Reviews

Thrilled to see this available on demand as had never seen it, but heard about how haunting, gripping, amazing a film it is. Imagine my surprise after a promising first 5 minutes when it descended into a weird combo of badly acted "suspense" generated by the behaviors of the fey islanders (with Sgt Howie looking like a cross between a grouchy policeman and your most disapproving nun at parochial school) and schlocky soft porn masquerading as art. Thoroughly slimy AND boring. Didn't finish it, would rather take out the trash or darn socks. The location and plot line could have been amazing, but they are wasted in this miasma of self indulgent and muddled storytelling. Avoid this like the plague...actually, the plague would be easier to tolerate.

I had heard this film highly recommended on the Classic Movies website, so, after checking out the IMDB notes as well, I was able to obtain it for viewing. The warped scenario deals with the fates of two women when their respective visits to meet the "in-law" (Laura Hope Crews in a tour de force surprising from the woman best known as Aunt Pittypat) turns into the horrifying recognition of the ultimate "out-law". There's little time to spare before we get a good idea of why there is no father figure in the picture. At times, the obsessive nature of Mom's voracious emotions toward her sons suggests an incestuous factor that only a precode film could feature. An absorbing, and sometimes frankly disturbing, film which is hard to obtain but worth a look.

When Scott Henderson quarrels with his wife on the night of their anniversary, it seems like a shame to let his theatre tix go to waste. So he shares drinks and a show with a lonely lady who insists on two-ships-in-the-night anonymity in order to go along as his companion. When he returns to his home and finds police waiting to question him regarding a violent crime, the nameless nature of his evening encounter lends desperation to his situation. How can he prove his alibi knowing only the last place he saw her? Could the elaborate hat she wore be an identifying feature? His loyal secretary "Kansas" (the gorgeous Ella Raines) proves her unrequited love by taking off like a terrier on the trail for clues exonerate him....but can she do that in time? Will his friend Jack Marlow, just returned from south of the border, be able to help him? The fog-encircled city streets play a supporting role themselves as "Kansas" forges deeper and deeper into her own investigation, and so into danger...This film is enjoyable despite the leaden acting of Franchot Tone as Jack Marlow. It is (luckily) available on VHS and is quite good taken with a large bowl of popcorn on a gloomy night.

The team of Val Lewton and Jacques Tourneur were responsible for some of the finest, most unusual suspense films, and this ranks among them. Though some of the romantic aspects of the plot are cumbersome, the film is worth watching on the strengths of cinematography and general mood alone. In particular, the scenes of Betsy's nighttime sojourn with Jessica into the fields in order to find the voodoo ceremony has to rank as one of the most nervewracking on film. The appearance of Carrefour is more frightening since it is shrouded not in screams, but in the quiet of rustling cane. The performance of Sir Anthony is a definite highpoint as well. This film is somewhat difficult to come by but has been screened several times within the last year on the classic movie channels. Quite an excellent little film for those who like their "horror" films marked by lyricism and mystery rather than graphic detail.

There is no way to get around it, and I originally posted this review ten years ago-this is the definitive Scrooge. My family is bigger than when I first wrote it and my husband, kids and I watch it every year without fail-often on Thanksgiving night to usher in the season. Somehow Alastair Sim perfectly balanced the cruel and parsimonious traits of the unreformed Ebenezer with the hilarity and humility of the redeemed one, making each characterization seem undeniably believable. Though all the much anticipated scenes (the appearance of Marley's ghost and the three spirits, for example) are excellent, it is the little moments of the film that really touch the viewer: the sweet encouragement of the nephew's maid; the seedy atmosphere of the merchant's lair where Ebenezer's effects will be sold, literally off his back; the swift descent of the undertaker to capitalize in his most competitive of businesses; Fan's deathbed. "In keeping with the situation", this movie should be seen early and often once the Thanksgiving leftovers are safely in the fridge. And I dare you not to hum "Barbara Allen", or that mazurka, while decorating the Christmas cookies!

