mail-671 Reviews

The Monkey's Paw (1948)

Think again what you wish for - it could come true!

[6/10 · 20 March 2008]

Mike-764's summation is obviously that of an updated US presentation & not that of the original short story originally set in the '20s by one of Britain's most popular & prolific spinner of yarns with a twist,W W Jacobs.Through the 30s-50s it was a popular choice for Rep groups and BBC Radio and rates with the best - the famed "Sorry,Wrong No!" as a suspencer for the imagination. Small wonder it was a popular choice for the US "Suspense" series. Adaptations from the 50s for film & TV have altered the "McGuffin" but not always for the best. I probably saw this particular version but not recently, so I can't properly rate it. I have,however,read the play & it is that with which I am familiar. Listen to this in the dark in the original version with the original finish which is the real clincher. Who - or what was knocking at the door after that final wish? Would you have opened it?

Massacre in Rome (1973)

Echoes of Lidice

[8/10 · 9 June 2007]

After sticking it out to the grim & dreadful closing 15 minutes of this co-Italian production, I felt the need for a stiff brandy. Not knowing anything of the film nor of the incident that led to the final atrocity I was kept riveted after the first half hour since the often chequered and frustrated direction of the account often leaves the conclusion in doubt and one hoping the worst will be thwarted at the last moment.When 32 of a company of marching German soldiers are wiped out by a small bunch of Italian underground in a wet deserted street which results in a furious local Commandant(McKern) demanding immediate and exaggerated retaliation but is reminded by his subordinate(R Burton) that with the Americans beating at the city gates, he lacked the proper authority,it being more politically prudent to "go through channels". Burton has a tenuous understanding with a local priest Fr Antonelli(Mastroianni)who represents the large Christian population & the Vatican who gets personally involved in a struggle to cool what becomes a strategic battle between the various ranking officials who refuse permission or don't wish to know, his pleading & reasoning with Burton as one born to obey orders and caught in the middle of a thankless and unwanted military situation is ordered to compile a reduced list of hostages and then arrange the execution squad. It is a matter of history that Pope Pius,ruler of the Vatican & representative of everything Catholicism stood for, if not a collaborator with the Nazis was at least partisan, so Fr Antonelli finding the hostage situation finally becoming a growing reality desperately seeks his intervention to prevent the accelerating executions only to be met with a polite & devious refusal. There are a few moments of amusement in watching the growing frustrating of McKern repeatedly defeated by ranking responses to his demands but the suspense is held until the point where Burton rigid to his code, rebukes the inevitable damnation of his soul in openly defying Fr Antonelli & as a man out on his own stonefacedly proceeds with his "final solution" without official knowledge of the civil authority. How the final contrived business is planned with the utmost secrecy and perpetrated even to the extent of destroying all evidence of the atrocity and the grim,details of every last moment takes a pretty strong stomach.....the notorious sequence from Kubrick's "Paths of Glory" springs to mind. One final nasty shock remains for Burton who has promised the priest he will fire the first shot. The whole "business", like Lidice is historical truth... Hitler clearly saw the assassination of one high ranking official significant enough to wipe out an entire village & its population- the significance here was a mere 30 odd footsloggers of minor importance. One point did bother me about why these officials really cared about protocol and did not simply go out & seize the first unwitting hostages they found and not stand on ceremony about details. But this is a true story we are told.

A few old faces like Anthony Steel & Peter Vaughan pop up briefly whilst the acting is generally quite acceptable with Burton almost as stone faced and cold as in "Villain" . What was his reason for taking so unsympathetic a part? Nevertheless, as one reviewer has remarked it has the look of a cheap production and a good deal is shot in semi-darkness. Definitely not for children under 14!

The crumbs of comfort come with the closing credits when we are audibly reminded of the War Trials' sentences of death or imprisonment for these men, Only Kesselring got off lightly as the top authority to issue the proper orders. Fr Antonelli finally demonstrated the bravery of Sidney Carton in his horror of this massacre in Rome.

The Voice in the Night (1941)

The cost of truth under nazi Europe.

