Country: UK
Year: 1961
Duration: 30'
Waterloo Station is observed over a 24hour period, without benefit of spoken commentary. The film shows something of the morning rushhour, departure of a boattrain; various public services such as the Lost Property and Inquiries Offices, loudspeakers, waitingrooms; the operation panel for the points, etc. People are seen gazing at the Arrivals and Departures Boards. A tramp sorts through the wastebins. Interpolated episodes concern the fate of a bouquet, a lost child being found, arrivals and farewells. The film ends with the comparative silence of nighttime, the lull before dawn when everything happens more or less the same as the day before.
"Terminus has won major prizes at festivals and been enthusiastically received by critics. Its locale and subject matter could hardly prove without interest, and one is impressed by the absence of a commentary, the film, furthermore, is comprehensive and observant. How it is comprehensive and observant is perhaps another matter John SchIesinger has kept his eyes open and one is more than reluctant to fault him for not being able to show us where personal vision ends and the demands of sponsorship begin.
As with other films of this kind, the best moments come when the camera becomes a sort of peephole. Those faces looking at the indicator boards supply their own depth, fun and comment. But when such spontaneity is exchanged for awkwardly staged or rigged episodes and wisecracks, the film is way off ground. The sequence of the lost child is both embarrassing and revealing: the viewer has the uncomfortable experience of watching a staged set piece in which the genuine despair on the face of the child (actually left by acquiescent parents) far outweighs the synthetic nature of the circumstances." ("Monthly Film Bulletin", n. 336, January 1962, p. 16)
Biography
film director
John Schlesinger
John Richard Schlesinger (Londra/London, Regno Unito/UK, 1926 - Palm Springs, CA, Usa, 2003).
FILMOGRAFIA
A Kind of Loving (Una maniera d’amare, 1962), Billy Liar (Billy il bugiardo, 1963), Darling (id., 1965), Far From the Madding Crowd (Via dalla pazza folla, 1967), Midnight Cowboy (Un uomo da marciapiede, 1969), Sunday Bloody Sunday (Domenica maledetta domenica, 1971), The Day of the Locust (Il giorno della lucusta, 1975), Marathon Man (Il maratoneta, 1976), Yanks (Yankees, 1979), Honky Tonk Freeway (Crazy runners - Quei pazzi pazzi sulle autostrade, 1981), The Falcon and the Snowman (Il gioco del falco, 1985), The Believers (The Believers - I credenti del male, 1987), Madame Sousatzka (id., 1988), Pacific Heights (Uno sconosciuto alla porta, 1990), The Innocent (id., 1993), Cold Comfort Farm (id., tv ,1995).
Cast
& Credits
Director and screenplay: John Schlesinger.
Director of photography: Ken Phipps, Robert Paynter
Editor: Hugh Raggett, David Gladwell, Nicholas Hale.
Music: Ron Grainer.
Songs: interpretate da Mike Shaun, Vernon Neptune, The Don Riddell Singers.
Sound: Ken Cameron.
Production company: Edgar Anstey per la British Transport Film.
Director of photography: Ken Phipps, Robert Paynter
Editor: Hugh Raggett, David Gladwell, Nicholas Hale.
Music: Ron Grainer.
Songs: interpretate da Mike Shaun, Vernon Neptune, The Don Riddell Singers.
Sound: Ken Cameron.
Production company: Edgar Anstey per la British Transport Film.