Bit of Scarlet (A)

Britain's answer to The Celluloid Closet...by far, an inferior version.

Without rhyme and very little reason, Weiss has concocted a somewhat erratic montage that delivers absolutely nothing...rather than being informed as to what is actually being shown on the screen - it becomes a guessing game: name that film...after a short time, an infuriating guessing game...

There is no commentary, no chronology and no sense to most of this haphazard accumulation...the re-editing is criminal, a corruption on the original.

The added music is torturous and Mr McKellen's episodic voice-over adds nothing to the proceedings....his interjections seem to be more of an afterthought, padding a tenuous link to the clips shown.

The omissions are significant and some inclusions are quite ridiculous...there's no Jarman, no Orton, no Rocky, no Beautiful Laundrette, no Beautiful Thing, no Crying Game, nothing about HIV/AIDS - a crying shame...the list is immense.

A paltry comparison to The Celluloid Closet and, most definitely, not a companion piece - more like a hefty piece of self-indulgence that mocks its now-pissed-off audience.

There was a trailer...but, it has since disappeared.