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Reviews
The Servant (1963)
Trite and over-rated
This turned out to be the most disappointing British film I have seen in a long time. It starts off well as a psychological thriller about a wealthy bachelor and his scheming, cynical manservant (who introduces his own fiance to the house in the guise of his sister). This part of the film works very well as a sort of period piece British film noir, benefiting from fine performances by Dirk Bogarde, a young James Fox, and (especially) Wendy Craig as the hapless girlfriend who develops a healthy mistrust of the new butler from the very outset. Unfortunately, once the central deception has been rumbled, the film gradually dissolves into an overwrought, melodramatic character study focusing on the progressive role reversal between master and servant. As a plot device, this is trite and only plausible in this specific context because the employer is unbelievably weak and dissolute. By the end it is difficult to care about any of the characters. The final nail in the coffin is the pretentious jazz score by John Dankworth which adds nothing to the drama and is merely overblown and irritating, like so many of the modern jazz film scores of this period. It contributes to an overall sense that the film is excessively arty, stagey, and lacking in real world authenticity, except as an example of early Sixties kitsch. I appreciate that Pinter is highly regarded, but this is not one of his better efforts. Don't say you weren't warned.
Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
Someone left a cake out in the rain
For some bizarre reason, this film is highly regarded by professional film critics, and it is certainly true that it contains many of the cinematographic ingredients we normally associate with film noir - the shadowy staircases, venetian blinds reflected on a monochrome wall, the post-war Californian street scenes with their fabulous cars, neon lights and immaculately dressed city professionals. It's almost as though someone wrote a recipe beforehand and then tried to follow it with pedantic precision to achieve a technically perfect result. The problem, though, is that the resulting film doesn't really work on any level, for reasons that have been well documented by other reviewers here who have watched it and found it badly wanting.
Rather than try to itemise the film's many failings, it's perhaps sufficient to cite one important anomaly that jars more than anything else. In true film noir, the female protagonists are typically hard boiled characters who understand male flaws and know how to exploit them. (Either that, or they are loyal wives operating in the background who also understand male psychology.) In Kiss Me Deadly, by contrast, women are constantly, quite literally throwing themselves at men, in a whole variety of totally unbelievable situations; begging to be kissed, made love to, and taken care of - in one case about 30 seconds after being introduced on arrival at a summer party. This immediately puts the viewer on notice that what we are dealing with here is not authentic film noir, in any meaningful sense of that term, but instead a male film director's psychological fantasy of how he would like women to behave for his entertainment. In the real world, women do not instantly decide to place their trust in a complete stranger and then initiate physical intimacy - it is simply too risky given the superior physical strength of the male and all the other unknowns involved. So the entire male-female dynamic in this film is not only false and implausible, it is also quite alien to the conventions of classic film noir which are strongly rooted in realism.
While I found more to enjoy in this film than some others here who have posted very negative reviews, I have to say that I do agree with the broad thrust of this critical commentary. Although Kiss Me Deadly is often seen as one of the last examples of the classic era of film noir, it does not stand even remote comparison with films like Double Indemnity, Out of the Past, or (to take a less famous example) Woman in the Window. Perhaps it would be better to see it as the first in a long line of pale stylistic imitators. In fact, to me it seems closer in spirit to some of the more paranoid science fiction films of the same period, which are not usually held in such high critical regard. By all means watch it and enjoy, but adjust your expectations to avoid disappointment.
Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
Interesting, watchable courtroom drama
This film failed to grip me from the start and I ended up watching it in three separate sessions, each just over an hour. Eventually in the second half it turned out to be a solid, watchable courtroom drama, but nothing more than that. I think I've figured out why it failed to enthuse me. I've never been a big fan of Jimmy Stewart and the folksy, okey-doke persona he projected whenever film directors allowed him to do so (Hitchcock being a notable exception). The scene where he presented the victim's dog to the courtroom didn't ring true to me, likewise his homely chats with the judge about the pleasures of solitary fishing. There is a place for sentimentality, but here it is just gratuitous. However, much more problematic for the film are the script and direction, neither of which creates any real sense of empathy for either the defendant or his wife, the alleged rape victim. Lee Remick portrays the wife as an incorrigible flirt - every male film director's fantasy woman perhaps, but not at all realistic in the context of a story about a traumatic alleged rape and murder. Ben Gazzara is scarcely more believable as the cynical Korean war veteran pleading temporary insanity as his defence. (I enjoyed him more in A Rage To Live.) The climax of the film is also less exciting than it might have been. There are no unexpected twists, and the story ends pretty much the way you expect it to.
The music, by Duke Ellington, is obviously first class, as one would expect, and Duke even has a cameo role as a nightclub pianist. While this is of great historical and cultural interest, ultimately it is not enough to redeem the film in my opinion.
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946)
Deserves to be better known
A stunning film, much better than I expected having read some of the reviews here. It has all the attributes that mark out the truly great American film noirs - brilliant acting, dialogue as sharp as nails, superb 'shadows and light' cinematography, a strong period atmosphere, and above all a great story that grips you from the very start and never lets go. The main reason this film stands out among its late 1940s peer group is the fact that it addresses serious moral questions in a wholly credible and convincing way. To what extent can the good that someone does later in life atone for a single bad deed from their past? Is it realistic to try to bury secrets by throwing oneself into a busy professional life? The film also sustains an almost unbearable tension right up until the final scene. It is never clear how it is going to end, but the final tragic twist proves to be highly satisfying.
The Narrowing Circle (1956)
Could have been better
This film tells an intriguing story which holds the viewer's interest, but I was left feeling that it would have benefited from a more serious, hard boiled approach. As it is, the director, screenplay writer, and lead actor Paul Carpenter all play it for laughs, so there is never any real sense of menace or tension. Some aspects of the story lack plausibility - for example the scene where the main character is trying to clear his name after being framed, but then proceeds to punch the detective in charge of the case in the face to avoid arrest. It's hard to understand the motivation for this, or to empathise with someone who would behave so self-destructively. If you approach the film as a comedy thriller, rather than a tense crime drama, any initial expectations are less likely to be disappointed.
Walk a Tightrope (1963)
Ignore the spoliers and enjoy the twist
Ignore the bad reviews, most of which seem to be written by people who just don't like grim B&W thrillers from 1960s England. This is, in fact, a briskly paced but gripping British film noir with an amazing final scene twist that forces you to see the whole film from a different perspective. With strong performances from the great Dan Duryea and Patricia Owens, the film explores the class and gender biases of the early 1960s British judicial system, as well as telling a great story with many twists and turns. Also of great interest is the fact that much of the film was shot on location in and around Strand on the Green and Isleworth in south west London. I don't know if the white pub is still there, but if so I would love to visit it. I first saw this gem of a film on Talking Pictures TV, but I only caught the second half so missed much of the narrative detail. A couple of years later I finally managed to track it down and was delighted to discover it is still available on DVD.