This Is The Basic Idea

A short but chilling picture from 1972, in which the zenith of human progress apparently equates to a travelling salesman checking in to an anonymous motel, walking past a group of silent people in a fish bowl type restaurant, then entering a tiny room, throwing his briefcase onto the orange banquette and, totally ignoring the three channel telly, starting his nightly routine of getting very pissed, completely alone, before tearfully phoning his estranged wife or trying to have a wank.

He'll regret it in the morning, especially when he realises he's been sick into the electric trouser press.

Modernist Public Houses Of The Realm

The Black Stuff

I'm not the Guinness fiend I used to be when I was a chain smoking bar fly and 'bon viveur' i.e. dishevelled drunk, but I have one every now and again and never fail to wonder at its perfection as a product. 'Guinness For You' is a fantastic short film from 1971 which fetishes every aspect of the drink, from the way the hops are gathered and fermented, to the way they put the labels on and, finally, how it goes down. It's extremely abstract at times, but the Guinness brand is always at the forefront. Oh, and a bottle only costs 50p in the new money!

Magnificently done, the film works as art and as advertisment, and I guarantee you'll fancy a pint as soon as you start watching it. If all that wasn't enough, it has a score from the wonderful Tristram Cary that features both his experimental electronic work and a more conventional orchestral element. Both are great. It's a superb way to spend a quarter of an hour.