vallerose Reviews

Girl with Green Eyes (1964)

Lovely, lyrical, bittersweet romance

[8/10 · 21 October 2009]

Lovely, lyrical, bittersweet romance with young Rita Tushingham as a simple, convent-reared shop girl in Ireland who forms a relationship with a much older man, an intellectual, worldly agnostic (and married, but separated), living in isolation on a farm, writing books, in a finely wrought performance by Peter Finch. Tushingham and her chatterbox roommate, nicely played by Lynn Redgrave, casually meet on Finch's farm. Tushingham finds him attractive, with age difference no object, and invites him to tea in the city. Finch, somewhat world weary and wary of getting himself into an affair with a young, innocent girl, succumbs to her persistence and after a few meetings they consummate their relationship tenderly in scenes of gentle mutual affection. But, eventually, with family and priest strongly admonishing her for her "adultery" and ultimately Finch's withdrawal, Tushingham moves to England and finds relationships with men her own age and philosophically accepts the end of one, memorable phase of her life and the beginning of another. But this is not a plot-driven film – it's all character. As a sagacious film critic said a long time ago of another actress in another film (Audrey Hepburn in "A Nun's Story"), the theater is all in her face and it's Tushingham's wonderfully wistful performance, all manifested in those big, expressive eyes, that is the central and salient feature of this fine film, and which gives it its special quality.

Marc Feldman 3-8-2005

A Woman's Vengeance (1948)

A brilliant study in self-delusion, revenge, guilt and self-destruction

[10/10 · 9 October 2009]

WOMAN'S VENGEANCE, A ('47 UNIV) Dir: Zoltan Korda Critique: Jessica Tandy, fresh from her Broadway role as the original Blanche du Bois in "A Streetcar Named Desire" in the same year gives the greatest performance of her film career, and one of the greatest, measured by any standard in film history, in Aldous Huxley's brilliant, exceptionally intelligent and literate screenplay from his own "The Giaconda Smile." Tandy, who was unfortunately relegated to secondary roles for the rest of her career until she won an academy award near the end of her life for "Driving Miss Daisy" ('89) is a 35 year-old spinster (!) whose love is spurned by charming but callous philanderer, Charles Boyer, brilliant in his role as the object of Tandy's vengeance. The two stars are backed up by an outstanding cast, especially the cerebral Cedric Hardwicke as the kindly, understanding and extremely perceptive doctor who, in a scene of mesmerizing brilliance, ultimately draws out of Tandy the grim truth about the guilt or innocence of Boyer, who is condemned to death for the murder of his wife. Zoltan Korda, of the illustrious film family, directed this (his) masterpiece, with beautiful chiaroscuro photography by Russell Metty and a fine, understated score by Miklos Rozsa.

Marc Feldman 2-4-05

No Time for Tears (1957)

Good looking children's hospital procedural

[7/10 · 2 September 2008]

Directed by Cyril Frankel from Anne Burnaby's screenplay, with an all-star cast of fine British players, several from the great English classic era, this is a good, and good-looking children's "hospital procedural". There are some extremely touching moments, some bordering on the sentimental, but in the best sense of that word – have several hankies ready. Basically plot less, the film's episodic story-telling follows the career of young novice nurse, Margaret, well played by the beautiful Sylvia Syms, as she tries to navigate the many trials and tribulations of her chosen, noble profession, in a somewhat idealized hospital setting (all in color!), with its staff of doctors, surgeons, "sisters" (nurses), and last but not least, the children. A romantic, but somewhat questionable, out-of-place plot element has young, inexperienced Syms unsuccessfully trying to snare handsome but confirmed bachelor doc, George Baker. The romance doesn't last long and is happily replaced by all the standard hospital dramas: children being brought in suffering from various traumas, battling various illnesses, desperate, anguished parents, very dedicated, sympathetic hospital staff.

The notable cast includes Anna Neagle, at 53, somewhat beyond her prime as perhaps England's most popular actress of the '30s into the '40s, but still beautiful, and wonderful as hospital matron, in one of the film's most moving scenes, as she rescues two children from an abusive mother. Flora Robson, as Sister Birch, delivers the films finest moment as she firmly, yet gently admonishes young Syms who is falling apart at the near death of one of her charges. Robson gets our vote as one of Britain's ten greatest actresses. The always fine Anthony Quayle, who is the kind and gentle hospital head doctor, was teamed with Syms in a very different film of the same year, the superb, mature and intelligent, "Woman in a Dressing Gown". Michael Hordern portrays the curmudgeonly-but-kindhearted head surgeon, and a young Joan Hickson, who plays the fussy, brooking-no-nonsense yet, humorous Sister Duckworth is remembered as TV's Miss Marple.

The Three Musketeers (1973)

This movie was a disappointment in 1973 and upon reviewing in 2004 has not improved.

[4/10 · 5 December 2004]

As a person who loved the book and read it several times, I was very upset when the movie came out in 1973 to find it butchered as a slapstick comedy. Wonderful cast, all wasted. The Raquel Welch character was so stupid it made me very angry. I recently saw the movie again, in 2004 and my opinion didn't change. It's a wonderful romantic but very sad story and the movie just trashed it. I love watching Michael York in anything but I keep hoping that sometime, someone will actually do justice to the book. Christopher Lee would have made a better Cardinal. The movie is beautiful to look and my husband loved the score.