tynesider Reviews

Model for Murder (1959)

Fashionable Murder

[19 February 2020]

An old-fashioned thriller with American Keith Andes as an American ship's officer mixed up with fashion models and scoundrels like Michael Gough and Edwin Richfield. Entertaining if implausible. And when does the First Mate of a merchant ship (oil tanker?) leave the ship on arrival in port? Never in my experience, they have work to do.

Chain of Events (1958)

Entertaining Little Film

[19 February 2020]

One thing leads to another might be an apt description of this film. Bank clerk, bus stop, trolley bus, magistrates court, newspaper reporter, blackmail, and so on, eventually ending up at the bus stop again. Nice to see all those old favourite actors again. Incidentally the music used in the opening and closing credits is 'Automation' by Dutch composer Hugo de Groot which was also used in the 1950s BBC TV police series 'Fabian of the Yard'.

Appointment with Danger (1950)

Entertaining crime story

[6/10 · 9 February 2018]

I enjoyed this little-known Alan Ladd picture. I liked the locations too, whether shot in Gary, Indiana or not, I don't know;

Incidentally, I thought the actor who played the cop putting out an All Points Bulletin looked like Jimmy Little from the Phil Silvers Show where he played Sergeant. Grover.

Bridge of Spies (2015)

Mark Rylance's accent

[28 November 2015]

Contrary to what is said in the Trivia notes, Rudolf Abel's accent is all wrong. In an interview on BBC TV's local news programme 'Look North' broadcast on 23rd November 2015, Mark Rylance said of Rudolf Abel "He was reported to sound Scottish so that's what I've done in the film and I suddenly thought probably the Americans in 1957 would have thought that a Geordie (Newcastle accent) accent was a Scottish accent so I may have got that wrong". In Vin Arthey's book about Abel "The Kremlin's Geordie Spy: The Man They Swapped for Gary Powers" (also called "Like Father Like Son: A Dynasty of Spies") he states that Abel, real name William Fisher, sometimes spoke 'educated' English and sometimes local or dialect speech, that is with a Geordie accent. There is no mention of Abel having lived in Scotland. He lived in Newcastle and nearby Whitley Bay. A Scottish accent with its many variations sounds quite different to that spoken in the Newcastle area of north east England.

Night Raiders (1952)

Familiar Title Music

[4/10 · 23 January 2015]

Watching this old picture on TV I was surprised to hear the title music which was more familiar as the theme for the Dale Robertson TV western series 'Tales of Wells Fargo'. I believe two different themes were used - one by Harry Warren - for this long-running TV show and the Night Raiders title music was presumably adapted for one of them. Perhaps the film itself is only a B picture although with a somewhat unusual plot but at least the music is worthy of better things. Raoul Kraushaar composed the music for Night Raiders which was released a few years before Tales of Wells Fargo appeared. Strange how music can stir memories after fifty years.

Canyon Ambush (1952)

Where is Denver Pyle?

[3/10 · 30 March 2014]

Denver Pyle 's name appears on the credits for this picture but for some reason doesn't appear, his role being filled by another actor. His presence might have brightened up this fairly dull Western, though Johhny Mack Brown was always a welcome sight in Saturday morning children's matinées at the time. The absence of any other well-known faces is a problem and there are too many stock situations in the script, although the identity of the chief villain remains a mystery until late in the film. Unusual to see the masked gunman wearing a cloak (but no dagger). Curiosity value only unless you are a Western fan.

Gideon of Scotland Yard (1958)

Mistakes Spotted

[13 June 2012]

This is a run-of-the-mill police drama noteworthy for being directed by John Ford. Lots of familiar British character players give it some interest but it compares poorly with The Long Arm, another police picture also starring Jack Hawkins. I don't usually spot mistakes in films but I did notice two in this one. When policeman Andrew Ray follows killer Laurence Naismith down the street he picks up the newspaper Naismith has dropped and we see the headline. When we see it again it has a different headline. When Hawkins' wife Anna Lee takes a hot casserole from the oven she uses an oven cloth but two minutes later daughter Anna Massey takes the lid off with her bare hand.

