Alone

Dom Robinson reviews

Alone
Distributed by
VCI

    Cover

  • Cert:
  • Cat.no: CCD 9527
  • Running time: 89 minutes
  • Year: 2001
  • Pressing: 2003
  • Region(s): 2, PAL
  • Chapters: 12
  • Sound: Dolby Surround (DD2.0)
  • Languages: English
  • Subtitles: None
  • Fullscreen: 1.33:1
  • 16:9-Enhanced: No
  • Macrovision: Yes
  • Disc Format: DVD 5
  • Price: £9.99
  • Extras: None

    Director:

      Phil Claydon

    (Alone)

Producers:

    David Ball and John P. Davies

Screenplay:

    Paul Hart-Wilden

Music :

    Jim Betteridge and Carver

Cast :

    Inspector Hannah: John Shrapnel
    Caseworker: Miriam Margoyles
    Charlotte: Laurel Holloman
    Alice: Claire Goose
    Jen: Isabel Brook
    Sarah: Caroline Carver
    Stacie: Claudia Harrison
    Jackie: Susan Vidler
    Night Porter: Rick Wakeman
    Desk Sergeant: Gwen Vaughan
    WPC: Stephanie Shaw
    Newsreader: Kate Crowther
    Hospital Porter: Philip James Claydon


Alone is a wannabe psychological thriller that starts with the opening tome:

      “From childhood’s hour I have not been
      As others were; I have not seen
      As others saw; I could not bring
      My passions from a common spring
      From the same source I have not taken
      My sorrow; I could not awaken
      My heart to joy at the same tone
      And all I loved, I loved alone”

This weird rhyme at the start sets the tone for the fact that fruitloop woman Alex (never identified in thecredits) is suffering badly since her parents died 13 years ago when she was just eleven. She’s gettingstrange nightmares that can only be kept at bay when she isn’t alone, so to sort this out she needs a ‘partner’,or translated into English – she wants to murder girl after girl until she’s satisfied, starting withAlice (Casualty‘s Claire Goose), who I was hoping would be in it rather longer than the openingcredits.

The nightmares are something Alex regularly discusses with her caseworker (Miriam Margoyles), as well askeeping records of the number of hours’ sleep she’s getting each night.


As a film, it plods along in an intriguing manner with each of the cast members making the best of whatthey’ve got but it’s not enough to go on to make a satisfying film. That said, the best performancescome from John Shrapnel (above right), one of those actors whose face you’ve seen countless timesbut you can never remember what he was in and the gorgeous Caroline Carver (right) as Sarah, who’s alsoAlex’s sister, so for her to end up as a victim too, after getting some weird and threatening letters,doesn’t quite sit right but then perhaps it wasn’t designed to make any kind of sense or that we’d haveto rely on Alex being the aforementioned fruitloop.

You’ll continue watching this film until the end, but there isn’t the kind of payoff you’ve been waitingfor which really feels like a missed opportunity. However, you’ll have to make do with staring at awatchable cast that includes Laurel Holloman as Margoyles’ student assistant Charlotte,Murphy’s Law‘s Claudia Harrison as Sarah’s best friend Stacie and prog rock kingRick Wakeman in a cameo role as the hospital night porter (and for a quick plug see my interviewwith himhere).


The film was shot for a 1.85:1 theatrical ratio, but here the widescreen image has been centre-croppedto 4:3 which is very disappointing, and this is clearly shown whenever important text would’ve filledthe full image (see an example on the right), and is also highlighted in the letterboxed opening titles.On the plus side, there’s a purposely grimy and bleak look to the set which helps put in the atmosphereas indoor scenes in the caseworker’s office and police station have had most of the colour sucked out of them.

There’s also some very good surround sound effects to go with the weird imagery, plus spot FX of a ticking clockand the quick-cut moments such as when the caseworker’s cigarette runs out and she lights up another.

The disc has no subtitles and only a single menu option to start the film. Extras are noticeable by theirabsence. I did actually have the original High Fliers rental DVD disc which contained a few trailers forfilms out at the time but they’re nothing to do with this movie and the picture ratio hasn’t beenimproved with this re-release.

There are 12 chapters for what that’s worth, but for those of you who want to see the good stuff, hereare some pics of when Sarah is force-fed to her death, which reminded me of Robert Morley’s demise inTheatre of Blood.




FILM CONTENT
PICTURE QUALITY
SOUND QUALITY
EXTRAS


0
OVERALL
Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2004.

[Up to the top of this page]


Loading…