Rent Hidden City (1987)

3.1 of 5 from 61 ratings
1h 42min
Rent Hidden City Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
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Synopsis:
After establishing a fine reputation in British television drama, Stephen Poliakoff directed his first feature film in 1987. A mystery wrapped in conspiracy and secrets, 'Hidden City' tells the story of James Richards (Charles Dance), a writer sucked into a search for a lost piece of film by Sharon Newton (Cassie Stewart), a video librarian. What they stumble upon are cover-ups, tense searches and possible danger. With the help of Witold Stoks' excellent cinematography, Poliakoff has crafted a rich look into London's dark history, with disused tram-tunnels and long-forgotten subterranean chambers serving as the backdrop to explore the depths of the British preoccupation with secrecy.
Featuring a cast of stellar British talent including Richard E Grant and Bill Paterson, Stephen Poliakoff's rarely seen directorial debut is a stylish thriller ripe for rediscovery.
Actors:
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Directors:
Producers:
Irving Teitelbaum
Writers:
Stephen Poliakoff
Genres:
Drama, Thrillers
BBFC:
Release Date:
Not released
Run Time:
102 minutes
BBFC:
Release Date:
13/05/2024
Run Time:
108 minutes
Languages:
English LPCM Mono
Subtitles:
English Audio Description
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 1.66:1
Colour:
Colour
BLU-RAY Regions:
B
Bonus:
  • Newly recorded audio commentary with writer and director Stephen Poliakoff and film critic Michael Brooke
  • Treasures from the BFI National Archive (1903-1947, 58 mins): a selection of archive gems, exploring some of the themes featured in 'Hidden City'. The films: Cheese Mites (1903), Barging Through London (1924), Hop Gardens of Kent (1933), The City (1939) and Shown by Request (1947)
  • Inside the BFI National Archive (2023, 1 min): a behind-the-scenes look at the work of the BFI National Archive

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Reviews (2) of Hidden City

Interesting locations - awful plot and acting - Hidden City review by AER

Spoiler Alert
18/09/2024

The lead actress in Hidden City (Cassie Stuart) is one of the worst I've ever seen. Her performance and her lines unbalance her double act with Charles Dance, who at least understands what his bad lines mean. The film has a muddled plot about a young woman who enlists a statistician/writer to help her track down a lost film that shows a woman being abducted. The film fails to convince why they would ever team up to solve a mystery. Shadowy government henchmen wreck their homes seemingly searching for something. however, the two twists are lame and poorly resolved - one with a rush job dollop of guess work.

On the other hand, we do get to see some interesting London locations that are not open to the public (and how they were in the 80s) such as the Kingsway Tram Tunnel, some tunnels below Oxford St & Tottenham Ct Rd (which I think are below Holborn), and St Pancras (when it was being renovated/unused) - the Spice Girls stairs.... So limited appeal for everyone except those that want to glimpse a lost London.

At times the film is so 80s it hurts, but this is also a plus. Look out for Richard E Grant, Michelle Fairley, Gerard Horan and others in tiny roles....

0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.

Strange, Unconvincing Conspiracy Thriller - Hidden City review by GI

Spoiler Alert
15/09/2024

This is a rather strange, almost abstract, thriller from writer and director Stephen Poliakoff, here foraging in the world of film rather than his usual TV medium work for which he is more renowned. This conspiracy and political thriller lacks any real drama and at times the performances are annoyingly wooden or are they extremely nuanced? Charles Dance, in a very early role, seems to be trying. very hard to make something of the script but he is hampered by his costar Cassie Stuart, who is either unable to deliver any of her lines convincingly, or could it be she is meant to be unrealistic here? This is the debate because the narrative, as it progresses, could be an imagined one in the mind of Dance's character, author James Richards, as the plot is an enigmatic mix of the real, dreams and flashbacks. Richards is approached by a hyper and apparently desperate young woman, Sharon, who claims she has discovered weird government secrets hidden around London in the form of videotapes and files that show the abduction of a woman all relating to a big cover up. Unconvincingly she persuades the academic Richards of this and they embark on trying to locate these secrets by uncovering a whole world of secret tunnels and buildings. There are incompetent officials along the way who make attempts to stop them. In between this plot Richards has dreams of his schooldays and a particular teacher who he bumps into during their search. It's all fairly weird in many ways and it's a film that never really lets you in to make your mind up to exactly what's it really about. By the end it's a film that makes you shrug with indifference as you feel very disappointed that its led nowhere.

0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.

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