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Reviews
Law and Disorder (1958)
Could have been better
It's a nice idea spoiled by poor production values. The prison has the same 1950s motor cars outside its gates whether it's 1938, 1941 or whatever. Redgrave isn't allowed to age. The whole thing looks rushed (only 70 minutes long). The quality of the print is terrible (if not the film's fault). In short I was surprised that a director of Charles Crichton's stature allowed himself to be associated with it. It could have been so much better. The original book ("Smugglers' Circuit) is in fact much better.
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957)
Loose structure
There are many fine features, eg photography, score, performances generally. However in a film 2 hours long the famous corral only appears in the last 30 minutes. By then too much time has been spent on too a loose story line.
Of the performances the interplay between Erp and Doc Halliday is good. The two women though look far too alike. Both redheads......?
Lancaster probably makes a better Erp than Wayne would have done in this film. In many ways in fact I kept on thinking of "Rio Bravo". That is even longer and for much of the time nothing seems to happen. But it work.
And personally I think the gunfight in "Rio Bravo" is better. Most people will not agree.
Limelight (1952)
Flawed masterpiece
A masterpiece certainly. Theatrical rather than sentimental. It does after all deal with people of the theatre and their heightened emotional reactions. There are though some quite serious limitations.
First and perhaps least important, the chronology is wrong. We are told the film starts in the summer of 1914. We are helpfully shown a news placard about impending war. Yet after that the only uniform we see is an American uniform on the young composer. We seem to be looking at a mirror image of what was in reality a still neutral America (perhaps with the occasional British uniform to be seen).
More serious, it is a complete mystery that Calvero should finally be a popular success once again. In fact his earlier failure at the Middlesex Theatre is also inexplicable. Calvero's performance is perfectly OK. Was Chaplin reluctant to put on a poor musical hall performance, even for the sake of a context?
Finally the film may be famous as the one occasion where Chaplin performed with Keaton. The scene seems to me remarkably unfunny.
How to Murder Your Wife (1965)
Excellent comedy except towards the end
Jack Lemmon was surely right about the court room scene, certainly the culmination.
It is altogether too raucous and even by the standards of this film unrealistic.
Surely it would have been better if the murder "victim" had turned up in the public area and starting chanting "Bravo!" as the suspect started defending himself.
Otherwise an excellent comedy of manners with excellent performances. My favourite? Difficult to say but probably Lemmon's lawyer!
Terry-Thomas' performance probably inspired Denholm Elliott's English manservant in "Trading Places". Terry-Thomas is more enjoyable but Elliott is probably the better actor.
The Navigator (1924)
Different versions?
Perhaps not the greatest Keaton but probably my favourite. A likable film. Are there though different versions? I am sure I have seen a version where all the cabin doors swing open early on, in fact when Buster first starts to explore the Navigator. In my DVD though the scene occurs later on when Buster and the girl are worried about possible intruders.
Again the DVD doesn't have the scene where the girl pumps too much air into Buster's diving suit. The suit is blown up like barrage balloon.
In fact I believe I have seen two quite different versions of the scene in "The Boat" where the newly-constructed craft is launched and sinks like a stone.
Has anyone else had these experiences?
The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955)
More like a Western?
Unsurprising that a noted Western star like Cooper was chosen for the lead role. In the film Mitchell is really the Lone Ranger. His best friend is not a horse but an aeroplane. He pursues his idea of right. He defies the US Marshall. The townsfolk meanwhile rally around him.
The real Billy Mitchell was a pretty rough diamond. Presumably he did issue a press statement in effect accusing high-ups of treason. Cooper portrays a much gentler type; he would never have used such language. Incongruous then to find him doing just that.
A final historical note. At one point Mitchell gives a pretty accurate forecast of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour. Was this brilliant foresight or did the Japanese read the court proceedings?
Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
Nearly perfect
Excellent plot and characterisation spoiled by one thing. Tyrone Power is too old and obviously "experienced" for the role. And why make the character an American (in RAF uniform)? Or is he supposed to be Canadian?
Excellent though Laughton is, it is Dietrich who gives the finest performance. (BTW one point seems to have escaped all reviewers. The Laughton character is clearly based on the aged Churchill (down to the cigars).)
I am aware that the court interior was built in Hollywood. Many of the external filming was done in London, eg the Strand and Lincoln's Inn. I should like to know whether all internal filming was done in Hollywood.
The Mystery Squadron (1933)
More than just good fun
When I was a lad my parents wouldn't let us have a TV. Some neighbours did. We watched many American B films. The only one that made an impression (enough to recall now) was "The Mystery Squadron". This would have been 1951, I think. I didn't realise that it dated from as long ago as 1933. The fact that the BBC should run it shows that it had become a cult movie. That summer we moved home. My friends warned that I should not be able to see a repeat running of the film scheduled for the autumn. Watching it in 2011 at first I thought I was going to be disappointed.However the "willing suspension of disbelief" began to perform its magic. The quality of the actual film is poor but the camera work is good and the direction (particularly of the action sequences) taut. Most important for this purpose there are some entertaining studio in-jokes. For example the two male leads regularly show an improbable athleticism. They were of course supposed to be stunt pilots. Onseveral occasions though their parts are taken by stunt men...............