hwg1957-102-265704 Review of Hide and Seek

Hide and Seek (1964)

"Chess is all right for you brainy chaps, I suppose"

[6/10 · 1 January 2023]

An astrophysics professor from Cambridge gets involved with the seeming disappearance of his old mentor but it transpires that there is more to the affair than a vanished academic. Well it's not Hitchcock and it's not James Bond but I enjoyed the path that the film took, liking the blend of comedy and mystery and the use of chess as an explanation for the actions of the characters. There is lots of good location shooting by Gilbert Taylor and the director Cy Endfield keeps a firm grip on the narrative. Perhaps Ian Carmichael did not quite suit the role of the professor but there were other actors that gave good value to the movie; Curd Jürgens as the gastronomic mastermind, Hugh Griffith as the sozzled bargee Wilkins, Janet Munro as the enigmatic Maggie and of course Esma Cannon who steals the only scene in which she appears. A good romp.