[7/10 · 13 May 2007]

An interesting fact about "Freedom Radio" is that Warners had beaten 2 Cities to it the previous year with the much grimmer & hard hitting "Underground" where the principal exponents were 2 brothers - one a defiant anti-nazi & the other a committed party member - one set against the other against a background of terror & mistrust under a merciless Gestapo regime. This is by far the superior treatment and establishes a suspenseful,dangerous atmosphere where serious infractions like listening to or indeed operating subversive radio transmissions intending to tell the truth about nazi policies invite the severest punishments. Basically,"Freedom Radio" narrates a similar situation from a British viewpoint and with a distinctly British cast of well known players in what was an early piece of propaganda from Asquith whose family politics were well set. It is a polished production under a wartime budget with cameos by several well known players of the day. Raymond Huntley/Clifford Evans & unbelievably Bernard Miles strut around resplendant in immaculate & bemedalled Gestapo suits with young Derek Farr and Joyce Howard caught up in the plot to aid wealthy dentist Clive Brook finally act in defiance of the regime that needs to strangle the truth. The Truth was not out there & Brook has a marital struggle to convince Diana Wynyard- a firm party sympathyser & keep his actions from reaching her nazi friends. Brook & Wynyard were no strangers to the stage and had the leads in Noel Coward's "Cavalcade"(1933). The former has also played Sherlock Holmes & prior to FR was a stiff upperlipped naval officer in Ealing's early WW2 naval epic "Convoy". Diana Wynyard made a name for herself in the lead of "Gaslight" on stage & on screen before MGM reprised it with Ingrid Bergman and tried to suppress the former. "Freedom Radio", again is studio-bound but this does not affect the story. Some dialogue is of the day and the edited newsreel inserts are obvious. A twist in the plot has one of the nazi leads a sympathyser & a nice,moment of suspense as Derek Farr,the radio technician infiltrates a huge Party gathering under the nose of a suspicious armed guard and cuts the connections relaying a speech by Hitler. There are several witty lines such as mentioned by earlier critics & direction is above average as should be expected from "Puffin" = Cottage On Dartmoor"/"Pygmalion"/"Way To The Stars" & "The Winslow Boy".

As an ex-RAF Wireless Op I appreciated the Gestpo method of searching out the illegal transmissions using the old 2-beam method of DF.In fact,this might just get a rough location of a strong signal but a third beam would be much more accurate as used some years later by the FBI in "White Heat" when hunting down Ma Cody in her bugged car. There's a touch of irony when the ending of FR parallels that of "Underground" in that the Truth will not be silenced by mere suppression.

Terror House (1942)

Trivia

[8/10 · 30 October 2006]

One of your early critics has a point. Released in the days when the Censor's cert was "U" "A" or "H"for horrific, unusually on its first release "The Night Has Eyes" was given the "A" certificate in its released version. On a later reissue this was changed to "H" because of the ending,then considered excessive but has subsequently been used many times to greater effect. Around the same time,conversely, a reissue of "The Cat & The Canary" which was initially released with the "H" cert was reduced to"A" as part of a double feature with "Miracle of Morgan's Creek". The former thriller gained some popularity because of its theme music based on a romantic piano concerto by Charles Williams whose several compositions often enhanced a film's appeal such as in Billy Wilder's Oscar winner,"The Apartment" except that,unjustly(to my mind),for this film he was denied any screen credit,all of that going to Adolphe Deutch.

Nurse Edith Cavell (1939)

A lesson in Hun diplomacy

[25 November 2005]

Before her popular "London Suite" escapism of the late 40s Anna Neagle achieved early fame for her biopics - Nell Gwyn, Queen Victoria & Amy Johnson portrayed with dignity & feeling,when necessary. This was even more evident in Edith Cavell under the sincere & sympathetic direction of husband,Herbert Wilcox. Her martyrdom & heroism to both her calling & beliefs that "patriotism is not enough" was commemorated after WW1 with the erection of a famed statue in London's Charing X Road,still there, so in the film the ending was never in doubt. Wilcox repeated his 1928 "Dawn" with Sybil Thorndyke without histrionics or dramatics and a bunch of popular stars in more untypical reserved roles except George Sanders who was getting into his stride after "Lancer Spy" as the stiff,autocratic Hun determined to uphold the intransigency of the "rules of war" & expediency irrespective of pleadings of British diplomats up to the very last and the decision of the court-martial against this dignified British nurse - all of which Kubrick later reflected so vividly in "Paths Of Glory". It is interesting to compare the Hun his descendant/counterpart, the Nazi and his downfall - each had their degrees of corporate conquest & world domination whatever the cost. The basic tale of Nurse Cavell running her small Belgian underground escape route for soldiers & fliers under the noses of the enemy is narrated in brief factual episodes. The short closing scenes of her arrest,brief imprisonment,quick execution & memorial service in Westminster Abbey are moving & dignified as directed by Wilcox, a name in high regard among British filmgoers for almost 20 years irrespective of their unfortunate later bankruptcy. By this time Anna Neagle's figure & appearance as a dancer had changed noticeably since her earlier buxom parts in such as "The 3 Maxims"(Later remade as "Trapeze")doing very realistically what Betty Hutton did very realistically later for de Mille. Regrettably, many copies of this rarely seen film have deteriorated especially the sound track which can be muffled & inaudible. Happily,my video copy was taped before it reached this state.