Smokey and the Bandit (1977)

Burt's 'Gabby Hayes' impression

[6/10 · 4 April 2012]

This is a very entertaining picture despite (or maybe because of) the simple plot. The two stars Burt Reynolds and Sally Field blend well together and they gradually fall for each other on the long trip from Texas to Georgia being pursued by dogged Sheriff Jackie Gleason. I haven't read all the reviews for this film but has anyone else spotted the following: About 69 minutes into the film Burt Reynolds does a George 'Gabby' Hayes impression. Driving along with Sally Fields he twists his face in the manner used by the real Gabby when he was about to speak and says the line 'Are yuh ready Roy?' Sally Field replies 'I was born ready.' This dialogue is probably inspired by Gabby Hayes' appearances in many Roy Rogers pictures.

Hondo (1953)

Music reminiscent of TV's Laramie

[7/10 · 15 August 2010]

A minor point, but watching this film on TV today I was struck by how similar some of the music is to the theme for TV's Laramie western series from the sixties. Cyril Mockridge composed that theme but Hondo's music score was by Hugo Friedhofer and Emil Newman.It is not unusual for film music in one film to appear similar to that used in another, for example compare Victor Youngs' music for Shane with his score for Streets of Laredo, a distinct similarity is evident. I have also noticed some Miklos Rozsa themes appear to have been derived from or used in more than one of his film scores. I wonder whether anyone else has noticed this tendency.

Skenbart: En film om tåg (2003)

Don't take this train without first checking the passenger list!

[5/10 · 7 November 2008]

This picture begins with a group of Swedish characters embarking on a train journey to Berlin. We are soon introduced to the dark humour that is a main feature of the film, and then the simple plot is introduced, two lovers intending to murder the man's wife. Shades of Double Indemnity in that it's to be done on a train. A writer and critic who is also travelling, has encounters with his fellow passengers, especially a wounded soldier, whose injuries he gradually adds to in a series of accidental and increasingly bizarre mishaps. The other characters range from the fairly normal to the frankly weird, from the train conductor to the male couple and the two nuns, but the writer who blunders his way through the film causing mayhem is the central figure, and his encounters with the soldier will amuse or not depending on your taste in comedy and how seriously you take life.

The murder plot is woven into the comedy nicely and the murderous couple become increasingly desperate as their plans seem to be failing. The B and W photography is crisp and as the train moves on the plot moves on with it at a nice pace. The postscript is quite clever too.

Monsieur Hulot meets Hitchcock?

Get Carter (1971)

It's all double Dutch

[6/10 · 26 June 2008]

A villain, Jack Carter, (Michael Caine) has returned to his home town of Newcastle to investigate his brother's suspicious death. Carter has spent years in London but has miraculously lost all traces of his native accent and adopted a kind of Cockney brogue. Even stranger, all the residents of Newcastle and district have also lost their local accents, even while continuing to live there, and they speak with a kind of undefined, pseudo-Northern twang.

There are two exceptions. One is Carter's friend Keith played by Alun Armstrong and the other is the scrap dealer, seen early in the film, and played by Alan Hockey. Both these actors have local connections. These inconsistencies render the picture immediately false, although apart from this major criticism it is all it is cracked up to be, a gritty and involving British gangster picture.

If you believe the accents don't really matter, imagine a film set in Scotland where all the characters speak with a Dutch accent. Of course, to viewers unfamiliar with the inflection of North East England this may not be too noticeable or important. It is surprising that this glaring anomaly is mostly ignored, unnoticed or glossed over by commentators on this website and elsewhere.

Regarding the film, Carter has little affection for his home city and is bent on retribution as he wanders through a series of grimy locations which contrast with the affluent lifestyles of crooks Kinnear (John Osborne) and Brumby (Bryan Mosley) who live in the countryside. There are no 'goodies' in Get Carter, everyone has a past or something to hide, and revenge is the key to the plot as Carter is an avenging angel (or devil), who eventually succumbs himself after wiping out several of those involved in his brother's murder. The locations are often striking - a car driven at speed along the quayside under the Tyne Bridge, the gun battle on the Walker-Hebburn ferry, Carter's pursuit of Eric (Ian Hendry) on the coal staiths at Blyth and a dawn police raid on Kinnear's mansion.

