Change Your Image
killmore999
Reviews
Stars in Your Eyes (1956)
A film long forgotten
A film dated when it was made ! with a dreadful plot.......trouping company wish to save a dying theatre,but a wonderful cast Nat Jackley - his excellent routines,especially with Jimmy Clitheroe being preserved for all time,Pat Kirkwood showing why she was top of the tree in her day,belting out her final number,Bonar Colleano showing his virsitility Freddie Frinton,Hubert Gregg(looking like Nicholas Parsons)Joan Sims though especially the presence of the wonderful Dorothy Squires in her only film appearance.I had the pleasure to see a rerun of this movie at Preston last year.What a treat.Watch it folks......if only for Dot and Bonar singing "I Saw That Look in Your Eyes"
Madame Bovary (1949)
Positive review of a half forgotten film
Although it is several years since I saw it I can remember the beautiful photography and period setting of this not very happy story of a tormented woman.Particularly Jennifer Jones,a vastly underrated actress giving a sensitive performance which one imagined could have done with a bit more directoral guidance. Minnelli was one of those directors who seemed to give all or nothing to his projects.By his own admission he had very little interest in "Kismet" as he wanted to get it out of the way in order to start "Lust for Life" with Kirk Douglas.The lumbering manner of "Kismet" shows this to be true !! (he owed MGM one picture under his contract before starting "Lust for Life" and unfortunately for the project "Kismet" was it)Additionally Minelli did not want Jones in the lead role and one wonders how influencial David Selznick was in pushing for Jennifer once Lana Turner was unavailable for the lead.At any rate Lana had not yet developed her dramatic abilities which would lie some years ahead.Jennifer showed that she was adaptable to many moods including a few years later her scene stealing turn in "Beat the Devil" few actresses can take credit for stealing a picture away from Bogie,Peter Lorre,Robert Morley and LaLolla. Back to Madame Bovary,although the subject is a heavy one,it is well handled by Minnelli,and most reference books today regard it as a sadly neglected piece,which deserves a wider recognition.Interestingly if my memory serves me correctly Vincente barely mentions it in his autobiography.Maybe his private life at the time and his more financially successful works figure more prominantly in his memory.If I had directed Madame Bovary I would be immensly proud of it.Maybe he was.