This week Chris Deacy is joined in the studio by Kate Griffiths to discuss the films; The Gentlemen, Boiling Point, Witch, and Poor Things.
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00:00 (dramatic music)
00:02 - Hello and welcome to Kent Film Club.
00:15 I'm Chris DC and each week I'll be joined
00:17 by a guest from Kent to dive deep into the impact
00:21 certain films have had on their life.
00:23 Each guest will reflect on the films
00:25 which have meant the most to them over the years.
00:28 And every week there will be a Kent Film Trivia
00:30 where we quiz you at home about a film
00:32 that has a connection to the county.
00:35 And now let me introduce you to my guest for this week.
00:38 She has been working as a special effects
00:40 and makeup artist working in film, TV, theatre
00:43 and immersive events for 20 years.
00:46 As well as delivering special effects workshops
00:48 to schools, colleges and youth providers all over the UK.
00:53 She is Kate Griffiths.
00:55 - Hi.
00:55 - Great to have you on the programme, Kate.
00:56 - Thank you.
00:57 - And the first film is The Gentleman.
01:01 Which to be honest we were,
01:03 happened to be randomly talking about.
01:05 - We were.
01:05 - Before we went on air.
01:06 - We were, yeah.
01:07 - And I love this.
01:09 I'll just say because you've got Hugh Grant
01:12 who is in a Guy Ritchie film.
01:14 Whereas at the end of the 90s people were like,
01:17 do you like Notting Hill or do you like Lock, Stock
01:20 and Two Smoking Barrels?
01:21 Why have you gone for The Gentleman?
01:22 - Yeah, he's the choice really.
01:24 Apart from it being a Guy Ritchie film,
01:25 I absolutely adore Guy Ritchie films.
01:27 But Hugh Grant just made this film
01:31 for being the opposite of his general character.
01:34 He's usually so typecast, I know he's changing that.
01:37 But he just absolutely won it on this film.
01:41 Sort of sleazy, cockney, I think he's a PI.
01:46 Absolutely brilliant.
01:48 He was so clever in it.
01:50 And I think that's what made the film for me.
01:54 Yeah, his character.
01:57 - Because of course, a few years,
01:58 because he took a bit of a hiatus from acting
02:00 and of course was pursuing the journalists.
02:03 I'll be careful what I say.
02:05 But in all of this, it's interesting
02:07 that he's then playing one of those very characters,
02:08 quite a sleazy character.
02:10 That he actually was pursuing in real life.
02:13 - And maybe that's the reason.
02:14 Maybe that's what Guy Ritchie was thinking.
02:16 There's some scenes he's there
02:19 with his massive telephoto lens.
02:20 But I thought his part was so well written.
02:25 I don't know how much input he had into it.
02:28 I know I was reading a bit about his learning the accent
02:31 and you can get it really wrong.
02:34 But he nailed it in this.
02:36 And he is so sleazy.
02:38 His name is Fletcher.
02:41 And it's just that, all the little sort of one-liners
02:45 and the put-downs.
02:47 Basically, if people haven't seen the movie,
02:50 he's blackmailing for the big story.
02:53 It's brilliant, absolutely brilliant.
02:56 - Because when you sort of grew up,
02:57 as I did with Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill,
03:01 there was a sense that Hugh Grant
03:02 represented a certain type of Englishness.
03:05 - Yeah, he did.
03:05 - And in a way, it was always thought
03:07 that he always plays the same kind of roles.
03:09 And then along came The Gentleman.
03:11 Now I saw this, it wasn't too long actually,
03:12 before lockdown.
03:14 - Yes, I think it was either filmed or released in 2019.
03:20 I think it was one of my lockdown movies.
03:22 - It was my New Year's Day film in 2020.
03:24 - Oh, okay, yeah, there we go, just before.
03:26 So yeah.
03:27 But so different, in some ways,
03:32 so different to some of the Ritchie movies,
03:34 but in other ways, classic bits in it.
03:38 You know, like the writing on screen.
03:40 And there's a little bit in this,
03:44 Colin Farrell, absolutely brilliant,
03:45 again in his character.