The film portrays crime and criminals as something unpleasant, nothing glamorous here, vengeance is nasty, brutal and swift. Not one to make you feel uplifted, but nevertheless one of the best British crime pictures.

Just a pity about the accents.

Return of the Bad Men (1948)

Standard plot imaginatively filmed.

[5/10 · 16 April 2008]

Legendary western outlaws by the score (almost), are faced down by lawman Vance (Randolph Scott) in this routine picture from Ray Enright. Two heroines, one a reformed bad girl, Cheyenne, (Anne Jeffreys)who becomes a telegraphist for part of the film, (now that's a new one); the other heroine reluctant banker John Pettit's (Gabby Hayes) widowed daughter Madge (Jacqueline White). These ladies fight for the attentions of Scott though Madge is already engaged to him.

The eponymous bad men cause problems for banks in the usual fashion and number some old favourites among their ranks (the Youngers, the Daltons, Billy The Kid, Wild Bill Doolin and the Sundance Kid (Robert Ryan). Ryan is portrayed as a really nasty piece of work, he shoots men in cold blood and seems more interested in killing than robbing.

The shoot out in the ghost town where the outlaws have organised a dance (another first?) is nicely done and the black and white photography makes it work.

Liked also, old reliable Gabby Hayes' scene with Randolph Scott in which he warns of the futility of shaving "you realise you lose four full days out o' your life every year - just hackin' your whiskers off?" The two female leads are attractive, with contrasting personalities, White is demure but with a steely resolve, while Jeffreys is vivacious, stubborn, plays tough but has a soft feminine centre. They are both central to the plot and not just pretty faces.

The Doolin (Robert Armstrong) character is interesting too, a hard but pragmatic outlaw who is just about able to keep Sundance under control.

All in all a fair B Western with some nice touches.

Something of Value (1957)

Interesting story of the final years of colonialism in Africa.

[7/10 · 22 March 2008]

This film examines the post-war struggle for Kenyan independence resulting in the State of Emergency set up during the Mau Mau uprising against white settlers and African 'collaborators' in the 1950s, at a time when British Colonialism was in retreat. Rock Hudson and Sidney Poitier are childhood friends who become enemies when Poitier joins the violent Kenyan revolt, and Wendy Hiller and Walter Fitzgerald play white settlers trying to come to terms with change, unlike the Robert Beatty and Michael Pate characters who support the status quo and regard the Africans as inferiors. The Mau Mau build-up is handled well, as is Poiter's gradual disillusionment with white rule, while finding it difficult to accept the violence of the Mau Mau. The Juano Hernandez character who administers the Mau Mau oaths is strongly influenced by his tribal religion and this provides the rather unconvincing reason for his change of heart and ultimate betrayal of his fellows. The vulnerability of the British settlers in the bush is evident and the degree of of violence, whether implied or shown, is unusual for the time (the picture was given an X certificate in the UK by the British Board of Film Censors which meant you had to be at least 16 to see it), and the story moves at a steady pace as directed by Richard Brooks. Interesting too for Miklos Rozsa's most unusual music score, using African rhythms and chants. An unusual film and worth seeing.

Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

Burt Lancaster without the smile

[10/10 · 2 March 2008]

Burt Lancaster flashed those big white teeth in many a film, but in this one he bites hard too and has only the smile of a snake. A cynical, manipulative, god-like New York gossip columnist called JJ Hunsecker who fawning press agents, senators and others fear, he is fawned on by Sidney Falco (Tony Curtis in one of his best roles) who hopes to get to the top, and like his mentor, doesn't mind what he does to people in the process. Even his secretary Jeff Donnell feels the sharpness of his cynicism and at one point is told to accept that his world is the real world.

