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Reviews
The Sergeant and the Spy (1954)
The Sergeant And The Spy
The consensus that Richard Ney was a louse appears to be consistent. Professionally, it is appropriate for both actors to stay on the set, when only one has their 'close-up'. It provides the other actor with someone to interact with and to talk to. Not Ney. He would leave the set, leaving the other actor, standing alone. This conduct is considered to be unprofessional.
In addition, for no apparent reason, Ney would laps into a British accent. It would be inappropriate for the part he was plying. On the first day of shooting of this film, the Director cautioned John Steinmetz, that this might happen, if Ney became bored or upset. Although Steinmetz was experienced in Radio, theater and television, he was not acquainted with Film culture. Steinmetz was a "Method" trained actor but perplexed to react to Ney's behavior.
Steinmetz was puzzled why the producers and the director were so delighted when he auditioned. If you watch the first few minutes, you will see that he is the only one to bring energy and interest to this otherwise boring film.
Babel (2006)
Noteworthy.
"BABEL", has a predominant theme: Responsibility.
And the dire consequence of irresponsibility. The results of poor judgment. I found it to be a film of great interest. There are four locations with four stories; Morocco, Mexico, Japan and the US; each in their language with subtitles.
Following the screening, I spoke to the Director who is Mexican, although he is articulate and fluent in English, a much better English than most Americans-, with a good sense of humor. He agreed with my assessment. The film is due to be released in one to two months. I recommend it highly. The photography is gripping, indicative of each culture. Vivid. I think that it is noteworthy. In the remote locations, he selected and worked with non-professional, untrained actors. Just plain people who are indicative of their culture. But he used the techniques that we leaned in our Drama courses.
A thought provoking film.