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September Affair (1950)
Oops......missed the plane
Ha ha. What a ludicrous beginning. Nobody would just go off like that given the time constraint to board the plane.
Big-shot engineer Joseph Cotten (David) and piano-playing Joan Fontaine (Marianne) find themselves stranded in Italy when they miss their return flight to New York. They spend time with one another and fall in love. Meanwhile, the plane they should have been on has crashed in the Mediterranean with no survivors. What an opportunity for both of them to leave their old lives behind and start afresh with one another. No-one need know that they are still alive. Well, circumstances pass so that Cotton's wife Jessica Tandy (Kitty) seeks a meeting in Italy with her husband's last known contact - piano-teacher Françoise Rosay (Maria). Things start to unravel.
This film is like a travelogue of various towns and islands in Italy and as such, it is interesting to see. Otherwise, the film is ok but the music is overdone and not particularly interesting with "September Song" repeated a couple of times. The first time we hear it is on a record that is played in a café. Unfortunately, the singer is rubbish and the song sounds like some old British Music-Hall number. The second time we hear it, a very annoying American soldier Jimmy Lydon (Johnny) has a nice voice when he sings it. Unfortunately, his character is dreadful and the film loses interest in his particular section of the story.
It's a romance that you watch to see if it works out for the two main characters but we needed something bad going on for that extra interest factor. Rosay is the best character.
Champagne for Caesar (1950)
Frosty knows everything
Ronald Colman is given a really stupid name for this film - "Beauregard"! What a crap name. He is also way too old. He's about 20 years older than everyone else. This film asks us to believe that his sister is 20 years younger than him (ludicrous!) and that his girlfriend is 20 years younger than him (ludicrous!). And that everyone else involved in his life is 20 years younger than him. He basically doesn't belong in the film. We needed an actor who was the same age as everyone else or the film should have been cast with a significantly older age group to fit around Colman.
Colman plays an intellectual type who is frustrated at the dumbing down of the human population. So am I. He goes onto a quiz show answering a question each week that will either double his money for him to return the following week if he answers correctly or leave him with nothing if he gives the incorrect answer. His aim is to bring down the owner of the soap company that sponsors the show - Vincent Price (Burnbridge).
There are plans and schemes and the dialogue is funny in parts - Price is the funniest character. However, the film slows down once the love interest Celeste Holm (Flame) is introduced. The film just starts to get a bit patchy where segments seem to go on for too long. However, it is ok for a comedy, which is a notoriously difficult genre to pull off.
Colman may come across as arrogant by stating that he knows everything. But he isn't. I know everything. Everyone knows everything. We just don't realize it. Well, I do. One day in the future, someone will be given credit for this thinking and it will be accepted as the truth, because it is the truth. If we can unlock our sub-conscious mind and have it run alongside our conscious mind as well as tap into the spiritual dimensions around us that are ever-present, then bingo! The human brain is a collective conscience that knows everything. We are that right now. You know everything. You just don't know it. Even dumb blonde "Frosty" as played by Ellie Marshall knows everything.
Finally, what is the point of the unfunny parrot?
Winchester '73 (1950)
Where's your apron?
James Stewart (Lin) and his friend Millard Mitchell (Frankie) are on the trail of Stephen McNally (Dutch Henry) when they ride into Dodge City and enter a shooting contest to win a rare rifle - the Winchester 73. Already in town is you-know-who. And he is also in the competition. Stewart and McNally take the contest right to the wire before McNally takes off ahead of Stewart. Stewart needs to track him down.
The story weaves through several episodes that include a romantic angle between Charles Drake (Steve) and Shelley Winters (Lola). Can this romance really last with Jimmy Stewart on the scene? And, wait for super baddie Dan Duryea (Waco) to appear. He also takes an interest. There are Indian attacks and this is a cast that just keeps giving. We get Rock Hudson as the Indian chief and Tony Curtis as a cavalryman fighting off an Indian attack. During the film, it is Duryea who is my favourite on screen. He's just got his own style. He's a scary, psycho lunatic - ha ha. You will, of course, ask yourself if Shelley Winters will die as she always seems to do in all of her films. Watch and find out.
There is great scenery and the good cast make the film an entertaining watch. We get tense scenes and some straight-talking dialogue. Note Drake's admission of cowardice - ha ha. I am baffled, though, about the interest in a stupid rifle. But this is America for you. They just love guns and rifles. Idiots.
