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Reviews
Mine Own Executioner (1947)
Brilliant and thoughtful
The first film to explore the use of lay practitioners in the Freudian theory, this film is so far ahead of its time as to be psychologically shocking. American Burgess Meredith's performance is one of the best of his career. The absolute certainty with which he portrays the uncertainty of the human psyche (his own as well as others') is the film's brilliance.
Torn with personal ambivalence, Felix is also torn with the knowledge that he is unable to save his worthwhile patient and his loving wife. A truly under-acknowledged and underestimated film, it deserves a viewing by all interested in film art, and in the development of psychoanalytic technique.
No Highway in the Sky (1951)
Surprisingly subtle and thoughtful
Here is a film about people --real people, of conviction, and of character. The central problem, an aeronautical engineering equation, simply serves as a
vehicle around which unforgettable characters revolve. James Stewart is
simply wonderful as Mr. Honey, and Marlene Dietrich shines, and grows, as
"star" Monica Teasdale. An enduring film masterpiece for thoughtful adults.
The supporting actors are first rate: the daughter was surprising believable, the wonderful Glynis Johns in her usual dream performance. I rate it 9 out of 10, as these films will not happen soon again. Thoughtful dramas about flight and aeronautics abounded in the late 40's and 50's -- I recommend the British entry "The Night my Number Came Up" -- and should be studied and regarded by
serious film devotees.