Hunsecker's kid sister (Susan Harrison) has fallen for a jazz guitarist (Martin Milner, later of TV's Route 66) but brother JJ does not approve and wants Falco to break it up, cutting him out when Falco initially tries and fails. Desperate to get back into JJ's grand circle, Falco hatches a nasty little scheme which ultimately goes wrong, eventually resulting in Hunsecker and Falco both coming to grief. Lancaster and Curtis are riveting while on screen, a double act involving mutual dependence, punctuated by some of the best dialogue written for any film.

But its not just the dialogue, but the photography, music, the playing and New York itself which together make this such a memorable picture, one of director Mackendrick's best. He made classic British comedies Whisky Galore, The Maggie and The Ladykillers among others, all of which, together with Sweet Smell of Success, rely on characterisation to move on the plot and hold your attention.

Emile Meyer as a slimy cop and Barbara Nichol as a put-upon blonde are also memorable in the cess-pit media world inhabited by JJ and his cronies.

One to remember.

Black Magic (1949)

One to put back in the attic.

[4/10 · 9 January 2008]

A curious, little-seen oddity based on an Alexander Dumas tale, it adapts the story of Cagliostro, played by Orson Welles, an 18th century magician and charlatan who has strange hypnotic powers and becomes involved in a plot to overthrow the French monarchy in order to revenge himself on the aristocrat who was responsible for the execution of his parents.

In black and white, it makes use of dark scenes, shadows, close ups and other film noir techniques to accentuate the pseudo-magical qualities of Orson Welles' character. Akim Tamiroff as Welles' gypsy friend is rather good, but Nancy Guild in the dual role of Marie Antoinette and Lorenza, the woman who Cagliostro first rescues, then manipulates, is not outstanding. There is some sword-play and many elaborate costumes are on display in the court episodes, and the early scenes showing Cagliosto's gypsy boyhood when he falls foul of the aristocrat who hangs his father and mother and sentences the boy to be whipped and blinded are strong stuff for the time.

The film seems to have been made in Rome for United Artists and although the plot is somewhat bizarre it is strangely watchable.

Once a Sinner (1950)

Not forgotten after fifty years.

[3/10 · 27 December 2007]

I saw this picture in the mid-fifties and it has always stayed in my mind, mainly because of the playing of Sydney Tafler as Jim Smart, a small-time crook whose death by stabbing outside a Church reminds me of the climax to one of the great gangster pictures (was it Edward G's death on the steps in Little Caesar or was that Cagney in Public Enemy, I've forgotten which). The notice on the church wall behind Tafler reads 'Repent Ye Sinners, While Ye Can'. Tafler's wife Joy Shelton also has a role and the rest of the cast contains many British stalwarts of the era, Thora Hird, Danny Green and the recently deceased Pat Kirkwood among them. The film also has a character called Creeping Charlie whose speciality is throwing acid, an interestingly sinister, if minor, villain. A lot of the early scenes were rather dialogue-heavy, but there were a few things to like. This was a 'B' picture and not very good, but was one of the early films of director Lewis Gilbert who went on to far better things.

5 Against the House (1955)

Black and White 1950s thriller with some lighter moments.

[6/10 · 26 September 2007]

This is a Columbia picture starring, according to the credits, Kim Novak, Guy Madison, Brian Keith, Kerwin Matthews and Alvy Moore It also throws in William Conrad, later of Cannon TV fame.

The film begins with four ex-army buddies on a visit to a casino town, who both there and later back at college, spend much of their time wisecracking. But Keith exhibits his 'psycho' tendencies in a night club brawl and we learn that these were induced by his experiences in the Korean War. Then its back to college where a fresher (Jack Dimond) is the butt of some humorous pranks.

In the second half of the picture the emphasis changes to thriller as three of the four plan a supposedly foolproof heist at a casino, but intend to return the money, having once proved it can be done.

Keith is however back in violent mode and Madison and girlfriend Novak are forced to become unwilling participants in the robbery. Conrad, as a casino employee, is induced at gunpoint to help with the heist and the strong wartime links between the four are put under great strain.

This picture is neither one thing nor another and those led to expect a light hearted heist film by its early light hearted approach will be surprised at how it turns out.

Worth seeing for an early Kim Novak role and for a heist picture set in Reno and not Las Vegas.