Wabash Avenue (1950)
Wash-out Avenue
What a shame. The colour is great as are the costumes for the showgirls on stage, but there is far too much time wasted with a comedy Irish drunk character and the plot will have you asking "where's the story?" as well as the story being completely ludicrous when it actually gets going. The idea is that Victor Mature (Andrew) will fool Phil Harris (Mike) into thinking Harris has killed someone in order to blackmail Harris to produce a show together and steal his girlfriend Betty Grable (Ruby).
Grable keeps this watchable with her music numbers otherwise it would be a bore and quite annoying with that idiotic drunken James Barton (Harrigan) taking up far too much screen time and grinding the film to a halt every time he appears.
Woman in Hiding (1950)
More than 'Run-of-the-mill'
At the beginning of the film, Ida Lupino (Deborah) is driving her car out of control and it goes over an edge into the river. The next morning, the car is recovered but they cannot find a body. Her husband Stephen McNally (Selden) is concerned but is it for the right reason? Lupino narrates as we go into flashback....
It's a good film which will make you jump on at least one occasion (my wife and I both shouted out at the same time). Tension is well maintained as the story unravels and ends with a twist. I saw it coming, though!
There is a false segment in the film which shows a convention taking place and the ensuing celebrations. Whilst the dramatic part to this segment maintains the interest, the madcap antics and elongated conga dancing on what seems like every floor is just a bit ludicrous.
Two Flags West (1950)
It's a sing-off
What's the better song "Dixie" (I wish I was in Dixie) or "Battle Hymn of the Republic" (Glory Glory Hallelujah). It's obvious - Dixie! No contest. So, the Confederates win the singing. However, they didn't win the war.
In this film, Joseph Cotton (Clay) is a captured Southern Colonel who is conscripted into the Union army along with his men to serve under Yankee Major Jeff Chandler (Henry) and alongside Yankee Captain Cornel Wilde (Mark) in an isolated fort in the middle of the desert. Linda Darnell (Elena) is also at the fort under the care of Chandler and she longs to get away.
The majority of the film concerns the sparring between the Northern and Southern soldiers. Can anyone trust anybody from the other side? But then, Chandler goes and does the most stupid thing you can imagine doing! Well, now everyone is in real trouble because the Indians want revenge. What a jerk! There are Apache Indians on the warpath and this troop of soldiers need to work together. But will they?
It is an entertaining watch which educates you about the war that the Americans were having. My wife didn't think Cotton convinced in his role.
Nancy Goes to Rio (1950)
Nancy goes to a studio set
...and everyone pretends they are in Rio!
Jane Powell (Nancy) takes a cruise ship to Rio to star in a musical play but her mother Ann Sothern is already in Rio and mistakenly thinks that the part is for her. Barry Sullivan (Paul) is also on the cruise with Powell and gets caught up in a love triangle with the mother and daughter combination. It's a musical comedy so everything gets resolved and everyone is happy in the end.
The trouble with the film is that all the musical numbers are rubbish apart from the standard "Shine on Harvest Moon" which will always sound good whenever anybody sings it. The misunderstandings are so painfully contrived that it is quite annoying watching all the ensuing confusion as you just want the characters to be straight-talking with each other. Which they aren't!
The colour, the costumes and the sets are good to see but there is no filming on location in Rio. Shame. The film is ok to watch but it fell short for me. For a better film with Jane Powell, watch "Two Weeks with Love" also from 1950.
The Sound of Fury (1950)
I'm from Ireland and I'm having a baby
Frank Lovejoy (Howard) desperately needs a job to take care of his wife and son. By chance, he meets Lloyd Bridges (Jerry) at a bowling alley and so begins an association that brings him a job. Of sorts. It also leads to the destruction of his life.
This film is based on a true story about the killing of a wealthy college graduate whose killers sent a ransom note after they had already killed him. The ensuing events triggered a 'wild west' mentality to resolve matters.
