even know what cover art is, least of all why anyone would pay for it.  Thumbnail schnumbnail. But in the old days of prog rock when drum solos could last half an hour and record companies were allowing their stadium bands unprecedented freedom, the album cover was the art of the masses (again, aptly put by Noel).  And if album covers were art then Hipgnosis aka Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey "Po" Powell were the most influential artists of their time.  Almost every classic cover you know from Led Zip, the Floyd, 10CC, Peter Gabriel, and more besides were designed by this duo.  They seem to have fallen into the job by way of psychedelic drug-taking and happening to know Pink Floyd. It's the kind of weird whacky shit you can't make it: they amass their first lighting rig from Roman Polanski who was shooting REPULSION in the same apartment block. Drugs killed Bono and video killed Hipgnosis. There was a half-arsed attempt at becoming video artists but it broke up without record companies to under-write their (or specifically Storm's) excesses. But what a time they had.

Photographer and fiction feature director Anton Corbijn (CONTROL) tells this story in his trademark black and white, with only the album covers themselves in glorious colour.  The doc is centred around a candid and deeply moving interview with Po and old footage of the design studio members at their height. We also get context and insight from new interviews with members of Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Peter Gabriel. Their respect for the art of Hipgnosis is clear. And with this doc we all get to go behind the scenes of some of their most iconic album cover shoots and relive their glory. Splendid stuff.

SQUARING THE CIRCLE (THE STORY OF HIPGNOSIS) has a running time of 101 minutes. It played Telluride 2022 and Sundance 2023 and was released in UK cinemas and streaming platforms last weekend.

London Film Fest 2010 Day 7 - THE AMERICAN

THE AMERICAN is a deeply disappointing film from Anton Corbijn, director of the brilliantly photographed CONTROL. The visuals here are lacklustre, the acting so-so, the plot machinations weak and predictable, and the existential angst we are meant to be exploring taken from grade-school.

George Clooney plays a bespoke weapon-maker/assassin in hiding in a small Italian town. Because, of course, you'd never go into hiding in a large anonymous metropolis. Oh no! You'd go into hiding in a small town where your presence would be conspicuous. The Clooney character is asked to manufacture a weapon by a hot female assassin - mais oui! - and while doing so falls for a hooker with a heart of gold - naturellement! Meanwhile, he has a couple of conversations with a local priest that threaten to become a serious moral conversation but never do.

The resulting film is dull, quiet, ponderous, ludicrous and predictable. This movie doesn't become edgy or interesting just because Clooney allows himself to play a man who does some pretty cold-hearted stuff.  Especially when all that is undercut in the final scenes.  I honestly have no idea what this film is doing in this festival.

THE AMERICAN is on release in most markets. It opens on the 22nd October in Iceland and on 27th October in Belgium, France, Switzerland and Hungary. It opens on November 12th in Brazil and on November 25th in Portugal, Iceland and the UK. It opens in Australia on December 16th.

CONTROL left me wondering why Toby Kebbell and Samantha Morton aren't more famous than, say, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley

CONTROL is a bloody brilliant biopic of Ian Curtis. I'm assuming everyone who is thinking of seeing this is already a fan and doesn't need me to explain how iconic Curtis is and what a tragic story this is. Suffice to say that this adaptation does him no dis-service. It's based on the book by Curtis' wife Debbie and directed by Anton Corbijn - the Dutch photographer and video director. Corbijn completely understands how to capture the grime and the beauty of ordinary life, and does so in stunning black and white photography. He also understands how to photograph gigs and how to make an ordinary Northern lad, still working at the labour exchange, look like an idol once the stage lights go on. Another big directorial choice is to let the young cast recreate the songs rather than mime them. This might piss off purists but it helps the performances hang together. The casting is perfect. Samantha Morton gives another outstanding performance as Curtis' young loyal wife; Sam Riley is heart-breaking in the central role; Joe Anderson as Hooky portrays a diametrically opposed character to the dappy hippy of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, showing his range; and Toby Kebbell steals every scene he's in as Rob Gretton. The only slight problem I have with the movie is its decision to perpetuate the Tony-Wilson-signing-the-contract-in-his-own-blood myth. But the scene is so funny what can you do?! Seriously, folks, this movie demands your time and earns your respect. I would, however, love to hear how anyone who hadn't heard of Curtis reacted to the film.....

CONTROL played Cannes and Toronto 2007. It is currently on release in Belgium, France and the UK. It opens in the US and the Netherlands next week and in Greece, Australia, and Norway later in October. It opens in Germany on January 10th 2008.