03:48 This Irish guy in a gym
03:50 and he's all in sort of Burberry tracksuits
03:52 with all his little gang.
03:55 And they make a little film within the film
03:57 for their social media YouTube channel.
04:00 It's just brilliant.
04:02 Some of the things in it are so Guy Ritchie.
04:06 - And when I was watching this,
04:08 what it really felt like
04:09 is that everybody involved in this project,
04:11 it was almost this very sort of cathartic film
04:13 that they were able to sort of make a creative piece
04:17 out of something that actually was clearly impacting
04:22 on the real lives of the characters here.
04:23 So that whole intersection of art and life,
04:26 I think really sort of was focused in "The Gentleman".
04:30 - Yeah, and of course it went on to be a big series.
04:35 So again, same title, but slightly different story
04:38 in that the film concentrates,
04:41 it's all about the marijuana farming.
04:44 But yeah, it's mirroring today really what's happening
04:48 and this interest in, especially in the series
04:52 where they focus on one cannabis farm
04:55 rather than these big ones all set in these stately homes.
04:59 So you've got lots of different types of characters.
05:01 You've got this sort of aristocracy
05:03 and then the street people, the gym people.
05:06 And again, the kids on the street in this film
05:10 are absolutely brilliant.
05:11 You've got some rapping going on there
05:13 and again, the music is always brilliant, isn't it,
05:17 in a Ritchie film?
05:17 - It is, and of course Guy Ritchie also did a Disney film
05:21 because he directed "Aladdin" with Will Smith a few years ago
05:25 and again, that felt unusual or surprising,
05:29 but it also worked.
05:30 And I kind of feel that maybe that's how Guy Ritchie operates
05:34 that he sort of works against type.
05:35 We associate him with gangster films,
05:37 but there's clearly something else,
05:39 something more poignant even going on.
05:42 - Yeah, I've not seen that one.
05:44 Seen all the others and I know he's writing another one.
05:47 Can't remember the title,
05:49 but I'll be interested again to see that
05:51 because he has similar themes
05:53 running through things, doesn't he?
05:56 And similar cast and characters,
05:59 but he said his mind, he's just got just such a huge amount
06:03 of writing material and content in his head.
06:06 So it'd be interesting to see his next one.
06:08 - Absolutely, well, fantastic choice.
06:09 Well, it's time now to move on to your second chosen film
06:14 and you've gone for "Boiling Point."
06:17 - Yeah, do you know this one?
06:18 - Is this the one with Wesley Snipes?
06:20 Well, you tell me.
06:24 - For me, it's all about Stephen Graham,
06:26 set in a kitchen, but the main reason I chose this film,
06:32 not so much the storyline,
06:33 although that's good, is the filming.
06:36 It was a one take.
06:37 Now I've done a one take scene.
06:40 Imagine doing a one take film.
06:42 It was 92 minutes and they used real kitchen and restaurant
06:46 and they filmed it four times only.
06:48 They did, Stephen Graham always said,
06:51 "It will be the third take that we'll use,"
06:53 and he was right.
06:54 So they did two run throughs.
06:55 And again, this was another film that was just literally,
06:58 I think we went into lockdown the day they finished.
07:00 He did two takes running through
07:03 and then they did the third and they all said that was it.
07:06 And then Philip Barantini, he said,
07:09 "Let's just do one more,"
07:11 'cause they only had one day left
07:12 before the lockdowns were happening.
07:14 And they did a fourth take,
07:16 but no, they went with the third.
07:18 But imagine the stress of filming an entire film in one take.
07:23 I just can't even begin to go there for me.
07:29 - Yeah, and were you aware of that before you watched it?
07:32 I mean, was sort of part of the thrill of watching this?
07:34 - No, it just came up, I think, on my Netflix or something.
07:39 And I just thought, "Oh, that looks really interesting."
07:42 And as they were filming, I was,
07:43 'cause there's a lot of it's handheld
07:45 and you're not aware of any cuts.
07:49 And maybe if you're not working in film,
07:52 you wouldn't be thinking of that.