The story is interesting, especially as it is true, but I'm afraid that the actors ruin this for me. Lovejoy's behaviour makes no sense in the 2nd half of the film when his conscience plays havoc with his head and he does something really stupid, and I mean REALLY stupid! So, can't relate to this guy. Then there is the patronizing pseudo intellectual Renzo Cesana (Vido) who explains his psychological mumbo-jumbo as if lecturing the audience with his obvious clap-trap. But whilst the audience is insulted by being preached to, the moronic journalist Richard Carlson (Stanton) views his soundbites as a revelation and reveres Cesana as a beacon of eye-opening intelligence. What a load of cack!
Then there are the women - oh my goodness!! I never want to watch another film with the ghastly, saccharine "I'm having a baby" Kathleen Ryan (Judy). She is so irritating and throws in the "I'm having a baby" line at every opportunity. All of her scenes have the sincere melodrama laid on thick and this will lead to many viewers wanting to vomit. My advice is to watch this film with a bucket nearby. We also have Katherine Locke who plays some sort of simpleton woman desperate for a man but not hitting the mark of a real actual character at all. Nothing rings true about her.
Lloyd Bridges (Jerry) plays the only interesting character but even he also loses credibility when he descends into an over-the-top cartoon performance towards the end. The film is only interesting when he is on screen which needed to be far more than what he was given. Otherwise, the film is just way too many characters of no interest interacting with each other.
Instead of remembering an interesting story, I am left with an overall feeling of annoyance, especially "I'm having a baby" Kathleen Ryan.....aaaarrgh!!....
Quai de Grenelle (1950)
Nice shoes
Henri Vidal (Jean-Louis) and his girlfriend Françoise Arnoul (Simone) are crossing the road when a gendarme castigates Vidal for jay-walking and having a bad attitude. As a crowd gathers, incorrect reports of the original offence spread like 'Chinese Whispers' which eventually make it to the police station. In the meantime, Vidal has legged it and is now unfairly wanted for questioning over a more serious offence - a robbery. This is the story of how an innocent man can be taken down by unfortunate circumstances.
Whilst the story is typically French, ie, downbeat, it is entertaining, especially thanks to the supporting cast. The women all have interesting roles. Watch how nightclub boss Margo Lion (M. Chotard) coaches new recruit Arnoul in how to carry herself when walking around the club. The French are such pros! Talking of pros, prostitute Maria Mauban (Maria) plays her role well as the world-weary street-walker. Yep, the women keep this film ticking along............and how about the weird shoemaker Jean Tissier (Zana)!! We also have tabloid journalist Pierre Louis thrown into the mix to do what tabloid journalists do.....make stuff up...!
There is plenty here to entertain as well as an interesting setting on location in Paris and some choice language. And you get some boobs on show. This is no Hollywood film.
The lesson from this film is don't disrespect a policeman! If only Vidal had just kept his mouth shut....
Singing Guns (1950)
Saloon bar sing-off!
Yep, we get a sing-off in this one. Well, it's a sing-off of sorts in that there is only one person doing the singing. But outlaw/interim sheriff Vaughn Monroe (Rhiannon) stands at the bar and holds his ground to sing his song whilst evil town big-shot Jeff Corey (Richards) drinks his whisky. It's a tense situation - this would usually be a gunfight - that is made quite pleasant by Vaughn singing in a seemingly obvious fake baritone. However, this is actually his singing voice. Anyway, the song finishes and, as always in Westerns, there is only one winner!
Monroe plays an outlaw with a stash of gold hidden in a secret mountain hideaway. And he keeps robbing stagecoaches to add to it. Sheriff Ward Bond (Jim) is out to get him brought to justice.
The film has funny moments and benefits from colour, especially when showing off the costumes of Ella Raines (Nan). She is the girl that comes between both our main characters and the story is decided by who she chooses. It's an entertaining film but the ending is somewhat ruined by the Hayes Code rules that cannot portray a crime as going unpunished. I am sure that every viewer can imagine a much better outcome.
So, next time you wander into a bar, square up to some guy and demand that he puts down any weapons and ask him to name a song that he hates. Then just start singing it at him and tell him to stick around to hear the chorus.......
The Great Jewel Robber (1950)
First you get free, then you stay free
Yep, that is the motto of jewel thief David Brian (Gerry) for any situations that may involve incarceration.
This is the story of real-life gentleman thief Gerald Dennis who burgled the wealthy and the famous and carried out a blitz in Hollywood that included stars such as Joan Crawford and Errol Flynn. When he was caught, police found a list of his next targets that included Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Ginger Rogers and Louis Mayer! He was prolific. I guess he just liked jewels and furs!