The Sky's the Limit (I) (1943)

An Astaire interlude

[8 November 2005]

An acceptable wartime interlude for Astaire with some tuneful numbers and some brief great dancing which Joan Leslie shared & obviously enjoyed the challenge. However,with so many stars on various wartime duties Hollywood extended its prewar dream casting.... Former Joan Brodel had barely turned 18 & became the cutest,prettiest of new Warner leads. RKO managed to make her appear far older to be chased by 44-year old Fred who must have felt a bit self conscious in the straight scenes with just one chaste goodbye kiss at fadeout. This situation would have called for some on-screen comments,today! Although as a singer Joan Leslie left something to be desired beside many of her contemporaries she was still a talented actress. One of her more memorable parts was that of the impoverished young cripple in High Sierra doing a mean about-turn on middleaged Bogart after his financing a costly operation to let her dance again. I would have liked to have seen more of my favourite manservant,Eric Blore so amusing in Top Hat. No one could produce a withering remark so feelingly or unctiously.

Sun Valley Serenade (1941)

A great band,classic songs ,comedy and the Queen of the ice!

[24 September 2005]

This was my first Sonja Henie movie which was reissued in support of House on 92nd St and what a great piece of entertainment that was! Of course we had been saturated with the great WW2 bands courtesy of AFRS/AFN including Miller's and it was great to see them all and those popular tunes against such an attractive background. "I Know Why" still remains my favourite recording with "Chattanooga Choo Choo" and "Moonlight Serenade". However, hard as I tried,I really could not accept the 30 year old strapping blonde & dimpled Sonja as an innocent little refugee and neither did Lynn Bari who was Hollywood's definitive gorgeous bitch. It wasn't her singing voice any more than in the later equally enjoyable "Margie" but it didn't matter & who cared? I never quite took to Joan Davis - she seemed too much like Martha Raye/Cass Dailey/Eve Arden/Zazu Pitts. The back projection for the hill skating sequences was too obvious but I would love to know how they managed to get that immaculate black mirrored effect to the huge rink. Much like those impossible dance floors in some of the Astaire/Rogers spectaculars. The Nicholas Bros were nothing less than sensational & an unknown young Dorothy Dandridge did well in her early brief appearance. Glenn Miller on the other hand may have played a cool slush pump but he was no actor! And there were always the real Modernaires. And all this without a hint of smut or sex. Best line - when Lynn Bari in the night club sequence in a fit of jealousy rounds on Henie and calls her a hillbilly and the latter with an expression of total bewilderment retorts "Hillbilly?" Well,I thought so.

Both Joan Davis & Milton Berle made it to early 50s TV - the latter becoming known as "Mr TV" from his prolonged popularity & brashness. He even made it into the early 90s in one of his last guest bits for one of Fran Drescher's hilarious "The Nanny" episodes as a shyster lawyer.

Underground (1941)

A gripping story of clandestine radio under the Nazis.

[24 September 2005]

When I saw this as a kid I found it a grim.vivid & gripping introduction to the wartime "underground" movement in an occupied territory courtesy Warner Bros as did Martin Kosleck's ruthless Gestapo officer and the silent struggle of one German brother to stick to his convictions in direct opposition to the other,an enemy where discovery meant certain torture & death. It has never been shown on UK TV - certainly not by TCM. I distinctly still recall the relief when this feature in the cinema was quickly followed by the next week's trailer in contrasting brilliant technicolour for Greer Garson in "Blossoms In The Dust"! Only a few years ago I finally tracked down the video which I believed never existed in the States & did not hesitate to have it sent over. It is in pretty good condition & brought back those memories. Barely a year later,(1941), 2 Cities Films in Britain released its blander & lighter version, "Freedom Radio" which starred two of Britain's then leading stage stars, Clive Brook ("Cavalcade") and Diana Wynyard which has had TV showings. In this version the ethical differences & attitudes in defying the gestapo were between husband & wife and various Nazis played(as was then usually the case)by other well known British faces with English accents.

