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Reviews
On the Night of the Fire (1939)
Risible if it wasn't so miserable
Absolutely bewildered by the amount of high ratings for this film. Just because it's old and has the great Ralph Richardson in it doesn't make it a good film! As a couple of others have mentioned I had no idea this film is supposedly set in Newcastle as I could not detect one single Geordie accent. Even Mr Richardson seems to employ three of four different ones and not one of them as a native of the North East. The story is preposterous - a seemingly meek and mild law abiding fellow decides to steal some money because it was there and later even commits murder. Another ridiculous aspect is his wife racking up a debt of £84 on clothes which had to be a huge sum of money when the film was set considering her husband was only charging pennies for a haircut and shave! There is so much over acting personified by Mary Clare's dreadful performance as the nutjob Lizzie and to a lesser extent Dave Crowley as boxer Jim. And the way the film depicts the working class as a thick, violent, ignorant mob is disgraceful and insulting. The only redeeming aspect of this film is that there is some effective and moody lighting at times but that doesn't save it from a mark of one from this reviewer!
Cat Ballou (1965)
Great fun
In my experience of IMDb, I found that films generally tend to be overrated with people dishing out 10 marks like confetti, with remarks such as 'the best film ever made' etc. I am therefore mystified that as I write this Cat Ballou only has an overall rating of 6.8. Sure, it's not a laugh out loud (or LOL for the intellectually challenged) movie, but there are some genuinely very funny moments in it. All the leads are good (whether Lee Marvin deserved an Oscar or not is completely irrelevant, he is still superb), it is very competently directed plus it has the added bonus of some great music courtesy of Nat 'King' Cole and Stubby Hayes. There is nothing in this film to dislike, it is totally harmless fun and I am bewildered why it seems to attract negative reviews.
The Undefeated (1969)
Muddled
When I first saw this film (I have no idea when) I have a hand written note next to it which simply says "muddled". And so I decided to watch it again and my second viewing concurs with my original view. The acting seems fine to me, it's just the story and probably more accurately the directing is all over the shop. The 'jokey' parts are a mess, the ending is frankly pathetic and the less said about the totally unnecessary romance between Lee Meriwether and Roman Gabriel the better. There is a whole lot of superfluous stuff they could have cut out and replaced with perhaps an action filled climax with John Wayne and Rock Hudson going back to recover the horses. A huge disappointment.
Pursued (1947)
Overrated Western melodrama
A different take on the Western theme with this critically acclaimed film. However, the problem with it is that is so agonisingly slow. It would be churlish to totally dismiss the picture but on an entertainment level it is unbearably painful to watch. The story makes zero sense, and plods along to an unnecessarily rushed and thoroughly unsatisfactory ending. After watching it, I really don't know if I know for sure what is was all about. It seems it even confused a professional critic in a review I read in which it was stated incorrectly that Mitchum marries his brother's wife instead of his adopted mother's son's sister - see what I mean?!. I'm sure people will rave about this film but I prefer more action in a western and a story I can follow.
Tom Jones (1963)
Overlong and uncertain in tone
I remember seeing this film a few years ago and really enjoying it. I was therefore eagerly awaiting seeing it again when it was recently shown on British TV. However, I have to say I was a tad disappointed in seeing it a second time. There are humorous moments in it and the acting is very good but there are one or two scenes that are far too long. One of those is the hunting scene. Now, I have no problem with scenes like this in films of a more serious nature but I don't understand it's relevance in a so-called comedy. Images of riders digging their spurs into their horses to make them bleed and the killing of a deer is hardly comic. Also, as another reviewer points out why is the dialogue so muffled and difficult to understand? I had to have the volume turned really loud and even then couldn't make a lot of it out.
In summary, it's by no means a bad film but it really is a bit baffling how this film won an Oscar of any description.
The Running Man (1963)
Supposed thriller directed at a snail's pace.
The film is as dull as Alan Bates's character.
I was expecting an exciting thriller based on Maurice Binder's excellent opening title sequence of a man seemingly constantly on the run. It starts off well enough but then gets swallowed up in black hole of nothingness when the 'action' moves to Spain. Laurence Harvey's fake orange hair and moustache and even faker Australian accent are frankly risible and at this point the film starts to lose all credibility. Alan Bates suddenly arrives on the scene and for the next hour we are subjected to the most boring and turgid love triangle full of ridiculous and improbable scenarios. It seems they didn't know how to end the film until we get Harvey ludicrously managing to evade capture by the police by driving like a maniac around Gibraltar until thankfully he kills himself in a plane crash and puts us all out of our misery.
There is not a shadow of a doubt in a mind if this wasn't a Carol Reed film it would not be rated so highly in some quarters. Incidentally, I understand it flopped at the box office which comes as no surprise.
Chuka (1967)
Grim and unpleasant Western
I found this film so disappointing that it moved me to write my first review.
I enjoy the western genre and was particularly looking forward to watching it as it is one I haven't seen before. Firstly, there is really some odd casting in this movie - Rod Taylor is completely unconvincing as a tough gunslinger, John Mills as a terribly English upper class officer in charge of a US fort(!), Louis Hayward as a lecherous womaniser with a weakness for young natives, James Whitmore as a drunken Indian scout, Luciana Paluzzi as Taylor's superfluous love interest, and Victoria Vetri who is just superfluous. Lastly, there is Ernest Borgnine as a bullying American/German army sergeant who shouts a lot and also we are led to believe served with Mills in the Sudan!
There is very little in the way of action until the climax apart from one brutal and overlong fight scene between Taylor and Borgnine which ends with them being friends - isn't that sweet?! I won't bore anyone with the 'plot' mainly because I couldn't find one suffice to say that thankfully the injuns eventually turn up and kill all of these thoroughly unpleasant people.
I can honestly say this film has no redeeming features - I can't really fault the acting but the story such as it is has more holes than a tea bag and also leaves many unanswered questions. I give it a generous 2/10.