Anyway, in case you were wondering, it was GREAT! I blubbered like a baby again!

THE HEIRESS (US 1949) movie **** score ****

Henry James’ famous novel WASHINGTON SQUARE is turned into a magnificent Hollywood movie decked out with a great cast, tremendous production values and an excellent Oscar-winning score from Aaron Copland.

Victorian New York is captured to perfection, and the story involves Olivia DeHavilland’s wealthy plain-Jane being pursued by handsome gold-digger Montgomery Clift. Sir Ralph Richardson takes centre-stage as DeHavilland’s disapproving father, and Miriam Hopkins plays her sympathetic aunt.

The performances from all four of the central characters are superb – particularly Richardson. Despite his cruel dislike of his daughter (an Oscar-winning DeHavilland’s ugly and talentless shrinking violet who does not live up to his expectations), Richardson evokes the complex nature of the stern father with great skill, and one feels both sympathy and repulsion for him at the same time. Richardson’s performance provides an acting masterclass – by underplaying the part, and allowing the brilliant script to speak for itself, the effectiveness of his actions (and the script) is magnified ten-fold – there’s very little melodrama here – indeed, everyone involved with THE HEIRESS dextrously avoids those melodramatic pitfalls that plague so many lesser movies.

Copland’s scoring is a perfect example of this. His music is never overblown, but is a skilful and well-judged musical enhancement of the movie’s agenda. In fact, the music makes little impression in itself – but if one pays special attention to the detail in the scoring during the movie, one can begin to see just how perfectly the music suits the movie – as they say, if film music is working for the movie, you shouldn’t really be conscious of its presence.

AGATHA (GB 1979) movie *** score ***

Despite a rather childish story and some very thin plotting, AGATHA remains a very pleasant movie entertainment. Johnny Mandell’s score reflects the movie’s attitude very accurately. His music is warm, simple and sentimental with a tinge of the bittersweet every now and again. In fact, Mandell’s main thematic material is saved from banality by a nice downward slur in the woodwind as if the musical heart of the composition had missed a beat.

The movie focuses on the real-life eleven-day disappearance of Agatha Christie during 1926, and comes up with a very fanciful and fictionalized explanation for her absence.

Vanessa Redgrave is excellent in the title role, and Dustin Hoffman is good as a British-based American journalist. Despite Hoffman’s miscasting – he’s far too short and not really manly enough – the pint-sized American star gives it his best shot. He plays a super-confident and sharp-talking ace reporter – yes, this is Hoffman we’re talking about – who tracks down Agatha in Harrogate (North of England) where she has hidden herself away following her husband’s sudden request for a divorce. Timothy Dalton is fine as the strong, saturnine and cheating husband whom she worships, and Timothy West, Tony Britton and Alan Badel are among the strong supporting cast.

The photography is breathtaking – the wintry English countryside looks beautiful and the interiors of the hotels and dancehalls are brilliantly recreated – the ‘period’ feel is very skilfully evoked.

All in all, AGATHA is a very slight but very pleasant experience – it’s well worth a look.

Directed by Roger Corman
Screenplay by Charles Beaumont and Ray Russell
Photography by Floyd Crosby
Music by Ronald Stein

Main Cast: Ray Milland, Hazel Court

Guy lives in mortal fear of being buried alive, but he ends up being so anyway.

Less brilliant than some of the other Cormans, this is still pretty good. It positively oozes with dry ice, but, although the build-up is enthralling, its climactic reels are rather conventional (Milland coming back from the grave and wreaking havoc). Also, the "it was all a plot" seems a bit tacked on. And Ray Milland is no Vincent Price. Anyone would appear wooden compared to Vincent's tortured flamboyance, but Milland is a complete wardrobe, the only actor in the history of the universe whose whole body had to turn when he turned his head (like he was on wheels).

It's still almost great though, and I really must get the Pendulum release of Ronald Stein's marvelous score (all twisted Molly Malone).

I know what you mean about some movie titles – I just can’t help saying THE LAST ACTION HERO.

Yes, Ray Milland did become exceedingly wooden and stilted during his middle to late career – an amazing contrast with the cheerful and effervescent leading-man of the 30s and early 40s. I suppose he reached his peak with 1945’s THE LOST WEEKEND – he never quite recaptured the success he enjoyed playing his Oscar-winning drunk.

Here’s my thoughts on a Milland movie I saw recently, along with some comments about his long and fine movie career –

September 18 2000

A MAN ALONE (US 1955) movie **1/2 score **1/2

A wandering gunman is framed by a gang of crooks for the murder of six people, including a young child.

Ray Milland directs for the first time, and stars as the gunman who’s really a decent sort of chap. A minor Western – a mixture of character study and schoolboy ‘good guys versus the bad guys’ – it comes across as slightly experimental – the movie is slow and atmospheric, but rather unconvincing.

A MAN ALONE is worth watching – there’s some interesting directorial touches, a solid performance from Milland, and a good supporting cast that includes Ward Bond, Raymond Burr and Lee van Cleef. Victor Young’s score is occasionally very effective, but, the main theme is just a bit too reminiscent of ‘Waltzing Mathilda’ (another song that is supposed to be as definitively Australian as ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ is definitively American, and yet, unsurprisingly, both are derived from old English songs).

Towards the end of A MAN ALONE, the almost obligatory lynch-mob makes its appearance – you know, the townsfolk are in uproar and baying for blood, and they almost inevitably attempt to hang the wrong man. Interestingly, the terms lynch-mob and lynching came about during the American War of Independence, in which the British American Colonists and their numerous European allies defeated the forces of the British Crown. Though popular history, including such soft and politically-correct movie bastardisations of history as THE PATRIOT, usually casts the British Authorities as the ‘bad guys’, it was a rebellious British American patriot, Charles Lynch, whose name has been immortalized because of his practice of hanging men who had not been tried by the proper authorities – in this way, Lynch and his mob murdered many Loyalists (those many British Americans who remained loyal to King George III), proving once again that although the rebellious British colonists may have been justified in their revolution against the Crown, both sides of the conflict were guilty of carrying out atrocities – though nothing like the nazi tactics of ‘Colonel Tavington’ that are portrayed in that travesty of history, but otherwise fun movie, THE PATRIOT.