Rome Express (1932)

**trivia**

[8/10 · 22 September 2005]

This is the great granddaddy of train portmanteau thrillers and Walter Forde,like Hitchcock, had a thing for trains - he even remade his now lost 1931 "The Ghost Train" and became a serious leading British Director. The production of Rome Express opened the large new Lime Grove(Gainsborough)studios in W London using two huge sets to accommodate both terminii & the impressive express. Conrad Veidt was a comparative newcomer to London from Germany escaping a future under the Nazis and stayed to make a number of other acclaimed 30s films like "Jew Suss" "Passing of the Third Floor Back" "Dark Journey" & "Under The Red Robe" until ending up at Denham with the Kordas. He loved Britain and loathed Hitler but this didn't stop his 40s performances as an assortment of nazi officials - "Escape" "Spy In Black" and,of course,"Casablanca". The popular Scottish actor,Finlay Currie played the same part in this and its almost shot-for-shot remake 15 years later at 70.He was probably best known as the convict,Magwitch, in the superb 1946 remake of "Great Expectations".

Hell's Angels (1930)

**Trivia**

[8/10 · 22 September 2005]

Many years ago I grabbed the unique opportunity to see both HELL'S ANGELS & SCARFACE as a double feature much as FRANKENSTEIN & Dracula were united in the 1938 reissues. I guess the rt of Hell's Angels was still its full length before both vanished and lost some footage over 20 years before reappearing on TV. The full running lost about a reel for many years not to mention any early colour sequence. It's possible the DVD has restored this,now.

Both firm Catholics, BEN LYON married the top singer/actress BEBE DANIELS and moved to London in the mid-30s becoming firm favourites with the British public when they elected to stay put & face the wartime strictures,problems and air raids with everyone else. A veteran pilot,Ben Lyon served with distinction in the USAF in WW2 rising to Lt Col. Inbetween times he joined with his wife & a Jewish comic,Vic Oliver(who married one of Churchill's daughters!)to appear in a hugely popular Sunday night radio variety show "Hi,Gang!" broadcast live from London's Stage Door Canteen in Piccadilly in defiance of the air raids. The show was written by Bebe Daniels & he often used his influence to attract many top Hollywood guest stars to the show,very difficult in those times. He would have to suffer running gags from the others about how bad & hammy he played in Hell's Angels. He was later awarded an OBE for his services & returned to Hollywood only on the tragic & unexpected death of his wife in 1971. In a later interview he claimed to have been the casting exec with 20th Century Fox to have given Marilyn Monroe her screen name.The couple had two children,Barbara & Richard who later appeared with them in the early '50s in a scatterbrained family comedy series "Life With the Lyons", almost predating the later "Life With Riley".

The Monkey's Paw (1933)

One for the imagination

[8/10 · 7 August 2005]

W W Jacobs was a well known & popular English short story writer of the 1930s - usually sea tales with mystery and The Monkey's Paw is about his best known and oft heard if not a great favourite with amateur dramatic groups (probably because of the small cast). It is a nice little creepy tale with a universal moral - be careful what you wish for.... it could come with a price tag! I originally heard it as a radio play and couldn't wait to read the play itself. This early film version is unknown to me although a variety of adaptations have been produced on film - in one inferior updated case(I forget the title),the paw was replaced by another gimmick. IMDb lists 8 versions including a TV production and it was also included in radio's Suspense & Lights Out! series because it is favourably compared with Lucille Fletcher's radio masterpiece Sorry Wrong No! as a classic of the short story and radio adaptation when only one's imagination can do justice to the imagery & action. The original background was a typical working class English home of the '30s - the rest of the background is just referred to. For once the premise is too possible! 8 out of 10 for the story.

The House on 92nd Street (1945)

One of the best espionage stories ever!

