Skip to content
Dom Robinson reviews
VCI
- 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.
PICTURE QUALITY
SOUND QUALITY
EXTRAS
0OVERALL
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.