Ray Milland’s career has always fascinated me. Born Reginald Truscott-Jones in Neath, South Wales in 1905, Milland worked hard during the 30s to establish himself in Hollywood. During the 40s he reaped the reward for his labours with a line-up of fine movies including THE LOST WEEKEND (1945), for which he won an Oscar. During the 50s, Milland suffered a decline in popularity and turned to movie directing with only limited success. During the late 50s he returned to England to direct and star in the enjoyable THE SAFECRACKER (recommended), before taking time out from the movies. In the early 60s Milland returned to the big screen to appear in a number of wretched horror/fantasy movies – some were mildly entertaining, but otherwise they were cheap and wretchedly shoddy productions. Nevertheless, the ageing Welshman, despite being linked with so much dross, still managed to appear in a number of ‘legitimate’ movies, such as GOLD, THE LAST TYCOON and LOVE STORY, among others – he was never short of work. During the late 70s Milland began to suffer ill-health, and it was a great shame that because of this he was unable to appear in the immensely popular movie TRADING PLACES – however, on the plus side, it meant that Don Ameche was able to take the role originally intended for Milland, thus Ameche made a spectacular return to Grade-A movies having at one point sunk to being a circus ringmaster.

Milland finally succumbed to cancer in 1986 – he had a fine career in movies, but one feels he could have done even better. Another interesting thing about Milland is the way he started off as a handsome, energetic and cheerful young man and gradually evolved into the grumpy-looking old curmudgeon that is so familiar to many of us – everyone changes as they grow old, but rarely has the contrast between the effervescent optimism of youth and the cynical resignation of old age been so marked – still, whatever stage of life Milland was at, his presence onscreen was always welcome.

THE OVERLANDERS (GB 1947) movie *** score ***

Ealing’s first Australian movie is an exciting ‘Western’ styled wilderness adventure. Chips Rafferty stars as a rancher who is determined to steer his 1000 head of cattle from the Northern Territories to Brisbane over 1600 miles of forbidding terrain to escape the invading Japanese.

The movie’s story is based on actual events, and begins with the people of the Northern Territories preparing for the great trek south to evade the invading forces. To do this, the Australians first torch their farms and destroy their supplies of water, and many shoot their animals to prevent the Japanese from benefiting from such resources. However, rancher Rafferty is determined not to destroy his herd, and instead resolves to drive them south.

THE OVERLANDERS is a fascinating movie – a ‘Western’ in virtually every way – Australian aborigines stand in for North American Indians, but that’s about the only difference – apart from all of the British and Australian accents of course. John Ireland’s excellent score avoids those cliched ‘western’ sounds, and opts for a full-on orchestral sound – and it’s often intricately forceful in a Beethovenian kind of way – most impressive.

The trek south certainly is a perilous one – there’s searing heat, a lack of water, crocodile swamps, bottonless bogs and poisonous grasses, and there’s always somethin’ spookin’ them steers.

THE OVERLANDERS is certainly compelling stuff – the story and action scenes are very exciting – only on the acting side does the movie suffer a little. Some of the characters are rather stilted, as is the script, but in the end you’ll be pulled into the movie thanks to the heroic nature of the story and the grandeur of the locations.

SOS TITANIC (US 1979) tv-movie *** score ***

The perfect antidote to James Cameron’s monumentally dull 1997 Titanic movie, SOS TITANIC successfully marries the documentary style of 1958’s A NIGHT TO REMEMBER with the drama of 1953’s TITANIC. The only good things 1997’s politically-correct TITANIC had going for it were the superb special effects, the attention to technical detail and James Horner’s fabulous musical score. Everything else about the movie was utterly bland, despite the absurd and pointless liberties taken with historical fact.

At least you felt you were on a British ship during the previous three movies – Cameron’s TITANIC was peopled by such banal and predictable stereotypes – the British crew in particular were much maligned by Cameron’s juvenile and biased distortion of historical fact – especially Captain Smith, who in actuality conducted himself with the utmost dedication to duty and did everything in his power to avert tragedy right to the end – 1997’s TITANIC was an affront and an insult to his name, and to many of the other British crew members.

1979’s SOS TITANIC stars David Janssen (by now looking particularly haggard) as a wealthy American passenger on the ill-fated RMS Titanic – Ian Holm (as Ismay), Harry Andrews (as Captain Smith), Helen Mirren and David Warner flesh out the excellent supporting cast – Warner of course was wasted in Cameron’s version of events, but here, in SOS TITANIC, he is given a worthwhile and sympathetic role as an English schoolteacher who romances an American schoolmistress. The rest of the cast includes dozens of familiar faces from British television, including Maurice Roeves (Col Munroe from LAST OF THE MOHICANS – like 1997’s TITANIC, a limp-wristed, insipid, bloodless and politically correct whitewashing of history), Tony Haygarth, Warren Clarke and so on.

Howard Blake provides a suitably foreboding opening credits theme that matches the ominous looking icebergs onto which the movie’s credits are imposed – but such is the documentary nature of the rest of the movie, there is little need for dramatic score until the tragic events of the movie’s final third. That said, as with the 1997 movie, the drama is entirely fictional – but, unlike Cameron’s banal and tame TITANIC entry, the drama in SOS TITANIC is far more stimulating and realistic.

The attention to detail in SOS TITANIC is excellent, with superb recreations of the English and Irish dockside scenes – there’s plenty of Celtic spirit amongst the passengers – the Guinness flows and the exuberant Irish are seem to be enjoying dancing and making merry (reminds me of my trips to Ireland and Wales) – all of this is far more authentically depicted in 1979’s SOS TITANIC than in the 1997 version’s bland and bloodless zombie-like characterizations.

It’s just a shame there isn’t an earlier version of Emmerich’s THE PATRIOT to which one can point to for more historical and ‘human’ realism – there are very few movies that deal with the British American colonists’ rebellion against the English Crown in 1775. However, at least both THE PATRIOT and 1997’s TITANIC are such crass and absurdly biased bastardizations of history that neither could possibly be taken the least bit seriously by anyone other than the most naïve.

I see you're still around in some capacity.

I loved the Brits with Balls post with Union Jack and all.