[10/10 · 18 July 2005]

Fox released this along with "SunValley Serenade" = what a great 3hrs of entertainment! I love this movie even though there's no more guessing about "Mr Christopher". The direction is punched straight at one right from the opening typed credits with each beat of the commanding FBI March theme which pervades each dramatic move in the gripping tale of its dedicated team led by Lloyd Nolan in one of his most popular roles to smash a nazi spy ring & its bunch of thugs using a young Volunteer,William Eythe, to infiltrate the gang as a radio technician at serious risk to his life until his cover is finally blown,to a shoot-out finale & the unmasking of the stranger in the patent leather shoes first seen following a road "accident" at Bowling Green. No time for romance in this slick story - just plain factual action and we are kept informed all the way by top narrator,Reed Hadley whose stentorian tones would become familiar in a number of later semidocumentaries. Played out as an extended dramatised March Of Time episode a technique that easily embraced several later successful crime thrillers - T-Men,Street With No Name,Kiss Of Death & He Walked By Night (later developed by Jack Webb into the hugely influential Dragnet). With the dropping of two A-bombs on Japan,the hitherto top secret Manhatten Project, the McGuffin of the plot was out and by 1945 its story could be told. Generations on world events & history have overtaken the film which still may be enjoyed for its acting & its use of then revolutionary FBI techniques like the 2-way mirror & the huge fingerprint files hall. Everyone's favourite slimy,sneaky villain, Gene Lockhart has a particularly telling part as the last bit of the jigsaw for the baffled FBI, a seemingly innocent traitorous professor with the rare ability to carry pages of top atomic secrets in his head for transfer to the enemy. The final message that not one single enemy agent escaped the FBI net is given against real newsreel scenes of one of their large roundups. Sadly the star, William Eythe failed to achieve any significance dying at age 39 from acute hepatitis, brought on by alcoholism. Apparently the real House (long gone) was on entirely another street.

The Mad Doctor (1933)

Scary Disney

[19 April 2004]

I can recall only seeing this once on tv some 30 years ago & was a rarity amongst Disney's early output/ This is no Silly Symphony and has a particular interest in that it was given a very limited release in the UK for one good reason - it has the rare distinction in the history of animation of having the then censor's new "H" for horror clapped on it (noone under 16 years admitted irrespective of the programmes). Disney's best children's later attractions as Snow White,Dumbo, Pinnochio & Fantasia had their darker moments of terror which gave the then censor some problems(unlike today!).Hence,like the later Wizard of Oz Snow White was initially given the "A" certificate before going on General Release when it was then changed to the Universal cert unlike Wizard which was never changed. Ever since The Skeleton Dance, ol'Uncle Walt like Hitchcock took secret glee in the anxiety element. Perhaps that there Big Bad Wolf in the 3 Little Pigs was not so far from The Wolf Man! Boo!

Twelve O'Clock High (1949)

"what a way to run a war!"

[21 February 2004]

There's little I can add to all the accolades for this outstanding & absorbing drama - excellent,dignified and credible for its time. Peck's finest hour and an Oscar to Dean Jagger. I should also demand a standing applause for the guy at the helm, Henry King for many a production can fly or crash where a director cannot get the best from his cast. I agree absolutely about the beautifully constrained and moving opening and close. Even more moving is Alfred Newman's beautiful theme music so carefully used and as memorable as that for the likes of "Shane" "Treasure of Sierra Madre" "Johnny Belinda" or "NorthWest Passage".

But - the most obvious & serious flaw for me was the inclusion of a supposed daytime broadcast by "Lord Haw-Haw". As another reviewer has mentioned this would never have happened since,for one thing, the man broadcast from Hamburg only at night,around 9pm. In those days reception from Europe was only barely audible after dark! For another, his name was William Joyce and he would never have identified himself by the derisory tag placed upon him by a scornful British public. One would have thought that Zanuck so methodical in his facts for The Longest Day would have spotted this research slip! Suffice,however,to say that from the moment the credits appeared until Dean Jagger climbs back on his 1930 bike my eyes never left the screen in the cinema when I first saw it,for the entire 130mins.