07:54 But I always see films from the other side of the camera.
07:56 And I was like, I've got,
08:00 and I stopped it and checked it and it was one take.
08:03 Just absolutely mind blowing.
08:05 So it's set in the kitchen with all these sort of scenarios
08:09 going on with each individual character.
08:11 So like the front of house, the chef, the waiting staff,
08:16 people forgetting ingredients, an allergy,
08:20 all things that happen.
08:21 And then there's some social media people come in
08:23 and they want their sort of what's not on the menu.
08:26 It's brilliant, absolutely brilliant.
08:28 - And do you know if, because it was all done in one take,
08:31 do you know if they managed to sort of complete it
08:34 in one take or whether there had been previous attempts
08:37 to try and get this to work?
08:38 'Cause it sounds like it was a film
08:39 that had to have been so richly storyboarded.
08:41 - Yeah, so I checked that out.
08:43 It was actually a short before.
08:45 So they, in fact, this is the only film I can find
08:49 that's been a short, a feature and a TV series.
08:53 So they went on to do the TV series
08:55 because after the feature,
08:56 they decided that there were so many characters
08:59 within the film that needed their backstory and things.
09:02 So that was interesting.
09:04 But I guess from the short,
09:06 and also Philip Barantini worked in a kitchen.
09:10 So his, a lot of the story came from that.
09:13 So you see all that going on.
09:15 So I imagine the storyboard,
09:18 everything must have been so on point
09:20 because if you're filming an ordinary film,
09:22 you can do a take and think that doesn't work,
09:24 go away for a day or two and maybe rewrite.
09:26 I've been on films where we've rewritten scenes
09:29 because it didn't work on set or whatever,
09:31 but this had to work, didn't it?
09:33 - So when you saw this film,
09:36 did you then find that there was anything
09:38 from what you do with all the special effects work?
09:41 Did you sort of watch this and just sort of think,
09:43 you know, amazing,
09:44 but this is just something completely outside of the orb,
09:46 what you're used to watching?
09:47 - Yeah, it was because I had, like I said,
09:49 I've done one scene that was a one take
09:53 and that was hard enough.
09:55 That was literally again, a handheld
09:57 and it was several setups within that moment
10:02 and it was only a short scene,
10:03 but obviously each actor has to be,
10:08 so they've already started acting
10:10 'cause they're not waiting for an action.
10:13 They've had to, everybody starts at the same time
10:16 and your little bit is ongoing.
10:19 So yeah, I don't have that bit
10:21 that once they've started, that's fine.
10:25 But I imagine in this, it must've been so different
10:28 because there was all the food prep,
10:29 there was the waiting.
10:31 I guess they were all doing their roles off cam,
10:34 you know, when the camera wasn't on them,
10:36 it was just like being in a kitchen
10:38 and you really picked that up from the film.
10:41 It was literally like being in a kitchen.
10:45 - And have you watched this on subsequent occasions?
10:47 You mentioned, for example,
10:48 that it was a short as well and, you know, a TV series.
10:51 So have you watched this in multiple formats?
10:52 - No, I've only seen the feature.
10:54 I haven't seen the series.
10:56 I think there were four,
10:57 so they focused on four characters.
10:59 So I've not seen that.
11:00 It'd be interesting to see where that goes.
11:03 And I'm not giving anything away
11:07 because it's a series anyway,
11:08 but you think that,
11:11 I can't remember Stephen Graham's character name,
11:13 but he has a heart attack at the very end.
11:16 So you're left wondering, did he die?
11:20 But he didn't 'cause he's in the TV series.
11:23 - You can tell me off camera.
11:24 - Sorry if you haven't seen it.
11:25 - All right, well, that's about all the time we have
11:26 for this first half of the show.
11:28 However, before we go to the break,
11:29 we have a Kent film trivia question for you at home.
11:33 Which film is the basis of a multi-part series
11:37 that used multiple filming locations across Kent?
11:41 Is it A, "The Gentleman," B, "Johnny English,"
11:45 or C, "Christopher Robin?"