Thanks for that – I appreciate your comments very much. I’ve no problem with the fact I’ve been banned from the FSM Message Board – I broke the rules and Bill Smith had no alternative but to bar me – though I am a little disappointed that the ban is permanent and that he felt I had been ‘abusing’ the FSM message board – I merely attempted to be thorough in my postings - I have since e-mailed Bill Smith to assure him that I will not attempt to post there under a different identity. Having said that, it just seems to me that some people take what I say a little too seriously and often too personally – the reaction to my BRIDE OF CHUCKY review was extraordinary – I did think the film was quite good, but my review of it was just a bit of fun. Still, I guess I have to accept the fact that whatever my intentions are when posting at a thread, other people will naturally take what I say at face value. Without a doubt though, my oft-voiced scepticism of much of Goldsmith’s 90s output has alienated me from many board members – maybe it’s a case of, “he doesn’t like Goldsmith, so everything else he says is spurious” – the irony is, I am a great fan of most of Goldsmith’s career output…..anyhow, I’m sure Peter Kelly doesn’t want me to use his forum to discuss my actions at another message board, so I’ll say no more on the subject here.

Anyhow Lou, it’s good to hear from someone else who has seen THE OVERLANDERS. It was a pretty good film in its own right but was also a marvellous record of an amazingly heroic event in history that might otherwise have been forgotten – another example of cinema proving itself to be more than just ‘pure entertainment’. Though much of cinema’s output cannot be taken seriously, even such ludicrous distortions of history as THE PATRIOT may encourage people to investigate the actual historical facts on which the movie’s fiction is based.

Graham Watt

Yes, you’re absolutely right about Milland and his toupee. No better example exists of the contrast between the bald-pated Milland and his bewigged self than in the two Columbo movies in which he appeared during the early 70s.

I remember watching these for the first time about ten years ago when BBC1 used to screen all of the Columbo tv-movies each Saturday evening. Milland first appeared in 1971’s DEATH LENDS A HAND in a smallish ‘guest’ role – Robert Culp was the ‘star’ villain and Milland had a cravat-wearing and exceedingly bald elder-statesman ‘cameo’ role – I seem to remember he was his typically stiff and grumpy older self here, and immediately thought how nice it would have been for Milland to have been given a starring villainous role in a Columbo movie, rather like his excellent part in Hitchcock’s DIAL M FOR MURDER – but also thinking he was probably too old by the early 70s to carry it off.

And then, would you believe, a couple of weeks later the BBC screened 1972’s THE GREENHOUSE JUNGLE in which Milland did star as the villain and did wear his rug and did play the part with considerable energy and charisma, often recapturing the vigour of his younger self – it was very gratifying to see Milland still being given the opportunity to play a part in which he was allowed to smile.

Both of the Columbo mysteries in which Milland appeared were, in my opinion, good series entries.

THE CAREY TREATMENT (US 1972) movie *** score ***

Hugely entertaining nonsense starring the always ingratiating James Coburn as a super-smooth Boston doctor driven to clearing his friend and fellow-doctor of a murder charge.

Blake Edwards directs with enthusiasm, the script is sprinkled with minor gems, the story is satisfyingly complex, the performances are energetic, the action well-staged, and everything about the movie is likeably implausible and absurd in an early 70s sort of way. I suppose the greatest attribute THE CAREY TREATMENT possesses is its likeable nature. It’s really a spoof, and one can easily picture Leslie Nielsen in the Coburn part – as it is, THE CAREY TREATMENT is about as believable as a Flint movie, and Coburn’s character isn’t too far removed from his American Secret Agent.

British composer Roy Budd provides a fine score very much in keeping with the movie’s good-natured effervescence, and is engagingly 70s in the musical territory the score covers – there’s that groovy and funky use of contemporary stylistics and instrumentation, and there’s also some delightfully syrupy string work (including solo violin) for the more romantic and tender moments during the movie. Indeed, Budd’s likeable main theme bears a remarkable similarity to Goldsmith’s main theme to THE LAST RUN. There is a certain tinge of crude sentimentality mixed with romantic warmth in both main themes, but it is the waltz-like tempo and descending notes that evoke nostalgia, some sadness and melancholia that bring both themes to mind, in a LOVE STORY sort of way – not to say the remarkable similarity in the thematic material and stylistics employed. I should point out however, that, in my opinion, Goldsmith’s LAST RUN theme is very much superior to Budd’s CAREY TREATMENT theme – in fact, Goldsmith’s score to THE LAST RUN is a favourite of mine – loved the movie too.

THE CAREY TREATMENT also boasts a large cast of familiar supporting players from American television – rather like SOS TITANIC’s parade of British television talent. However, it is Pat Hingle, Jennifer O’Neill, Elizabeth Allen and Dan O’Herlihy who impress most – each is given the opportunity to shine by the excellent scripting and Edwards’ snappy direction.

Coburn had a field day. Every time he smiled it was like looking at a graveyard or a Grand Piano – his gleaming fluorescent tusks made one wonder how he found time to be a doctor and clear his friend of murder and devote the hours of polishing necessary to maintain his luminous dentures. Only the breadth of his collar distracted one’s attention – albeit briefly. There are several scenes in which he had to appear semi-naked, and it was very amusing to witness how the camera avoided betraying Coburn’s physical decrepitude – he really looked out of shape, everything was sagging. Nevertheless, when fully dressed, Coburn was physically commanding and his lithesomeness seemed almost supernatural. Certainly, considering Coburn’s ‘Tombstone City’ grin, the movie could have been called THE CARIES TREATMENT.

Anyway, I heartily recommend THE CAREY TREATMENT, it’s a really fun movie.

RUN FOR THE SUN (US 1956) movie **1/2 score ***

Interesting ‘remake’ of THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME has Leslie Banks’ Count Zaroff replaced by Trevor Howard’s equally charming Lord Hawhaw-type. For anyone who may not have heard of Lord Hawhaw, he was an Englishman who sided with the Germans during WWII and broadcast regularly to the British people from Germany with pro-German propoganda – Lord Hawhaw became, understandably, one of the most reviled Englishmen in history.