U-Boat 29 (1939)

Good old British entertainment

[21 February 2004]

This excellent birth of "The Archers" just managed its London premiere the very week WWII was declared in Britain and all places of entertainment were ordered to close,albeit temporarily. Second of all Veidt was and is my favourite actor,having seen all but some rare silents from "Caligari" onwards. He was the definitive popular German swine(Eric Von,notwithstanding)although he did play many other parts - Jew Suss/Under The Red Robe,a mediaeval swashbuckler, the mysterious stranger in "Passing of the 3rd Floor,Back" or the aviator in "FP1"(English version). Shortly after fleeing the Nazis (whom he loathed) in the 30s he gladly set up a home near Korda's famous Denham studios and was a doting father to his daughter while soon becoming the tall and cultured idol of thousands of women.

He was also a Korda favourite and this first pairing with then one of Britain's favourite glamour girls.Valerie Hobson, following her brief success with Universal,he was rushed into another naval adventure,"Contraband" equally entertaining. Like,say, Hitchcock's "The Lady Vanishes", this is great escapist stuff with a mystery character at the centre of the story. But one point in the movie has always bothered me - just how does one manhandle a motor cycle up the steep conning tower of a submarine? We are never shown how Veidt managed it!

By the same token, how did Erik in "Phantom of the Opera" manage to get his organ/piano into his hideout amongst the Paris sewers? After all, we see the problem he had with the small boat! Curiously, Veidt's Nazi officer in "Escape" & "Casablanca" both died in the middle of a phone call while attempting the prevent an escape.

"Spy" has its share of amusing lines & allusions. On his entry at the start he & fellow submariner get seated at a crowded fashionable hotel anticipating a slap-up meal after a long period at sea only to be told almost every dish is "off" - even for naval officers. They leave in disgust & still starved. A while later when Hardt has been secretly landed on the Orkneys with motorcycle,late at night & having avoided discovery.he meets his contact V Hobson (a British agent posing as a local teacher)at home. Entering the kitchen he stops short & stares hard,alarming her and utters the word "boota!" in some disbelief which she interprets as "no,"butter!".and as he proceeds to dig with relish into a side of ham he remarks "These English - they are so long without their food!" The time was WW1 and an ironic comment on the German shortages - but the film's settings were equally appropriate to forthcoming WW2 conditions in Britain. During the film's production all the menacing signs of 1938/1939 were there but it seemed only Churchill was convinced of the inevitable when everyone wanted to believe Chamberlain. The film's scheduled release to London's Odeon cinema did not anticipate the decisive act of Germany's invasion of Poland.

Sadly, there was a real-life similarity in both Veidt's & Bing Crosby's sudden collapse just following a game of golf. Veidt had barely turned 50 as a Warner's star and still had lots to offer.

F. P. 1 Doesn't Answer (1933)

It seemed a good idea,at the time!

[21 February 2004]

This was one of those early 30s attempts to look into the future but with more imagination than practicality little realizing how the technology and fascination of cross-channel air travel would swiftly develop. There was also the idea mooted in "TransAtlantic Tunnel"(1935)which featured Richard Dix & George Arliss that virtually sunk without trace but then actually sort of became reality with the excavation & opening of the(English) Channel Tunnel now a popular and functional reality to change access to Europe forever. But H G Wells got it right in a somewhat ironic way in "Things To Come".

I would like to correct a blind error of confusion & hindsight by some critics who should know better. The film had a long forgotten theme song "Lighthouse Across The Bay" which was later released on record. Conrad Veidt did not sing to this recording, he only recited the words pretty much as Rex Harrison preferred to do in "Dr Doolittle" much later.

The Four Feathers (1939)

Never disgrace the regiment

[30 January 2004]

This is one of the best from the now happily recovered & preserved great Korda collection(for some years blocked by much litigation)when the huge Denham Studios were on a roll,having arisen from the embers of an earlier fire. Under the sheer dedication of the hungarian Kordas, they simply couldn't fail until in the middle of what must be their most popular hit, The Thief of Baghdad,they were forced to move to the US by the outbreak of WW2. Each brother has left much to posterity. Alex, the entrepreneur was subsequently knighted for his contribution to British films. In a fascinating but poignant BBC documentary of the 70s,on the great studio's rise & fall, Elizabeth Bergner {another European import) referred to him as "a prankster". This vividly technicolored remake is splendid adventure, its Sudan locations compare well with those of Lawrence of Arabia and as in "Thief" the object of my attention had to be the beautiful, husky young June Duprez.