The film cracks on at a good pace and Brian is good in the lead role and convincing as a smooth conman who plays on his charms so that women let him into their confidence. We have episodes with five different women in this film, six if you count Cleo Moore as the blonde at the end when he gets caught.
Some people like windows and become window-makers. This guy liked jewels and furs, so he immersed himself in that particular industry. Let's face it, they are expensive!
L'invité du mardi (1950)
Is marriage worth it?
Insurance man Bernard Blier (Charles) invites young tax inspector Michel Auclair (Maurice) home for dinner as a kind gesture after seeing him at his office. It is Tuesday. The diagnosis for Auclair's health is not good and Blier refuses him an insurance policy. However, Blier likes Auclair and feels sorry for him. At dinner, the ungrateful Auclair meets with Blier's wife Madeleine Robinson (Fernande). We fast forward in time from this initial meeting and Auclair and Robinson are now lovers and they set about a plan to kill Blier so they can romance one another without the stamp-collecting Blier lurking around all the time.
The film keeps you watching as you wonder how things are going to pan out. I didn't expect what happens. The cast are ok in their parts although Auclair is thoroughly horrible and slightly unconvincing as a poetic tax inspector. I wonder how different it all would have been if Auclair had come to dinner on Wednesday instead of Tuesday?
Two Weeks with Love (1950)
Teenage years
This is a coming-of-age musical comedy where teenager Jane Powell (Patti) longs to be taken seriously as an adult and wants to wear a corset. This is a sign that a girl has become a woman. We follow 2 weeks with Powell's family at a holiday resort at which there is also a teenage boy on the scene - Carleton Carpenter (Billy) - who works at the resort and isn't yet allowed to wear long pants. This is a sign that a boy has now become a man.
Powell is put into the 'children's category' for all holiday activities and she is to remain separated from the adult groups. Phyllis Kirk (Valerie) is her jealous, patronizing friend who is old enough to be of adult status and who is romantically pursuing Cuban guest Ricardo Montalban (Demi). Montalban prefers to spend time with Powell but Powell isn't yet grown-up enough and so she misses out on spending time with him. Powell comes to realizes that Kirk is sabotaging her attempts to befriend Montalban but who will Powell end up with at the end of the film?
Carpenter also has to attend the children's groups as opposed to mingle with the adults. This is good news for Powell's younger sister Debbie Reynolds (Melba) who has a crush on him. Carpenter, in turn has a crush on Powell. It's a teenage mix-up!
There are some popular songs in this film and entertaining musical set pieces - singing and dancing. The "Oceana Roll" is my favourite song and needed to be seen again once the film had finished. I enjoyed this film more than I expected I would. It is in a similar easy-to-watch style as Margie (1946). The cast are funny - Reynolds in particular produces some good moments - and the audience can sympathize with all the embarrassing situations that Powell lands in.
All that teenage heartbreak triggered by the appropriate clothing that needs to be worn. They would have been outraged by what today's teenagers deem appropriate. The film takes you back to a much gentler time, with fewer stabbings, and a time when parents and their children had more respect for each other within the family unit.
Night and the City (1950)
A lot of running
Petty villain Richard Widmark (Fabian) wants to be a big shot in London and comes up with a plan to control the sport of wrestling. He always needs money, though, and this is where he falls down time and time again with all his ideas. Herbert Lom (Kristo) is the man who currently controls the wrestling racket and he doesn't approve of the new kid on the block. We also have wealthy nightclub owner Francis L Sullivan (Phil) on the scene and his wife Googie Withers (Helen) who wants to branch out solo with her own nightspot behind her husband's back. Sullivan will not approve. Gene Tierney (Mary) is also in the mix as the wrong love interest for Widmark - she's too good for him and seems a better fit with artist Hugh Marlowe (Adam).
There is a lot of borrowing money, stealing money, trickery and double-crossing as the audience is led through the proceedings. Widmark is an effective focus of attention but all the cast are good in this film and it contains quite a mixed variety of familiar faces.
Who likes wrestling? Well, it's fake nonsense. Who likes Greco-Roman wrestling? Well, it's gay nonsense. The main thrust of the wrestling in this film is fake wrestling versus gay wrestling and the wrestlers involved train for their specialist fights. We do concentrate far too much on one particular fight and it is the least enjoyable part of the film. Oooh, let's have another bear hug!