11:48 We'll reveal the answer right after this break.
11:50 Don't go away.
11:51 (dramatic music)
11:54 Hello and welcome back to Kent Film Club.
12:09 Just before the ad break,
12:10 we asked you at home a Kent film trivia question.
12:13 Which film is the basis of a multi-part series
12:16 that used multiple filming locations across Kent?
12:19 Is it A, "The Gentleman," B, "Johnny English,"
12:22 or C, "Christopher Robin?"
12:24 And now I can reveal to you that the answer was in fact,
12:27 A, "The Gentleman."
12:29 Guy Ritchie's "The Gentleman" filmed across Kent
12:31 at Dettling Diner, Maidstone, and the Ashford Cattle Market.
12:36 Did you get the answer right?
12:38 Well, it is time now, Kate,
12:39 to move on to your next chosen film,
12:42 and you've gone for "Witch."
12:46 - Yeah, so I doubt whether you've seen this.
12:51 It's literally just been released this month.
12:53 So it's on UK and US streaming platforms.
12:58 So this is one of the features that I've done.
13:02 I've done about 15 features.
13:04 And we filmed this during lockdown,
13:08 and we filmed over in Hungary, in Budapest.
13:10 It follows the story.
13:12 So it's a medieval folk fantasy.
13:14 Most of my films are usually in 18, 'cause I do horror,
13:18 but this one's actually a 12, got a much wider audience.
13:21 And yeah, we filmed this over in Budapest,
13:23 and it follows the story of Twyla,
13:26 who is, she's married to William,
13:28 and she's accused of being a witch.
13:30 So it's her journey of trying to prove her innocence
13:35 against the priest and Marshall, who's out to get her.
13:39 - Is that something that you do a lot?
13:40 So traveling overseas, going to different locations
13:42 for the work that you do?
13:44 - Yeah, I have done.
13:45 Yeah, I've done a few.
13:46 I always seem to be filming over in those cold countries.
13:49 But Budapest was lovely.
13:52 However, it was end of October,
13:53 and 'cause it's the type of film,
13:56 most of it was filmed at night.
13:57 So long, cold nights on a very, very eerie film set.
14:02 So we actually used the set of "The Witcher."
14:08 So it's a beautiful, it's an incredible set.
14:11 So it's a medieval town.
14:13 And it's all the fronts of the building.
14:15 Some are, you can go into and film inside.
14:18 But it's just incredible how these sets are made.
14:23 And it's huge.
14:25 So we were based at sort of one end, near the car park.
14:29 And then obviously, some nights,
14:30 we were filming right down on the other end.
14:32 And so, you know, when you're needed,
14:35 you're to and fro across this medieval city.
14:38 And it literally, there are cobbles, creaking doorways,
14:42 dark alleyway, it's brilliant.
14:44 It was really amazing.
14:46 - And when you watched this,
14:48 'cause I assume that you have watched it.
14:49 - Yes, I have, yes.
14:50 - Do you sort of look back,
14:51 and I suppose it's impossible to watch that
14:53 as any other audience member would,
14:55 because you can watch it and say,
14:56 "I was responsible for that."
14:57 - Yeah, yeah, it was great.
15:00 I mean, everybody had, obviously, everybody has makeup,
15:03 but because it was medieval, lots and lots of dirt.
15:08 There is a little bit of horror in it, but not too much.
15:12 One of the characters, she was so brave.
15:16 So she's covered in blood.
15:18 You see her throughout the film covered in blood.
15:21 And every day, she had to be,
15:23 so obviously the continuity,
15:25 we have to get the blood splatter exactly the same.
15:28 So head to toe, she had to be covered in blood.
15:31 And then obviously not on the costume,
15:34 'cause the costume has to be kept exactly the same,
15:37 but refreshed.
15:39 And there she was, covered in this cold blood
15:41 every night filming.
15:43 It was hard.
15:44 And some of the scenes are in prison cells.
15:49 And they are like prison, I mean,
15:51 I've obviously not been in a medieval prison cell,
15:53 but you can imagine.