As in Stanley Baker's "ZULU" these giant black warriors are fearsomely portrayed with the scenes inside the primitive prison where the "dumb" spy Harry Faversham eventually finds himself are quite grim. And as another reviewer has commented, crusty Sir Aubrey as ever is the perfect & amusing retired tactician at the start & finish. A glare from under those bushy eyebrows was always enough! Great entertainment.

Crime School (1938)

Another Warner's rehash

[30 January 2004]

They did it with The Maltese Falcon/Dangerous Woman & got it right the third time under John Huston. Crime School was Mayor of Hell in 1933 with Cagney and finally in 1939 also with the Kids & Ronald Regan as Hell's Kitchen which the UK Censor considered so brutal he clapped on the then rare 'H'certificate (16+ only). Indeed,check out punishment meted out to one of the Kids by sadistic reform school super,Grant Withers who kills him by locking him in a refrigeration unit. I waited many years before catching an isolated TCM screening (since this is not on commercial video) having formerly seen a wartime reissue alongside Return of Dr X. It is better directed than the other two versions but it is the Kids + Reagan all the way battling Grant Withers in true Capt Bligh form. But grim stuff.

Brendan Kent UK

Tower of Terror (1941)

Mad Love in a lighthouse

[29 January 2004]

Two great popular British eccentrics of the '30s of stage & screen were Ernest Thesiger & Wilfrid Lawson who was also a passable baritone. In this British wartime second feature, a suspenseful espionage thriller set in a remote lighthouse off the Dutch coast commanded by Lawson with a fearsome hook for a right hand, a young saboteur(Movita) is rescued from the sea having thrown herself in following a pursuit by some Gestapo officers. Rescued by Michael Rennie an undercover British agent taken on as Lawson's assistant she soon falls prey to the latter's growing obsession because of her close resemblance to his dead wife buried at the bottom of the tower. There ensues a gripping cat-and-mouse situation with Rennie desperately plotting their escape before Lawson, his suspicions growing with his madness to recreate his wife in Movita virtually a prisoner, kills him following one lucky escape. After a hand to hand struggle,Rennie becomes trapped in one of the rooms while the now totally nutty Lawson drags his prisoner down to where his wife's remains are buried and frantically unearths her skeleton. Meanwhile a warship alerted by a signal from Rennie has successfully found the tower and opens fire.... A few years earlier, in his first Hollywood film noir, Peter Lorre had a similar problem with Frances Drake and a pair of someone else's hands.

Satwalker99 Kent UK

Just William (1940)

A popular character - then!

[29 January 2004]

Few people outside Britain will have heard of Richmal Crompton's famed creation of the 20s & 30s called "Just" William (Brown), that impossible well-meaning tearaway & troublemaker - "Peck's Bad Boy". He featured in over 2 dozen highly prized(dust covers obligatory)books and was the Harry Potter of his day. With his dedicated disciples,Ginger,Douglas & Henry they invariably upset their families and anyone who happened to innocently become implicated in their many determined & well-meaning acts of altruism. Set in some vague Southern English country village at some vague period between the decades known to their creator,each book comprised several chapters,each recounting a different "adventure" for him & his gang and their unfortunate "enemies", young and old, to the exasperation of Mr Brown and the despair or frustration of the rest. Because of the images created by Miss Crompton,and her dedicated illustrator, despite several attempts on radio,film and TV, to my mind only this first version came near to bringing the popular characters to life. Dicky Lupino was the nephew of famed Ida Lupino of the famed Lupino dynasty. He was my age and for a brief spell during early WWII I was at school with him and was he some problem! To defeat the merciless regime of the Christian Brothers took some nerve and by petulance or temper,he managed it! Also in the cast was the 11-year old Roddy McDowall before he migrated to Hollywood as an evacuee. This moderately entertaining episodic film also leaned heavily on the strangely cast very stout and irasible Fred Emney,a popular variety comedian of the time, as Mr Brown. Happily,as a devotee, I have this on video although it took 3 decades to get it. Although the books still have a dedicated following,and despite his famous connections,chubby Richard was hardly heard of again except for a fleeting appearance as a taxi driver taking on Myrna Loy in London in the 1960 Doris Day thriller, Midnight Lace. Whatever Happened To......? PS Since submitting the above I have discovered there is a dedicated & informative website that also includes bios on Richmal Crompton and even better,directions on availability of other William videos. Satwalker 99 Brendan Kent UK