The Sound of Music (1965)
Jam and bread
The best three characters in this film in terms of acting ability are Eleanor Parker (The Baroness), Christopher Plummer (The Captain) and impresario Richard Haydn (Max). I didn't realize that Plummer's first name in the film is 'Georg', pronounced 'gay-org'. It sounds like people are endlessly calling him 'Gaylord'. And that adds an extra layer of humour to this musical offering.
Julie Andrews (Maria) plays the Governess who bonds with the seven children but the family need to escape from the Nazi Anschluss, uniting Austria with Germany. The film gets some good tense moments towards the end as the Von Trapps make their escape. Otherwise, it's a song fest with mostly terrible songs that become annoyingly catchy. I do like "Eidelweiss", though.
"Tea - a drink with jam and bread" - 'jam and bread', 'jam and bread'.
"Jam and bread, jam and bread, jam and bread!"
Ha ha - that musical festival at the end of the film must be the most rubbish music festival ever. 'Jam and bread! Jam and bread!'
So long, Farewell, Auf Wiederseh'n, Goodnight
Adieu, Adieu.............to yieu and yieu and yieu
You will see, the songs never leave your head. Ever.
Peyton Place (1957)
Harper Valley Hypocrites
Yep, it's the film whose main significance is a reference in the Jeannie C Riley country hit "Harper Valley PTA". Outside of this, the film is a sprawling soap opera based around a set of characters in the small town of Peyton Place. The drama in the film comes mainly from values that are laughable today, ie, the shame felt by having relationships that are out of wedlock. It's all anti-climatic stuff and a load of nonsense by today's standards. We get a courtroom drama section as well, just in case any of you can't stand that type of thing.
However, the film is easy to watch and that's the way to take it. And it's ok as that - you know you are prepared for a long watch and that it is a soap opera. It is fun at the end to try and guess who will die when the boys get sent to war although it is made pretty obvious to you.
Rape also figures as a topic in this film and the following question is posed after a related death occurs: "Should I be honest?" or "Should I go to prison for the rest of my life?" I guess we just don't understand those social mores of the 1940s. Thank goodness we have evolved but it is scary to think that it has only been recently.
The Wooden Horse (1950)
Just stay where you are
This is the true story of how three British prisoners escaped from a Nazi detention camp during World War 2 and made it to the safety of neutral Sweden. The film is in 2 halves. First, we have the activity inside the prison camp as the plan is hatched and executed with the help of a wooden horse that allows outdoor gym exercises. We then follow two of our escapees on their journey out of Germany and other occupied territory.
The film is interesting as it records a true escape attempt. However, we know that they get away and so the tension never really hits full stride. Also, unlike the Great Escape, no-one gets caught. This sort of dampens any excitement. We need the crushing emotional blow of a plan gone wrong which leads to tragic situations.
It does make you think about what you would do as an officer if you were caught during this period. It seems that an officer is provided with relatively good comforts in the prison. They have books and loads of free time to play chess, etc. They are not made to punishingly work as slave labour as the prisons for lesser ranks seem to insist upon. Why escape? You've got a cushy number! You also put all your fellow prisoners in danger of punishment as a consequence of your actions. It is so selfish. Just sit it out, you morons!
Alina (1950)
Cocaine smuggling in the Alps
This is great subject matter for a film.
There are a troop of 4 smugglers who carry the cocaine over the border from Italy to France via the Alps. They need to navigate the route with local knowledge and make sure that they outwit the border police in order to deliver the stash to the man who runs a gambling house - Juan de Landa (Lucien). De Landa has a wife, Doris Dowling (Maria), who sings at his club but is carrying on with de Landa's manager Amedeo Nazzari (Giovanni) behind de Landa's back. Nazzari finds out about the drug runnings and falls in love with one of the smugglers - Gina Lollobrigida (Alina). Meanwhile, Dowling gets jealous...
The film has great scenery - the Alps - and a different setting for the topic of drug smuggling. Unfortunately, not enough happens in terms of action, but the film is still worth the time.
