Like so many of the other reviewers, I rate this film highly, as it has a powerful story to tell, and the actors do full justice to their roles. It is also extraordinary, in that it is shown in black and white, then in colour, and finally in black and white again, the changes occurring as the time-setting changes, from 20th century to 19th and back again. Many of my fellow reviewers lament the fact that they cannot lay their hands on a DVD of this film, "which is never shown on TV", and this is what propelled me to write, because it IS available (Region 2) from a UK supplier, called "Old Rare Films".
This is not a commercial for them, not at all.
Reviews
8 Reviews
The Day of the Jackal
(1973)
I supported the Jackal throughout.
25 March 2020
Others have done this film justice in their rave reviews. To these, I would add that, to understand more fully the deep-seated desire for revenge on the part of the OAS against De Gaulle, and their many attempts to assassinate him, one needs to learn about the French in Algeria, the history of the conflict (1954 -1962) which ended in De Gaulle's virtual capitulation to the nationalists / terrorists. "A Savage War of Peace", by Alistair Horne, is a good start.
Passage Home
(1955)
Not a happy ship
28 March 2018
The film consists almost entirely of a merchant navy captain's first voyage in charge of a ship with a passenger on board. How that voyage turns out - and it lasts about thirty days - makes for gripping viewing, as passions run high on several issues, by no means only on account of the comely female passenger. There are many well-known British actors on duty here, and they turn in solid performances.
The Night My Number Came Up
(1955)
A flight to remember.
15 February 2018
This is a film which will stay with you for a long time. Its title sets the tone for what follows : a flight which, as it continues, looks more and more to be one that will end in disaster and thus, apparently, mean that a man's dream regarding it will come frighteningly true. The increasing sense of foreboding is alleviated at one time or another by a development that appears to be at odds with the dream, that is, until something else transpires which then sees the exact circumstances of the dream restored. It is a film which, not unnaturally, gives rise to tension-laden conversations about whether there is such a thing as fate, but that is not the main impact of this film, which is that one's attention is riveted from the opening scene to the final shocking end.
until
until
Dishonored Lady
(1947)
Never a Dull Moment
20 September 2015
I was delightfully surprised in every way by the quality of this film in respect of the sharpness of the picture and the clarity of the sound, AND by its sheer entertainment value. Set in New York in the immediate post-war years, "Dishonored Lady" grabs our attention straight from the outset, as Hedy Lamarr walks to work at her office, and from there it is non-stop interest as the story unfolds, in the office itself, in cocktail bars, the opulent mansion of predatory male, John Loder (twice, as well as twice in his chauffeur-driven limousine), in Hedy's flat where she has started a new life, in the courtroom and at the airport. Hedy, as Madeleine Damien, has a lot of acting to do, and she does it quite superbly. She is well supported by the rest of the cast, in what is a film that deserves recognition as 90 minutes of gripping cinema, with the bonus of seeing Lamarr throughout, whose role as a woman that men can't resist is entirely credible.
The Desperadoes
(1943)
All action and precious little else.
10 April 2015
I was not impressed at all by this film, as it soon became a confusing affair, and the turgid story-line did not encourage me to get to grips with just what was going on. Perhaps the glorious Technicolor might win it some admirers, with many impressive outdoor shots of the background scenery, and the explosion in the saloon, the sight of all those horses, and the big gunfight all contribute to an action-packed mix, but what is missing is a well-developed coherent plot and properly developed relationships between the main characters, to the extent that one can become at all emotionally involved with them. Fortunately, far better Westerns than this were made, with or without a love-romance in them, and a great many of them were in Black and White.
Faces in the Dark
(1960)
Tension and mystery throughout
18 April 2014
I was staggered to read some of the other reviews of this film, as I found it to be one of the best mystery thrillers it has been my pleasure to see. From start to finish, this is a film which does not flag, which remains taut and full of suspense throughout, and which keeps the viewer endlessly and tensely speculating about just what is going on : is the blinded Mr Hammond just paranoid, or is he really likely to be murdered ? That is perhaps the main question, but there are other related issues which keep the viewer on tenterhooks, and the overall result is an excellent hour and a half's viewing. All good things come to an end, as they say, and this film certainly comes to an end that one never could see coming !
Double Bunk
(1961)
Quite tedious
12 March 2014
Like another reviewer, I watched this film because it was a British comedy from a "good" era, when a lot of excellent British comedy was being produced, and this one promised well, as it contained proved stars such as Liz Fraser, Dennis Price and Sid James, as well as Ian Carmichael....but be warned - this is not even half as funny as "School for Scandal", for example, or "The Naked Truth", or even "Carry On Screaming", with the plot full of contrived humour and situations that are just simply not funny, though they are obviously meant to be. It was a strain to continue watching it to the end....so I gave up on it before then, considering it beyond rescue.
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