Anyhow, in RUN FOR THE SUN, Richard Widmark’s burnt-out American writer and Jane Greer’s investigative reporter crash-land in the remote jungles of Mexico. There they are rescued and ‘cared’ for by Trevor Howard’s English plantation owner.

As he recovers from his injuries, Widmark becomes increasingly suspicious about his English host and the ‘Dutchmen’ that help him run the plantation. Peter Van Eych runs the plantation with almost Nazi brutality – the Indian workers are forced to remain at the plantation by an army of vicious hounds. It soon becomes clear that the Dutchmen are actually renegade Germans and Howard is a Lord Hawhaw-type quisling who escaped the British authorities at the end of WWII. Widmark and Greer then attempt to escape….

British director Roy Boulting does an efficient job, but the movie tends to get bogged down from time to time. Van Eych isn’t very good, and Jane Greer is Jane Greer, but Widmark is okay and Howard is excellent as the charismatic British traitor.

The scene in which Widmark uncovers Howard’s true identity is very interesting. Widmark, who spent WWII in England as a War Correspondent, begins by remarking on the familiarity of Howard’s voice from all of those pro-Nazi propaganda broadcasts – he then proceeds to verbally lambaste Howard for attempting to forge an alliance between England and Hitler’s Germany (as Lord Hawhaw did in reality), rounding-off his verbal assault by calling Howard a traitor. Howard’s interesting retort was, “the British regarded George Washington as a traitor, but because he was on the winning side he is now renowned as a patriot”.

Fred Steiner (credited here as Frederick) provides a very effective score – richly ‘Mexican’ in flavour, but with a strong thematic thread that is universal in nature. The location work is excellent – this time it is Mexico’s amazing jungles that form the backdrop to the action rather than its more familiar desert regions.

RUN FOR THE SUN is recommended viewing, but it has to be said that it could have been far better than it actually is – it certainly doesn’t hold a candle to 1932’s THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME.

ARLINGTON ROAD (US 1999) movie *1/2 score **1/2

Utterly absurd and utterly worthless, ARLINGTON ROAD just about passes the time whilst it is on. However, ARLINGTON ROAD does for the conspiracy thriller what GATTACA did for science fiction – trivializes, undermines and sabotages the genre.

Jeff Bridges stars as Michael Faraday (!??!) a ‘professor of terrorism’ (!??!) who begins to suspect that his neighbour (Tim Robbins) is not all that he seems. Bridges suspicions are aroused by flimsier clues than even Colombo usually has to work on.

As the movie falteringly progresses, the coincidences mount and the plot development becomes fractured and increasingly ludicrous. This would have been more acceptable had the movie been made with a modicum of panache or a Hitchcockian larger-than-life atmosphere. As it is, the casting is particularly dull – Tim Robbins is absolutely hopeless as the neighbour with a hidden agenda, and Bridges himself, though reasonably good, emotes just a little too much from time to time, and unfortunately puts one in mind of an unlikely cross between Vincent Price (at his most hammy) and Tom Courtenay (at his most Norman Wisdom). Throughout the movie there is an air of stagnation, and the story unfolds sluggishly and loosely.

Angelo Badalamenti's middling score serves only to reinforce the movie’s dull veneer – not really his fault, if the movie had been better, perhaps the score would have seemed better also.

I’m sure the filmmakers thought that ARLINGTON ROAD’s plot material would be thought-provoking and topical – you know, suburban paranoia, conspiracy theories, links between terrorism and government, and the imaginary ‘decline and fall of Western Civilization’. The trouble is, ARLINGTON ROAD is a simplistic insult to the audience’s intelligence. All of the above paranoiac plot devices have been done to death in recent years, and often done far better, and now appear old-hat and cliched.

The movie’s ending is an absolute hoot.

THE HOUSE OF SEVEN GABLES (US 1940) movie ***1/2 score ****

This Hollywood treatment of Nathaniel Hawthornes’ classic novel set in 19th century New England is wildly variable in quality – in the end however, the good parts easily win out over the bad.

Usually George Sanders adds immeasurably to the quality of the movies in which he appears. Here however, he is the movies weak link. Sanders stars as the nasty Jaffrey Pyncheon who frames his good-natured brother Clifford (Vincent Price) for the murder of their father (Gilbert Emery) in order to claim the family home ‘The House of Seven Gables’ and so uncover the hidden treasure that legend says is hidden within its walls.

Hawthornes’ novel is somewhat altered to increase the cinematic value of the movie, but, in the end, the spirit of the author’s intentions comes through. In fact, the movie is at its weakest within the opening twenty minutes – Sanders overacts terribly, everyone overacts terribly, and the opening scenes are poorly scored, scripted and directed – this is melodrama of the worst kind – outmoded and over-the-top, like a penny-dreadful. It is often the case that a movie starts promisingly and then disintegrates as it progresses – THE HOUSE OF SEVEN GABLES is a rare exception, it improves drastically after a disastrous start. It is surely no coincidence that the opening twenty minutes of THE HOUSE OF SEVEN GABLES is the portion of the movie that takes most liberties with Hawthorne’s book.

Anyway, with Price out of the way, the sneering Sanders assumes that the house will be his, but he is wrong, the estate is deeded to Price’s sweetheart Hepzi (Margaret Lindsay). At the beginning of the movie, we learn of the Pyncheons' long history in British America. Arriving from England during the 17th Century, the Pyncheons murdered their way into what was then the Maule estate granted by King Charles II of England – legend has it that the Maules then cursed future generations of Pyncheons. During the War of Independence the Pyncheons sold military secrets to the British, and during the War of 1812 they stirred up rebellion against the United States government in an attempt to return New England to the British Empire. The Pyncheons’ conduct during the Civil War was similarly reprehensible.

So, Price is sent to the State Pen to serve a life sentence for the murder of his father (of which he is of course innocent), and after twenty five years is temporarily joined by Dick Foran who is incarcerated for Abolitionist (of slavery) actions in Massachusetts – by an amazing ARLINGTON ROAD-styled coincidence, Foran is a descendent of the Maule’s who were so wronged by the Pyncheon’s back in America’s British colonial days. However, Maule is keen to aid Price in his efforts to clear his name, and when the new Governor of Massachusetts finally pardons Price, they hatch a plot to exact revenge on the treacherous Sanders. Once released, Maule lodges at Seven Gables under a false name, and involves himself in the safe passage of 34 Negro slaves to safety in British Canada (the slave trade had been outlawed within the British Empire in 1807, sixty years before the USA)…..

