Gustav Temple watched Robert Eggers’ new adaptation of the vampire classic and missed the camp and humour of all previous versions. Robert Eggers long-awaited version of F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu, lavishly funded by Universal Pictures, lacks all the essential ingredients that have made many previous vampire movies into masterpieces. The plot, characters and cast – with… … Keep Reading
Gustav Temple reviews the new documentary about the life of Humphrey Bogart. “I like people, yachts, chess, politics, a good drink, a good wife, nice kids. I had those.”Humphrey Bogart Hollywood’s ultimate man’s man, and his troubled relationship with alcohol and history of treating his many wives roughly, may not seem the ideal subject for… … Keep Reading
Gustav Temple enjoys the immersive nature of a new documentary about London’s notorious Scala Cinema. One of the memories that captures the essence of my mispent youth is of staggering out of the Scala Cinema at dawn, coming down from a cocktail of cheap speed and cornershop whisky, and bumping into a similarly dishevelled Shane… … Keep Reading
Gustav Temple reviews Edgar Wright’s new psychological thriller set in the swinging sixties Fans of Edgar Wright’s trilogy of comedies Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and World’s End expecting this film to feature amusing fast-edit shots of Simon Pegg getting drunk and losing his girlfriend will find something rather different. The British director, whose… … Keep Reading
Fans of classic film noir of the 1940s are in for a treat with Motherless Brooklyn. Production designer Beth Mickle has restyled New York as a gritty, chiaroscuro city where everyone casts long shadows and on every street corner there’s a cool jazz joint full of sharply dressed hep cats. Willem Dafoe’s character Paul Randolph,… … Keep Reading
“It is so difficult to make a neat job of killing people with whom one is not on friendly terms.” Such is the laconic lament uttered by Dennis Price in his guise as Louis Mazzini in Kind Hearts & Coronets, the Ealing Comedy Classic. Louis is the peerless peer (oft by his own hand) who… … Keep Reading
A selection of recommended books currently in print which Chaps and Chapettes might find to their liking. HOW TO BE CHAP How To Be Chap (2016) is a large-format hardback tome chronicling the entire history of The Chap, from its humble beginnings as a discreet gentlemen’s pamphlet, through all its public protests and… … Keep Reading
The Umbrella Shop Official suppliers of rain cover and jousting equipment to The Chap Olympiad, this formidable company deals in sturdy brollies of all prices by mail order only, thus maintaining competitive prices. Some of their brollies are aimed at commissionaires and doormen, but since these days a gentleman is often left to fend for… … Keep Reading
For those chaps who cannot yet afford Savile Row bespoke prices, the next best thing is to purchase vintage items that were perhaps constructed within that hallowed epicentre of bespoke tailoring. With a few adjustments by a competent seamstress, the item can easily be turned into clothing that still outsmarts most new items. Savvy Row.… … Keep Reading
Sometimes it can be frustrating to find a perfect vintage item that is just one size too small, and short of having corrective surgery, one is never going to fit inside it. This is where reproduction vintage has its uses, producing a range of sizes for every garment, all designed with an introspective delve into… … Keep Reading
A discreet directory of shops and online emporia which, in the opinion of The Chap, offer a range of tastefully selected garments and accessories of a high manufacturing standard suitable for the discerning gentleman and, in some cases, his lady companion. T Snook. This charming shop in Bridport, Dorset, is principally a hatters, with every… … Keep Reading