Mark Kermode’s Secrets of Cinema has recently finished its third series on BBC Four. Having explored mainstream genres such as the rom-com and horror in previous outings, the newest three episodes depict a desire to explore films whose genres cannot be so neatly defined, and delve deeper into the corners of film history.
As ever, Kermode is a calm, reliable and engaging host, who can flit between films produced in 1922 and 2020 with enviable ease and clear passion for his subject. This passion is reflected in the style of the programme: Kermode, along with chief writer Kim Newman, have constructed three film essays which are as diverse as they are detailed. Nowhere else on television are films such as Rosemary’s Baby stuck next to Showgirls, or an analysis of Expresso Bongo delivered to a wide audience. All three programmes, which cover ‘British comedy’, ‘pop music movies’ and ‘cult movies’, present both the familiar films we might expect to come under these headings, as well as oddities from the fringes of celluloid. Kermode and Newman’s commitment to exploring these fringes and the wit with which they do it is admirable.
As are the cultural diversity of their choices: a huge range of POC and LGBTQA+ filmmakers are covered, and Kermode also frequently touches on the way in which films have been re-appropriated by these communities for their – sometimes unintentional – subtexts. Similarly, short, feature-length, studio, and indie films are covered with equal rigour, and equal credit is given to stars and directors, cinematographers and writers, alike. It is incredible that after three series the team still apply this level of academic study to the films they choose to show, and incredible that they produce such accessible results.
“The most insightful and inspiring series about film (and indeed art) on television at the moment, its great strength lies in its ability to present detailed knowledge about a breadth of films in a way that is both exhilarating and surprising.”
One example of Kermode and team’s attention to detail is in their examination of the ‘midnight movie’. Rather than examining all the films, like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, who achieved this status, they show how they ranged across genres and timeframes. Similarly, a clip from the film Fame, certainly not cult fare, is added to contextualise the response to Rocky Horror. The viewers are left with an in-depth perception both of what makes a ‘midnight movie’ and how that title achieved its notoriety – a deft feat for a fifty minute programme.
The original structuring of ‘genres’ seems to, however, be losing a little steam. Movies covered in a ‘musicals’ segment re-emerge in the exploration of pop movies, and many horror classics are re-analysed under the ‘cult’ title. There are, of course, not an infinite number of films in the world, and each re-analysis bears fruit and helps to explain the sometimes jarring genre crossovers of these pieces. I do wonder if a series wherein the films of a director, or of a studio, such as Amicus Productions, are analysed might provide some variety into the format. Secrets of Richard Lester, perhaps?
Regardless, after three series, Secrets of Cinema shows no signs of slowing down. The most insightful and inspiring series about film (and indeed art) on television at the moment, its great strength lies in its ability to present detailed knowledge about a breadth of films in a way that is both exhilarating and surprising. Long may it continue.
Mark Kermode’s Secrets of Cinema is available on BBC iPlayer.
Words by Issy Flower