It might sound as though I’ve given the whole plot away, but there is far more to THE HOUSE OF SEVEN GABLES than what I have described above, as any Hawthorne enthusiast will know. Despite the movie’s occasional weaknesses, overall it is brimming with invention and emotional power.

Margaret Lindsay is simply brilliant as Price’s loyal sweetheart. Price himself is, on the whole excellent – he is strong and passionate, though he occasionally lapses into Jeff Bridges-ARLINGTON ROAD over-emotiveness. Sanders is unusually poor however, but the rest of the largely British cast are very effective, including Alan Napier, Miles Mander and Cecil Kellaway.

Being a 1940 Universal movie, THE HOUSE OF SEVEN GABLES provides a bit of a reunion for many of those talents involved with 1938’s classic SON OF FRANKENSTEIN and 1939’s TOWER OF LONDON – such British supporting players as Harry Cording, Edgar Norton and Miles Mander (amongst others) reappear here, as does composer Frank Skinner.

Apart from during the Todd Slaughter-styled melodramatic opening twenty minutes, Skinner’s scoring of THE HOUSE OF SEVEN GABLES is absolutely marvellous. Occasionally foreboding moments instantly recall his famous and memorable Frankenstein theme from SON OF FRANKENSTEIN, but it is during the gentler moments that Skinner excels. Price’s emotionally overpowering return from prison is particularly movingly scored.

THE HOUSE OF SEVEN GABLES, apart from its melodramatic opening twenty minutes, is a fine movie, and serves as an interesting and valuable record of New England when it was still tangibly British in nature. But what is most appealing about this movie, is the ease with which it pricks the emotions.

MAN OF THE WEST (US 1958) movie *1/2 score **1/2

Extremely ordinary and cliched Western has Gary Cooper’s reformed bank-robber up against ageing gang-boss Lee J Cobb. Arthur O’Connell, Julie London, John Dehner, Royal Dano and Jack Lord are amongst the proficient supporting cast.

However, despite a bright opening, MAN OF THE WEST quickly descends into derivative and talky tedium. Leigh Harline’s score is okay, but the main theme is incredibly predictable and familiar.

A good fist-fight during the beginning of the movie’s final third temporarily lifts Anthony Mann’s gloomy and despondent direction – even the excellent scriptwriter Reginald Rose failed with this one.

Needless to say, Cobb turns in another barnstormingly over-the-top performance – he’s like Rod Steiger, Todd Slaughter, and Robert Newton all rolled into one – though Cobb’s performance in THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE (1961) remains quite simply the most ridiculously overblown performance I have ever witnessed.

TO DOROTHY, A SON (GB 1954) movie 1/2 score **

Shelley Winters plays a New Yorker who comes to England to trace her first husband (John Gregson) in order to claim her inheritance.

It’s all very silly, and the only possible reason anyone could have for viewing this obtuse comedy is to spot the familiar faces who make up the supporting cast. Joan Hickson, Wilfred Hyde-White, Ronald Adam, Anthony Oliver, Mona Washbourne and a host of other accomplished character comedians are completely embarrassed by the witless script.

MURDER BY DEATH (US 1976) movie * score **1/2

Only occasionally does the script rise to the sophisticated heights of a Christmas cracker joke, the rest of the time the movie is as witlessly unfunny as YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (1974) and MARS ATTACKS! (1996).

The makers of such movies as MURDER BY DEATH, MARS ATTACKS!, and YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN seem to believe that all they have to do is say, “Hey, we’ve made a spoof with lots of big names in it” and the viewing public will automatically fall into the aisles with hysterical laughter.

The trouble is, the makers of MURDER BY DEATH, MARS ATTACKS!, and YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN forgot to attempt to earn public respect – as it is, the only people who seemed to enjoy any of these three films were the people who actually made them.

MURDER BY DEATH has a mysterious stranger (Truman Capote) inviting the world’s greatest detectives to his secluded mansion to solve a puzzling mystery. David Niven, Elsa Lanchester, Peter Sellers, James Cromwell, Eileen Brennan and Peter Falk are amongst the guests who are met by blind butler Alec Guinness.

The movie is particularly inept in the scripting department (Neil Simon), though few of the illustrious cast members give anything other than mediocre performances – only Sellers’ ‘Charlie Chan’ raises the ghost of a smile.

Forget MURDER BY DEATH – you’re more likely to find SCHINDLER’S LIST amusing.

THE ASTONISHED HEART (GB 1949) movie * score **

Hilariously inept, unconvincing, stilted, pretentious, inconsequential and mind-bogglingly turgid exercise in self-indulgence from writer/composer/star Noel Coward.

An absurdly miscast Coward, who is simply dreadful, plays a world-renowned psychiatrist whose understanding wife (Celia Johnson) allows him to engage in an extra-marital affair with her former school friend Margaret Leighton.

Critic Leslie Halliwell said this movie sank without trace back in 1949, but like any rotting corpse, it resurfaced fifty years later on British terrestrial television.

Nutty Prof II: The Klumps (** out of ****)
Lacked the heart of the original, had a few good gags, but nevertheless failed to have me in hysterics with its low brow teen humour.

Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle (*** out of ****)
Underrated little gem. Heck of a lot of fun to watch and deserves to have done better theatrically.

Road Trip (*1/2 out of ****)
Lame low brow teen humour cashing on that the already boring genre resurrected thanks to American Pie. I need to hit Tom Green in the face...

In LA (theatrical)--

Legend of Bagger Vance (*** out of ****)
Harmless and sweet little film directed by Robert Redford. Gorgeous Rachel Portman score which I purchased immediately after seeing the movie.

Matrix (IMAX) (***1/2 out of ****)
35mm anamorphic print successfully blown up onto half on an IMAX screen in Universal City. Amazing sound, incredible scale to the movie like you've never seen before.