15:55 It's very cinematic, it really is.
15:57 And very eerie.
15:59 It was great for the actors to get into their character,
16:04 just spending a bit of time just on their own
16:06 before they filmed on this set.
16:08 It was an amazing experience.
16:11 - Yeah, no, it sounds it,
16:12 'cause I was just thinking as well,
16:13 while you were talking,
16:14 do you need to do lots of research
16:16 in order to do medieval makeup?
16:18 You obviously have a particular set of skills in that area,
16:20 but what's the process?
16:22 - Yeah, so research is key to everything.
16:26 And medieval makeup, obviously there's no makeup
16:31 apart from the dirt.
16:32 And then you have to really think,
16:34 well, they're using their hands a lot,
16:36 so it's not just their faces, their hands,
16:38 their necks, the grime,
16:40 the grime on the costume and everything,
16:41 and their feet, a lot of them didn't have shoes.
16:44 And yeah, for other films with the horror,
16:49 my Google history is not pleasant.
16:53 But I do do actually work for the NHS.
16:57 I do a lot of medical setups for the ATLS exams.
17:02 So yeah, I do a lot of research
17:06 into the makeup and the effects, yeah.
17:08 - And so when you watched this film,
17:10 it must have been quite a rewarding experience.
17:12 But if anybody is interested in watching this,
17:15 what do you think they should be looking out for,
17:16 as well, of course, as your wonderful makeup work?
17:20 But what is it the witch is particularly good at disclosing?
17:23 - I think obviously the way women were treated
17:27 in those times, it's 1585 or 1545, I think.
17:32 Yeah, a woman didn't stand a chance, really.
17:35 If she was gonna be named and shamed,
17:37 that was it, her life had gone.
17:39 But yeah, otherwise, our main character,
17:44 it's actually, for me, it's not about Twyla,
17:47 the one that's accused of being the witch,
17:49 but Thomas, who plays this without giving anything away.
17:53 He's this character, so he's almost sort of wizard-like,
17:58 you know, huge, long beard.
18:01 It was really great to do that kind of makeup, really nice.
18:05 So the whole sort of fantasy side of it.
18:07 - Fantastic.
18:08 Well, it's time now to move on to your final chosen film,
18:11 and you've gone for "Poor Things,"
18:15 which I saw very recently.
18:17 - Oh, brilliant, it's good.
18:18 - Well, the last couple of months at the cinema.
18:19 - Right, yeah, me too, yeah.
18:20 I rarely go to the cinema, actually.
18:22 I'm one of those people that,
18:26 'cause I see my own one's screenings,
18:30 and I rarely go to the cinema,
18:32 but this was a real treat because I'd read about it
18:35 and thought, no, that's a big screen film.
18:37 I don't wanna wait till it comes out on streaming.
18:40 What a brilliant film, what a surprise.
18:44 Just such a sort of fantastical journey.
18:48 There's not a single thing I don't like about this movie.
18:50 - And of course, an Oscar for Emma Stone.
18:53 - Emma Stone and the makeup department,
18:56 yeah, absolutely brilliant.
18:57 I mean, she was amazing.
18:58 She was actually a producer on the film as well,
19:01 but Lanthimos, I love his films.
19:05 I just think the way he films,
19:08 I'd love to work on one of his films.
19:11 Just everything about it, it's so,
19:13 it was, I mean, it's meant to be Victorian,
19:15 but you wouldn't have any idea of that.
19:17 Just the whole concept and the journey they take
19:21 around Europe or wherever it is,
19:23 all in this imagination and watching her grow
19:27 from this bizarre character into this woman,
19:32 just absolutely brilliant.
19:33 - Yes, because if anybody hasn't seen this,
19:35 the only way I could say it is a sort of a variation
19:37 on the Frankenstein story.
19:38 And I kind of feel I couldn't say any more than that
19:41 because it is in its own very sort of surreal
19:45 cinema universe.
19:47 - Yeah, a black comedy.
19:49 I mean, she's so shocking, isn't she?
19:53 She's absolutely brilliant.