I would like to declare my interest in the different ways that cocaine can be smuggled across borders and this film sets it out straight, ie, the people involved are not bad people. They just need to make a living. Well, the baddie smuggler Otello Toso (Marco) is bad. However, he is not bad because of the drug-carrying that he does, but more due to his self-entitlement to control women, in this case Gina. You hear the 'rape music' kicking in for one particular scene. Thankfully, he doesn't come out on top during this episode. Toso by name and 'tosser' by nature.
Did film studios have music libraries with various headings for certain situations, eg, "rape music"? I bet they did.
As for cocaine smuggling, more use needs to be made of these mountainous borders for this beneficial service. Ooops .... how silly of me ..... that is exactly what is happening all over the world - ha ha.
Morning Departure (1950)
Blimey...!
Submarine commander John Mills leaves home to take charge of his crew on an exercise at sea. We meet some of his team as they set off and submerge. All good so far. This doesn't last long.
This is a well-acted film and stoker Richard Attenborough (Snipe) stands out alongside John Mills. All the cast do well. The majority of the film is set aboard the submarine as it sits at the bottom of the sea and plans to escape are drawn up. However, the plans are dealt a blow as rescue ships try to raise the submarine from the seabed. Someone pass the prayer book - this film will make you cry.
There is some very frank dialogue that is exchanged and it is interesting (and good) to see how claustrophobia was dealt with in those days. Quite right - well done John Mills for his address to the claustrophobic Attenborough. We need more of that attitude in today's work-shy climate where everyone claims they have a mental illness. What a load of nonsense - it's called life and you need to adjust and get on with it.
Another line of dialogue that has stuck with me is when there are four left in the submarine and Mills suggests they all have a brandy but warns "After this, the pub's closed!" It made me think that it's not a bad idea to have a bar built inside all submarines for just such an occasion when things go wrong and there is nothing you can do. "Pub is open!" would come the call to signal that your duty as a seaman has been fulfilled and you can now get plastered if you so wish.
Ambush (1950)
Who is ambushing who?
Robert Taylor (Kinsman) and John McIntire (Frank) are a couple of scouts who agree to help the Cavalry under the command of Major Leon Ames (Breverly) and Captain John Hodiak (Ben). Their assignment is to track rebel Apache chief Charles Stevens (Diablito) so that the Cavalry can defeat him in battle as well as rescue a captured white female (Mary) who is the sister of newly arrived Arlene Dahl (Ann). The setting is the Arizona desert and mountains and we get an ambush......or two...
The film is well acted and we get some great scenery. However, the women characters are frustrating and we have to assume how the love angles will work out. This is a bit of a let-down considering how long is spent on nurturing these relationships. It gets to the point where you think 'get on with it and show us some action'. The use of no sound during certain sequences is effective, eg, beginning sequence, and this draws you into the tension of the situation. The film has good moments, another being that image of the Apaches appearing from nowhere and their chief's final trickery on the battlefield. It's a shame that most of the film is spent at the camp trying to give us character depth. It just goes on for too long with this.
Three Little Words (1950)
Colourful chillout
This is an easy-to-watch time-passer of a film that portrays the story of two real-life songwriters as played by Fred Astaire (Kalmar) and Red Skelton (Ruby). There are many familiar songs and they are all good (maybe apart from one slow one near the end), which is unusual for a musical. The songs are good, the dancing is good and the costumes and colour bring the film a vibrancy.
However, we do get Skelton's silly solo sections of baseball and slapstick nonsense. That could have all been cut out as the film does go on a little too long with this schtick included.
Fred Astaire wears a lovely pair of pale green socks for one of the dance segments and I must look out for that colour in a gentle grip design so that they don't leave lines around your ankle when you take them off. I hate that about socks.
Born Yesterday (1950)
Gin!
Brutish Broderick Crawford (Harry) checks into his hotel suite with his servile entourage that includes fiancée Judy Holliday (Billie). I'm sure there was an in-joke at the time relating to Judy's name becoming Billie Holliday. She certainly digs jazz music in this film. Broderick is only interested in making money and Judy has to sign certain documents throughout the film as part of his plans to form a cartel. She is clueless as to what his business dealings entail as she has no interest. She is also not very bright and so Brutish Broderick gets reporter William Holden onto his payroll to show her around and smarten her up a bit so she can mix with the hoity-toity and not embarrass him with her ignorant comments. His plan backfires....