Red Planet (* out of ****)
An excuse to visit Mann's Chinese last week, great venue, AWFUL movie. Not seen anything so dull in a loooong time. Cared for no one in it. Bah!

At 20th Century Fox studios in LA--

Me, Myself and Irene DVD (** out of ****)
Nice discs (due in Jan) but the movie failed to capture such great characters as There's Something about Mary did. This is not to say I didn't laugh, but still, like Road Trip I felt it went for getting laughs via shocking you rather then laying on a good gag.

X-MEN DVD (***1/2 out of ****)
Near perfection for the type of movie it is. Just too fun! Amazing DVD presentation @ Fox studios, you couldn't NOT enjoy yourself. hehe

This week --

U571 DVD (**1/2 out of ****)
Impressive sound, average movie. I was given the disc at DTS in LA last week so I shant complain. Impressive extras on the DVD.

Titan A.E DVD (**** out of ****)
I ADORE this movie. Another disturbingly overlooked gem and one hell of a ride. Play the discs DTS track nice and loud...

Leon DVD (***1/2 out of ****)
Finally got my hands on the fixed version of this DVD and am happy to see the international cut so long after I saw it on French laserdisc four years ago. Ok video transfer, but hey, isolated score! Yummy!

X-Men DVD (***1/2 out of ****)
Not as stunning watching it on my humble 32" widescreen at home after seeing it at Fox on a 30 foot 2.40:1 theatrical sized screen via a progressive scan dvd player and $30,000 dlp projector, but still... Spun it twice this week, the disc is still flawless...

What a beautiful film and score. I can't really say too much about it without giving it away, but it is a fabulous film. It concerns a child born in 1900 who spends his entire life on a boat. He is a prodigy at the piano and his life centers around music.

Ooooooh did I dig this movie, great stuff. Only opened in the UK this past friday, but I enjoyed it immensly. I was fearing gratuitous violence/swearing fest but thankfully did not get it. Superb score too!

Gladiator DVD (*** out of ****)

Still stand by the fact this is a very flawed movie, and more people will realise this when watching it in the home, but nevertheless it remains a highly enjoyable romp in my opinion, and the DVD, oh man, the DVD is one to own. Despite only liking this movie, I do not regret owning it, Dreamworks and Scott Free have done a superb job with the disc.

Dr. No 1962
The first James Bond film is a rather low key affair compared to the later films but still a very enjoyable romp. Ursula Andress still is impressive nearly 40 years later.
Most memorable scenes: Bond killing the tarantula and the final fight with Dr. No.
Music: Pretty bad score as the Bond theme is used in the most inappropriate places.
Best line: "Bond. James Bond." Always gives me that chill of excitement.
Overall: **** out of *****

From Russia With Love 1963
Compared to Dr. No this one has a much harder edge. More violent than before. An excellent cast adds to the enjoyment of the film. A exceptionaly fine performance from Pedro Armendariz considering he died after completing all his scenes.
Most memorable scenes: The Gypsy Camp gun fight, the boat chase, the helicopter chase and the final fight on the train.
Music: John Barry brings the Bond scores up a level infused with great action cues and a really good Turkish flavour.
Overall: **** out of *****

Goldfinger 1964
One of the best ever Bond films. Great one liners, excellent plot, great action sequences and some very impressive set designs. Honor Blackman makes a very memorable Bond girl.
Most memorable scenes: The pre-title teaser (absolutely nothing to do with the plot of the film, but perfect set up for the tone of the film), the raid on Fort Knox and of course, The Golden Girl.
Music: Barry does it again. Theme song brillianly performed by Shirley Bassey.
Best line: "Do you expect me to talk?"
"No Mr Bond, I expect you to die!"
Overall: ***** out of *****

Thunderball 1965
My all time favourite Sean Connery film. With four times the budget of Dr. No, it's a no holds barred action romp. A very memorable villian and some of the best underwater photography for it's era.
Most memorable scenes: The chase through the junkanoo, the hijack of the Vulcan plane, the underwater fight against Largo's men.
Music: Barry does it again. Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Band still should have stayed as the theme song.
Best line: Bond after killing Vargas - "I think he got the point."
Overall: ***** out of *****

SUMMER HOLIDAY (GB 1963) movie *1/2 score **

Cliff Richard and his mates tour Europe on a London bus. There is now very little entertainment value to be had in this sadly dated musical set in a bygone age.

November 18 2000

ACES HIGH (GB 1976) movie **** score **

Realistic and moving account of a British squadron based in WWI France. The aerial dogfights are brilliantly staged and Malcolm McDowell gives a marvellously sensitive performance as the squadron leader. Christopher Plummer is also excellent in a sympathetic role as the squadron’s Base Captain. And for once the appearance of big-names such as John Gielgud, Ray Milland and Trevor Howard in cameo roles actively bolsters the movie. A thought-provoking ‘anti-war’ movie.

November 19 2000

CONTRABAND SPAIN (GB 1955) movie * score **

Richard Greene as an American agent attempting to crack a drugs trafficking ring in Spain. Not very good.

MIDWAY (US 1976) movie ** score **

Disappointing account of the United States’ WWII triumph over the Japanese fleet. The movie is burdened by too many star actors in small roles, though James Coburn impressively underplays in a single-scene-role. MIDWAY relies far too heavily on library footage during the battle scenes and Charlton Heston is rather poor as the movie’s star.

SHOOT OUT (US 1971) movie *1/2 score **

The director of TRUE GRIT (Henry Hathaway) brings us another Western involving a child and an ageing movie star. This time a badly miscast Gregory Peck is a recently released bank robber hell-bent on wreaking revenge on those who betrayed him. Unfortunately, SHOOT OUT fails to convince.

ORCA (US 1977) movie ** score **

Unsuccessful mixture of FREE WILLY, MOBY DICK and JAWS has Richard Harris’ loveably exaggerated Irishman battling a vengeful Killer Whale. Morricone’s score is rather muted, but the photography is excellent.

November 21 2000

INSPECTOR MORSE: THE REMORSEFUL DAY tv drama ** score **

Not really a movie, but worth a mention for being the final Morse mystery. The story is rather silly, but John Thaw’s performance as the morose detective is always worth watching.

