Hidden City (1987) (film review)

 

‘Hidden City’ is actually a rather low-key film propelled by the characters far more then the events until towards the ending, showing a London you wouldn’t have know was there back in the late 1980s.

School kids watching videos get shown the wrong material, cattle breeding in 1942 and is the second time it happened and tells the supplier to fire the person who sent the wrong film again. Writer/researcher/statistician James Richards (actor Charles Dance) is not happy. He also thinks London lacks energy and thinking about emigrating.

Richards’ encounter with Sharon Newton (actress Cassie Stuart) discovers she was person fired for sending him the wrong films from the film library. She drags him to a film shop and shows him a film where a woman is being abducted and to locate the next film, number 2047, ‘The Hedgerows Of England’ but its secured by the official secrets act. Sharon thinks Richards’ connections can find out what happened next. Slowly, he gets intrigued and chatting to his mate and contact Anthony (actor Bill Paterson) about finding someone in the Ministry Of Defence and discover them gone to another place. Sharon is very persuasive in getting Richards to continue the chase but continues to be missing and thrown out and at the rubbish tip and then off to the incinerator but can’t find it.

They split up. Sharon finds a place where some films are recorded to video before destruction. Richards, meanwhile, has an encounter with an old teacher before getting a phone call to join her. There’s still not enough and the registration is poor and it directs to the next part in ‘Hop Pickers In Kent’. All these films have footage that they shouldn’t contain.

An encounter with Brewster (Richard E. Grant), head of one of the film libraries, reveals dreams can be recorded. Richards continues to find himself being drawn into this hidden city. He also gets drunk and wakes at Sharon’s flat, discovering it had been turned over which she thinks they were looking for the film. He also discovers Sharon has a young daughter, Jodie, whom she convinces to look after as she goes for a job. He takes Jodie to a meal with his likely to be ex-wife Barbara (actress Tusse Silberg) and nearly gets trampled by a pair wanting the film and his car stolen. He also believes his pal, Anthony, has been got at, leaving him hooked up on a coat-hook. Returning home, he finds it also ransacked and later, the same two men waiting outside. The rest builds up as spoiler.

As I commented in the opening, this really is a low-key thinking film, almost arthouse from director/writer Stephen Poliakoff. I largely picked up on because of the mystery aspect and a different view of London, which it certainly has. There days, all cities have a secret life but this looks like one of the earlier films showing that aspect. It could also be deemed as a character-orientated film and with much filmed at night or in odd places, kept a control of the budget. I suspect an American audience would find ‘Hidden City’ far too slow but for us Brits, used to such things, will endure to the end and then look for documents or film that might be out there. Read the booklet. It has everything you need.

Oh, in the credits, there is a noted cameo of actor Jason Carter in the black and white footage, then beardless and with a different haircut than on a particular space station. In the audio commentary, Poliakoff points out that a then nobody actor Hugh Grant was originally going to play the role but needed his hair for his next film.

Audio Commentary

This is with director/writer Stephen Poliakoff and film critic/former BFI curator Michael Brook. Their descriptions match the film shorts in the extras. Poliakoff apologises for the poor research with the statistics in the script. A 32 day film schedule stalled by traffic jams and selecting places in above ground London not filmed before and many building knocked down since. This was also Poliakoff’s first directed film. Actress Cassie Stuart had the kookie quality he needed. The tunnels are really where they said they were. There were a lot of actors in mirror roles that went on to famous parts later. Charles Dance turned 40 while making this film. Jodie, the child was Pollokoff’s daughter.

The 34 page booklet

This is a really extensive booklet with six articles, two of which are by director Stephen Poliakoff himself and his discovery of a hidden city beneath London’s streets which other people used. Considering so many of the topside buildings have since been replaced, it would be interesting how much of these underground tunnels still exists, more so as any survey must have revealed some of the entries. Do read before you watch the film as it’ll probably bring things more into perspective.

The Extras

Interestingly, the name of one of the films from the film is included amongst the five here the pair were seeking. All of them are in black and white or sepia and the first three are silent supplemented by music. In many respects these must have been educational for the cinema-goer before that nasty little screen in the corner we call television.

‘Cheese Mites’ (1903), from the ‘Unseen World’ series, running at nearly 2½ minutes has a man looking at just that. In those days, this most have been a revelation to viewers. This complete short had been thought lost for years until the BFI found a copy.

‘Barging Through London’ (1924), from the ‘Wonderful London’ series is a view from the capitol via the 9 mile long Regent’s Canal running at 11 minutes. You also get to see the odd clip of the roads with trams running. The places might not be recognisable but the names aren’t.

‘Hop Gardens Of Kent’, running at 7 minutes, shows the production of hops from field to oast house in making beer. People used to go holidaying picks the hops from the plants.

‘The City: A Film Talk By Sir Charles Bressey’ (1937) at 19 minutes is a discussion on the proposed rebuilding of London pre-WW2. He shows how London has expanded. I didn’t realise the slums were so extensive back then before showing around the city. Being made by a GPO unit means there is some emphasis on the early postal systems there. Its rather weird that Bressey was planning overhead roads and that never happened.

‘Shown By Request’ at 19 minutes shows a village cinema and the Ministry Of Information from the Central Film Library what was going on, all pre-TV. It should hardly be surprising that the system ran is similar to a book library with the narrator pointing out there were 10,000 users and 15 million viewers. Back in the day, that was a large chunk of population.

‘Inside The BFI National Archive’ (2023) is really up-to-date, showing how its done today runs at 50 seconds.

Certainly an odd mix of old films of a London that doesn’t exist today.

What makes this important for the inner geek is the realisation of so much is hidden from view. It comes up in various films, especially set in the future, that new cities have been built on top of old ones but to discover that these places are actually real is quite a revelation. The extras are certainly worth paying attention to and I suspect someone of you, especially living in London, are going to take a peek. I guess the Regent’s Canal should be the easiest to find. Don’t get lost.

GF Willmetts

May 2024

(pub: BFI. 1 blu-ray disk 108 minute film with extras. Price: £19.99 (UK). ASIN: BFIB1510)

cast: Charles Dance, Cassie Stewart, Bill Paterson and Richard E. Grant

check out website: https://shop.bfi.org.uk/hidden-city-blu-ray.html