celinejanelle2000 Reviews

The Red Mantle (1967)

Are you tired of only wondering about this?.....

[19 November 2006]

.....then by all means let me know directly at the above e-mail address so that I may arrange for a copy for you. While battling Norsemen impale and decapitate each other (pretty graphic for '67!) in bloody seaside duels, clan patriarch Gunnar Bjornstrand ('The Seventh Seal') worries that his beloved daughter is getting a little too sweet on a splendid blond beast from the wrong side of the "tracks," and so the plot thickens as that inevitable, classic tragedy awaits. The original version of this forgotten wonder has been hailed as one of the greatest exponents of 'medieval cinema." And despite some campy dubbing ('That was a good blow you gave me last night') and faded color, the domestic version's retention of the Cinemascope format helps one imagine what an awesome experience it must've been to see director Gabriel Axel's unspoiled foreign cut (btw, 20 years later Axel enjoyed major international acclaim with 'Babette's Feast').

The Girl He Left Behind (1956)

Are you tired of only wondering about this?.....

[19 August 2006]

.....then by all means let me know directly at the above e-mail address so that I may arrange for a copy for you. This winning military "dramedy" stars the never-lovelier Natalie Wood as the titular dish waiting back home for her college-flunkie boyfriend (and barracks brat) Tab Hunter to smarten up and get a life in the army. Among the many highlights are some meaty set-pieces pitting n'er-do-well Hunter against his superior officers, all played with gusto by Murray Hamilton, Jim Backus and David Janssen (while Henry Jones and Alan King deliver equally fine turns as Hunter's pals. Look for James Garner, too). Action, comedy and emotional resonance in equal measures in a true classic of its kind that unfortunately never got its due. Worth repeat viewings if only to behold Ms. Wood's unique incandescence at its peak.