Zero Focus (1961)
5/10
Not a bad idea but VERY talky and the ending seemed to go on and on and on.
28 November 2011
Warning: Spoilers
The ideas in "Zero No Shôten" are quite interesting, but the overall film left me rather flat--mostly because the final portion of the film just seemed way too talky and drug on and on for too long.

This movie begins with a young bride searching for her husband. It seems that after being married only about a week, he disappeared and his new wife refuses to let go. So, she spends a lot of time searching throughout the countryside for him but keeps coming up with nothing. Then, out of the blue, she learns that the man has killed himself--but that he was using a different name. It seems that he'd been leading double lives--and already was married. But there's more to it than this...and maybe it wasn't suicide after all...and maybe there are more victims.

Around halfway through the film, the second wife starts to realize that the suicide isn't exactly as the police have determined. So far, so good. But then the film talks and talks and talks. First, the second wife explains her theory. Then, the man's mistress (yes, there is a third woman) explains what happened. It all takes a very long time and is incredibly talky--as if they need to explain the movie. It's a shame, as the first part of the film was well done--the final was unconvincing and poor.

Not at all Hitchockian...though what really IS Hitchcockian? Perhaps Hitchcock's films aren't even Hitchcockian!
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