Caught The Moon Over the Alley on the BFI channel. The BFI's offerings are usually pretty hit or miss as to how good or bad the films are, with some real classics and some real duds. And The Moon Over the Alley was definitely a dud IMO.

The film is set in late 1970's London in the Notting Hill section. Back then, from what I've read and not being a resident of London, Notting Hill was down and out back then. Kind of like the East Village in NYC. The movie centers on the boarding house of a German couple and the surrounding neighborhood's working class, hippies, artist and the just plain marginal homeless. I got through about the first 20 minutes or so, but then the barely passable songs every five and the strained attempt for verisimilitude got wearing. I fast forwarded to the end - and this is where the movie went from quirky to nasty. There ensue a couple of scenes of violence and sexual assault that were jarring from the prior tempo of the film. It just threw the whole film off, IMO. And thus my low rating and caution before viewing this low budget, amateurish film.

An adventurous and experimental film, clearly made for little money and set in London's Notting Hill area. The primary setting is a local boarding house and the mix of residents reflects the multicultural population of the immediate area. It is well put together with some fine shots and extremely believable interaction with what must have been a largely non professional cast. There are a few oddities to spoil or enliven the experience, depending upon your point of view. I could have done without the tramps and their devotion to the moon over the alley and if that does not seem sacrilegious enough, I have to say I could also have done without the music of Galt McDermott (Hair). The sentimental element and uninspired soundtrack detract from what is for me an otherwise endearing film reflecting enormous changes beginning all around the city. Location wise there are some tremendous shots of the main drag of Portobello Road with and without market stalls as well as of some surrounding streets and is a must for anyone interested in seeing the big and small differences with how things are today. So, a film packed with interesting characters, illustrating a kind of life that barely exists now in London, and peppered with an incident of two, some working better than others.