It's a comedy and there are amusing scenes as well as a bit of a travelogue around Washington. They have a cool outdoor concert at Watergate where you sit on the river in gondolas and take in the concert. A great idea and occasion now unfortunately ended thanks to the emergence of air travel and planes flying noisily over the venue ruining the atmosphere. Planes are still an overlooked nuisance when it comes to noise pollution. We had an airshow yesterday with jets drowning out all activities with their anti-social noise. Airshows should be banned. The pilots are needed on the warfront - it is not a form of entertainment. Political parties should address this in their manifestos. They will be instantly elected.
Back to the film, and whilst the story is quite good, the film is ruined by the delivery of the two main characters. Brutish Broderick shouts every line of dialogue. I mean EVERY line. Judy, unfortunately, has that shrill screechy accent which not only irritates but is also undecipherable on many occasions. What is the point of a film where you can't understand the dialogue? When she's not talking, she is funny, though...........Gin!.......ha ha.
The Woman in Question (1950)
Merry Christmas!
Fortune-teller and local prostitute Jean Kent (Astra) has been murdered and police duo Duncan Macrae and Joe Linnane are on the scene to solve the crime. They interview various characters, all of whom provide their stories from their perspective, and we watch all the different versions in flashback sequences. Sort of like the film "Rashomon" from the same year.
Will the real Jean Kent please reveal herself. As for the culprit, I guessed correctly. Of course.
The cast are good but goodness knows why Dirk Bogarde (Bob) needed to affect that terrible American accent. He can't do it although he does come clean in one of the versions as to the cause of the accent. Ha ha. That's better, isn't it, everybody!
The interplay between detective Macrae and neighbour Hermione Baddeley (Mrs Finch) is to be admired as Macrae cuts her short whenever she drifts into irrelevance. It's a good example to follow when dealing with self-obssessed neighbours, friends or associates. You need to let them know that they have gone off-topic and are now just chatting complete irrelevance of no interest to anybody other than themselves. I seem to come across people called 'Carol' who demonstrate this personality disorder.
It's an entertaining film and bad-asses are always far more interesting to watch than goody-two shoes nonsense so I am sure that the audience will all agree as to which version of Jean Kent is the preferred character to watch. One question, though........what good is a parrot that doesn't talk?
Branded (1950)
Come in, Dick
Mona Freeman (Ruth) keeps saying "Dick" to Alan Ladd (Choya) and I kept laughing every time she said it. "Dick" - ha ha.
Ladd is offered some money to take part in a scam and pretend to be the son of a rancher which is why he needs a birthmark to be branded onto him. Ladd falls for his supposed 'sister' Freeman and the way in which she keeps saying "Dick" to him, so he decides to find the real son and bring him home so he can pursue Freeman romantically.
The film is full of western nonsense and is just about passable to watch. Ladd is the hero and can beat everyone up if he wants because he is sooo short! He tries to be hard and cool and it is pretty laughable stuff because he is sooo short!
Dick gets his way in the end.
The Damned Don't Cry (1950)
The 'Damned' are busy elsewhere
The rise and fall of gangsters in a loosely based Las Vegas Flamingo Casino kind of way. One gangster - Steve Cochran (Nick) - is falling out of line with the big boss David Brian (George) and Brian needs to reign him in. Money-obsessed Joan Crawford (Ethel/Lorna) is to be the bait.
The film follows Crawford's story mainly in flashback as it plays out her unsuccessful marriage to Richard Egan (Roy) and her drive for independence and wealth - she comes across various characters who she exploits in order to attain her goal of getting wealthier and wealthier. She's in gangland territory. It's a Joan Crawford vehicle, so, of course, every man falls in love with her and thinks she is the most stunning woman ever seen. And I mean EVERY man in the film mentions this. Lose a point!!
It's a sort of soap opera gangster film and this makes it easy to watch rather than exciting but the title suggests a far more interesting film is about to unfold for the audience. Not sure the title has any relevance to the film and is deceptive as to what you may expect. One thing that is totally bonkers is how we are meant to believe that Joan Crawford is such a desirable woman to every man she comes across. What!!? She is strong, driven, cunning, independent and has many standout survival qualities. But gorgeous.........No way, José!!
Check out the Visage song - "The Damned Don't Cry" - for a better use of the title.