19:54 And the names, Mr. Wedderburn,
19:57 and just everything about the whole film.
20:00 I actually know a couple of people in it as well,
20:03 and they both said it was just amazing to work on,
20:08 to be in as actors.
20:09 But I think she just nailed that character.
20:13 It's so clever to go from,
20:15 'cause she's childlike at the beginning,
20:18 and then this journey where she grows into this woman
20:22 and exploring and exploring the world
20:24 and some big sort of social issues that they deal with.
20:29 Working in the brothel, brilliant,
20:33 absolutely brilliant, amazing.
20:35 - But, and also, and it relates to what you were saying
20:38 about which in terms of a strong female character,
20:40 but also made me think of Barbie as well,
20:42 in the sense of having the emancipation,
20:45 the journey of a woman,
20:46 from sort of the whole intersection of the real world
20:49 and the artificial world
20:50 and the way that they correspond with each other.
20:52 - Yeah, yeah, now I've not seen Barbie,
20:54 so that's actually on my list.
20:56 But yes, and the sort of fantastical side of it,
21:02 and the sort of, the real life locations,
21:05 and when they're on the cruise ship,
21:07 and it's just, the set design, everything,
21:09 was just absolutely amazing.
21:11 But yeah, for her character,
21:15 I thought was brilliant, very clever.
21:17 - Because sometimes when you're watching a film,
21:19 and you were very specific about whether it was 1545 or 55
21:22 with your previous choice,
21:23 is that obviously it's set in that period.
21:25 But with this particular director, of course,
21:28 you're aware that he is so creative,
21:31 that it could be, it's impossible to know.
21:33 And that's why it works so well.
21:36 It works in a kind of fevered,
21:38 almost like fairy tale landscape.
21:39 - Yes, it is, very definitely,
21:41 because it's, yeah, they say it's Victorian.
21:43 Now, I think maybe the house at the beginning
21:46 has sort of slight strands of being Victorian,
21:50 but you wouldn't know that.
21:51 And the way that, I know they use a lot of CGI,
21:55 and I'm not a CGI fan, but in this case, of course it works.
22:00 The VFX really work, just to take it into a different league.
22:05 - Yeah, but I didn't want to ask about CGI, actually,
22:07 in relation to the previous choice,
22:08 because I thought it was pretty obvious
22:10 that you deal with the real, authentic sort of makeup.
22:12 But in that sense, are you watching a film
22:14 like "Poor Things" and actually aware of the way
22:17 that technology can be used?
22:19 Because obviously you use real makeup.
22:22 But can you sometimes see that in a film like this,
22:24 it actually has a place?
22:25 - Oh, 100% for, because of the story.
22:29 However, all the makeup was practical effects,
22:33 and they won the Oscar and the BAFTA for it.
22:36 Like, Dr. Baxter's makeup, absolutely amazing.
22:42 Six hours of makeup to do that face.
22:46 Again, because of the Frankenstein inspiration.
22:50 But yeah, not being a fan of CGI,
22:55 but it had to work for this, yeah.
22:58 - And I saw this twice at the cinema,
23:00 'cause I had to review it.
23:01 Well, I review films anyway, but for this one,
23:02 I thought there was no way I was gonna write a review
23:04 after watching this film.
23:05 I had to watch it again.
23:06 And it was as bonkers the second time as the first.
23:08 - I need to see it again, I really do,
23:10 because I'm sure there's so much I've missed.
23:12 But, and seeing my friend in it was just amazing.
23:17 And we talked to him about his story.
23:20 I think he filmed it in Sardinia or Sicily, actually.
23:23 But a lot of it was filmed in Lisbon, some here.
23:28 So yeah, really interesting film.
23:30 - Wonderful choices.
23:31 Well, thank you, Kate.
23:32 And I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today.
23:35 Many thanks to Kate Griffiths for joining us
23:37 and being such a brilliant guest.
23:39 And many thanks to you all for tuning in.
23:41 Be sure to come back and join us again
23:43 at the same time next week.
23:45 Until then, that's all from us.
23:47 Goodbye.
23:47 (dramatic music)
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