After accidentally discovering this film on one or another classic film network's graveyard shift holiday schedule, I've often wondered why it is not more prominently featured. The film blends some time honored themes of Christmas (the suspense and longing children feel at Christmastime, for example) with more complex undertones involving Janet Leigh's character, Connie. You see, Connie needs to decide whether she asked Santa for the safe and familiar toy (Wendell Corey) or the complicated model shipped without directions that may be a whole lot more interesting (Robert Mitchum). Leigh's wistful performance as a war widow struggling with needing to begin life again while trying to preserve the memory of her husband rings true. This is a great little holiday film and is now shown every Christmas at my house, just in case it gets relegated again to the no-show lists on air. Mitchum's performance is effortless and he seems to be enjoying himself-you will, too.

From the initial scene chronicling the murder central to the plot of Nocturne as seen from the killer's vantage point, this movie has much to sustain the viewer's interest. Whenever a stock line or situation makes you feel this is a typical hardboiled cop flick, another plot twist or cinemotographic trick changes your mind. Portions of the movie shot after hours in a deserted photographic studio remind the viewer of Harrison's Hitchcockian associations with palpable suspense. George Raft shows surprising likeability as the lead, and Lynn Bari lends sparky support as one of the ranks of the victim's past conquests-or was she?-who just might hold a clue to the identity of the deadly Dolores. If you have a chance to see this film, grab it-although it was a successful and high grossing film at the time of its release in 1946, it is extremely difficult to rent, view, or purchase today. And the music, so evocative of the forties' nightclub allure, is great.

I don't think many people will dispute that this dreamy tribute to themes of childhood loneliness and the power imagination has to rescue children from the darkest places resonates tremendously. As noted in previous comments, there is great hue and cry that the film is unrelated to the first Cat People story (with the exception of characters that people its landscape) and that the title is inappropriate. I agree that the title is somewhat exploitive, but if one truly examines the curse of Elena's existence in the context of mythic themes of good versus evil, then Elena's ultimate redemption is her ability , through her intercession with Amy, to protect her from the evil in the mortal world embodied within the film. This film is filled with real images and feelings of childhood, so much so that at times it is almost painful to watch. But watch it you should.

Angel Face was a recommended film according to several noir chronicles, so I figured when it rolled around on TMC I could tape it and erase if it failed to satisfy. Despite initial difficulty getting involved in the plot, before I knew it I was absorbed by Jean Simmon's keynote performance. The myriad small moments of suspense along the way in no way prepare the viewer for the shocking moment which closed this cautionary tale. Definitely recommended viewing.

I give full credit to this little treat for introducing me to the world of noir cinema when I happened to stumble onto it on AMC. (Oh, that AMC showed films of this caliber lately!) Laraine Day gives a beautifully understated performance, handling what would now perhaps be called a tragic case of posttraumatic stress disorder resulting in a life of twists and turns with truth, no scenery chewing. Brian Aherne strikes just the right clinical note as the sadder-but-wiser exhusband, and Robert Mitchum gives a memorable performance as the first (at least the first chronicled in this tale) man to fall victim to Nancy's fatal charms. As Norman, he certainly delivers a farewell present to Nancy's physician spouse, and by extension, to Nancy, that they won't soon forget. The denouement at the mansion while wedding guests await fair Nancy is gripping cinema. Watch for a great performance by the mother of Joan Fontaine and Olivia Dehaviland as the cruel woman responsible for Nancy's childhood trauma. Worth the while!

This little known and scantily screened Val Lewton masterpiece is a must see. The eerie atmosphere established at the boarding school where Kim Hunter learns of her sister's disappearance continues throughout. Scenes including her nightmarish experience in a darkened cosmetic company hallway illustrate how far afield recent film has gotten from true suspense as sustained in the imagination of the viewer. The chilling normalcy of the lives of the Satanists she comes to be pursuing in an effort to understand what has happened to her sister, and their quiet menace as they later gather forces to will the suicide of one of their ranks is gripping. The scenes depicting her sister's frantic run through the streets to escape a pursuer will remind others of the opening of Lewton's other little shown film The Leopard Man. Viewing this film further reinforces my belief that an intelligent film patron does not need to be clubbed over the head by excessive gore and violence to be truly scared by a film if the story is intriguing and the execution is as good as in The Seventh Victim.