David Jenkins

The writer and editor of Little White Lies picks Don’t Look Now, Sparrows Can’t Sing, Woman In A Dressing Gown, Pink String and Sealing Wax, Melody.

The Vintage Classics imprint does vital work to place the canonical titles of British cinema on the pedestal they deserve. When taken as a whole, the series covers the length and breadth of British screen heritage, from undisputed experimental master works such as Nicholas Roeg’s Don’t Look Now, to the intimate kitchen sink gem Sparrows Can’t Sing. I think the value this label brings to me is in foregrounding these lesser-known titles and placing them next to films which already have a broad and fervent fanbase. Discoveries I have loved include: J. Lee Thompson’s Woman in a Dressing Gown, built around a heartbreaking central performance Yvonne Mitchell as a spurned housewife; Robert Hamer’s Pink String and Sealing Wax, about romantic intrigues in 1890s Brighton; and Waris Hussein’s Melody, which was the film that inspired Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom, and boasts an incredible Bee Gees soundtrack.

Recommended Titles

J Lee Thompson1957
Nicolas Roeg1973
Joan Littlewood1963
Robert Hamer1945
Waris Hussein1971