November 22 2000

OUR MAN IN HAVANA (GB 1960) movie ** score ***

Plenty of Cuban flavour (particularly the score), but a script sadly lacking in wit. Alec Guinness stars as an English vacuum salesman living in Cuba who is recruited by Noel Coward to spy for the British. An excellent cast, including Ralph Richardson, Burl Ives, Maureen O’Hara, Maurice Denham and many, many more, are far better than the material.

MERCURY RISING (US 1998) movie ** score **

Tora, Tora, Tora-extensive footage-lots of Pearl Harbor scenes mixed in

Away All Boats

Midway-John Ford's film

also film footage from several other battles like Okinawa and so on.

I like the film, but it does have its faults.
I like James Shigeta in his role. When we first saw this film in the theatre the audience really liked it. Lots of suspense up to when the first Jap carrier gets hit although everyone in there knew how it would end. Cheers went up in the theatre from several people when the first Jap carrier was hit. People applauded at the end of the film. Don't see that much any more. There are some things I like about the film. There were some miscast folks in it though, and it could have been much better. The premiere played up the courage, heroism on both sides and the luck involved in many of the decisions and timing. Best, John.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service 1969
Not my favourite Bond film at all. George Lazenby doesn't do a very good job at Bond as he can't act. Diana Rigg as Tracy was perfect casting though. She's cool, sexy and hot off The Avengers she makes a perfect Bond girl. Next time you watch it, look out for a very young Joanna Lumley.
Most memorable scenes: The chases! Ski, bobsled, you name it. The ending, the death of Tracy after the wedding. The battle of Piz Gloria.
Music: Barry does it again with style. A very 60's electronicly based score giving a completely different feel for the new Bond.
Best line: "We have all the time in the world."
Overall: *** out of *****

Diamonds Are Forever 1971
The beginning of the smash em up car chase era. Sean Connery returns but boy has he put on weight! Wint and Kidd are by far the funniest henchmen so far. The Vegas setting with it's bright lights and all really suits the movie.
Most memorable scenes: The double Blofeld in Willard Whyte's office. Bond getting beaten up by Bambi and Thumper.
Music: John Barry's score is lacking. The 007 action cue makes a welcome return though.
Best line: "You're showing a bit more cheek." Blofeld reffering to the tape in Tiffany Case's bikini.
Overall: ** out of *****

Live and Let Die 1973
Roger Moore makes his mark straight away. Cashing in with the success of the SHAFT movie, it was the perfect time to do this film. The only instance when the "f word" makes an appearance in a Bond film. Although Sheriff J W Pepper is not worth the screen time.
Most memorable scenes: The boat chase. The showdown with Tee Hee on board the train, very reminiscent of the showdown with Grant in From Russia With Love. Bond cheating with the Tarot cards.
Music: George Martin's score is different and makes the film enjoyable. One of the best non-Barry scores.
Best line: "What the f-" J W Pepper with the boat going over head.
Overall: **** out of *****

The Man With the Golden Gun 1974
The worst Roger Moore film. Scaramanga's Fun House is so cheap looking it takes the film to new lows for the series. Christopher Lee is wasted as Scaramanga who has to be the worst Bond villian ever. Nick Nack makes a good henchman though!
Most memorable scenes: The car jump over the broken bridge. Bond taking on the martial arts school.
Music: Barry starts his more strings arrangement of the Bond theme for Roger. The use of the tin-whistle during the car jump is very lame though.
Best line: "A duel between titans. My Golden Gun agains your Walther PPK." Scaramanga.
Overall: ** out of *****

The Spy Who Loved Me 1977
The first completely original Bond story sharing only it's title with a Fleming story. Some great action sequences although Stromberg is a pretty week villian. Jaws makes his first appearance and makes for fun viewing as Bond continually punches him in the mouth. The ski jump at the end of the pre-title sequence is one of the best stunts every filmed.
Most memorable scenes: The ski chase and jump. Agent Triple X being revealed as a woman (going all you dirty minded people, snicker!) The fight to reclaim the submarines: the best set so far in the series, its' HUGE!
Music: Marvin Hamlisch does a great job, especially his take on the Bond theme.
Best line: "He just dropped in for a quick bite." Bond referring to Jaws.
Overall: *** out of *****

As a fan of the Wallace and Gromit TV shows I had high hopes for this movie and wasn't disappointed. Nick Park and Aardaman Animations can do no wrong it seems. Wonderful script with some great Chicken Pun's and some of the best claymation ever to hit the big screen. Mel Gibson was great voicing Rocky and had me in stiches.

It's full release here coincides with the school holidays so it's a perfect movie to take the kids to go see.

THE SILENCERS (US 1966) movie *1/2 score **1/2

Directed by Janusz Kaminski
Screenplay by Pierce Gardner, from a story by Pierce Gardner and Betsy Stahl
Photography by Mauro Fiore
Music by Jan A.P. Kaczmarek

Main Cast: Wynona Ryder, Ben Chaplin, John Hurt

The Antichrist comes (again)!

The great cinematographer Kaminski falls flat on his face in his directorial debut. Lost Souls is boring. I'd read how the cast and crew were absorbed by the theological implications and the depth of character, but I didn't see any hint of that on screen whatsoever. It's a dull, badly acted plod of a movie which goes absolutely nowhere slowly. Then it thankfully ends.

Janet Catamaran's score is an indication of everything that is wrong with films today: timid, tepid and themeless, it is mere meandering wallpaper, despite a few inspired outbursts.

Lost Souls is a complete waste of time (and to think that I treated myself to this after a whole month of not going to the cinema. I should have gone to the office.)

I'm willing to be proven wrong about the score (that has happened to me a million times), but I don't think that I'll be proven wrong about the film.

A TOWN CALLED BASTARD (GB 1971) movie **** score ****

THE FAST LADY (GB 1962) movie *** score ***

Bright British farce featuring an array of expert comic talent including Stanley Baxter, James Robertson Justice, Julie Christie and Leslie Phillips. Baxter buys a sports car to impress Christie – but first of all he has to learn to drive. Norrie Paramor provides an effectively jazzy score.

