The Jazz Singer (1980)

The 1927 film The Jazz Singer starred Al Jolson and went down in history as the first full-length “talking” motion picture. This remake casts Neil Diamond in the Al Jolson role of the synagogue cantor whose father (Laurence Olivier) wants him to follow in the family tradition of strict religious observance. Neil, however, has other plans and wants to become a rock star. He takes off to L.A., abandoning his wife (Catlin Adams) and hooking up with music agent Molly (Lucie Arnaz).

It’s a fascinating film because of the way it presents Neil Diamond. Is he credible as a rock star? Not really, but he does have undeniable on-stage charisma. It's not a musical in the Singing in the Rain sense, but it does feature lots of him singing on stage.

My DVD is incredibly grainy and low-res. Probably the film has been remastered since, but the version I have is almost unwatchable.

Rebecca (1940)

Stunningly dramatic Alfred Hitchcock drama adapted from the Daphne du Maurier novel.

A young woman (Joan Fontaine) meets a widower (Laurence Olivier) and they marry after a whirlwind romance. But when they return to his mansion in Cornwall, they find that the shadow of his dead wife Rebecca still haunts everyone who came into contact with her. Then there’s the sinister housekeeper Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson), who has a dangerous obsession, and Rebecca’s lover Favell (George Sanders), intent on seeing her death investigated as a murder.

In typical Hitchcock style, the tension builds to almost unbearable levels. The film is noirish and verges on horror in places. Unusual framing and camera angles help to unnerve and unsettle.

Fontaine is wonderful as the woman trying to come to grips with a new life as a married woman who can never live up to her predecessor. Olivier is intense but could be more so. He doesn’t quite have the presence his reputation would suggest.

It’s perfectly paced and dynamic to the moment of the shocking conclusion.

Spartacus (1960)

I had never seen this Stanley Kubrick classic, so was curious. It deserves all the hype, pretty much. Kirk Douglas is shiny and reasonably charismatic in the lead role. Jean Simmons is appealing as his delicate love interest, often shown in soft focus. The smouldering scenes in which the pair fall in love at the gladiator training centre are remarkable because almost no words are exchanged between them. Tony Curtis, Charles Laughton, Laurence Olivier and Peter Ustinov make up what is the very definition of an all-star cast. They are all on excellent form, but Curtis seems weirdly underused despite being built up as important because he’s different to the others.

At over three hours – and with amazing crowd scenes with hundreds of extras amassing for battle on huge landscapes – it’s epic in every sense.

Like many classics, it’s odder than you might expect. The lighting is all over the place, with some strangely illuminated interior scenes jarringly placed amid the exterior locations. There are also some peculiar scenes showing “ordinary life” within the slave camp. The senate is surprisingly small and low-key for a film that specialises in grand gestures. But it works because it keeps the themes of idealism (the idea of Rome) and political corruption (greed for power) on a scale you can relate to.

There’s a fascinating scene in which bisexuality is alluded to. Crassus says to Antoninus: “It is all a matter of taste, isn't it? And taste is not the same as appetite, and therefore not a question of morals. My taste includes both snails and oysters.” Strong stuff for a “PG”, as are the gory moments and the points at which Jean Simmons tastefully de-robes.

Tackling big issues of freedom, democracy and class, it’s a rich film. There’s a moving finale that manages to offer both a happy and a sad ending.