3:10 to Yuma (2007)

Twenty-first century remake of classic western.

[7/10 · 20 September 2007]

A remake should always add something extra to the original and this one does. New characters, old characters with different roles or emphasis and played by contemporary actors, authentic-looking production design and locations, and colour all add up to an entertaining and exciting picture, and well worth seeing.

Russell Crowe is Ben Wade, leader of a gang of outlaws who open the film by robbing the stage and then riding brazenly into town to tell the law about the robbery, omitting their own part in it naturally., the posse then going off to chase after the robbers. Wade, however, lingers a little too long in town, having made a conquest of the saloon's (female) bartender, and is kept talking by impoverished rancher Dan Evans (Christian Bale) until he can be arrested. Now Wade must be taken to Contention City and put on the 3:10 train to Yuma after which a likely hanging awaits. Evans needs the money on offer for being part of the escort.

The rest of the film tells what happens on the trail, with some wonderful set pieces like the incident in the railroad worker's camp, and climaxes in a brutal shoot-out at the railroad station with unexpected consequences.

But there are quieter moments too, especially in the hotel room (where Wade is being held to await the train), exploring the developing relationship between Wade and Evans in response to events.

But how does it compare with the original version from Delmer Daves? Well, in that film the leads are played by Glenn Ford and Van Heflin, giving standout performances, with Wade's lieutenant Charlie Prince here played by Richard Jaeckel, a less ruthless characterisation than that of Ben Foster in the 2007 version.

The black and white cinematography is so good that you quickly settle for it not being in colour, and the slower-paced story allows more time for character development even within a shorter running time.

The scenes between Glenn Ford and bartender Felicia Farr are outstanding and the two male stars are, I believe, more charismatic than their modern counterparts, with character actors Robert Emhardt and Henry Jones also good. There is also an appropriately mournful song from Frankie Laine sung over the credits. The new picture has been criticised for some implausible moments but the 1957 film also has its ambiguities. No-one guesses that the drunken stranger sleeping it off with a newspaper over his face in the hotel lobby where Heflin is holding Ford might be a member of the gang on a spying mission. And the hotel scenes take place between 11 till 3 yet the shadows in the street are long and not short as they ought to be when the sun is high in the sky.

But these reservations apart, the 1957 version is, in my opinion, superior, and one of the classic Westerns, compared to the new one which is very good but for me falls somewhat short of classic status, but certainly one of the best 'modern' westerns.

And Glenn Ford has the best hat.

The Three Musketeers (1993)

The comic book version

[15 January 2007]

This is a very ordinary version of The Three Musketeers. Film versions of classic novels should at least bear some resemblance to the plot of the novel from which they are adapted, even if they are just pot-boilers intended for a family audience like this one, and not meant to be taken too seriously. But this is a very loose adaptation indeed.

The acting is just up to the level required and the dialogue is a mix of pseudo-17th century and contemporary Americanisms which fail to convince the viewer that he/she is watching a picture set in 17th century France. Though the production is quite a handsome one, with the sets, locations, and costumes all nice to look at, the characters are not well-drawn, in particular those of Cardinal Richlieu, portrayed as an out and out villain, admittedly enjoyably, but with little depth, and D'Artagnan who is played as naive, arrogant and pompous and not as a particularly likable character.

Other comments stress that this is a Disney picture made for the family, but that should not save it from criticism. Compare it with Disney's Treasure Island, or Kidnapped, both much superior adaptations. Nor have they helped children understand the novel. Because it is so loosely based they would hardly recognise it as The Three Musketeers if the characters' names had been changed, though I do agree that film adaptations don't have to follow the source novel absolutely faithfully.

But is it entertaining? Yes and no. The villains are hiss-able, Aramis, Arthos and Porthos are sometimes entertaining, despite the questionable dialogue they are given, and Richlieu, though often over the top, has his moments. The action scenes are OK but not done with any great verve compared with the Richard Lester version. Milady does not feature as a really central character in the plot as she should and in fact many of the novels' characters do not appear in the film at all.

Read the book and see the 1973 version and forget this one if you are over 16.