MERRY ANDREW (US 1958) movie *** score ***

MRS BROWN (GB/US/Ire 1997) movie *1/2 score ***

Disappointingly flat and uninvolving account of the friendship between the grieving Queen Victoria and a servant of her late husband. Dame Judi Dench and Billy Connolly are fine in the leading roles, but the rest of the characters are unfortunately one-dimensional. MRS BROWN is a very minor affair.

Final Destination 2000
Being a fan of the X-Files and Millennium, I knew that a script by Glen Morgan and James Wong would be good and I wasn't disappointed. I've never been a big horror fan at all, but this one has to be the best in a while, and is far better than Urban Legend which was my favourite horror film of recent times.
Good acting all around and some rather strange ways to die. The ending was totally unexpected.
Overall **** out of ***** (It should have been longer!)

and second:

THE KIDNAPPERS (GB 1953) movie **** score ****

Remarkable family movie. Following the death of their father in the Boer War, two young boys go to live with their stern grandfather in a Scottish community in 1904 Nova Scotia. Tensions mount as the boys’ grandfather forbids his daughter from romancing the community’s Dutch doctor because of events in South Africa. Not only that, Grandfather will not allow the two young boys a dog, and this leads the young lads to ‘kidnap’ a neighbour’s baby whom they name Edward, in honour of the King.

THE KIDNAPPERS is all the more effective because it does not descend into sloppy sentimentality, and its message against prejudice and bigotry is compelling. Bruce Montgomery’s score is truly wonderful. Rather than opting for a possibly cliched Celtic-folk sound, Montgomery employs a full orchestra under the direction of the ubiquitous Muir Mathieson. The music is by turns delicate and powerful, but always appropriate. Duncan Macrae is superb as Grandfather, as are Jean Anderson as his understanding wife and Theodore Bikel as the Dutchman, but it is Jon Whiteley and Vincent Winter as the two children who excel. Indeed, both won Special Academy Awards for their perfect performances here – baby Edward is pretty good too!

Having recently viewed THE OVERLANDERS (set in Australia), THE CRUCIBLE (set in Massachusetts), and now THE KIDNAPPERS (set in Canada), I believe it to be a great shame that more movies depicting colonial life within the British Empire have not been made.

POSSESSED (US 1947) movie **1/2 score ***1/2

Considering the rather poor scripting, this overblown melodrama wasn’t quite overblown enough. Joan Crawford is fine as a woman on the verge of insanity, and a fine cast, including Raymond Massey, Van Heflin and Stanley Ridges offers fine support, but overall the movie is rather shapeless and lethargically paced. Nevertheless, there are passages of fine cinema, and Waxman’s score is a skilled mixture of original composition and Schumann – at one point Jakob Gimpel makes an appearance. POSSESSED is an okay entertainment that could have been ten times better.

Great things about The Overlanders---Mary riding her horse past the troop convoy to give the men a look at a woman; the shot of the 4 people on the bluff looking down at the horses; Corky manipulating everyone to go to the way station; that bit of propaganda telling Corky that the North shouldn't be exploited like the South, animals falling from the mountain pass, the look the old lady gives Chips R when he falls drunk off the porch, etc. etc.

I guess Ireland hated his experience writing the score, but it's one of the best British scores ever. You could say this one is a little hard to swallow in places--standing down the stampede--but it's great when a movie takes you there anyway.

As for the rest, people on these boards are way too sensitive and serious. I love to go overboard for effect and people just can't seem to read between the lines and see I'm having fun with my slams. I guess we come from a different generation or something.

I agree, Goldsmith's recent scores are nothing in quality compared with what he was doing in the late 50s and throughout the 60s. And I agree with you that film music isn't really engineered for listening, it's for the film first.

Actually, it's surprising in a way that we get to have soundtracks to listen to in the first place. For many years, it was just seen as another way of advertising for a film, not supplying a market. It surprises some composers working in the business that people actually listen to this music.

Still, I believe I think of film music as quality music to listen to more than you seem to. Yet, despite your words on the subject, you own a lot of film music and post at these boards regularly, so I'm not so certain your more extreme views on the subject aren't to be taken with a slight grain of salt. In any case, it's obvious you know what your mind is and can argue things articulately. Plus, I like a guy who can stir up trouble. The world needs iconoclasts and contrarians. Like they point out in the anime series The Irresponsible Captain Tyler, the wandering monkey who forces his way into the closed clan is the one who brings new DNA to the gene pool and keeps the species going in a healthy way. And yet people fear, fuss, and defend.

Staying on topic, I haven't been watching too many films lately. Been spending a lot of my spare time looking after someone. Still, I managed to fit in MADE IN USA, PRIVATE HELL 36, TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (showed it to someone who'd never seen it and they were blown away), THE X-MEN, HIGH FIDELITY, JE T'AIME JE T'AIME, and various episodes of VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA.

Thanks again for your comments. You know, I just re-read my mini review of POSSESSED, and found I used the word fine at least four times, which is quite funny, because the movie wasn’t really fine at all, though some of its elements were.

As you probably know, MAN OF THE WEST is rated very highly in some quarters, so maybe it will appeal to you. Indeed, even though I found it sadly wanting, it did have its compensations – not least Cobb’s wildly out-of-control performance.

Nice to hear you mention THE OVERLANDERS again, those scenes you mention are indeed memorable – as was the river crossing, it looked genuinely perilous. Yes, the standing down of the stampede was hard to swallow, but as you say, it was a mighty effective scene.

Yes, I do collect soundtrack albums, and I do listen to them on occasion. But it is the success of the music within the movie that really matters to me…..anyway you’ve heard all of this before…..but, what some people at these message boards seem to forget, is that an admiration of film music need not go hand in hand with a fervent desire to listen to the music on the album. It’s just a matter of emphasis, I love film music as much as the next man at this board, but perhaps my reasons for doing so are rather different.

But as you know Lou, I appreciate and respect the fact that many people do gain a great deal of satisfaction from listening to soundtrack albums, and would not seek to criticize that pursuit. The only thing that sometimes puzzles me is when a film-score enthusiast might argue that the success of the music on the album is more important than the success of the music within the movie. Whilst I understand that to the individual the music may be more important than the movie, as far as the moviemakers, film composers and audiences are concerned, the film score usually exists to serve the movie first.